X-Press Magazine #1362

FEATURE INSIDE

38,000 OCTOBER 2011 - MARCH 2012 AUSTRALIA’S HIGHEST CIRCULATING STREET PRESS

ROLLER

LAWRENCE LEUNG

FLETCHER

JOE SATRIANI

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X-Press – First on the street, Wednesdays

STANDING SENTRY

Following on from a world-beating appearance at SXSW, Melbourne rapper Seth Sentry continues his nonstop US invasion. The seasoned wordslinger was voted the Doritos Bold Champion, a win that saw him open for LL Cool J, Public Enemy, Ice Cube and Doug E at the festival, and also won a slot on Jimmy Kimmel’s late night talk show, on April 4, marking the first time an Aussie hip hop act has performed on the show. After that, it’s back home for his Dear Science Tour, which hits Villa on Friday May 10. Tickets are available from moshtix.com.au.

Seth Sentry

Ball Park Music

KNOCKED IT OUT OF THE PARK

Brisbane-bred earworm-farming indie rockers Ball Park Music are headed our way courtesy of their final headline tour of 2013 - and that didn’t take too long - The Thank Ewes Tour. Metropolis Fremantle plays host on Friday, July 12, and Eagle And The Worm and Jeremy Neale have scored the support slots. Tickets from oztix.com.au

EVANS ABOVE

Bob Evans

Heralded by the radio favoured singles, Don’t Wanna Grow Up Anymore and Go, the fourth Bob Evans album, Familiar Stranger was released this week. With a new backing band primed and ready to roll Bob Evans (aka Kevin Mitchell) is all set for a national album tour, which will bring him to Settlers Tavern, Margaret River, on Thursday, May 2; The Bakery on Friday, May 3, and the Prince Of Wales, Bunbury, on Saturday, May 4. Special guests on the tour will be Tigertown and You Am I’s Davey Lane.

BEACHY KEEN

On the back of blitzing crowds across the US and the UK, San Cisco are returning to Australia to hit the road on The Beach Tour throughout May and June.

The four-piece are currently making their mark on the UK and US with support slots with The Vaccines and Darwin Deez as well as playing their own headline shows and their debut appearance at SXSW. They’ll be joined on at Astor Theatre on Saturday, June 1 by Brisbane quartet, Millions. Tickets are available from www.showticketing.com.au or from Astor Theatre.

The Reverend Horton Heat

RELIGIOUS ROCK ‘N’ ROLL

Texan psychobilly legend The Reverend Horton Heat is to return to Australia with his white hot band to deliver the good word from the bible of high-octane rock ‘n’ roll for his Australian disciples. Breaking out of Dallas Texas in 1985 Jim Heath aka The Reverend Horton Heat distilled a potent brand of musical moonshine blending the finest elements of punk, country, blues and good time hillbilly rock ‘n’ roll to come up with a brew that across the span of nine studio albums remains as fresh and intoxicating as they day it was bottled.

Get your tickets from Oztix and Heatseeker for the Tuesday, May 28, gig at Rosemount Hotel.

SINK OR SWIM

WA’s newest band competition, The Big Splash, is giving WA original, unsigned bands the chance to win $10,000 cash. The comp will run across various venues between June 4 and August 10 and all entrants immediately qualify. Simply email your band name, contact phone number, online link to your music and a brief outline of what your band would do with the moolah.

Email to thebigsplash@coolperthnights. com with Big Splash Entrant as the subject heading.

Entries close May 15. Go on, don’t be shy.

RING THAT BELL

As an internationally-renowned iconic image of Perth, the Bell Tower has been photographed by visitors from all over the world. The 3rd Annual Photographic Competition invites aspiring photographers to enter their impression of the sites evolving environment. Download a free entry pass to the tower and competition entry pass at thewest.com.au/thebelltower. The competition closes May 6 and there are loads of awesome Canon prizes up for grabs.

San Cisco

ZARMY ARMY

Zarm

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Local reggae/soul/roots collective ZARM are planning a big, big night to celebrate the unleashing of their debut EP, Elephone. On Saturday, April 13, The Bakery will be taken over by a veritable cavalcade of top notch WA talent, including Grace Barbe, Odette Mercy & Her Soul Atomics, Pimps of Sound, DJs Corby and Flex and, of course, ZARM themselves, whose shifting lineup will include Bill Rogers of The Zydecats on sax and Freddy Poncin on percussion. Tickets from nowbaking.com

Reactions/Comp Thing Flesh Music: Rufus Wainwright/Bonnie Raitt West Coast Blues & Roots: Iggy & The Stooges /Wilco West Coast Blues & Roots: Jimmy Cliff Music: Crash Diet/Matt Taylor/Benny Walker/ Music: Fletcher New Noise Eye4 Cover: Freo Street Arts Festival Eye4 Movies: Die Hard/Hara Kiri Eye4 Movies: Burt Wonderstone/The Patience Stone Arts Listings Salt Cover: Daniel Bortz Salt: News/ Test Pad/ Village Oblivia/Yarhkob Salt: Roller Crew. Uberjak’d Salt: Club Manual Salt: Rewind: Actress Scene: Live Scene: Local Scene Tour Trails Gig Guide Volume

COVER: Rufus Wainwright performs at West Coast Blues’N’ Roots, happening at Fremantle Park this Saturday-Sunday, March 23- 24.

SALT COVER: Daniel Bortz is playing this Friday, March 22 at Double Lucky. www.xpressmag.com.au

Deborah Conway & Willy Zygier

GHOSTS IN THE MACHINE

Deborah Conway & Willy Zygier have just released their latest album, Stories Of Ghosts, an examination of Old Testament themes, existential uncertainty and the delicate emotional balancing act that is life.

In what is sure to be an evening of beautiful and trenchant music, they will appear at Clancy’s Fish Pub, Dunsborough this Friday, March 22; Ellington Jazz Club on Saturday, March 23, and Mojos on Sunday, March 24. For more details head to deborahconway.com 7

with Casey Hayes... Send your name, address and daytime phone number to win@xpressmag.com.au with the name of the competition in the subject line or enter online at www.xpressmag.com.au. Snail mail entries can be sent to Locked Bag 31, West Perth 6872. Entries close 4pm Monday. By entering you agree to X-Press Magazine’s Terms and Conditions, which can be found online. All competition entries will automatically enable you to become an X-Press subscriber! No details will be given to a third party.

Print and Digital Editions Publisher/Manager Joe Cipriani Editorial

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Managing Editor Bob Gordon: editor@xpressmag.com.au Fashion Editor Emma Bergmeier: fashion@xpressmag.com.au Dance Music & Features Editor Jo Campbell: danceeditor@xpressmag.com.au Local Music & Arts Editor Travis Johnson: localmusicarts@xpressmag.com.au Gig & Event Guides Co-ordinator Casey Hayes - guide@xpressmag.com.au Entertainment Services Co-ordinator / Competitions Casey Hayes - win@xpressmag.com.au Photography Callum Ponton, Stefan Caramia, Daniel Grant, Sammy Granville, Matt Jelonek, Denis Radacic, Emma Mackenzie, Guang-Hui Chuan, Max Fairclough Contributing Writers Henry Andersen, Ashleigh Whyte, Nina Bertok, Shaun Cowe, Derek Cromb,Chris Gibbs,Alfred Gorman,George Green,Alex Griffin,Chris Havercroft, Joshua Hayes, Brendan Holben, Coral Huckstep, Rezo Kezerashvili,Tara Lloyd, Adam Morris, Andrew Nelson, Chloe Papas, Tom Varian, Ben Watson, Jessica Willoughby, Miki Mclay, Morgan Richards, James Manning, Joe Cassidy, Shane Pinnegar For band gigs and launches - plugyourgig@xpressmag.com.au

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Benny Walker

BENNY WALKER

Robert Plant

Born and bred in Echuca, Victoria, Benny Walker inherited his passion for music from his father and his grandfathers, all talented musicians in their own right.

His intuitive, heartfelt song writing combines reggae and blues with acoustic folk, and his rich, soulful voice leaves no doubt that he means every word that he sings. He plays the Indi Bar on Wednesday, March 27, enter now to grab a double pass!

WEST COAST BLUES ‘N’ ROOTS

Now in its 10th year, the West Coast Blues ‘n’ Roots Festival is bringing one incredible weekend to Fremantle Park this Saturday and Sunday. Think two amazing days, jam-packed with music legends Robert Plant, Iggy and The Stooges and Paul Simon, just to name a few. Thanks to Sunset Events, we have one major and one runner-up prize to give away. The major prize includes VIP entry for you and a friend for the whole weekend, plus a backstage tour and a side of stage viewing for an artist of your choice*! The runner up will receive entry for themself and a mate on both Saturday and Sunday.

Win, win! Enter online by letting us know your favourite Blues ‘n’ Roots memory to date! *Subject to artist management approval. West Coast Blues ‘n’ Roots festival will provide a list of artists to choose from prior to the event.

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Production Co-ordinator Uli Mauersberg

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Art Director

Plump DJs

Dwight O’Neil

Design + Production

art@xpressmag.com.au Andy Quilty, Anthony Jackson, Kasia Mazurkiewicz

PLUMP AND PROUD

The Plump DJs are returning to Perth this April with their four deck live show! Andy and Lee have Rural Press Printing Mandurah been performing and producing together since the late 1990’s. They began as avid pioneers of diverse Administration 9213 2888 electronic music, smashing into the early breaks Entertainment Services Co-ordinator scene and delivering absolutely iconic albums A Casey Hayes reception@xpressmag.com.au Plump Night Out, Eargasm and Saturday Night Lotion.

Accounts We are giving away one VIP prize pack which includes Lillian Buckley accounts@xpressmag.com.au VIP entry for you and a mate and a Boomtick merch pack. They play Villa on April 19. Enter now to win!

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Sleepwalk With Me

SLEEPWALK WITH ME

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CAB AUDITED CIRCULATION: 38,000 OCTOBER 2011 – MARCH 2012

Deadlines EDITORIAL General: Friday 5pm,, Eye4 Arts: Thursday 10am, Comp’ Thing: Monday Noon,, Salt Clubs: Monday 5pm , Local Scene: Monday Noon,, Gig Guide: Monday 5pm ADVERTISING Cancellations: Monday 5pm, Ads to be set: Monday Noon Supplied Bookings / Copy: Tuesday 12 Noon, Classifieds: Monday 4pm Published by: Columbia Press Pty.Ltd. A.C.N. 066 570 803 Registered by Australia Post. Publication No PP600110.00006 Suite 55/102 Railway Street, City West Business Centre, West Perth, WA 6005 Locked Bag 31, West Perth, WA 6872 Phone: (08) 9213 2888 Fax: (08) 9213 2882 Website: http://www.xpressmag.com.au

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Advertisers and/or their agents by lodging an advertisment shall indemnify the publisher, and its agents, against all liability claims or proceedings whatsoever arising from the publication. Advertisers and/or their representatives indemnify the publisher in relation to defamation, slander, breach of copyright, infringement of trademarks of name of publication titles, unfair competition or trade practices, royalties or violation of rights or privacy and warrant that the material complies with revelant laws and regulations and that its publication will not give rise to any rights against or liabilities in the publisher, its servants or agents. Any material supplied to X-Press is at the contributor’s risk.

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Freo Street Arts

TAKIN’ IT TO THE STREETS Sticky Fingers

A STICKY SITUATION

Sydney based rude boys Sticky Fingers are christening their new album Caress Your Soul with an Australian tour. These boys are delivering a refreshing vibe to the Australian music scene with their unique collection of psychotic surf/dub love songs. The Perth leg of the tour will see the boys play the Rosemount on March 27. With support from the multi talented Lyall Mooney this is one you don’t want to miss. We have two double passes to giveaway to the show. Enter now to win!

The 15th annual Fremantle Street Arts Festival is happening this Easter Weekend. Hosting a dynamic mix of performances, from comedy and circus acts to acrobats and cabaret. As Australia’s largest street arts festival, the program boasts more than 30 of the world’s best street performers from the UK, Canada, Belgium, Spain, USA and Ireland. We have five double passes to giveaway to The Buskers Caberet , one of the shows that is too risqué for the streets. It will showcase modified and alternative versions of the artist’s street shows in the close up setting of PS Art Space. With Lords Of Strut, Joel Salom, The Pitts, Dado, Grant Goldie and some surprise guests. Enter now to grab to yourself one!

We have five double passes to giveaway to the Sleepwalk With Me advanced screening at Cinema Paradiso Thursday, March 28. Comedian-turnedplaywright-turned-filmmaker Mike Birbiglia has written, directed and starred in this autobiographically inspired, fictional feature. A stand-up comedian struggles with the stress of a stalled career, a stale relationship and wild spurts of severe sleepwalking.

Featuring a great support cast and a sampling from the who’s who of today’s stand-up scene. This is a sincere and funny insight into the life of a comedian.

Enter now to grab a double pass.

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SWIMMING IN HER EYES

Indie-pop chanteuse Brooke Addamo, aka Owl Eyes, will be bringing her particular brand of alluring mystery and enchanting tunes to every corner of the country following the release of her debut LP, Nightswim, this April. Her only Perth show is at Amplifier on Friday, May 24, with support from Collarbones.

Tickets go on sale this Friday, March 22 from oztix.com.au

G

THE G SPOT

Acclaimed choreographer Garry Stewart, working with the 11 incredible dancers of the Australian Dance Theatre, completely reworks the ballet Giselle in G. A physical dissection to hysteria, vulnerability, desire, gender, death and the afterlife, G comes to us for four nights only, running at The State Theatre Centre from Thursday, July 4 to Sunday, July 7. Tickets are available through ticketek.

Andrew Strong, The Commitments

TRY A LITTLE TENDERNESS

Owl Eyes

In 1992 the Alan Parker film, The Commitments, based on the short novel by Roddy Doyle, was released. It was something of a rags-to-riches story that saw the group fall just short of stardom. The movie received massive international recognition, nominated for Grammys and Academy Awards, and won several BAFTA’s and Brit Awards. The film’s star Andrew Strong will be touring The Commitments show downunder with an eight-piece band to celebrate the 21st anniversary of the film.

Tickets are on sale from oztix.com.au for the Thursday, August 22 show at Metropolis Fremantle.

THE SPITFIRES Blue King Brown

A Very Important Date

EAT THE GLOBAL BEATS

A safari of food from around the world will accompany sensational sounds at the free City of Wanneroo Global Beats & Eats Festival presented

by Act-Belong-Commit on Saturday, April 6. Groove along to the beat from 5pm at Liddell Reserve in Girrawheen while enjoying everything from an American burger to Argentinean ribs or Colombian empanadas. Food vendors will be operating until 9pm, while a world class lineup of performers will take to the stage including headline act Blue King Brown and Perth’s very own Grace Barbe.

The Stampede

CATTLE CALL

The Spitfires

La Dispute

The craze for daunting, physically draining obstacle course challenges is about to hit Perth! The Stampede is a 5km or 10km confidence course that includes mud, fire, ice pits, a giant slip and slide, and the occasional electric shock. The inaugural Perth event, held on Saturday, May 4, will also feature a giant tomato fight, because why not? It’s all in the name of camaraderie and having a go rather than fierce competition, and The Stampede is proud to support CanTeen and The Heart Foundation. Hit up thestampede.com.au for more details.

TOOTHY DISPUTE

This July, American five-piece, La Dispute, will return to Australia bringing with them Baltimore’s Pianos Become The Teeth. La Dispute is a posthardcore band from the Grand Rapids, Michigan.

Pianos Become The Teeth have a melodic yet uncompromising sound that brings to mind bands such as Thursday, Envy and City of Caterpillar. Tickets are now on sale from Oztix for the Saturday, July 6, show at Amplifier and the Sunday, July 7, all-ages gig at YMCA HQ.

Beni

THE GILDED CAGE

Thanks to JumpClimb, devastating DJ Beni will be spinning the wheels of steel on Easter Saturday, March 30, at The Aviary to help them celebrate their new 2am license. Even better, the show is free, although it’s bound to hit capacity early on. With no work the day before or after, this is one gig that’s sure to raise the roof of Perth’s favourite rooftop venue. www.xpressmag.com.au

Perth ex-pats The Spitfires are back in town for a show on Friday, March 22, at the Rosemount Hotel. BEN WATSON catches up with singer/ guitarist Sean Regan.

In an unusual move, The Spitfires released their debut album Songs For The Debt Generation, last year, then immediately upped stumps and relocated to Sydney—a big, notoriously difficult city, where they didn’t know a soul.

The band has not been back to Perth since, but as lead man Sean Regan told X-Press, they’ve been far from idle.

Sydney is, of course, the home of much of the top end of the music business, and one would imagine Regan – who has always had a fearless approach to the business end of his art – lapping it all up in his stride. There’s little doubt that he would indeed be knocking on doors, but when X-Press wryly poses the question, Regan’s response is surprisingly realistic.

“We’re sort of going for a more grassroots thing, to be honest,” he explains. “I pretty much every night go out to pubs in Sydney and Newtown and flog CDs to random people and just tell people about the band, and from doing that we’ve been able to get the word out.

“We thought, rather than stay indoors all the time we’d just go and harass the locals, and I think people would rather meet people in the band than read about us in a magazine article. So, yeah, we’ve been getting down and dirty.”

Crucially for Perth audiences, they’ve also been flat-out songwriting, and Regan reveals

that the band has written a whole EP of new material, and that they’ll be debuting the tracks this weekend. The name of one of them, Online Dating Fiasco, sums up the nature of the band’s Sydney adventures thus far.

“We didn’t have a lot of money when we first got over,” Regan explains, “so, in a fit of stupidity I decided to do some online dating. I kind of met this girl I really liked, and – as you normally do – you go on your date and you balls it up, and that was the last I heard from her. But not the last she heard from me. I’ve been trying to win her back over by writing a love song.

“I sent her a song and then she said ‘ah, it’s a lovely song, but bugger off,’ and I don’t think she realises that I’ve written a whole EP about it. So I’m not sure whether she’ll ever even get to hear it unless we get ridiculously famous and then she’ll be horrifically embarrassed by the whole affair, I don’t doubt.”

So the mystery online woman may not get to hear these songs, but Perth audiences will.

Those who know the band well will recognise that it’s a bit of a change of direction lyrically for The Spitfires.

“It’s a bit of a change,” muses Regan, “from songs about politics and stuff like that. And you know, it’s taken me out of my comfort zone a bit. Obviously it’s still got our own quirky offbeat style. It’s certainly not going to be all mushy and romantic.

“We sing songs about how society develops,” he continues, “and I suppose the move to online dating is something that I can write about. It’s quite interesting because obviously the dynamics of meeting people online, and how you deal with people, and the fact that you can ignore people if you choose to.”

Christie Blizzard

YOUR MISSION, SHOULD YOU CHOOSE TO ACCEPT IT

Mission Australia’s Youth Accommodation and Support Service is calling for donations for a renovation project. The Woodside Beds For Winter project will start on Monday, May 13, with professional interior designer Christie Blizzard volunteering her time for the second year in a row to create a fresh new look for two accommodation units. Donations of new lighting, floor coverings, beds, linen, furniture, televisions, desks and blinds are being asked for, along with paint, tools and equipment, skip hire and tiling.

Contact John Cooke on john.cooke@ppr. com.au if you can help.

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RUFUS WAINWRIGHT Out And About

Rufus Wainwright performs at West Coast Blues ‘N’ Roots, playing under the Big Top from 4.45pm this Sunday, March 24, at Fremantle Park. BOB GORDON speaks with the prolific singer/composer.

Rufus Wainwright, it turns out, is quite the homemaker. Ironically however, he’s in a line of business where he has to leave home.

Constantly.

“I’ve got a couple of homes that I’ve had to leave,” he notes down the line from Los Angeles.

“We have a beautiful house in Montauk (New York) and a nice apartment in Toronto.

“And then also of course I have a beautiful daughter (Viva Katherine Wainwright Cohen, whose mother is Lorca, daughter of Leonard Cohen) in Los Angeles whom I wish I saw more of. So I’m always leaving, but I’m also always coming back (laughs).

I’m a bit like a boomerang.

“You know, I’m almost 40 and I still look fairly presentable and am in good health. So now’s really the time to get out there and do my thing. To make my mark. I’ve accepted that.”

Wainwright may indeed have a number of homes that he shares with his husband, Jörn Weisbrodt, but that number is dwarfed by the global destinations from where he is in demand. He demurs a little at the suggestion, but he could well be described as an International Citizen.

“Well I’m certainly a prized member of the Commonwealth,” he laughs. “Be it England, Canada, Australia and some of the former colonies. I started playing places like South America, which was very exciting. And deeper into the stranger regions of Europe. So it’s starting to seep through the world... oh, and Asia. You know what? I guess I am. I guess I am!”

Wainwright’s most recent LP release was 2012’s Out Of The Game, the tour of which saw him perform here at the Riverside Theatre last September.

“I was very, very happy with the shows,” he says of the reception to the album. “Very, very happy with the band. Very, very happy with the tour and the places I played. I do feel the record industry, or the recording industry or videos or radio... I don’t understand any of that anymore. I don’t get how that works.

“And it’s always a little bit of a sting, when you got out there and you’re eclipsed by a rather large Korean guy dancing (laughs). After all that you’ve done. The times are a bit odd, but people keep coming to the shows and that’s what it’s all about.”

At this juncture in music industry history it seems impossible for the majority of major working artists to take album sales as any kind of barometer as to their popularity. Wainwright concurs.

“I won’t kid you and say it doesn’t matter that I don’t sell a lot of records,” he reflects, “but as I said, it’s really not my fault. People don’t buy records anymore; they don’t know where to get them. It’s like a physical problem.

“But that being said, yes. For me to be able to go to Australia, or go to Korea, or South America and fill a room and make people happy, that really is what it’s all about. There’s a good million musicians standing right behind me who would really kill to be in the position I’m in. I have to constantly be grateful for how things are going. Even though I’m not, you know, flying on a jet plane with Lady GaGa or anything.”

Wainwright’s work over the years has been comprehensive, including all manner of collaboration, solo work and genre diversity. Out Of The Game was a more pop-styled release, produced

by Mark Ronson, but bear in mind it was preceded by the All Days Are Nights: Songs for Lulu, a piano/ voice suite founded on Shakespeare’s sonnets and written for his late mother, Canadian singer, Kate McGarrigle. This itself was preceded by Prima Donna, an opera with a French libretto.

“They feed off each other of course,” he says of such stylistially separate pursuits, “but I think, especially, once I stepped into the opera arena - I wrote Prima Donna and now I’m in the process of writing another opera - I realised with that world it’s kind of like the distance between a battle and a world war (laughs).

“And I’m excited to be in this world war of music, but in the end because I tend to go for larger

BONNIE RAITT Good Hangs Roots guitarist with the tear-away voice, Bonnie Raitt, has a pool room full of Grammy Awards, but it took her close to two decades to find commercial success. She appears at West Coast Blues N’ Roots at Fremantle Park this Sunday, March 24, from 6pm under the Big Top. CHRIS HAVERCROFT reports.

Bonnie Raitt (Photo: Matt Mindlin) 12

Rufus Wainwright kinds of ideas, you need all your past experiences to help add up the equation and make it possible. So it all melds together in the end.”

In 2010, when the touring cycle for Songs For Lulu was nearing its end, Wainwright told X-Press Magazine that a break from piano was in order. A lifelong relationship, however, can only pause for so long.

“I had my break with Out Of The Game,” he says. “But the piano, like a jealous wife, has called her lawyer and said, ‘he’d better get his ass over here or we’re getting a divorce’ (laughs). So I’m back with good old Piano Lady.”

Wainwright will turn 40 this year. Some choose to be highly contemplative of this life event, while others ignore it complicity. He is most certainly in the former camp.

“Well I’m not ignoring it,” Wainwright states, “that’s for sure. I’ve decided to attempt, in a very kind of gay way, to get the last bits of youth up and working (laughs). Whether it’s going to the gym or trying to eat well, getting enough sleep and so forth.

“I don’t know... that’s what I’m saying to you right now, but of course there’s an hour from now, when the pasta arrives. But I am thinking about

it. My intentions are very, very pure and honest, but we’ll see what the reality is (laughs).”

In the meantime the currently 39 yearold Wainwright will take the stage at the Blues ‘N’ Roots festival on both the West and East coasts and is chomping at the bit to do so.

“I’ve always loved playing festivals,” he says. “Strangely, for someone who sings about opera singers and writes these seven-minute-long songs with odd chords, my music really is made for a live setting and I thrive on the challenge of these live crowds and new kids who may never have heard of me.

“That’s what excites me most, is winning over a new audience. So a festival’s one of the only places you can do that properly. I try and make it a really about a deep and satisfying, prolonged musical experience “ Following his Australian tour, Wainwright has shows lined up until his birthday in July.

Thereafter the plans alter a little; there’s some catching up to do.

“Well I’m gonna take August off and then I’m writing this new opera,” he says, chirpily. “And I have to spend some time in one of my beautiful homes. Poor me!”

Released last year, Slipstream is Bonnie Raitt’s first album in seven years and has been touted as one the finest of her career, as well as one of the most celebrated blues releases of 2012.

Bill Frisell and Loudon Wainwright make appearances and, as a long time fan of musician/ producer Joe Henry, Raitt reached out for his assistance on the release.

“I’m a big fan of his writing and albums and love the work he’s done producing Allen Toussaint, Solomon Burke, and others,” Raitt said recently of Henry. “I already had a couple of his songs I wanted to do and thought it would be great to call him and see if we might collaborate. Turns out, he was thinking the same thing and when we finally got on the phone, that first call lasted over two hours!”

The first meeting between the two started out as a simple, exploratory afternoon and quickly turned into two days that resulted in eight songs.

After these fruitful sessions, Raitt was keen to get back to her longtime band mates and put down the rest of the songs that she had been exploring for the album. Slipstream was off to a rapid fire start.

“As I’ve always drawn from such a wide variety of musical styles, each album is an opportunity to showcase a dozen new songs that I want to play, especially to have new material to take out on the road. I’m as thrilled with these and how the record came out as any album I’ve made.”

Raitt is never afraid to jump across genres and the new album is no exception. Rather than be a statement about the fluidity of her music, Slipstream is more a statement about Raitt following the trails of those who have come before her, and the mark that she will leave for those who choose to follow her lead. While Raitt stays connected to what pals such as Jackson Browne and Mavis Staples are up to, she is also aware of the new breed of artists, some who may have covered her music, such as Bon Iver, Kelly Clarkson and Adele.

“I’m a big fan of all three and really enjoyed connecting with Justin (Vernon, Bon Iver mainstay) when they played a show in LA this past summer. There’s so much great music out there now, especially in the Americana format I tend to listen to. I’m really happy with the success of the Black Keys and some others that show real artistry and innovation. It’s great to hear so many young artists influenced by the same classic soul, blues, jazz and rock that means so much to me.”

Slipstream is in some ways an album of two parts. It was recorded in two separate locations with different producers at the helm. Part of the record took shape in Ocean Way Studios in Hollywood where Raitt had recorded many of her big albums of the ‘90s, but it is the sessions with Henry that would tread new ground for Raitt.

“We did the first round of sessions produced by Joe at the studio in his home, the Garfield House, in South Pasadena. It was a very intimate and warm setting, captured so well by our gifted engineer, Ryan Freeland, who was right in the room with us. You can feel immediately why their records sound so special. The songs came so effortlessly, we just kept going. I’m planning to release the other tracks from Joe’s down the line.

“It was a bit daunting to figure out how to integrate the two very different sessions into one album. Once I got a sequence of songs I thought would work, Ryan, having recorded both bands, was able to piece it together so seamlessly. He is a truly remarkable engineer and such a great hang.”

The time before Slipstream was the longest period between Raitt albums. Far from being idle, more pressing matters of a personal nature got in the way. Raitt’s brother Steve, who’d been fighting brain cancer since 2001, developed another tumor that seriously affected his ability to care for himself.

Raitt took the time off to spend with her brother and attend to his needs.

“He lost his fight in the spring of 2009 and soon after, one of my best friends also passed away. After the loss of my parents a few years before, and then this, I knew I needed to take some time to grieve and heal. I took a year-long hiatus from working on anything related to a new album or touring to find some balance in the other areas of my life. It was a very worthwhile and restorative time.”

There are few artists who have seen the changes in the industry that Raitt has had the opportunity to experience first hand. After spending time on major labels, she now has her own company, Redwing Records, that handles her business affairs.

Raitt admits that it would be a daunting prospect to be starting out as a new artist nowadays without the vibrant network of coffee houses and the college circuit.

That said, getting the word out through YouTube and finding new ways to build buzz makes it a draw.

“There are more inexpensive, populist routes to getting your music and image out through the internet and indie labels and blogs, but wading through the explosion of new artists from nearly every format of music trying to break through is challenging.

“The other way is to try and get through to whomever signs new artists to indie labels or management – filtering those thousands of submissions is what A&R people and print journalists used to do – but with those options narrowing and disappearing, you’re more at the mercy of luck and who you know.”

X-Press – First on the street, Wednesdays

Tear ‘N’ Take

SANTANA, 4.35PM SUNDAY @ PARK STAGE

KITTY, DAISY & LEWIS, 8.30PM SATURDAY @ BIG TOP

PAUL SIMON, 8.20PM SUNDAY @ PARK STAGE

BEN HARPER WITH CHARLIE MUSSELWHITE, 6.20PM SUNDAY @ PARK STAGE PHOTO: D. CLINCH ROBERT PLANT PRESENTS SENSATIONAL SPACE SHIFTERS, 7.30PM SATURDAY @ PARK STAGE

JULIA STONE, 2.50PM SATURDAY @ BIG TOP www.xpressmag.com.au

CHRIS ISAAK, 4.15PM SATURDAY @ PARK STAGE

MANU CHAO LA VENTURA, 9.45PM SATURDAY @ BIG TOP 13

Tear ‘N’ Take

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X-Press – First on the street, Wednesdays

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15

out, one by one. I would take them to Jim (Iggy, whose real name is James Osterberg) and he began putting lyrics to them and they slowly evolved from there.”

The Raw Power sessions laid the foundation for the iconic Iggy/Bowie era of collaboration. The pair first met in New York when Pop was trying to find a new record deal, after The Stooges briefly disbanded in 1971. “Bowie was basically a fan of Iggy. I shouldn’t speak on behalf of everyone, but we thought Bowie was pretty lightweight and a frivolous kind of guy... and that includes Iggy,” admits Williamson.

Iggy & The Stooges (Photo: Sophie Howarth)

IGGY AND THE STOOGES The James Gang

“We’re not getting any younger and while everyone needs to worry about prescriptions on the road, I think we’re hanging in there pretty good for guys our age. You come see us for yourself, but as far as rocking out goes, I’d put us up against anybody, of any age.”

Williamson’s impression didn’t improve upon their arrival in the UK to record with Bowie.

There was already tension in the air, as the Stooges reunion involved convincing the Asheton brothers to return, and moving former lead guitarist Ron Asheton to bass in favour of Williamson, who’d already comeaning. But I do believe we write authentic and written the whole album with Iggy. The studio then original music, and you can call it whatever you want insisted on Bowie mixing the album, refusing to release Iggy’s own, rudimentary mixes.

– but I think we call it rock’n’roll.”

“By this point, Bowie had already released The sound could also be summed-up in the title of their seminal 1973 record, Raw Power a number of his own records and he was very hell– which is famous for the troubles the band had bent on a certain approach,” recalls Williamson. “I during recording and production. “The Raw Power don’t think the band ever really liked Bowie. I know writing process wasn’t anything out of the norm,” I never have personally. I think he’s a smart guy and Williamson says. “We weren’t successful in convincing he eventually learned how to write music pretty well our management to release any of our stuff after the but it’s not so much his music, there are just some first two records (The Stooges, 1969, and 1970’s Fun people you like and some people you don’t – and I House) so I just sat in my bedroom and knocked them don’t like the guy.”

Iggy And The Stooges are set to hit West Coast Blues ‘N’ Roots, playing at the Park Stage from 9.30pm this Saturday, March 24, at Fremantle Park. MATT MARASCO speaks with guitarist, James Williamson.

Call them what you want – proto-punks, garage’s founding fathers – Iggy And The Stooges laid the foundations for something special. Scrappy, towering, honest and raw, shot through with a little glam courtesy of Mr Pop’s campy antics, their sound has been hugely influential.

But guitarist, James Williamson, says he’s “never really come to grips with punk rock and all the other titles.

“First of all, when we were coming up, there were no labels or pseudo-genres in our vocabulary,” he explains. “I don’t believe titles hold any real

WILCO ...And Nothing But The Love Wilco return for West Coast Blues ‘N’ Roots, playing under the Big Top from 9pm this Sunday, March 24, at Fremantle Park. DIJANA KUMURDIAN reports.

“It’s something intangible that hits you between your heart and your groin,” says Wilco bass player, John Stirratt. “That’s what makes a song for me.

“It’s not incredible words, not incredible music, it’s a feeling in that part of your gut that’s right in between your hips or your groin and your heart, you know?”

When the co-founder of an American alt rock giant reveals to you the secret of a good song, you should probably take note – particularly when that band’s often experimental and crushingly romantic songs dispensed with conventions of genre ensure its status as one of America’s pop greats. Along with frontman Jeff Tweedy, Stirratt is the longest standing member of Wilco, a band that’s toured almost ceaselessly in the past 20 years and somehow found time to release eight studio albums.

Their latest, 2011’s sprawling The Whole Love, has been touted as their least conceptually consistent in years, particularly since 2009’s Wilco (The Album)’s concision and solid structure – and addition of a cameo with then-chart-hero Leslie Feist – appealed to the band’s mammoth fan base.

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While Iggy And The Stooges continued a heavy touring schedule throughout 1973, they also sustained heavy drug addictions that ultimately contributed to the disbanding of the group in early 1974. Williamson then worked with Iggy on the sessions that eventually became the 1977 release Kill City, but around 1975 decided to put his rock’n’roll career out to pasture and retrain.

“I could have gotten another band together, but I just didn’t have the heart for it anymore and I wanted to know what I was going to be when I grew up,” says Williamson. “So, I went and got a job as a recording engineer at Paramount Studios in Los Angeles. However, I soon learned I wasn’t cut out for the job when I realised there is only one thing worse than playing in a band every day – and that’s recording bands you don’t like every day.”

It was around this time that Williamson found himself in an electronic store where he witnessed a father and son playing with a very peculiar box – a new thing called a personal computer. He was instantly fascinated.

“This is when I decided that I was going to learn how to design these things – and it’s been an incredible ride for me. I spent a whole lifetime in that career.” That career is electronics engineering; Williamson earned his degree from California Polytechnic in 1982; by the time he took early retirement in 2009, he was VP of Technology Standards for Sony Electronics.

While Williamson climbed the corporate ladder, Iggy And The Stooges reformed in 2003, touring and recording a new album produced by Steve Albini, The Weirdness. It wasn’t until the unexpected death of Ron Asheton in 2009 that Williamson stood up with Iggy And The Stooges again. News leaked online recently that a new studio album is in the works, the band later confirming that the LP is called Ready To Die, set for release on April 30.

“The leak in the press was not intentional, and unfortunately I can’t tell you much besides we like it and we hope you like it,” he says. “I will also say that we plan on playing some of the new tunes when we’re down there in Australia.”

Anyone who saw Iggy and The Stooges during their last tour in these parts, in early 2007, knows that Iggy’s leathery chest and lizard-king antics are as leathery and lizardy as ever. “We’re not getting any younger and while everyone needs to worry about prescriptions on the road, I think we’re hanging in there pretty good for guys our age,” Williamson says.

“You come see us for yourself, but as far as rocking out goes, I’d put us up against anybody, of any age.”

Wilco The Whole Love’s more divergent moments, like the seven-minute opener and lush layers of 12-minute closing track, One Sunday Morning, were bold, but deliberate choices.

“I like how many feels and musical styles there are on it, in terms of spacey country and sort of more modern post rock,” explains Stirratt. “I like how it all came together in one record. I think that’s something we’ve tried to do, to create a more nonlinear record over the last two records, especially. And I think it was a lot more successful than Wilco (The Album) in that regard. It’s hard to do that. Yankee Hotel Foxtrot (2002) really has a certain… it has a real linear sound. There’s obviously different-sounding tunes, but this one’s maybe more jarring from certain songs to certain songs.”

Wilco is returning to Australia in its post2004 incarnation, which includes guitarist Nels Cline, Pat Sansone, Mikael Jorgensen and drummer Glenn Kotche in addition to Tweedy and Stirratt.“It’s definitely been the definitive live band, or live version of Wilco,” says Stirratt. “We’ve developed a rapport on and off stage, which has been something that’s really rare to find in a band.”

The shows will undoubtedly surprise fans with an unexpected (and sufficiently long) set.“Around 2000-2001 we had heard about our online presence – I don’t know how long I’d even had email at that point.

People were into it, and they were trading the set lists from the shows, and they were sort of communicating with each other online and the thing sort of flowered between the band and the audience over the years. We really go out of our way not to play the nearly same show that we did the previous time. Especially now it’s so easy, it’s so accessible online to find out.

“I mean, there’s always the new record you’ve got to focus on, of course. But everything else, that’s the luxury of a big catalogue, is to be able to work around it.”

X-Press – First on the street, Wednesdays

JIMMY CLIFF Justice And Fair Play

Jimmy Cliff performs at West Coast Blues ‘N’ Roots this Sunday, March 24, at Fremantle Park.

DAVID WILD speaks with the Jamaican reggae legend.

Ever since boys and girls with mohawks bounced to Jamaican music between acts at seminal London club The Roxy, the history of reggae and punk music has been closely intertwined.

So it’s fitting that the resurgence of reggae royalty Jimmy Cliff – a man who did more than most to popularise ska and reggae outside the small island of its origin – started with a collaboration with a fullyfledged punk: Tim Armstrong, of American pop punk outfit, Rancid.

“It was time to make a new album, so management suggested Tim,” says Cliff. It turned out to be a masterstroke. The resulting album, Rebirth, revisits the authentic sound of ’60s and ’70s reggae and is easily Cliff’s best work in many years.

Speaking before he heads back home to Jamaica for some downtime, Cliff sounds exactly like you’d expect a reggae superstar to: he talks in an unhurried, considered manner that suggests he has never been stressed out in all of his 64 years. He talks effusively about Rebirth and sees it as a genuine artistic revival. He was also very pleased to be nominated for a Grammy Award .

“It is good to hear confirmation. Everyone seeks confirmation,” he confesses – but adds, “I really wish that reggae would get recognition at the highest level. The presentation of other award categories is televised in the United States, but not so for reggae.”

A few weeks after our interview, Jimmy would find out he had won the Grammy for Best Reggae Album. It was listed as the 50th of 81 awards, announced after Best Bluegrass Album and Best Regional Roots Album.

This frustration might suggest that Cliff, a reggae proponent before anyone outside Jamaica had heard of Bob Marley, still considers it his duty to spread the reggae gospel. “It was a role that I played; I was the gate opener for reggae music in the world,” Cliff says. “But it’s not a role that I chose. It’s just that I

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happened to be the one there, so I continue to play that role.”

Born in St James, in the north-west of Jamaica, Cliff moved to Kingston aged 14. “I was just a country boy, going into a big city, so for the first time it was a culture shock,” he recalls. “But I got used to it after a while. There was music playing everywhere. In the country I was just used to music playing on the radio.”

While trying to record his first songs, Cliff befriended some of the musical stars that he had heard on the airwaves, like Derrick Morgan and Prince Buster. “I was in awe of them. Some of them gave me advice. Derrick Morgan showed me the first chord I would play on the piano. It was B flat.”

“The way I look at my music is like the way a mother would look at her children.

She love the first child, and then when the second child come she love that child and so on. I love all of my family, but the closest music to me will always be the last album I make.”

As recounted in the biographical Reggae Music, arguably Rebirth’s high point, Cliff eventually persuaded famed producer Leslie Kong to work with him and together they cut a hit record, Hurricane Hattie, in 1962.The pair shared a close musical bond that lasted until Kong’s death in 1971.

Among Cliff’s output from those fertile years is the stunning Many Rivers To Cross, a gospel-tinged contemplation on the struggles of life, written when he was just 21. Does Cliff look back to those years as the time when he made his best records?

“The way I look at my music is like the way a mother would look at her children. She love the first child, and then when the second child come she love that child and so on. I love all of my family, but the closest music to me will always be the last album I make.”

That said, Many Rivers is special to him, “because it has touched so many lives and so many people. Songs like that and songs like Sitting In Limbo, songs like Viet Nam, there are quite a few actually, yeah.”

Jimmy Cliff Released in 1970, Viet Nam was dubbed the greatest protest song ever written, by none other than Bob Dylan. Speaking about world issues is something Cliff has always done via his music; on Rebirth it’s there in Children’s Bread (‘They took the children’s bread and give it to the dogs / Making so many people’s life so hard’) and a version of Joe Higgs’ World Upside Down, updated for the new millennium.

“I am sensitive to justice and fair play and how the world is balanced,” says Cliff, who has spent a lot of time in Africa and is inspired to write about the poverty he has seen there.“It doesn’t need to be Africa.

It could be Australia, it could be anywhere where there is imbalance, really. I am in tune with the world. I live on this planet, I am connected to everyone and everything that is going on here. So it’s not only my homeland, Africa – it is the whole planet.”

Cliff is looking forward to visiting Australia; he says that he enjoys touring “more now than before, because I am better than I was before.”

It is clear that, despite his vast achievements, this reggae pioneer is nowhere near done with music just yet. As he sings on One More: ‘I got one more arrow in my bow/And as I let it go/Just watch my flow’.

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CRASHDIET Savage Gardens

Sweden’s masters of sleaze, Crashdiet, have never been the act to shy away from confronting the ills of the glam rock genre. Frontman, Simon Cruz, lets rip about life on the road through their latest release, The Savage Playground.

JESSICA WILLOUGHBY reports.

“The savage playground is the place you reach when you let yourself be controlled only by your instincts,” Crashdiet frontman Simon Cruz says of the title for the band’s latest offering. “It’s a state of being that reminds us we’re all human.”

Mankind, in a broad sense, has a history built off brutality. Nature has taught us to be survivors, despite what cruel challenges we may face. But Swedish glam rockers Crashdiet believe that humanity’s ability to live, love, fight and fuck has been tarnished over the years with the onset of digital age.

So, the release of their fourth full-length, The Savage Playground, sees these four musicians set out on their own personal quest to achieve this mind frame. Although difficult for some, it is touring that brings out the beast – according to frontman, Simon Cruz.

“The title represents a lot of things. It represents what we do and what happens on tour.

For me, it represents reality, in a sense. Today, with everyone’s busy lives, many people forget what it is like to be human. We come from the savage playground, not from the onset of things like the internet. Sometimes, these instincts come out on tour. When you’re on the road for that long, living with very little belongings and just three other dudes – it can get pretty brutal at times.”

Heading off to start the touring cycle once more, Cruz admits he is ready for the onslaught again. His second album with the sleazy outfit, the vocalist is now writing more than ever. “ I ’ v e b e e n m o r e i nv o l v e d i n t h e songwriting process than I have been before; putting a lot of effort into the lyrics and melodies and things like that,” he explains. “I’m hoping it can give something to our fans.

Crashdiet “With Generation Wild (2010), we worked on the songs for a long time. I started working with the band in 2008 and we were already sorting the early aspects of that album then. One of the songs from this new album is actually from that time. Snakes In Paradise was the first song that me and Martin (Sweet, guitarist) wrote together when I was still in the audition phase. But it wasn’t really finished then and it has gone through a lot of changes. Now we’ve managed to make it how we want it. It’s a pretty cool thing; seeing how the song came along.

“I mean, Generation Wild was such a huge album for us. It basically became our manifesto. And it’s such a huge responsibility, writing a follow-up to such a previously good album. But we didn’t let that get to us. We wrote about the last three years, really.

That’s just what came out. We also experimented more with oriental sounds and using a string orchestra; just things like that.”

Heading to woodland outside of Stockholm, they recorded with producer Otto Wellton at Kingside

Studio. Using open space as their guide, they laid down tracks all in same room in a bid to capture their energy live.

“He’s mainly worked with some pop artists before and some rock stuff,” Cruz says. “Not a lot though. But he’s kind of wide in what he does. He’s recently been doing some big orchestral arrangements, which is cool. It shows he has a very broad perspective and he’s got a great knowledge of different styles. It was good for us because we know the hard rock side but he was able to bring a fresh view to the soup. He added the spices to the mix. And it came out tasting like it came from the green fields of Australia, if that makes sense. Maybe that’s the wrong way to say it.

“With Generation Wild, we co-wrote everything with the producers – Johan Ramstrom and Patrik Magnusson. This time, we wrote everything ourselves. There was no help in the songwriting process this time. Otto just helped us to bring out the raw quality of our sound. He allowed us to feel more

‘real’ in the studio. We just helped him choose between which takes we wanted. We just had to learn to not be concerned with the little details. It’s easy for any musician to look for perfection. But it’s the little defects that bring out the personality of the band. I think we pulled it off it a good way.”

Early 2013 touring will take them from Sweden to South America, then Mexico, the US, Europe and Japan. Although no Australian dates are set as yet, Cruz is hopeful that more will be added soon.

“We only did a brief stint on the east coast of Australia back in 2011,” he says. “Our manager is currently in talks with the guys down there, the record company and everything. They seem to have a very good basis for promoting us. So maybe we can go on the Soundwave Festival or a bigger tour next time around.

“They are talking about a lot of different support bands and things like that too, so I think it’s going to be a lot bigger than last time – which I’m very happy about. Fingers crossed we’ll see you soon.”

MATT TAYLOR

When He Was Young Matt Taylor brings his new oneman, show Blues To Oz Blues, to the Perth Blues Club at The Charles Hotel on Tuesday, March 26. SHANE PINNEGAR finds out more.

For many, Matt Taylor is ground zero for the evolution of a uniquely Australian strain of the blues.

He and his band Chain blazed a bright arc across Australian music in the early ‘70s with classics such as Black And Blue and I Remember When I Was Young, amongst others.

In Blues To Oz Blues, Taylor will tell how his life and that of the blues in this country have intertwined.

“Basically it’s my life story,” Taylor says, “and since I was a teenager it’s been the story of the blues. There wasn’t much blues in Australia before the British blues boom in the early ‘60s, and all of a sudden I discovered The Rolling Stones, and was wondering about all of these guys. Howlin’ Wolf and Muddy Waters, who were they? Jimmy Reed? And that really just started the blues adventure off for me.

“It literally tells about the first 20 years, and it’s basically about how the American blues, bit by bit, goes into Australian blues.”

As well as plenty of stories, punters can expect to hear a stack of great tunes and some surprises.

“There’s a lot of British and old blues I play, especially in the early part,” Taylor explains, “just to establish what blues is, and what it was like. I will tell about The Matt Taylor Band with Dave Hole, for instance, and I actually had to go through old tapes to find out what songs we did. And I found a song that I haven’t played for 25 years, and I just learned it off. With Western Flyer, I never realised I wrote so many songs about WA, so I learned all them off and do little bits of each of those.”

Taylor says he created the show to share the history that will be lost when he goes, after a recent illness made him “very aware” of his own mortality.

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Benny Walker

Matt Taylor Does that make the show more a reminiscence, or a celebration of the blues and his experiences in it?

“That’s a very interesting question,” he says thoughtfully. “I’ve tried to be as truthful as I can, and I just want to… just explain to people that music just doesn’t appear overnight. It evolves over a long period.

“You know, when I first heard the blues it had already evolved for 60-odd years. So I got what I heard and I resolved to take in the Australian environment and the Australian experience and maybe someday, someone, will hear all of my music and take it somewhere else, you know? That’s the beautiful thing about music; it doesn’t rust. It’s evolving all the time.”

A solo show, Taylor says with a laugh that he “didn’t want anyone making comments or input. It’s hard enough to remember the whole twoand-a-half hours as it is. I didn’t want any outside interference,” though he admits to a few nerves.

“I love the thrill, I think. It’s harder for me to do solo than what it is to do a band. I can do a band, it’s just like water off a duck’s back, but you can’t afford to stuff up at all when you’re solo. And all the pressure is on you, and you know, I quite enjoy that pressure. If you can pull it off.”

And having nowhere to hide?

“Nowhere to hide at all. There are no rocks, no brick walls.”

BENNY WALKER

“I like to tell the audience what the song’s about,” he says. “For instance, Enough Is Enough is about the Kimberley’s situation. I was there doing some gigs, and learnt about the whole situation at James Price Point, and spoke to locals, and the more I learned the more frustrated I got. And I guess it just keeps it refreshed in my mind, you know? Each night, talking about it. And if people aren’t aware of it for whatever reason as well... and it’s just me kind of venting a frustration, really. So that’s one I find I can get there fairly easily each night.”

In the 18 month period between the Summer Sun EP and Walker’s second LP release this Sinners And Saints, the singer wrote down Touring in support of his new month, lines, phrases, and recorded little things on his iPhone album, Sinners And Saints, Benny with his acoustic guitar. But it was a particularly few days on The Ghan trainline from Walker hits the Indi Bar on next magical Adelaide to Darwin which provided the peaceful Wednesday, March 27, and Clancy’s setting in which the album was completed. was three days each way sort of on my Fremantle on Thursday, March 28. own, and it“Itwas a really great time,” says Walker. “The steady noise of the train, looking out the window a ZOË RADAS reports. lot of the time, it’s like outback Australia. I don’t know, Benny Walker’s got me wishing I was a river girl there was something about it. I was actually reading Paul Kelly’s autobiography at the time, How To Make instead of a beach girl.

There couldn’t be a better promo for the Gravy, and I think all those things together really sweet small town delights of Echuca-Moama than helped everything come out where it needed to, and this young guitarist’s straight-up lyrics, tender vocal enabled me to finish the writing. You’re in kind of timbre, and video clips of him and his mates passing like your own space; you just feel like you’re a million beers across a boat that glides along the twinkling miles away.”

Walker already has a few accolades under ochre waters of the Murray.

The country informs Walker’s general his belt including the coveted Most Promising Act at demeanour as a relaxed guy, but it’s the honesty in the Victorian Indigenous Performing Arts Awards for his voice which is collecting a lot of comment. He 2012. “It was really nice just to be recognised by the confirms that when performing, he does make an Indigenous community,” he says. “It’s not like you go effort to mentally take himself to the place he was out and write music and you’re thinking, ‘I hope I get when he wrote the song, so that the rendition is this award’. I just do it because I absolutely love to write music and play live.” honest and not just a repetition.

From Adelaide To Darwin

X-Press – First on the street, Wednesdays

FLETCHER

To Sur, With Love Upon Ayr is Australian-born musician Fletcher’s first solo album after years with Bluebottle Kiss, his own band The Devoted Few and a couple of years playing in the backing band for his good friend, Sarah Blasko. Signed in the UK to Mike Batt’s Dramatico label, Fletcher speaks to SABIAN WILDE upon its Australian release.

In Jack Kerouac’s novel Big Sur, the writer is in seclusion in the majestic forests of Big Sur, seeking isolation and time to reflect after the madness following On The Road’s publication.

For Fletcher, the book had a special resonance as he wrote his album, alone amid the forest of people that is London.

“Big Sur is such an intense novel and it really spoke to me,” Fletcher says. “I felt I understood it because it really makes you question what you’re doing; what friends and family mean. A big thing for me on this album is, ‘what is home?’.

“London is amazing if you have contacts, but otherwise it’s just a cold, dark place. I mean, obviously it’s cold, but their music industry can be very cold too, stand-offish,” he says.

“They just don’t have much time for anyone - especially if you’re an Australian singer. It doesn’t matter how big you are back home - they’re like, ‘We’ve got seven of you’.”

Upon Ayr was written and recorded as part of a demoing process. Fletcher started using stolen time and facilities in a university dorm that his friend had kept a keycard for after completing his studies.

“There were a couple of hairy moments of sneaking around, hiding from security guards,” Fletcher laughs, “but in retrospect, they probably wouldn’t have cared or known as long as we had the keycard. It was just a funny way of starting to make this record.

“A lot of what you hear on the album is from those three or four nights - just relaxed, firsttake vibes. The album as a whole just came about over a year as I kept building on those demos before making a ‘proper’ album.

“I toured with Paul Kelly last year and he kind of blew my mind when he told me he never demos. He writes the song on a piece of paper, takes it into the studio and records the song. He doesn’t go through the act of demoing, which makes sense now, but blew my mind at the time. My brother always demoed before recording, so that’s just how I thought it was done,” he laughs ruefully.

“I always loved my original demos more than the finished products, just a little bit,” he admits.

“I didn’t think of Upon Ayr as recording a record so much as just making demos until Sarah Blasko told me, ‘This is totally fine. This is done’.”

In addition to playing in her band, Fletcher says Blasko is one of his best friends, and that the two of them communicated regularly while writing their albums; he in London, she in the UK seaside city of Brighton.

“It’s a cold, dark place there as well,” he laughs. “It’s hardly a beach, it’s horrible, and it has the saddest seagulls anywhere. But it was good to get Sarah in for my record, in particular on this duet called The Simple Life.

“We both moved over to the UK about three years ago and it was kind of a tumultuous time for both of us. You spend a lot of time either touring or head down writing and then you look up and wonder, ‘What am I doing with my life?’”

Fletcher admits that his circle of musical friends and the social aspects of touring provide a form of friends and family, “but only to a point.”

Here, Fletcher moves to another literary giant, author of You Can’t Go Home Again (1940), Thomas Wolfe - not to be confused with Tom Wolfe (Bonfire of the Vanities, Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test).

“There’s a song called Open Up which is influenced by You Can’t Go Home Again,” Fletcher says. I really felt like I was becoming the book’s main character, Eugene Gant, who was essentially Wolfe.

Especially when I come back to Australia and realise people are moving on with their lives. Things happen in your absence and it’s not the same.

“The death of relationships always freaks me out,” he considers. “Friends of mine had been dating for 20 years and then one day, the guy wakes up and says he feels like he’s sleeping next to a stranger. That sounds like a horror movie to me.”

True to its story-telling form, Upon Ayr features a song titled Strangers Sleeping In The Same Bed. “The death throes of relationships - even though we all go through it and we all come out the other end - when you’re in it you can’t believe it’s happening, you feel like you’re on another planet.

But there’s a great feeling when you realise you can never really run out of love.

“It’s a very romantic notion to think that www.xpressmag.com.au

your heart has been broken into pieces, but I think there’s an inextinguishable light, that never goes out - until obviously you die,” he laughs. “But even when you’re heartbroken, love doesn’t run out. It’s not a battery and that’s kind of nice, I suppose.”

At this point, we return to the loving/ loathing of deceptively simple concepts such as the heart and home. Fletcher agrees that artists sort of add to this contradiction by writing songs of isolation and loneliness that inexplicably comfort the listener, reminding them that loneliness is itself a shared part of the human experience.

“That’s definitely how I feel, but it’s hard to explain to your mum or your sister who think that you’re going crazy and want to kill yourself,” he laughs. “Leonard Cohen has some of the most deeply troubling and depressing themes, but obviously, we love it. That is some hardcore shit.

“Robert Smith is always ‘woe is me’ and black eyeliner and shit, and I loved that too. I always used to tell people I was the only ginger goth in Bondi. Then I realised that even goths hate gingers,” he laughs warmly.

And there it is again; that recognition that even in the home he sometimes longs for, he began as an outsider.

“It’s a mystery to us... the simple life,” he says happily.“Something that pulls us towards it even though we feel we can never have it. London could be my Big Sur. Kerouac was mostly homesick for alcohol and parties, missing all the things that were killing him. So I guess you can be homesick for different things and different reasons, but it feels the same.”

Fletcher

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X-Press – First on the street, Wednesdays

JULIA AND THE DEEP SEA SIRENS Family Pets

TEGAN & SARA Heartthrob Warner

Independent

It’s hard to critique the seventh album from Canada’s most famous twins, Tegan & Sara. An explosion of ‘80s-tinged dance pop, Heartthrob is a clear step away from the girls’ acoustic comfort zone but it does seem to work. And it’s not a huge surprise, given their recent team-ups with DJ superstars Tiesto and David Guetta.

Vocally, Heartthrob smoothes out what had become a trademark quirk and in only a few tracks is it still apparent. More often, their sound is more like Swedish dance pop stars Roxette (check out I Was A Fool for a real Listen To Your Heart flashback) or Robyn.

Synthesisers play a key part in this album’s sound; couple this with the unshakable hooks Tegan & Sara have mastered over the years and you have an album that ticks all the boxes for commercial success.

First single and album opener, Closer, is already at over three million YouTube views and it’s safe to say will be one of the most infectious choruses of the year. On the slower side of the record, How Come You Don’t Want Me and Love They Say, continues the girls’ thorough exploration of the ups and downs of love (a common theme through Tegan & Sara’s discography) in what could possibly be the closest link to their acoustic sound of yesteryear.

As a pop record, there’s not much to fault on Heartthrob. For die-hard fans of the former indie pop favourites, it may be harder to swallow.

Essentially, what makes Tegan & Sara so great is still there – you just have to push through a few more layers of synth to find it these days.

Followers of Australian alt-folk will find plenty to enjoy with Family Pets, the sophomore effort from triple j darlings, Julia And The Deep Sea Sirens.

Julia Johnson is the epitome of the breathy folk songstress we have come to expect from this genre in the last few years and on this album the comparisons to Sarah Blasko come into sharp relief.

Her lyrical style also owes to Blasko in its romanticism, mixed with self-awareness.

Amongst the usual pop folksiness though there are some real gems. Old Horse has a bluegrass flavour that conjures images of a rainswept mountain in the American South and Acquaintance of Mine is a barbed chronicle of the disconnect brought on by social media and youthful apathy.

Family Pets is a pleasant, low-key affair by a very talented songwriter and her equally gifted band, but rather than standing out it sits amongst the other efforts in the genre. _ LIAM DUNN

BRITISH INDIA Controller Liberation

_ JEN WILSON For some years now British India have been the rockin’ little independent band that OFF WITH THEIR HEADS could. In a manner similar to Home Perth’s Gyroscope up until around 1997, they have, Epitaph without hype or fanfare, simply taken a hard work ethic and continually plied that on stages around the country, working up a loyal, live following. Think Ryan Young, frontman of of what they have achieved on tour here in Perth and Minneapolis punk group apply that to any major city you can think of around Off With Their Heads, hates the country. everything.

That following and - and most likely a D o n’ t t a k e m y word for it, though. ‘I fucking hate myself, I hate my good deal more - will greet their fourth LP, Controller, friends. I hate my job, I hate everything but you’, Young with open arms. Playing to the quartet’s meatand-potatoes strengths, it imbues their enviable barks on Janie from the band’s latest LP, Home.

Janie is no love note either. Continuing on, live energy with some radio friendly sheen, but Young sings, ‘You’ll never know I’m a selfish imbecile. importantly loses none of their charm in the process.

There’s no clear pop moment, as there was You don’t love me, you love what I say to you’.

So what else does Young hate? His self on 2010’s Avalanche - the band have clearly decided loathing (Start Walking), touring (Shirts), his anger against pursuing that route in a quest for wider and sadness (Nightlife), being lonely (Always Alone), acceptance - but as the singles Summer Forgive Me his family (Focus On Your Family), religion (Altar Boy), and I Can Make You Love Me have indicated, the band’s his hometown (Don’t Make Me Go). He probably melodic nous (explored further on the likes of Plastic Souvenirs, Blinded and Your Brand New Life) often hates you too. Like I said, he hates everything.

‘Why the fuck would I listen to Home then?’, fetches its own reward. Even so, when they go at it you’re probably asking. Because it is the catchiest flat out (Another Christmas In The Trenches) it seems album you will listen to this year. Seriously, Call Me that Saturday night’s still alright for fighting.

Maybe sounds like a deaf and mute gorilla hitting a _ BOB GORDON cymbal with a trombone compared to this album.

Two minute proto-punk blasts of hatred and loathing have never been so fun.

Every line becomes memorable when the self-destruction is contrasted by the life-affirming pop of the major chord punk and raucous gang JUSTIN TIMBERLAKE The 20/20 Experience vocals.

As Young growls on Seek Advice Elsewhere, RCA/Sony ‘There’s no hope for anything getting better than this’.

You better believe him.

When your last album was the pop monolith _ RYAN BUTLER FutureSex/LoveSounds it makes sense to take your time on the follow up.

BIRDS OF TOKYO So, here it is. Seven long years later but March Fires JT is back from his hiatus and boy is he making up for lost time.

EMI The old partnership with Timbaland is reunited and they’ve returned to what made Perth singer Ian Kenny’s FutureSex a pop standout. Almost all tracks here two bands, already quite have a two-part structure and as a result the 10 distinctive from each other, tracks on The 20/20 Experience push well past an are taking even more hour. divergent paths lately. As Opener Pusher Love Girl and lead single Karnivool get deeper, darker, heavier and more Suit & Tie are dotted with horns among Timberlake’s progressive (by all accounts their new record is signature falsetto, recalling Motown soul pop all shaping up this way), Birds Of Tokyo become more the while sounding completely current. mellow and peaceful.

Don’t Hold The Wall and Tunnel Vision At the end of the day music is all about take on the electronic R’n’B that dominated 2012. mood. Whereas Karnivool are a band to completely Spaceship Coupe starts like an alien Boyz II Men immerse yourself in, March Fires is music to chill out and ends like a Prince ballad, monster guitar solo to, maybe with a beer, a few mates and the back included. porch on a warm day, when you don’t want anything That Girl will surely be the third single off too intrusive. The songs are eminently catchy, and the album; Timberlake’s vocal acrobatics locking in barely get out of second gear, aurally or tempo-wise. with the skipping bass of the chorus will bury itself Every track is a serene anthem. This album is closer away in the deepest recesses of your brain. to Coldplay than Karnivool.

The album’s closest contemporary has to The funny thing about Kenny is that his be Janelle Monae’s 2010 The Archandroid, another voices soothe you no matter which of his two bands pop release showing an innate ability to traverse he is fronting at the time, and he is in fine fettle on the latest and greatest styles of pop with ease. But this record. There’s virtually no up tempo rock on this at the heart of The 20/20 Experience is Timberlake, album, unlike their Universes album of 2008. Their self- his voice being the anchoring point tying it all titled third record of 2010 hinted at a more sedate together. direction, and that has come to full fruition on March The King of Pop is dead, long live the Fires. new king.

More mainstream awards beckon for this, the most accessible of alternative rock bands. _ RYAN BUTLER _ ROD WHITFIELD www.xpressmag.com.au

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X-Press – First on the street, Wednesdays

tell torrid tales of passion and betrayal. Their HEAT IN THE STREET toshow, Polar, tells the story of a dangerous romance between a mysterious young woman and a ruthless

The 2013 Fremantle Arts Festival runs gangster.

In a similar spirit of combination and from Saturday, March 30 to Monday, transformation, the Italian theatre troupe Le Due April 1 at various locations around E Un Quartro cross mime, physical comedy, and Fremantle. Go to fremantle.wa.gov.au puppetry in their show Senza Denit - ‘Without Teeth’ - which sees two precocious babies roll their prams for scheduling, tickets and locations. through the city streets, playing pranks and making The port city of Fremantle has a long, long history of street performance - what’s a trip to the Freo Markets without the buskers? Now in its 15th year, The Fremantle Street Arts Festival is a celebration of al fresco entertainment in all its forms.

Of course, if your notion of street performance begins and ends at a shoeless guy with white man dreads murdering Stairway to Heaven on a busted Strat, you’re sadly mistaken.

The Festival embraces a wide variety of acts and artforms, including music, comedy, circus, cabaret, acrobatics, painting and more. And though a few events are ticketed, the vast majority are free to the public, the venue being the streets of Fremantle themselves.

Every year, the festival - the largest of its kind in Australia, by the way - attracts artists from around the world, all eager to strut their stuff for the 100,000 plus punters who will be attending. This year’s talent roster includes acts from France, Italy, the United Kingdom, Spain, Ireland, Japan, Belgium, Portugal, Canada and the United States, in addition to a raft of Antipodean talent.

2013’s headlining act is French dance and pyro troupe Bilbobasso, who combine the passion of the tango with the spectacle and danger of fire

mischief.

Ireland’s Lords of Strut are two alleged brothers, Famous Seamus and Seantastic, who strive to be the most famous dancers who ever lived.

Having performed in over 20 countries, they’re now bringing their explosive cocktail of comedy, acrobatics and dance to us.

Japan’s Gabez are a two-man comedy dance act who thrill the crowd with their slowmotion kung fu fight choreography in a show that we are promised is sure to please folks of all ‘ages, creeds, cultures, races, genders and shoe sizes.’

Renowned Portuguese street artist Vhils will be making his Fremantle debut by actually carving a new work into the wall of the iconic Norfolk Hotel. While all artists and performers strive to leave a mark in a cultural sense, Vhils will be doing so quite literally.

Instead of running away to join the carnival, the good people of The Pitt Family Circus have made it the family business for the last decade and a half, touring their act of juggling, contortion, and weird humour through over a dozen countries.

This time out, child acrobat Wee Pitt is in the mix to entertain and enthral. _TRAVIS JOHNSON

Bilbobasso

www.xpressmag.com.au

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UP THE ACADEMY NEW YORK STATE OF MIND

Acclaimed photographer - and frequent X-Press contributor - Mike Wylie’s exhibition, New Work, marks the first time he has displayed his art since making the switch to digital photography in 2006.

The show comprises a huge range of live music wireless flash photography, as well as a series of travel images that showcase a new technique that Wylie calls Motion Pictures. Featured bands include Arts Martial, Brutus, The Emperors, I Am Eternal and Kill Teen Angst. It runs at the Epson Print Gallery from Thursday, March 21 until Wednesday, April 10. head to theepsonprintgallery.com for details.

The best young musical talent that Western Australian Academy of the Performing arts has to offer is coming to the Fremantle Arts Centre’s Front Garden on Thursday, March 28 for WAAPA Direct: Big Band and Music Theatre. The 18 piece WAAPA Big Band will provide a soundtrack of hits from Broadway and the West End while the third year Music Theatre students sing and dance up a storm, presenting selections from Cole Porter, Stephen Sondheim, George Gershwin and more. Tickets are $15 from fac.org.au, while children get in free.

Hara-Kiri: Death Of A Samurai The WAAPA Big Band Berlin From Cab, Mike Wylie

IT’S PARTY TIME

From the pen of acclaimed filmmaker Mike Leigh (Secrets and Lies, Naked) comes Abigail’s Party, a ‘70s set play that examines the social mores of middle class England. Described as ‘the social get-together from hell’ it focuses on a casual gathering thrown by the shrill and socially aggressive Beverly for her new neighbours. It’s an arch and uncompromising vivisection of class and hypocrisy in the vein of Don’s Party. It runs at The Limelight Theatre in Wanneroo from Thursday, April 4 until Saturday, April 20. Go to limelighttheatre.com for tickets and session times.

DEEP DOWN IN THE DARK

The Pulitzer-winning play Rabbit Hole, written by David Lindsay-Abaire, is coming to The Melville Theatre courtesy of directory Vanessa Jensen.

A confronting look at grief and blame, it looks at a married couple, Becca and Howie, who are struggling to cope following the tragic death of their son, and was filmed in 2010 with Nicole Kidman and Aaron Eckhart. This production, starring Joanna Zukowski ad David Gardette, runs from Friday, April 12 until Monday April 22. Head to meltheco.org.au for more.

UNWRAPPED UNDONE

After seven years, Perth’s favourite design market is calling it quits. The last ever Unwrapped is going down this Sunday, March 24, on Angelo St, South Perth. Head on down for your very last chance to sample the latest and greatest up and coming Perth designers, with over 60 stalls packed with stunning couture, art objects, accessories and more - unwrapped.com.au has more details.

ART IS ITS OWN AWARD

The Mandjar A r t Awards, w h i c h r e c o g n i s e outstanding creative achievement in the Mandurah area, will be presented this Saturday, March 23, at The Mandurah Performing Arts Centre from 7pm. Go to manpac.com.au for further information.

THE FUTURE IS WOW Oz Comic Con is over and you’ve likely hung up your cosplay but that doesn’t mean you can’t channel your sci-fi and fantasy obsessions into your everyday attire.

This season a new trend - fittingly called ‘sci-fi street’ - has seen street style collide with the worlds of science fiction and fantasy to brilliant effect.

While the runways of high-end designers, including Lanvin and Dior amongst others, have seen models decked out in silver onesies, cyberpunkesque corporate ensembles and Fifth Elementinspired bandage outfits, the trend is finding its feet in a less severe way in the latest street wear collections to be hitting retailers.

Metallic paneling, metal detailing, iridescent fabrics, futuristic (and often pop culture referencing) prints and sequins a-plenty are increasingly being used to adorn traditional street wear pieces from sweatshirts, sneakers and shift dresses to peak caps, sunglasses, wallets and more.

While designers taking inspiration from sci-fi is hardly new, this season we are seeing a rather

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Rabbit Hole

HARA-KIRI: DEATH OF A SAMURAI Cut To The Quick

Directed by Takashi Miike Starring Ebizo Ichikawa, Koji Yakusho, Eita The insanely prolific Takashi Miike - he’s directed over 80 different projects since 1991 and shows no signs of slowing down - returns to the feudal Japanese setting of his recent action epic, 13 Assassins, for this remake of Masaki Kobayashi’s universally acclaimed 1962 film.

An impoverished samurai, Hanshiro Tsugumo (Ebizo Ichikawa) presents himself at the castle of Lord Kageyu (Koji Yakusho) requesting the honour of committing ritual suicide - hara-kiri or seppuku - in the castle grounds. Kageyu and his advisors are dubious, thinking that Hanshiro is simply trying to shame them into giving him money. As a warning, they tell a story about another wretched samurai, Motome (Eita) who once called on them with a similar request that turned out to be a scam, and was subjected to a brutal and agonising death.

As it transpires, Hanshiro is not unfamiliar with Motome’s fate, and though he has not come to solicit money, neither are his motives wholly transparent.

Director Miike is best known in the West for his horror and crime films, which tend to be either shockingly bloody, extremely disturbing, or both - witness Ichi The Killer and Audition. It’s a somewhat undeserved reputation, as his body of work covers a huge range of genres and subjects, and

sophisticated and more stylish take on the movement, with just the right amount of detail to make admirers look twice, without being glaringly obvious.

So, for example, the traditional go-to colours of gold, silver and copper have been set off-kilter by pretty colours used in deliberately odd combinations - tangerine, yellow and fuschia, for example. Likewise, you’re more likely to see small details and elements adorning traditional pieces then, say, blocks of solid colour or head-to-toe outfits fashioned from shiny fabrics.

While the key to mastering the trend is to be bold and embrace things a little strange and, well, alien, the best part is that you can play down these futuristic pieces by pairing them with more classic ones.

Just remember that when it comes to the future, we’re dealing with something that doesn’t exist yyet,, so the p possibilities reallyy are endless.

he’s repeatedly demonstrated a keen compositional eye and a thoughtful grasp of theme and subtext that strongly contrasts with his label as a purveyor of grindhouse thrills. Here he tackles notions of honour, loyalty, duty and compassion with almost stately grace, setting up the social rules and assumptions of his scenario and then letting his story play out with the grim inevitability of a Greek tragedy. While there’s no real mystery or twist at the heart of the film, part of the film’s power comes from the gradual uncovering of the nature of the relationship between Tsugumo and Motome, and the circumstances that led them both to Kageyu’s castle.

Miike’s decision to shoot the film in 3D is an interesting one, albeit not a hundred percent successful. Hara-Kiri is, in many ways, an old fashioned film, and the use of 3D does little to compliment Miike’s camera and editing decisions, neither immersing us in the world - Miike’s detached viewpoint here is somewhat similar to Kubrick’s, a director whose films are reminiscent of watching an aquarium or ant farm, so strong is the separation between viewer and subject - nor enhancing the odd flash of action. Viewing the film through 3D glasses also muddies the starkly beautiful colour palette, which is a shame.

It’s a forgivable one, though. Hara-Kiri is a film of undeniable power, and even the occasional technical misstep can’t rob it of its impact. Following on from the success of 13 Assassins, hopefully this will see Miike move beyond the cult niche he currently operates in and receive some of the mainstream acclaim he so clearly deserves. This is a must see. _TRAVIS JOHNSON

Star Trek Mighty Wallet from notemaker.com.au $22.95

Supremebeing Space Invaders Sweatshirt from asos.com.au $93.25

Metal Plate Peak Cap from asos.com.au $29.56

_JENNIFER PETERSON-WA PETERSON-WARD

Metallic Shift Dress from karenmillen.com.au $395.00 House Of Holland Cage Fighters Sunglasses from luisaviaroma.com $311.00

Supra Society Sneakers from urbanoutfitters.com $105.00 Lime Crime My Beautiful Rocket Ship Lipstick from redstripeclothing.com $21.00

X-Press – First on the street, Wednesdays

a classic (Anchorman), but more often than not it is merely mediocre, at once overly predictable but strangely aimless. The Incredible Burt Wonderstone falls squarely into the latter category.

Las Vegas magicians Burt (Carell) and Anton (Buscemi) have been the most popular entertainers on The Strip for 10 years, raking in the money for Bally’s Casino owner Doug Munny (Gandolfini). Unfortunately, fame has gone to their heads. Where once they were best friends united in their love of magic, Burt and Anton are now sick to death of each other and their act is getting old.

This becomes apparent when ‘extreme magician’ Steve Gray (Carrey) appears on the scene to give the public what they want - bodily disfigurement and gross-out stunts. An attempt to beat Gray at his own game ends in the dissolution of Burt and Anton’s partnership and so begins the fall and rise of Burt Wonderstone.

We have seen this all before in comedies; exceedingly out of touch man-child loses everything only to go on a journey of self-discovery etc, and Wonderstone is no different. All the boxes are ticked as Burt comes up against physical and emotional obstacles before he can learn that to become a better magician he must first become a better man. There’s even the obligatory love interest in Olivia Wilde’s Jane, a woman who aspires to break the magician glass ceiling, who helps Burt get back in the game.

Now, all that is fine as long as the jokes are funny, and while there are a few great laughs ultimately it rings hollow. The jokes appear improvised and you can feel it all just hanging on by a thread. If it had more charm this could be forgiven, but there is really nothing new here.

The film begins to mirror the character of Burt as both appear stuck in a traditional mode, lacking any edge. Interestingly, this is seen as a plus as Burt’s ‘old school’ approach is lauded while Gray’s riskier stunts are viewed as idiotic and ultimately damaging.

Steve Buscemi and Steve Carell star in The performances are fine, although The Incredible Burt Wonderstone Carell and Buscemi don’t quite deliver as a comedy duo, it is all a little too underplayed. Gandolfini is decent and Alan Arkin is terrific as always as Burt’s magical mentor. The standout though is Carrey, who actually looks like he’s having fun as a Criss Angel parody, the anarchic spirit he showed in his early films shining through.

The Incredible Burt Wonderstone is funny Directed by Don Scardino in places but overall it is a forgettable affair. The Starring Steve Carell, Steve Buscemi, Jim Carrey, world of stage magicians is a great set up for Olivia Wilde, James Gandolfini, Alan Arkin a comedy but it feels as though director Don Scardino, a sitcom veteran making his feature Comedies are essentially made the same way: invent debut here, can’t quite manage to pull the rabbit a central conceit and then establish a typical three out of his hat. act structure off which you can hang a series of gags _ LIAM DUNN or set pieces. Rinse, repeat. When it works the result is

THE INCREDIBLE BURT WONDERSTONE Magic Mundane

The Patience Stone

THE PATIENCE STONE Like A Rock

Directed by Atiq Rahimi Starring Golshifteh Farahani, Hassina Burgan, Massi Mrowat, Hamid Djavadan, Mohamed Al Maghraoui French-Afghani filmmaker Atiq Rahimi constructs a fable of war, sensuality, oppression and gender politics in this exquisite oddity, adapted from his own novel of the same name.

In an unnamed, war torn, desert country, a woman (exiled Iranian actor, Golshifteh Farahani) tends to her wounded husband (Hamid Djavadan), a soldier - we never learn for whom or what cause - who was been rendered comatose and possibly paralysed by a bullet to the neck. As militia and insurgent forces clash in the streets, her family flee, leaving her to protect him and their two young daughters by herself. On the advice of her aunt (Hassina Burgan) she begins to talk to her unresponsive husband, using him as a ‘patience stone ‘ - an object from folklore into which one can whisper all one’s secrets without fear of judgment or reprisal.

Farahani is the beating heart of the film, much of which consists of a series of monologues delivered to her insensate husband. At first hesitant, she begins to share more and more, and thus the film explores the inherent tensions between inner desire and mandated conformity in a heavily conservative society. All of our information about the story and the largely allegorical world it takes place in is mediated through her character, and Farahani’s brave and nuanced performance sells it completely.

It would be a mistake to view The Patience Stone purely as an Afghani or Muslim film, however.

Although it is broadly rooted in an Islamic milieu, director Rahimi’s refusal to pin it to a particular time, place or conflict, coupled with the archetypal nature of his characters, locates the story firmly in the realm of the metaphorical. Though the specific cultural trappings are Islamic, the themes the film tackles are universal: gender roles, power dynamics, the public vs. the private, appearance vs. reality.

In lesser hands, this kind of arthouse affectation could have sunk the ship; luckily all involved are too canny and committed to the premise to lapse into pretentiousness.

It’s a film that requires close attention and, fittingly enough, patience. Rahimi is in no hurry to tell his story and there is little in the way of a conventional narrative to keep casual viewers engaged. We are largely confined to the decrepit house where the woman and man are hiding, though their isolation is occasionally leavened by the attentions of an ineffectual mullah (Mohamed Al Maghroui) or squads of looting guerrillas. The woman embarks upon a tentative relationship with one of these (Massi Mrowat), and it is this decision that drives the story towards its almost inevitable conclusion.

Thoughtful, elegiac and provocative, The Patience Stone is a film that deserves to find an audience beyond the arthouse niche that such works are so often confined to. _ TRAVIS JOHNSON The Patience Stone screens as part of the Lotterywest Festival Films season at UWA’s Somerville Auditorium from March 25-31 and Joondalup Pines from April 2-7. For more details, head to perthfestival.com.au

A Good Day To Die Hard

A GOOD DAY TO DIE HARD No, Not Really

Directed by John Moore Starring Bruce Willis, Jai Courtney, Sebastian Koch, Sergei Kolesnikov, Yuliya Snigir, Rasha Bukvic, Cole Hauser Bruce Willis has been having a pretty good run of late, balancing interesting work like Looper and Moonrise Kingdom with popcorn fare such as REC and the upcoming G.I. Joe: Retaliation. It’s a damn shame that such a successful run had to come a cropper with a return to his most famous role in the latest instalment of the increasingly dire Die Hard franchise.

This time around Willis’s unkillable cop John McClane (and remember when one of his key attributes was his vulnerability?) jets off to Russia after hearing that his estranged son, Jack (the bland but serviceable Jai Courtney) is in some sort of trouble. As it turns out, Jack is a CIA agent charged with protecting a political prisoner, Yuri (Sebastian Koch) from the henchmen of corrupt official, Viktor (Sergei Kolesnikov). Mandatory but largely unimpressive mayhem ensues.

It’s jarring how perfunctory and prosaic this film feels, given that it is, looked at objectively, the most high stakes episode in the series; it’s the first to leave the United States for one thing, while the plot involves a load of weapons-grade uranium and a showdown at Chernobyl, which should inject at least a frisson of tension to the proceedings.

Sadly, it’s all rather dull. www.xpressmag.com.au

Writer Skip Moore has built a bythe-numbers story that exists simply to link undercooked action sequences, containing none of the cleverness or complexity of earlier films - even Live Free or Die Hard benefits from comparison.

Meanwhile director John Moore, a hack for hire whose credits include two remakes, a video game adaptation, and an attempt to make Owen Wilson an action star, delivers up a cinematic meditation on the colour beige, somehow managing to rob an endless series of gunfights, explosions and crashes of any sense of momentum.

Willis manages to come out relatively unscathed by sheer force of charisma, although it’s a close-run thing. By making his son a fellow bad-ass, Willis doesn’t even get to cash in on the franchise’s standard ‘one man against all odds’ appeal. If anything, Jack appears to be far more capable than his old man, and McClane Sr. comes across not as an average Joe caught up in a crazy situation, but an arrogant American know-it-all sticking his nose in where it doesn’t belong. The less said about the film’s heavy handling of father-son dynamics the better.

All up, while it’s not a woefully bad film, it’s an extremely disappointing one, especially in the knowledge that the original Die Hard is still widely considered to be the greatest American action film of all time. There’s a pun to be made here about this one being for die hard fans only, but it’s not even worth going that far. Even the most charitable of defenders would have to admit that this is easily the worst entry in the field. _ TRAVIS JOHNSON 25

LAWRENCE LEUNG

Stuck in the Middle With You Lawrence Leung will be performing at the Perth International Comedy Festival Gala Launch Party on Friday, March 22 and as part of the festival from Wednesday, May 8 to Saturday, May 11. Go to perthcomedyfest.com.au for more.

When X-Press gives Lawrence Leung a call, he’s about to head out and get some groceries.

“It’s pretty exciting stuff,” he chuckles. Leung has made quite a name for himself both at home and overseas for his particular comedy styling, which involve everything from ghosts, to adventures and jet packs.

Leung will be heading over here for the Perth International Comedy Festival, and when asked what he has planned for the Gala Launch, he laughs and says that he wants to ‘raise the roof’ – possibly quite literally.

“Last time I played at the Astor Theatre there was a car crash out on the street and the power went off. The audience had to wait in the foyer for like an hour because there was no power.

And we were like, you know, everyone go up the street and get yourself an ice cream. It was terrible!

And then just as the producers were thinking about cancelling the show, all the lights came back on and I had one of the best shows of my life!”

Leung will be offering up the Perth debut of Beginning Middle End, a more personal show than usual. The idea was sparked by a slightly dodgy Google search.

“It came about because my housemate found some really disturbing erotic fan fiction about me. You know, like 50 Shades of Grey,” he says, explaining his initial shock. “You know, I’m an ABC guy, I’m not an A-list celebrity – if anything I’m quite obscure, so this must be the most obscure of obscure fan fiction.”

Writing the show began with kinky prose, and continued on when Leung began to think about how people view themselves – and in turn, how others see them.

“I explore that from many different angles. I might see myself as the hero of a story but someone else who was there at the time, I’ll find out later thinks that I was just a bit of a dickhead,” he laughs.

Leung’s research involved a lot of awkward conversations with friends, discussing how they had perceived him in different situations.

“There’s one story where a friend and I

Lawrence Leung got into a fight with these tough guys in a park, and she thought I was a bit of a hero because I stood up to them. But from my point of view I was completely terrified!” he says.

Leung has already taken the show to London to great success. When asked if he feels like he needs to change his material in other countries, he laughs and says: “No, but sometimes I feel like I need to change my accent [laughs],” explaining that Australian audiences instantly warm to performers from places like Scotland and Ireland due to their accents. “But when Aussies go to London, it’s like [puts on harsh accent] ‘G’day!’ And they’re like, ‘Ah no, another colonial – I can already hear your voice at the bar pulling beers, and now I have to hear this.’ It’s not particularly exotic, performing in London with an Australian accent.” _CHLOE PAPAS

NEW YORK, NEW YORK: A HISTORY IN TWENTY MINUTES Biting Into The Big Apple

New York, New York is on at 7.30pm and 8pm on Friday, March 22 and Friday, April 26 in the Art Gallery of WA’s Manhattan Lounge. Admission is free with an exhibition ticket, which can be purchased through the Art Gallery or Ticketek.

The journalist Meyer Berger once said, “Each man reads his own meaning into New York.” No truer statement could be applied to Picturing New York, where over 150 photographs capture the city over time. It’s photos like these that shaped New York’s iconic status, but how much do they portray of the city’s real history? Alan Hancock and Joanna Neave pair the exhibition’s photos with an informative, humorous narrative spanning Hudson’s landing in 1609 to the 21st Century.

“I guess you call it multimedia storytelling, so it’s storytelling with music soundscape and slide projection,” Hancock tells X-Press. “The slides are brief written commentaries interspersed with around 20 photographs of the exhibition.” The slides are set against Phillip Glass-ish music.“We’re not going down that realist film line where the music tells you what to think and feel. It brings together these elements and you make a bigger picture,” Hancock says.

Central to this is the reason why New York became embedded in our cultural imagination.

“There’s certainly some interesting facts about why New York became the skyscraper city and why New York became the centre of the world,” Hancock says.

“Wall Street, Broadway, Fifth Avenue… how did that happen? There are a few things along the way which point to that.”

Pinpointing just one story was hard – especially because the photographs feature ordinary people as well as cityscapes, celebrities, and historical moments. “It’s almost impossible to tell the story of New York because there are millions of stories, but you have to find the essence and for me the essence was unstoppable growth, energy and confidence,” Hancock says. There are images that conjure the city’s creative spirit, like Underwood and Underwood’s Above Fifth Avenue, Looking North 1905, where a photographer dangles precariously above the famous street. “I thought, I’ve got to include it and find a way to capture that chutzpah and bravado,” Hancock says. With a diverse population and a 26

Berenice Abbott, New York At Night concentration of artists and entrepreneurs, it’s no wonder the city and its people became fodder for some of the best photographers in the world. “It just happened to develop at the same time as America was developing, so it was the right place and the right time,” Hancock says. “It attracted people who were very energetic and it became a magnet – it became the original creative city.”

Hancock also explores the well-worn belief that in New York you could aspire to be anything: “I’ve been looking at this whole idea of New York just going up and up, physically with the skyscrapers and socially as well… In other modern cities it’s very hard to go up but it’s easier in New York.” This reinvention occurred to the city itself – the I Love New York tourism campaign was launched in 1977 to revive the city’s darkening image. “Places were beginning to look a bit tatty around the edges… Think of Grandmaster Flash And The Furious Five’s The Message,” Hancock says.

We all know that the city’s image changed again on 9/11, where the show finds its natural end. “That was the first time the confidence and arrogance of New York got questioned,” Hancock says.“I stop about then. I think you can recognise it as the end of something for New York and also the start of something because that’s what makes it famous for a lot of young people in the world.” _CORAL HUCKSTEP X-Press – First on the street, Wednesdays

Yesterday’s News by Dante Bott-Wakelam, Year 12 Perspectives Year 12 Perspectives: Art Gallery of WA, Northbridge An exhibition of works from the best, brightest, and most creative graduating high school artists in the state. Runs until June 30.

Kieron Hayter - Still Life and Unmarried Brides: The Moores Building, Fremantle Two separate photographic exhibitions that explore Picturing New York: Photographs From The the formal parameters and artistic values of still Museum Of Modern Art: Art Gallery Of WA, life photography and wedding photos. Runs Mar Northbridge 15 - Mar 31 Depicting the iconic New York that captivates the world’s imagination and the idiosyncratic details that Wendy Sharpe - Artist and Model: Buratti Fine Arts, define New Yorkers’ sense of home, this exhibition Fremantle from MoMA’s extraordinary photography collection A selection of works by the Australian painter Wendy celebrates the city in all its vitality, ambition and Sharpe. Runs Mar 16 - Apr 18 beauty. Made by approximately 90 artists responding to the city as well as professionals on assignment, The City of Melville Sculpture Walk: Deep Water including Henri Cartier-Bresson, Walker Evans, Lewis Point, Mt Pleasant Hine, Helen Levitt, Cindy Sherman, Alfred Stieglitz, Now in it’s 10th year, the Sculpture Walk presents and Weegee. Runs ‘til May 12.

26 new sculptures and installations set against a picturesque backdrop. It runs From Mar 23 - April 7, Sculpture By The Sea: Cottesloe Beach, Perth and entry is free.

Over 70 local, interstate and international artists will transform Perth’s most popular beach into a stunning sculpture park overlooking the Indian Ocean with some of the most glorious sunsets of any major city in the world. Runs until Mar 24. Entry is free.

The Importance of Being Earnest: The Heath Ledger Theatre Material Murmurings: Spectrum Project Space, The Black Swan State Theatre Company presents Perth Oscar Wilde’s classic play of manners and Australian ar tist Brooke Zeligman works in misunderstandings. Runs until Mar 28. Tickets handmade glass and mixed media objects to explore through Ticketek. the roles of women in modern society. Appropriately enough, the exhibition opens on International Once On This Island: The Geoff Gibbs Theatre WAAPA presents this Tony Award-nominated, Women’s Day. Runs until Mar 22.

Caribbean-flavoured, musical love story. Runs Mar Ngaaditj Boodja (Salt Country): emerge Art Space, 16 - Mar 23.

Inglewood Lindsay Harris’ new solo exhibition looks at the Hamlet: Subiaco Arts Centre devastating effects of unchecked land clearing and WAAPA, in conjunction with Barking Gecko the subsequent encroachment of salt upon once- Theatre Company, present a new interpretation of Shakespeare’s immortal tragedy. Runs Mar 16 - Mar fertile soil. Runs until Mar 23.

22. Bookings via Ticketek.

Errol McMahon - Hearts and Vessels: The Moores Building, Fremantle An exhibition of sculptures abstracted from found objects. Runs Mar 16 - Mar 24.

WAAPA Big Band, The Fremantle Arts Centre Performance March 28. Tickets via fac.org.au

VISUAL ARTS

THEATRE/DANCE/ PERFORMANCE

MUSIC

Piers Lane Plays Rachmaninov with WASO, Perth Concert Hall Performance March 22 and 23. Tickets via waso. com.au

FESTIVALS Fremantle Street Arts Festival: City of Fremantle The streets of Fremantle come alive over the Easter weekend with a range of performances spread over 10 stages, including busking, street theatre, comedy, circus acts, cabaret, and more. Runs from Mar 30 Apr 1.

Medium Flax Eel Trap by Jenni Kemarre Martiniello, Made to Remember Made To Remember: Art Gallery Of WA, Northbridge Made To Remember is a beautifully considered display of significant Indigenous objects from the State Art Collection. With a diverse selection of works including glass and ceramic objects, textiles and clothing, as well as examples of traditional sculpture, Made to Remember encourages dialogue about the place of an object not only in Indigenous art and culture, but in the broader Australian context. Runs until Jun 30. www.xpressmag.com.au

FolkWorld Fairbridge Festival: Fairbridge Village A friendly celebration of folk, roots, blues, acoustic, Celtic, a capella and world music in a traffic-free, selfcontained bushland site at Fairbridge Village. Three days of the best folk music that Australia and the world has to offer, including Kristina Olsen, Tinpan Orange, and Pugsley Buzzard. It runs Apr 26 - Apr 28.

Bookings through folkworldfestival.com.au Perth International Comedy Festival: numerous locations across Perth Encompassing over 50 acts and 150 performances over 19 days, the 2013 Perth International Comedy Festival brings together the world’s top comic talent for a concentrated blast off laughs. Guests this year include 30 Rock’s Tracy Morgan, Margaret Cho, Jim Jefferies, Stephen K. Amos, and The Wayans Brothers.

It runs May 1 - May 19. Head to perthcomedyfest. com.au for details 27

28

X-Press – First on the street, Wednesdays

Daniel Bortz has a deft touch for stripping things back to the minimal without losing the soul. JO CAMPBELL chats with the German house DJ/ producer about the scene in his native Augsburg and not selling out.

After spinning house and techno for more than a decade and releasing tracks from 2007, Daniel Bortz found his way into the international spotlight in 2011 along with the resurgence of house.

Well known for his bootlegs and last year’s re-working of James Blake’s cover of Feist’s Limit To Your Love, the Augsburg resident has recently put out some sublimely smooth, down-tempo numbers on Berlin-based imprint Suol and has been playing the global festival circuit.

“I do think it’s a good example of how simple I make my music,” Bortz says of the Limit To Your Love remix. “My production technique is very minimal and I always try to keep everything very clean.

For me, the most important thing in making a track is to find the focal point in the production and reduce everything around it to make that focal point stand out.

“Also, when you take out the James Blake vocal, I think it clearly shows I have some roots that are grounded in dub techno... now that I think of it, I can’t really pinpoint a moment or movement that got me to where I’m at today musically as I have such a varied music taste.”

While his sound is by no means divorced from Berlin’s techno obsession, it certainly isn’t following the herd, with house still defying the mainstream in Bortz’s university hometown, situated in south-west Bavaria.

“I can’t really say that the house scene over here is that big, as Augsburg is quite small.That said, for the size of the city there really are a lot of creative people based here. Augsburg is very close to Munich, and Bavaria is very close to Italy which, in a way, gives the local scene a little bit of that Italio-disco influence,” he explains.

“There’s also a very big indie influence in Augsburg... so the city is small and we are quite sheltered from the major dance music scenes in Germany, but in a way that’s good as we’ve create our own sound and scene.”

Forza Electronica is a monthly party Bortz has been running for six years, providing him with a testing ground for his techno/house innovations.

“From the start, there have been many changes with the musical direction of the night. In the beginning it was more orientated towards Detroit techno, but over the years it’s gradually changed to a more house flavoured sound as I wanted to set myself apart from the rest of the parties that were being held in Augsberg.

“I think it was around 2009 when I tried to bring a deeper and slower sound to the night, which took a while for the crowd to get used to. Eventually the sound grew on everyone and now it’s very successful. From the start, my vision for this event was to introduce the crowd to many different styles of music, so I’m very lucky to have an extremely open minded crowd who attend the night.”

Bortz’s remix of fellow German Console’s A Homeless Ghost is soon to be released and although Bortz has gained notoriety remixing, he’s not a proponent of the current fixation on it.

“I have done quite a few remixes but I’m not always a fan of them,” he says.“What I don’t like about them is when people make remixes for a track that cheapens the original to the point where they sell out.

“As long as you can keep the integrity of the track in check, I’m happy to do remixes. Also, it’s also difficult when you’re DJing to find the right version of a track when there are five different versions,” he laughs out loud.

“Sometimes I just feel like saying to some producers and labels that it really is ok to release a great track without doing any remixes for it. There are so many new tracks being released every day and the good ones will always be found regardless of a remix or not.”

While his Heal The World EP, released last year on Suol, was more down tempo than his previous work, there’s no downturn expected in the level of his popularity, with heavy-hitters such as Laurent Garnier getting behind it. It’s likely that we’ve only just witnessed the genesis of this wizard of hi-tech, slowed-down minimalism’s career.

» DANIEL BORTZ » FRIDAY, MARCH 22 @ DOUBLE LUCKY

DANIELBORTZ GROWING REDUCTIONS

www.xpressmag.com.au

29

MINISTRY OF SOUND

AUTECHRE

Opening with Australian electro ‘it’ boy Flume, the first disc of Ministry Of Sound’s FUT.UR.ISM compilation plays like a who’s who of the alternative and indie scenes, if those terms actually mean anything anymore.

Jessie Ware’s 110% has all the necessary cool of a high-end late night bar and is followed by Passion Pit’s Constant Conversations and Frank Ocean’s Super Rich Kids, creating a three song run highlighting the type of electronic R’n’B that had to be the breakout genre of 2012.

‘80s synth style abounds throughout, something we’ve come to expect in the past few years, from Cliff Martinez’s Drive soundtrack to M83; it’s absolutely everywhere and disc one of this collection doesn’t miss out.

Disc two bursts to life with Disclosure’s delirious jam Latch. Sadly the energy really dies off after this. Filled with bassy house tracks, too quickly do we get locked into similar tempos and a real lack of dynamism from track to track.

There is some saving grace towards the end of the disc however. Justin Martin’s minimalist approach on Don’t Go is followed nicely by the spacey Never from Scuba. Duke Dumont’s Need U (100%) is another late disc highlight, A*M*E’s love lamenting lyrics fit perfectly over the skipping beat and jangly synth.

FUT.UR.ISM serve’s a decent tasting plate of the current and potentially soon-to-be stars of electronic music, but ultimately suffers a little from a lack of cohesion.

Elder statesmen of the experimental electronic music world, Autechre, have been steadily releasing material on Warp for over 20 years - mindblowing soundscapes that defy genre and time.

On this, their 11th album, the UK duo have produced some of their best work since their defining ‘90s material. Exai is a massive double album, over two hours in length – a dense and perilous sonic journey through a range of synthetic environments.

Like most of their work, it can be difficult listening, but ultimately rewarding.

Opener FLeure immediately draws you into their world with disorientating collisions of sounds – the hyper-breakbeat cacophony is reminiscent of contemporary, Squarepusher, minus the bass. This blends into the 10 minute stuttering beat and synth arpeggios of irlite (get 0).

Crunchy, yet soft, aural textures are gently manipulated to expose their raw structures, before being dressed up in a layered suit of shimmering sound. bladelores is a highlight – 12 minutes long, this sprawling, atmospheric opus concludes disc one in majestic fashion.

The second disc seems more substantial, with the menacing breakbeat of nodezsh, the glitchy minimal sounds of cloudline and the almost normal flow of recks on.

Autechre are still at the top of their game.

Buy the ticket, take the ride.

» RYAN BUTLER

» ALFRED GORMAN

FUT.UR.ISM UNIVERSAL

EXAI WARP

VLTRN

DON’T SHARE THIS WITH GRANDMA

Perth drum’n’bass duo VLTRN have produced two new heavy hitting tunes out on independent label Hypnosis Recordings. Ross Bradley and Reece Mercadante’s Time To Move and Infamous are both nasty, sci-infused, tech-stabbing wonders, perfect for the summoning of demonic forces. They’re available next Monday, March 25 on iTunes.

Sid Pattni

GET WITH THIS

Local hip hop beat maker Sid Pattni has hit the triple j airwaves with a new single featuring N’fa Jones from 1200 Techniques. A follow up to his recent and debut EP, Le Vidé, Being With You is a hip hop/soul rerub of Smokey Robinson’s Motown classic of the same name. It premiered last week on triple j’s hip hop show and is now on rotation. Download it for free on SoundCloud. Nice.

Sun City

EXAMPLE MADE

Talented electro pop duo, Sun City, have been announced as local support for Example at his May 10 show at Metro City. Within six months of releasing their debut self titled EP in 2011, these guys had already landed slots at some of the nation’s biggest festivals including Parklife and Stereosonic. In August 2012, they released their second EP Set Alight, which received love from triple j and resulted in a huge national tour. They also just played Perth’s Future Music Festival. Completely killing it.

Throwing Shapes

ALIVE D’N’B

Fresh from the recent success of signing a worldwide deal, live D’n’B outfit, Throwing Shapes is throwing a party at The Newport this Thursday, March 21.

Promoting their new self-titled EP, they’ll be joined

by D’n’B live acts Freqshow, Pimps of Sound and DJ Fluoro. Doors open at 7.30pm and entry is noncapital. This one is about the dancing.

YARHKOB

MECHANICAL RESPONSES

VILLAGE OBLIVIA

Young gun and beat maker Jake Steele may hail from a ridiculously talented and famous family, but his own work most definitely holds its own. He speaks with JO CAMPBELL about his new D’n’B record ahead of its launch at The Bird this Sunday.

Just a cursory inspection of Jake Steele’s SoundCloud account is enough to uncover the genius of his production. Having composed and orchestrated a classical hip hop symphony as part of his West Australian Academy of Performing Arts Music Technology degree, Steele’s dance music repertoire broaches genres as varied as space hop to dubstep to the avant-garde.

Going under the moniker of Yarhkob, Steele’s latest EP, Responses, is an intense journey into the darker side of drum’n’bass, channelling some serious neuro/tech vibes, and is a follow up to his more down-tempo, hip hop and avant-garde Transmissions EP, released in 2011.

The new four-tracker will be launched this Sunday at The Bird with support from live dub band The Weapon Is Sound, live drum’n’bass eight-piece outfit, Freqshow and DJ Arms in Motion. Yarhkob’s set will be all original with an interactive visual set up, synced to the beats.

Steele, who is also a member of experimental rock outfit Injured Ninja, which has been on hiatus since a US tour and the release of an LP in 2011, says the change in direction since his last EP was a natural one for him.

“I guess I’ve always made a whole range of beats,” he explains. “There’s so many styles, and I never really locked into one sort. The first EP just happened to be my hip hop stuff and with this one I definitely wanted to change it up and get some of my more crazy beats out there.”

A labourer by day, scrap metal sounds and field recordings feature heavily on Steele’s Responses.

“I’ve been building up a bit of a collection from the worksite, taking bits of scrap out of the bin and all the other guy’s look at me a bit weirdly,” he laughs.

“But yeah, I take it home and sample it and it produces this sound that no-one else has or uses and I just sort of get a groove or a vibe from somewhere then take it from there.”

30

FACELESS NOISE

Yarhkob Known locally for his remixing talents, having reworked for Usurper of Modern Medicine and The Weapon Is Sound, Steele is also set to remix a single from sister Katy Steele’s upcoming new album.

“That’s the one (remix) I’m most excited about. It’s called Fire Me Up and it’s a pretty cool track.

It’s got sick vocals and chorus and I’ve turned it into a house/dubstep version. I think it’s going to be big.”

Steele is part of Perth’s most musical family, with twin sister Katy being known for her success with her band Little Birdy while their older brother Luke is part of Empire Of The Sun, and prior to that, The Sleepy Jackson. Their dad is blues legend Rick Steele.

“We all grew up listening to so much music and I just took the electronic avenue. I never wanted to do anything else. Obviously Luke has made it pretty big time and he’s always pushing for us to amp it up a notch and he keeps on upping the ante, which is cool.”

Along with a plan to join Luke in LA to possibly work on movie soundtracks, Steele plans to release another EP in the dubstep vein in the next six months, before putting out an album.

“I want to make a big mix of all three (EPs).

Make it really wild and unique. Something really different so that the themes of the first one will all converge and unite into the one crazy album.”

» YARHKOB » SUNDAY, MARCH 24 @ THE BIRD

Cromlek Fernandez may not be his real name, but the guy that makes noise under the moniker of Strunkdts certainly has a genuine vision. His new collaborative monthly night, Village Oblivia, champions local makers of challenging sounds and isn’t recommended for the easily spooked. Expect audio apocalypse with a focus on the analogue. JO CAMPBELL asks.

What’s the ethos behind Village Oblivia and what are the sonic leanings?

Oblivia is about local producers having a few drinks in a dark space and smashing their creations through a PA to a room full of the curious, the wild and the lost. You won’t hear a single DJ laying down someone else’s tune all night. We try to keep things as live as possible, but with the nature of electronic music it’s not always so easy, but some manage the whole studio on stage to great effect.

Oblivia is also an action and a reaction to the whole DJ/techno rock star cult that corporate dance has become. It’s a throwback to the original faceless days when beats were stripped of ego and the music was everything.

Sonically, we try to channel the deeper and more challenging realms of techno, noise, bass and experimental, but there’s no set charter or sound.

What’s a Strunkdts exactly?

A Strunkdts is that big evil stronking sound an old analogue synth can conjure, the one that threatens to rip your monitors apart, but it’s kind of wobbly and stoned and drunk...jacked up on wrong fun and man machine funk. It’s also the name I make and perform my tunes under.

How do you produce/what technology do you use?

I record, arrange and edit all my stuff in REAPER. AudioMulch also gets a good work out.

I have a bunch of outboard stuff I use, old synths, samplers, pre-amps, effects, and on a rare occasion I might get lazy and fire up Ableton.

How does your live set-up differ to your production?

I’m not really sure what constitutes playing live anymore, and with the way I write it would be impossible for me to play ‘LIVE!!!’ unless I dragged out all my stuff and had some clones I could psy-control.

Everything ultimately ends up in Ableton, with clips and edits and loops and then gets triggered via a controller and maybe a sync box or two.

Who’s playing this month?

Ourobonic Plague of Robot Elephant Records fame with his dark, subterranean hip hop and haunting esoteric bass. Basic Mind is the analogue tech lord of P-town. Craig McElhenniy and Chris Cobilis will be teaming up to do everyone’s heads in while P-Town’s meanest tough guys Emerald Cabal Three words to describe Village Oblivia? and Reece Walker will once again tear the place Free. Local. Techno. a new one with tribal 4/4 and mad acid excursions.

Special guests are Velcro, with their debut show of pure analogue electro complete with sultry female » VILLAGE OBLIVIA vox. And me. » FRIDAY, MARCH 22 @ THE VELVET LOUNGE

X-Press – First on the street, Wednesdays

ROLLER CREW ON THE ROAD AGAIN

DART: All of us are still playing out and about. I still host Full Frequency on RTRFM and Devo and I still run a regular night and he is still hosting Rhythm Trippin on RTRFM as well as playing clubs and bars and also a bunch of corporate stuff. Kent is also is part of the Rhythm Trippin crew.

Blend, Dart, Devo and Kent were responsible for the freshest Thursday night gig in town throughout much of the naughties, rinsing the best in D’n’B up until 2008. JO CAMPBELL catches up with the boys ahead of their annual Roller Easter, where they’ll be joined

by Ekko & Sidetrack and Vishnu.

You were all involved with RTRFM well before Dart hosted Full Frequency with Devo and later Sardi?

DART: Yes. RTR played a big part in our (mine and Devo’s) entry into the world of DJing.

Old friends Waz, Billy B and Shep had been hosting Rhythm Trippin from the early ‘90s. We all used to pile on in there and hang out to the wee hours and were eventually invited to guest and hold down regular slots. Around the same time Kent was also getting guest slots on Rhythm Trippin and later in the piece Blend was a regular guest. Devo and Kent are still presenting the same show.

Roller Crew holds legendary status in Perth’s D’n’B history and was no doubt instrumental in our massive leaning towards the genre throughout the 2000s. Why do you think our city was so influenced by rolling beats?

DEVO: That’s a good question. I can honestly say that if it wasn’t for Dan Griggs at MFI, a lot of crew would not have been introduced to drum’n’bass and therefore, nights like Roller.

Those all-age raves were absolutely massive and drum’n’bass featured heavily on the lineup. This gave the music great exposure and got people hooked at an early age. Props must also go out to Loaded Dice, Ragga Bone, RTRFM, Drum Club and the other early crews for pushing the sound and creating a movement well before Roller started.

That radio show would have been many people’s first taste of D’n’B. I for one came into possession of a taped recording of the show around 2000 that started me off on a musical adventure into D’n’B. Looking back, how does it feel to realise you affected people like that?

DEVO: There have been a few times recently when people have come up to us and said “I grew up listening to RTRFM” or “we really miss Roller – you guys rocked it” and that’s really, really cool.

We loved doing it and are privileged to be part of something that was special to so many people.

KENT: One of my greatest memories is You’ve had some off the hook nights there at some of the internationals we had play. Makoto, Rosemount over the years. Greg Packer with MC Chris Inperspective, Big Bud and Calibre to name Shureshock for your eighth birthday comes to a few. It was awesome to have such big names mind. Any particular highlights? come down.

How did you all meet?

DEVO: Greg Packer and Shureshock also BLEND: I remember a lot of hung over DEVO: Dart and I met a long, long time featured our first Roller Idol winner Kito, which was Fridays! Haha. The first Roller Idol was one of my ago whilst at school together and Mikee (Blend) probably the best thing we did. The final Roller will favourites. It was the first time Dart and I were on we met at Roller whilst it was at the Wembley always be special and yeah, all the Roller Easter nights the stage together as hosts and we had a lot of Hotel. Kent joined the group after many nights are as hazy as they were great. I will never forget the new guys and girls up on the stage pushing their mixing records at his notoriously loud house in time when AJM was guesting and the Americans North Perth - our ears are still recovering. had just invaded Iraq and as his final tune was this sound. scratchy 45 of John Lennon’s Give Peace a Chance, You guys might not run a weekly event which really stuck in my head as one of the special What do you have in the crate for our listening pleasure for Roller Easter? Can you give us your anymore, but it’s great that you still put on moments of Roller. special events. What else are you doing out DART: My biggest highlight was playing top five?

DEVO: I’m feeling a lot of the new stuff and about?

Celebration by Kool & the Gang as one of the last KENT: We still love doing the one off tunes at the Last Supper night (final regular Thursday) from Spectrasoul and Lenzman at the moment, so gigs under the Roller banner. It’s a bit of work, but - the place went absolutely mental. To finish the I’ll definitely be keeping it on the deeper tip. we love getting back together for a good party. night we played Night Flight by Andy C. That was a - Shades Of Grey – Delilah (Spectrasoul remix) It’s also one of those nights that people can see great tune to finish on, an absolute belter – the crowd - Rotary Motion – LSB, Komatic and Technicolour a bunch of old faces that they don’t see anymore. left chanting “Roller, Roller, Roller” and we got to sleep - Little Man – Little Dragon (Marcus intalex) -And Calibre, always loads of Calibre some time on Saturday morning.

Roller Crew DART: Entrance To Jericho – dRamatic&dbAudio Afterthought – Ivy Lab feat. Frank Carter III Can’t Take That – Decon Days Running Out – dRamatic&dbAudio Saligia – Enei feat. Kemo Last Easter Roller you packed everyone into a double-decker bus for a rowdy ride to Ambar.

What surprises can we expect this year?

DEVO: Haha - the infamous yearly bus rides that none of us actually made it onto!

Unfortunately this year there will be no after party at Ambar, so no bus. But we do have a massive night planned. The main bar of the Rosie has Drapht playing and Roller will now be outside in the beer garden. We’ve made extra sure the sound will be quality and it’s still totally 100 per cent free.

» ROLLER EASTER » THURSDAY, MARCH 28 @ THE ROSEMOUNT BEER

UBERJAK’D

MINISTERING THE SOUND Adelaide’s resident party pest Uberjak’d heads to Perth to play Villa this Friday, March 22 for the Ministry Of Sound Clubbers Guide To 2013 Tour. He spoke to RYAN BUTLER ahead of the visit.

Being charged by Ministry Of Sound to mix the darker, bass-heavy side of their annual Clubbers Guide release should tell you the regard Uberjak’d holds in the Australian club scene as a beat maker and party fiend.

The scene itself though is still only just establishing itself, according to Uberjak’d. “If you compare it to the scene over in Europe it’s still quite young,” he says. “Even compared to America there’s so much controversy at the moment because it’s such a young scene. People have heard of it but they’ll just jump on the first thing they come across and what’s popular. It takes a long time for a scene to be established, especially in the more underground genres, for people to support.

“Australia’s great, it’s a mish-mash of everything really. There’s something going down with most genres, D’n’B has its following in a couple of cities and Melbourne’s really into the house thing with some really cool underground house clubs.”

Uberjak’d has been exploring each city’s scene on the Ministry of Sound Clubbers Guide To 2013 Tour, a project that poses it’s own challenges he says.

“It’s a pretty lengthy process because you’ve got about a month or so where you select the tracks you want on there and send them off to Ministry [Of Sound]. There’s a lot of ins and outs on the legal side of things with the label and what you can actually get on the disc, what they want to get on there and what I want to get on there. Once that process is done I guess it takes only a day or two to get it done, putting the mix together. That’s the easy part, getting the mix together.

“There are a lot of Aussie tracks on there as well, which is wicked, like J-Trick and Reece Low, their most recent collaboration Higher Ground. Djuro’s remix of Trumpsta, which has been doing massive things in my set over the past couple of months, as well as my latest single Gash King, which is wicked I got that on there.”

Uberjak’d isn’t happy resting on his laurels either with plenty of releases on the way, including his latest EP in the past week. “I’ve got lots of stuff coming out over the next couple of weeks actually,” he says. “The Bomber EP on Mixmash is going on www.xpressmag.com.au

Uberjak’d Beatport, and that’s a two track with Bomber and Bump Dat, which are two tracks that have been sitting on an SD card in my computer for way too long so I’m glad they’re out there. I think I did Bump Dat, like the first early versions of it, a year and a half ago and pretty close to a year for Bomber as well.”

» UBERJAK’D » MINISTRY OF SOUND CLUBBERS GUIDE TO » 2013 TOUR » FRIDAY, MARCH 22 @ VILLA 31

80’S 90’S

CAPITOL

ZEDS DEAD

WEDNESDAY 20/03

Connections – BINGAY & Pop! Ft DJ Tasty/Tim Bee Bar Orient – DJ Ben Renna Eve Nightclub – Retro Thursdays Beat Nightclub (Downstairs) – DJ Tony Allen Soul Seduction Flying Scotsman –Gidget Duck/ Boulevard Tavern – Wub Wub Muldoon Wing Wednesday Leisure Inn – DJ Peta Capitol – Harlem Wednesdays ft Lost Society – Burger Genga/Benny P Malt Supper Club – Kabaret Captain Stirling – Fiveo Thursdays Club Red Sea – Cheek ft Metric DJs Mullaloo Beach Hotel - DJ John Connwections – DJs Joby /JJ / Paul/ DJ Slick Reuben Mustang Bar – DJ James Flying Scotsman – Benni Chill/ MacArthur Chris Healing Newport Hotel – Throwing Leederville Hotel – DJ Slick/DJ Shapes ft Pimps Of Sound/ Reuben/DJ ViSon Freqshow/DJ Fluoro Llama Bar – Akuna Club Paramount –DJ Jordan Mustang Bar – DJ Giles Rosemount Hotel – Sons Of Niche Bar – Juicy ft Frankie Button Rico DJs Newport Hotel –Tom The Avenue – Jon Ee Drummond/Angry Buda Rosemount Hotel – DJ Anton Maz The Bird – Beat Lounge 8 The Craftsman – Fiveo Sovereign Arms – Lokie Shaw The Deen – Chase The Sun ft DJ The Bird – Nineties To Noughties Flex/ DJ Nano/ DJ Surge/ DJ Don Vol.3 ft Andrew Sinclair & George Migi Capelas Vs Jack Doepel & Leon The Grand Central – Roger Osborn Smart The Court – Wicked Wednesday The Queens – DJ Riki The Grand Central – DJ ANG3L Toucan – DJ Matty J

THURSDAY 21/03 Boulevard Tavern – 151 Thursdays Old Skool R&B Claremont Hotel - Institution Thursdays ft DJs Bryn Jones/ James Thorne

FRIDAY 22/03 Admiral Hotel – Steve Hepple Amplifier – Jamie Mac Ambar – Gemini ft Genga/ Micah/JS

Gemini

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AMBAR

Art Of Gallery Of WA – AGWA Nights ft Dennis Gedling Bar One Twenty – DJ Grandmaster Vicious Bar Orient - The Reggae Club ft Cutnice/Calvin/The Empressions/ Mumma Trees/Sista Che Beat Nightclub (Downstairs) Play Boheme Bar - DJ Majiika Boulevard Tavern – Habit@ ft DJ Andyy/(6-8) Sea Level Brass Monkey - DJ Viktor/DJ James Ess/Green George Brighton Hotel – Peta C5 – Underground ft DJ K-La Capitol – Retro Mash Capitol (Upstairs) – I Love ‘90s Claremont Hotel – The Soul Purpose/Tea King Club Bayview – Fresh Connections – InsideOut ft Dj P Lilly/JJ/Scout/Roski/Rob DB Devilles Pad – Razor Jack/Coaster T Empire Bar – James Shipstone Eurobar - DJ Fat Albert/DJ ZOOM Flying Scotsman – Back To Mono DJs Flying Scotsman (Defectors) – Rok Riley Gilkisons Dance Studio - Syrup Purple Picnic ft Kit Pop & Zeke/ Ben T/Mr Starks/Manimal/Bazil Zemplys Ginger Nightclub – Mondo Fridays ft Fiel Rogers/ Dr. Space/ Annert/Aslan/Dan.D.Lyons Lakers Tavern –Grizzly And Friends Library – Dorcia Fridays Llama Bar – Jim Pearson Malt Supper Club – Georgia Reed Metro Freo – Frat House Fridays ft Death Disco Mint Nightclub – Club Retro Mustang – Swing DJ/ DJ James MacArthur Newport Hotel – New Look Party ft Nina Las Vegas/Yo! M.A.F.I.A./ Tahli Jade Vs Tom Drummond/ Sardi/Evan Niche Bar – Let Loose ft DJ Jonny Zimber Paramount - DJ John/DJ Jordan Red Sea - Fresh Rocket Room – Coyote Ugly Sail & Anchor - Balcony Beatz Shape – The Switch Sovereign Arms – ANG3L The Avenue – Lokie Shaw The Bird – Shy Panther DJs The Carine – Az-T

THE COURT

The Court – DJ Flex/DJ TimBee The East End Bar – Az-T The Generous Squire – DJ Anaru The Good Shepherd – Daniel Bortz ft James A/Aaron Richards The Grand – Jinx Project The Saint - Abstar The Shed - DJ Glenn 20 Villa - Ministy Of Sound Clubbers Guide To 2013 ft Denzal Park & Uberkak’d/Chiari/Jackness/Ace Basik/Slappin’ Plastic Whale & Ale - DJ Spinback Ya Ya’s – DJ Pup

SATURDAY 23/03 Admiral Hotel – Insane Dwaine Ambar – Japan 4 ft LKiD/Qwerk/ Oli/Dead Easy/Tee EL Amplifier – Nina Las Vegas ft Eddie Electric/K-La Bar One Twenty – Little Nicky Bar Orient – DJ Troy Beat Nightclub (Upstairs) Canvas Boheme Bar – JMC Sail & Anchor – Catch The Child’s Brass Monkey - DJ Peta Play DJs (downstairs)/ DJ Jewel (upstairs) Sovereign Arms – The Jinx Project Brighton Hotel - Misschief The Avenue – Jon Ee Capitol – Death Disco The Boheme – Amanda Power Capitol (Upstairs) – Cream Of The The Causeway – Luke Miguel/ ‘80s ft DJ Ryan Clint Turner Civic Hotel – Cheap Sober ft The Cornerstone – Michael Complete/L.S.D./Omac/Defekt Brittliff Claremont Hotel - Safari Club Bay View – DJ Roger Smart The Court – DJ Flex/DJ TimBee The Craftsman – DJ Shortz Connections – Beth Yen The Generous Squire – On Tap ft Devilles Pad – Jumpin’ Josh DJ James Nutley Empire Bar –James Shipstone Eurobar – DJ Fat Albert/DJ Zoom The Grand Central – Armee The Queens – Kenny L Flying Scotsman – Andrei Maz The Saint – DJ ANG3L Flying Scotsman (Defectors) – The Shed –DJ Andyy Future Wives Club The Wembley – Lokie Shaw Library – DJ Victor/DJ Riki Liquid Nightclub - DJ Klar55/ DJ Tiger Lil’s – DJ Bojan/Benjamin Sebastian Stevie M Toucan – DJ Samuel Spencer Llama Bar – DJ Reuben Villa - Netsky ft Ekko & Sidetrack/ Malt Supper Club – Scotty J Blend/Bezwun Metro Freo – Roger Smart/DJ Wazz/Ben Carter Wembley Hotel - Miller City Metro Freo (Upstairs) – I Love 80s Sessions ft Jason Lema 90s DJ DTuck Ya Ya’s – DJ Pup Mint Nightclub – Pop Life ft DJ Aaron/ AJ Mullaloo Beach Hotel – DJ Danny SUNDAY 24/03 Mustang Bar – Rockabilly DJ/ DJ Claremont Hotel – James Thorne/ James MacArthur Dan Delstra Newport Hotel –Tom Club Bay View - Fiveo Drummond/Tahli Jade/Sardi/ Empire Bar –DJ Riki/ DJ Victor Lucas Eve Nightclub –DJ Slick Paramount- DJ John/DJ Jordan

Daniel Bortz Flying Scotsman –Nathan J/ Nizbet/ Pasha/ Chris Ginger Nightclub – DJ Rudebean Mustang Bar – DJ James McArthur Newport Hotel – DJ Laith Tyranny/DSB DJs/Tom Drummond The Avenue – Az-T The Bird – Yarhkob ft Freqshow/ The Weapon Is Sound/DJ Arms In Motion The East End Bar –DJ Gold Finger/ AZ-T The Grand – Lockie Shaw/Philly Blunt The Queens – Samuel Spencer The Saint – Jon Ee/JMC The Shed – James Wilson and more

MONDAY 25/03 Eve Nightclub - DJ Don Migi Llama Bar – Jo 19 Malt Supper Club – Industry Night The Deen – DJ Birdie

TUESDAY 26/03 Bar Orient - DJ Lyndon High Road Hotel – DJ Matty J Llama Bar – Charlie Bucket Victoria Park Hotel – DJ Melvin

X-Press – First on the street, Wednesdays

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AMPLIFIER/CAPITOL

THE NEWPORT

FRAT HOUSE FRIDAYS

METRO FREO

IN THE THIS WEEK Throwing Shapes ft Pimps Of Sound/Freqshow/DJ Fluoro Thursday, March 21 @ Newport Hotel New Look Party ft Nina Las Vegas/Yo! M.A.F.I.A. Friday, March 22 @ Newport Hotel Ministy Of Sound Clubbers Guide To 2013 ft Denzal Park/ Uberkak’d Friday, March 22 @ Villa

Yarhkob ft Freqshow/The Weapon Is Sound/DJ Arms In Motion Sunday, March 24 @ The Bird

COMING UP Black Sun Empire ft Voltron/ Skoptix Thursday, March 28 @ Amplifier The Uni-Verse Tour ft Drapht Thursday, March 28 @ The Rosemount Easter Thursday ft Mark Pritchard/Dan The Man/ Mathas/Diger Rokwell/Ylem/ Vishnu/FG Thursday, March 28 @ The Bakery

Freqshoq ft Throwing Shapes/DJ Illusiv/MC Webbz Thursday, April 4 @ Rosemount Jason Lema Thursday, April 4 @ The Dusk Lounge Get Weird ft His Majesty Andre/Cassian/Shazam/ Manimal/Amnesia Effect/ Molochi/Massive Toys/Jack Doepel/Willy Slade Friday, April 5 @ Ambar Miller City Sessions ft Warren Peace Friday, April 5 @ Mullaloo Beach Hotel

Throw The Hammer ft Derrick MayBen Klock/Clunk/Allstate/ Ben Taffe/Everyteen/Milanov Wednesday, April 24 @ Capitol Rufus Saturday, April 25 @ Newport Hotel Monday, April 26 @ Amplifier AGWA Nights ft Craig Hollywood Friday, April 26 @ Art Gallery Of WA

Movement Festival ft Nas/2 Chainz/Chiddy Bang/Joey AGWA Nights ft Charlie Bucket Badda$$/Angel Haze/Spit Friday, April 5 @ Art Gallery Syndicate Of WA Gemini ft Genga/Micah/JS Tuesday, April 30 @ Red Hill Friday, March 22 @ Ambar Speakeasy:Woodstock ft Dune RAW ft Mobin Master/J-Trick/ Auditorium Rats Micah/Chris Moro Daniel Bortz ft James A/ Thursday, March 28 @ Villa Friday, April 5 @ Villa Aaron Richards Blokhe4d Friday, March 22 @ The Good Force Majeure ft RESET!/Micah/ Friday, May 3 @ Geisha Bar Yacht Club DJs Shepherd Tapeheads/Qwerk/Baden M Friday, April 12 @ Amplifier Thursday, March 18 @ Ambar AGWA Nights ft Chris Wheeldon Syrup Purple Picnic ft Kit Pop & The Loops Of Fury & Craig Hollywood Zeke/Ben T/Mr Starks/Manimal/ Roller Easter ft Ekko & ft Mr.Ed/Qwerk/ Friday, May 3 @ Art Gallery Of WA Sidetrack/Vishnu/Roller Crew Bazil Zemplys STRANGERTHANDIGITAL Friday, March 22 @ Gilkisons Dance Thursday, March 28 @ The Friday, April 12 @ Ambar Rosemount Studio Example ft Sun City Friday, May 10 @ Metro City AGWA Nights ft Holly Doll Jason Lema Nina Las Vegas ft Eddie Friday, April 12 @ Art Gallery Friday, March 29 @ Mullaloo Electric/K-La Of WA Beach Hotel Yacht Saturday, March 23 @ Amplifier Friday, May 10 @ The Bakery Miller City Sessions ft Jason PVT Japan 4 ft LKiD/Qwerk/Oli/Dead Saturday, March 30 @ The Bakery Lema Easy/Tee EL Friday, April 12 @ The Dusk Seth Sentry Saturday, March 23 @ Ambar Lounge Friday, May 10 @ Villa Demigodz ft Apathy & Celph Titled Sunday, May 12 @ Newport Hotel Netsky ft Ekko & Sidetrack/ Sound Utopia ft Lazy J/Big Saturday, March 30 @ Black Bettys Blend/Bezwun Guy/Israel Cruz Groovin The Moo Festival Saturday, March 23 @ Villa Saturday, April 13 @ Red Hill Cyantific ft The Prototypes/ ft Alison Wonderland/DZ Utah Jazz/Illusiv & Dvise/Qbik/ Auditorium Cheap Sober ft Complete/ Bastian/MCS: Xsessiv, Stylee Deathrays/Example/Flume/ Plump DJs ft Black & Blunt/ L.S.D./Omac/Defekt & Bear Midnight Juggernaughts/Pez/ Marko Paulo/Tonic Saturday, March 22 @ Civic Hotel Saturday, March 30 @ Villa Seth Sentry/Shockone/Tuka w/ Friday, April 19 @ Villa Ellesquire/Urthboy/DJ Woody’s Miller City Sessions ft Jason Lema XXYYXX ft Modo/Water Graves/ AGWA Nights ft Paul Lindsay Big Phat Mixtape/Yacht/ Zehnmee/Clunk Saturday, March 23 @ Wembley Friday, April 19 @ Art Gallery Saturday, March 30 @ Gilkisons Hotel Yolanda Be Cool Of WA Dance Studio Saturday, May 11 @ Hay Park Spit Syndicate ft Jacki Onassis Bunbury Stanton Warriors ft Far Too Saturday, April 20 @ Amplifier Loud/Micah Sunday, April 20 @ Metro Freo Flume ft Chet Faker Sunday, March 31 @ Villa Sunday, May 12 @ Metro City SUPAFEST ft T.I./50 Cent/Waka Big Ape presents The Grizzly Flocka/Akon/Ne-Yo/Young Tour ft Sinden/Brenmar DJ Afrika Bambaataa Jeezy/Mindless Behaviour/ Sunday, March 31 @ Villa Saturday, May 18 @ The Bakery DJ Unk/Kevin McCall/DJ Nino Brown/Dizzy Doolan/ Jamie xx Phinesse Sunday, March 31 @ The Bakery Atari Teenage Riot Thursday, April 25 @ Perth Arena Sunday, May 19 @ The Bakery The xx Netsky Tuesday and Wednesday, April 1 - The Potbelleez Friday, April 26 @ Capitol A$AP Rocky 2 @ Metro City Sunday, June 30 @ Metro City Handpicked ft ShockOne/ Blu, Exile & Houseshoes ft Baauer/ Eats Everything/ Mathas/Speekeasy/Up&Up/ ALT-J Mosca SATURDAY, MARCH 23 Soma Saturday, July 27 @ Challenge Wednesday, April 24 @ Metro Thursday, April 4 @ The Bakery @ VILLA Stadium City and The Bakery AGWA Nights ft Dennis Gedling Friday, March 22 @ Art Gallery Of WA

NETSKY

www.xpressmag.com.au

ACTRESS DIRECTING

THE BAKERY SATURDAY, MARCH 16, 2013 Bass music, post-dubstep, future garage, call it what you like but there is certainly a keen market for the more experimental bottom heavy sounds that have evolved these past few years and the sizable crowd at The Bakery was testimony to the following it’s receiving over here. Early arrivals were treated to a great performance by relative newcomers Reece Walker and Emerald Cabal.

With tight beats and crisp basslines, it was hard to tell that this was only their third live show.

The future looks bright for these two young producers. Kynan Tan was up next and managed to prevent too much of the crowd from straying into the beer garden before Basic Mind took to the stage. The ex-Astral Travel bass guitarist has transformed himself into an electronic producer and was certainly pushing the right buttons as he upped the tempo, fired up the kick drum and treated the audience to some excellent analogue synth sounds with splashes of acid.

It was just approaching midnight when the first of the night’s big names took to the stage. Oneohtrix Point Never has only been producing since 2007 but in this time has released a staggering 12 albums and therefore has a huge arsenal of experimental ambient pieces constructed with vintage synths to delve into. During each song it was hard to tell if the audience were enjoying themselves, the beat-less sci-fi soundscapes don’t really lend themselves to dancing and save for the occasional nod of the head, the crowd was a sea of passive looks of either boredom or intense concentration. That was until the end of each track when a cheer of appreciation proved that this was most certainly the latter. Finishing his set with Nassau and Child Soldier from the 2011 release Replica, with one final knob tweak and a nod of the head in acknowledgment to the crowd, the Brooklyn based artist exited stage left in preparation for the lead role.

For a man whose 2012 long-player R.I.P. was a prominent feature in many critics end of year lists, Actress certainly doesn’t like to blow his

Actress (Pic by Daniel Craig) own trumpet. After plugging in all his gadgetry and setting off a 4/4 beat, he crouched down on his haunches head slightly cocked, calibrating his sound with minor tweaks and flourishes, in what soon became obvious was his position of choice for the evening. Those arriving late at the back of the venue would be forgiven for thinking that there was no one there at all. But this didn’t affect the music and when he occasionally did stick his head above the parapet, the crowd reassured him with a rousing cheer, though this seemed to startle him into ducking down behind his equipment again. Wisely choosing to stick to the more beat-driven up-tempo tracks from his repertoire, he played a non-stop set including Marble Plexus, Shadow Form Tartarus, IWAAD and the wonderfully named The Lord’s Graffiti, the cavernous bass reverberating around the venue causing the resonating shutters to rattle their approval. Before too long it was the crowd’s turn to signal their approval too, safe in the knowledge that, in his capable hands, the future of bass is bright. » ANDREW NELSON

33

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PATRICK AND EVE

PAUL KELLY & NEIL FINN

St Patrick’s Day @ Eve Nightclub Sunday, March 17, 2013 St Patrick’s Day revellers ventured out to bask in the spacious lounge and open-air balcony of Eve Nightclub last Sunday til the wee hours.

Grace Woodroofe/Lisa Mitchell

Photos by Matt Jelonek

Sarah, Zoe

Caitlin, Chelsea, Emily

Thomas, Liam

Brendan, Alex, Shane, Mark

Lisa, Mitchell Sarah, Kaycee

Jenna, Emily

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Sarah, Justin

Kings Park Botanical Gardens Thursday, March 14, 2013 In one of the wettest days for many months, punters would have been monitoring the news all day to see if the concert would go ahead. With thunder clearing as gates opened, the late respite from the weather led to issues in traffic and parking for those who made their way after work. As a result local folker Grace Woodroofe and awkward popster Lisa Mitchell played to a crowd that were still finding their feet but both deserved their slots with such esteemed company.

The main act Paul Kelly & Neil Finn arrived on the stage dressed in black suits and brandishing acoustic guitars, intertwining voices for a smooth Don’t Stand So Close To The Window. The tune would set the scene for a night that would see the two singers alternating between each other songs while both singing verses and harmonies to give each a slightly new flavour.

Continuing the stellar start to the set, Finn then lead Four Seasons In One Day as the remainder of the band carried lanterns as they arrived on the stage and Finn moved to the piano mid-song. The night was to be a family affair with Kelly’s nephew, Dan Kelly, taking guitar duties and Finn’s youngest son, Elroy, sitting behind the drum kit. This would also add a new dynamic to these well loved songs.

Elroy Finn certainly has a different style to the much loved gritty drumming of long time Kelly collaborator Dan Luscombe, which led to a far more spritely and power pop take on the Kelly charmer, Before Too Long. All band members came to the microphone to add delicious harmonies for She Will Have Her Way, which saw bassist, Zoe Hauptmann, show off her vocal prowess.

Paul Kelly may look more and more like Mr Magoo without the glasses as the years pass, but he is losing none of his stature as one of the better tunesmiths going around. Armed with a set of songs that can’t be faulted in any way, Kelly managed to overshadow Finn with irrepressible versions of Leaps And Bounds and From St Kilda To Kings Cross.

Neil Finn Photo: Emma MacKenzie In any other company Finn would have reigned supreme as the chirpy take on Something So Strong indicated. Finn spanned all parts of his catalogue with the Finn Brothers tune, Won’t Give In, allowing Dan Kelly to show of his Tim Finn-like hairdo and Private Universe offering Elroy Finn the chance to step out from behind the drums to take on some guitar duties.

Spotting the only spare chairs in the venue, Kelly and Finn invited those in the general admission area to mix it with the VIPs. It was a move that was met with some bewilderment from security, but it managed to go off without a hitch while offering some interesting bedfellows for the reminder of the set, which saw lighters out and a standing ovation for Better Be Home Soon before Kelly delivered one of the greatest Australian singles to not have a chorus, How To Make Gravy.

After two hours on stage they still found the energy to return for a sizeable encore. Anyone who can play an evening’s worth of tunes and still have tunes such as Fall At Your Feet and To Her Door in their back pocket deserve all of the accolades that have been lavishly thrown at them over the years.

This evening was one out of the box and the rain even showed respect by staying away. There is little doubt that Paul Kelly and Neil Finn are responsible for bringing the weather with them. _ CHRIS HAVERCROFT

X-Press – First on the street, Wednesdays

DINOSAUR JR.

Dinosaur Jr (Photo: Daniel Grant)

healthy airing tonight. The first four songs suffered from a very rough, muddy mix until the front of house opened up, allowing the nuances of J Mascis’ signature guitar tone to shimmer. Drummer Murph and bass player Lou Barlow kept the bottom end solid with the The Astor latter’s folk punk offering, Rude, being a set highlight. Hit March 12, 2013 songs Feel The Pain and Freakscene were offset by rarely One wouldn’t associate the Astor’s art-deco ambience played nuggets such as Start Choppin’ and an artifact with the onslaught of wailing guitars and booming from Mascis and Barlow’s first band, Deep Wound. The drums as provided by tonight’s entertainment, and inclusion of Just Like Heaven could have been remedied some of us wondered if the old girl could take it. She with countless other replacements but the audience didn’t mind in the least, leaving satisfied with an encore could and did.

Jon Spencer and Co. ambled onto the and smiles from one ringing ear to the other. stage, receiving a warm reception from the healthy _ADEM KERIMOFSKI sized crowd and at least one visibly pumped Chan Marshall watching from side stage. Sonically impressive for a band minus a bass player, Spencer and guitarist Judah Bauer instinctively trade lead licks and bass grooves, barely stopping between songs.

Showing a mix of professionalism and jam band mentality that only comes from years of performing, a dynamic rendering of Black Mold was the set’s highlight.

With the usual lack of fanfare Dinosaur Jr. took to the stage to an audience that has seemingly got younger with each new ‘reunion’ album. This is the key to the band’s continued success and longevity.

Whereas others are merely rehashing their Greatest Hits The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion packages year after year, Dinosaur Jr are still producing (Photo: Daniel Grant) great records, the latest being I Bet On Sky, given a very

THE JON SPENCER BLUES EXPLOSION

THE MARK OF CAIN Amplifier Bar Sunday, March 17, 2013 In fitting with The Mark of Cain’s often militaristic lyrics, John and Kim Scott (guitar/vocals and bass, respectively) and new touring drummer (something like the 15th person to occupy that position!) Eli Green executed a blitzkrieg assault on the sardinepacked Amplifier Bar with a frontal attack on all the senses, the intense belligerence of their pummelling tunes hitting the crowd between their collective eyes, whilst the melodies and thoughtful lyrics crept up and entranced both old and new fans.

That such an impressive crowd came out on not only a Sunday, but on St Patrick’s Day to provide an oasis of relief from the shambolic drunken shenanigans happening pretty much everywhere else around town, was testament to the high esteem TMOC are held in by fans of their ‘90s heyday when they were all over JJJ like a rash.

With a stunning new album – Songs Of The Third And The Fifth - out a few months ago, TMOC proved that they have never sold out, never compromised or diluted the essence of who they are as a band, and that has engendered a respect which goes both from the audience to the band and back again.

They don’t talk much. Hell, they don’t smile much; this is intense music, delivered with brutal precision and power. John Scott occasionally took a slug from a bottle of Grolsch, but apart from that it was all business. www.xpressmag.com.au

(Photo: Mike Wylie)

Heads banged and bodies gyrated and threw themselves about to Scott’s insurgent riffs and vocals, and brother Kim’s pulsating and punishing bass was possibly the heaviest bottom end sound since Geezer Butler first strapped on a four-string.

The sheer intensity with which half the crowd thrashed their heads to Second Hander, (R) Retaliate, Interloper, The Contender and LMA, and without a moment’s pause to new tracks Milosevic, Separatist and Avenger to name but a few, indicated there would be some sore necks the following morning, and edging inch by inch through the throbbing crowd towards the conveniences was a crab-walking exercise in SAS tactics and logistics.

By the encore the crowd were so sweaty and lost in the TMOC madness that they threw themselves into one last frenzy of headbanging for Battlesick and a couple of sneaky stage dives to evoke the spirit of the JJJ years, and closer Pointman might just be the most intense thing we’ve ever heard or seen since Rage Against The Machine in their prime. The song juddered to a jarring full stop just as the pit started to lose all control, but very few dissipated, perhaps shell shocked from the bludgeoning force of the past 90 minutes.

Finally relaxed grins reflected the triumph of the gig on the band’s faces and a simple but honest “Thankyou, it’s been great” was shared before they departed. Let’s hope it won’t be another decade before a return visit. _SHANE PINNEGAR 35

MOJOS BAR

Saturday, March 23, at Mojo’s William Elliott Whitmore returns to Australia for a series of headline shows in March 2013. Hailing from a farm along the banks of the mighty Mississippi River, he has developed an intense love and spiritual understanding of the land. Supports on the night are Lincoln Le Fevre and Tom Ware. Tickets are $28.60 though oztix.com.au or at the door. To win a double pass to this show, email mojos@coolperthnights.com with ‘Whitmore’ in the subject line.

ROCKET ROOM

Howlers is Perth’s newest, and Australia’s only topless Wild West themed party. On Friday nights the Rocket Room presents bar-top performances, live music, and plenty of prizes & giveaways. DJs Frank ‘N’ Bean are Perth’s hottest DJ Tag team playing all your rock favourites all night long! The party starts at 9pm and entry is free before 9.30, $10 after.

INDI BAR

This Friday, March 22, catch Triplicity DJs, a trio of Kiwis made up of two DJs and a vocalist. They Friday, March 22, sees Burning Fiction releasing their are fresh on the Perth scene and ready to bring latest EP The Story Will Continue supported by Grim new sounds to the Indi Bar with some deep and Fandango, Castle Bravo and 10 Points for Glenroy. dirty drum ‘n’ bass. Teaming up with Spikey T, it Saturday, March 23, rockers Bishi Bashi and Split should definitely be one for the records!

Cities take to the stage! Lady Velvet Cabaret rounds out the weekend on Sunday, March 24, from 2pm with their Tea Party Graduation Show, then rockabilly masters Day Of The Dead take the nightshift at 7pm for one of their characteristic high energy Head down this Friday, March 22, and check out Rusty’s new clothing launch. The ever popular performances! brand are celebrating by giving away over 70 new tees (male and female) to our punters! Then head back for the best beachside Sunday Sesh in Tonight, Wednesday 20, catch local punk rockers town, Red Bull presents Curates. Check out the The Decline playing a show to raise funds for their live art on display by Xander featuring Jeremy upcoming overseas tour. Support comes from their Smith and Tim Ayres whilst enjoying tunes from good mates in Silver Lizard, Alex the Kid, El Capitan Sun City DJs, Kenny L and Angry Buda. Kicks off and Waynewright. Doors open 8pm and entry is $10. at 2pm.

DJ Anton Maz will be spinning tunes in the beer garden from 7.30pm, free entry.

YA YA’S

MULLALOO BEACH HOTEL

ROSEMOUNT HOTEL

NEWPORT HOTEL

RAILWAY HOTEL

As part of their national tour, Sticky Fingers are dropping into the Newport this Sunday, March 24, straight after their set on the main stage at West Coast Blues ‘N’ Roots. Playing tunes from their debut success Caress Your Soul and supported by Perth’s own Stillwater Giants and Phil Slabber, it all kicks off at 6pm, presale tickets are $10 + booking fee, available at ticketbooth.com.au.

This Friday, March 22, catch Colour Control, Shouting at Camels, Cothe and Rag N Bone. Doors open 8pm and entry is $5. Sunday, March 24, get ready for the absolutely massive Murderfest. 15 bands, two stages and a shitload of metal. Featuring Advent Sorrow, Psychonaut, Mhorgl, Blunt Force Trauma, Hellious, Facegrinder, Tempest Rising, Obscenium, Dawn Of Leviathan, This Other Eden, Severtone, Pending The Silence, Tusk, From Isolation and Chainsaw On Thursday, March 21, it’s time for CLOCKWORK Abortion. Doors open 12-10pm and entry is $18. again! This month it’s our Freaks And Geeks Party! Dress up as a freak or a geek and party all night long. With live music from Iconoclast, Get down to Sunday Sessions for some live music, It All Ends Here and Dawn Of Leviathan, doors refreshing drinks and delicious food! This week we open at 9pm. Then get ready on Friday, March have Limelights Jazz Trio playing old school swing 22, for some local deathcore with Severtone, for you, kicking off at 5pm. Make sure you come supported by Pending The Silence, Tusk and From Isloation. Bands start at 8pm. down for a relaxing Sunday evening!

BEAT NIGHTCLUB

SWALLOW BAR

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TO BE SURE, TO BE SURE St Patrick’s Day @ The Brass Monkey Sunday, March 17, 2013 The green draught was flowing in fine style for St Pat’s at The Brass on Sunday. Revellers from the Fair Isle and those from closer afield enjoyed DJs in the courtyard and live bands upstairs til close.

Deanne, Bobby, Tess, Jackie

Photos by Matt Jelonek

Linh, Prakash, Sarah

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Phil, Graeme, Warren

Jack, Grace

Alan, Brendon

Tony, Ben, Sheena

Krystyl, Tash

Chad, Carly

Anna, Mel, Daren

Mitchell, Kirsty

Stephen, Clare

Dermot, Caroline

X-Press – First on the street, Wednesdays

THE FLOORS

The Floors

Hard rockin’ power trio The Floors play Mojos on Friday, March 22, with support from Loose Lips, Custom Royal. and The Dirty South. We had a yarn with guitarist and singer Luke Dux. How did you get together? Give us a potted history of the band.

Our Mother went to see a Prophet and he told her, ‘You will have two sons; one will shake the floor with his subs whist the other screams into a microphone like a slaughtered pig.’

Ash (drummer Ash Doodkorte) answered our Help Wanted advert in the back of X-Press. After he did his time lugging Ryan’s (bassist Ryan Dux) bass amp about town we let him step up the ranks to drummer.

What’s your writing process like? Is there one key writer, or is it more collaborative?

Ash beats a groove into his drums and if it feels good Ryan will try to drown him out with his bass guitar. I’ll try to overpower the both of them with my guitar. The chaos then turns into a song.

How would you describe your sound? Who are your influences?

Kicking someone in the shins and recording their screams into a busted microphone through 10 fuzz pedals plugged into an amplifier set on fire by a man in a green suit. We all listen to Muddy Water’s Electric Mud. Ash listens to Korn but we try to ignore it. No one’s perfect.

What are the pros and cons of being a three piece? Ever been tempted to add more to the line up?

I play in a six piece, sometimes seven piece band. It’s nice to look at a stage and know you won’t be standing on top of your amp just to fit. We sometimes have folks up to blow some harmonica with us. Harp is a great instrument, Guitar is always louder.

How do you balance work in The Floors with your other musical commitments?

If you truly love something you’ll find time for it or sleep less. I also won a year’s supply of guitar strings. The only clause is I have to use them all up. So I’m contractually obligated to play in many bands to make use of these strings

What are your plans for the future? What’s coming up?

We released our album Deadbeat last year and we feel it’s a good idea to spread it around. We’ll be heading over east for a couple of shows and you’ll find us making our usual mess about town. We’ll be stepping into the studio in May to record some new songs. Our Mum says they’re real good.

MIGHTY MINIS

Saturday, March 23, sees PICA Bar play host to an Acoustic Mini-fest, with sets from The Spiff Tyres, Benny Mayhem, Elk Bell, Wheels McKenzie and Sean Fry. The first act is on at 2:30pm, and entry is free.

FEARSOME ENGINE Burning Fiction

FACTS ABOUT FICTION

Red Engine Caves crank it up this Friday, March 22, debuting some new material in the comfortable confines of the Norfolk Basement. Joining the three piece will be Ray Finkle and Spaceman Antics. Doors open at 8pm, entry is $10.

CIVILISATION IN DECLINE

Punk rock purveyors Burning Fiction launch their new EP, The Story Will Continue..., at Ya Yas this Friday, March 22, with support from Grim Help The Decline pack their bags and remember where they left their Fandango, Castle Bravo and Ten Points For Glenroy. Doors open at 8pm. passports tonight, Wednesday March 20, at The Rosemount. Ahead of their sojourn to Europe in May, the boys have decided to throw a fundraiser to put together a little extra scratch, and Wayneright, El Relative newcomers Cothe tread the boards at the Railway Hotel this Capitan, Alex The Kid and Silver Lizard will be along to help send Friday, March 22, promising to deliver unto the crowd a heady, brooding them on their way in fine style. Doors open at 8pm, entry is $10. mix of metal, prog, punk and rock. Rag N Bone, Shouting At Camels and Colour Control round up a top notch lineup of up and coming talent.

Doors open at 8pm, entry is $5.

RIDING THE RAILS

Bishi Bashi

HAVE A BASH

Bishi Bashi bring their fun and infection indie pop stylings to Ya Yas this Saturday, March 23. The four piece will be sharing the limelight with Children, Santa Muerte and Spilt Cities. Doors open at 10pm, entry is $5.

BECAUSE 7 ATE 9

FREMANTLE UNPLUGGED

The Swan Lounge continue their monthly Acoustic Friday events this week on March 22, with a sterling lineup that includes Robert Hinton, Malb Duo, Jack Stanley, Toni E and SJ Earle.

Doors open at 8pm, entry is $5.

6s & 7s Josh Fontaine and his erstwhile cohorts in 6s & 7s will be doing their thing at The Bird this Friday, March 22. Support on the night comes courtesy of Ramona Bird and Methyl Ethyl, while the good folks of Shy Panther work the decks. Doors open at 8pm, entry is $5.

Toni E

From Isolation Vida Cain

CAIN ROSE UP

Hard charging riff-wranglers Vida Cain will be tearing up the stage at The Mustang Bar this Thursday, March 21. It’s sure to be a hard and heavy show, especially when you take support acts The Scotch of St James and The Midnight Mules into consideration. The action kicks off at 8pm, and entry is free. www.xpressmag.com.au

MURDER MOST FOUL

Murderfest is upon us! Featuring 15 bands across two stages, this is the place to catch Perth’s heaviest and hardest acts all on the one bill. On Sunday, March 24, head to Fremantle’s Railway Hotel to get a dose of Advent Sorrow, Mhorgl, Hellious, Tempest Rising, Dawn of Leviathan, Severtone, Tusk, Chainsaw Abortion, Psychonaut, Blunt Force Trauma, Facegrinder, Obscenium, This Other Eden, Pending The Silence and From Isolation. Doors open at noon, entry is $18.

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X-Press – First on the street, Wednesdays

Sticky Fingers, March 24-30

Tijuana Cartel, March 28-31

Black Sabbath, May 4

ZUCCHERO BOB EVANS DEFTONES 17 Regal Theatre 2 Settlers Tavern 21 Metropolis Fremantle STU LARSEN 3 The Bakery JULIE ANDREWS 17 The Ellington 21 Prince Of Wales 4 Prince Of Wales 21 Riverside Theatre BUZZCOCKS TRUCKFIGHTERS 22 Newport Hotel THE GHOST INSIDE 18 The Rosemount 3 The Rosemount 23 Amplifier 23 Amplifier BIG SCARY BLACK SABBATH OWL EYES 18 Mojos Bar 4 Perth Arena 24 Amplifier JULIA STONE/ 19 Amplifier BETH ORTON 28 DAYS AIRNORTH KIMBERELEY VANCE JOY 6 St Joseph’s Church 19 Capitol MOON EXPERIENCE 22 St Joseph’s Church HAPPY MONDAYS THE DRONES/KING (Guy Sebastian, Mark 8 Capitol GIZZARD AND THE Seymour, James Reyne, NORMA JEAN DEBORAH LIZARD WIZZARD Gurrumul Yunupingu) 8 Amplifier 19 The Astor CONWAY & WILLY UNIDA 25 Jim Hughes SPIT SYNDICATE/ ZYGIER 9 The Rosemount Amphitheatre JACKIE ONASSIS 22 Clancys TEGAN AND SARA Kununurra 19 Prince Of Wales Dunsborough 9 Metro City 20 Amplifier THE REVEREND 23 The Ellington 11 Hay Park, Bunbury 21 Metro Freo HORTON HEAT 24 Mojos Bar RTRFM’S IN THE PINES EXAMPLE 28 The Rosemount 10 Metro City (Adam Said Galore, BOOMTOWN RATS THE BRONX/DZ The Bank Holidays 28 Challenge Stadium WILLIAM ELLIOT DEATHRAYS Lite, Circus Murders, THE SEEKERS WHITMORE The Panics, Schvendes, 10 Capitol 30 Riverside Theatre 23 Mojos Bar Usurper of Modern 11 Hay Park, Bunbury APRIL DRAGON Medicine & The THEY MIGHT BE Volcanics) HITS & PITS 2013 31 The Astor Theatre GIANTS WEST COAST 21 Somerville Caddies, Good 10 The Rosemount BLUES & ROOTS (Mad Auditorium Riddance, A Wilhelm 11 Hay Park, Bunbury FESTIVAL JUNE Scream, Voodoo Glow SILVERSTEIN OM 22 Amplifier (Sensational Skulls, The Flatliners, SAN CISCO 11 The Rosemount DYING FETUS Space Shifters, Diesel Boy, One Dollar 1 The Astor SETH SENTRY 23 Amplifier Short, Jamie Hay, Jen Iggy & The 10 Villa CABLE SOUNDS EPICA Buxton, Totally Unicorn 12 Newport Hotel Stooges, Chris (Icehouse, The Stephen 23 Capitol & Paper Arms) GROOVIN THE MOO Pigram Quartet & Isaak, Jason BLACK SEEDS Metropolis Fremantle THE (Alison Wonderland/ Desert Child) Mraz, Status Quo, 1THE 24 Metro Freo XX/JAGWAR MAR DAVE JACKSON Alpine/The Amity 2 Cable Beach Manu Chao La 1 Metro City Affl iction/The Bronx/ 24 The Ellington Amphitheatre Ventura, Tedeschi 2 Metro City DZ Deathrays/ HANDPICKED KATE MILLER-HEIDKE Trucks Band, Fred PENNYWISE Example/Flume/ (Shockone, Eats 5 St Joseph’s Church Wesley & The New 2 Metro Freo Frightened Rabbit/ Everything, Baauer, 6 Mundurah Performing LUKA BLOOM JBs, Julia Stone, Hungry Kids Of Mosca and more) Arts Centre Hungary/The Kooks/ Newton Faulkner, 2 Fly By Night 24 Metro City 7 Albany Entertainment COUNTING CROWS SUPAFEST (T.I, 50 Cent, Last Dinosaurs/Matt Kitty, Daisy & Centre Perth Concert Hall And Kim/Midnight Waka Flocka, Akon, Lewis, The Music 3THE THE BEARDS SCRIPT Ne-Yo, Young Jeezy, Juggernauts/Pez/ Maker Blues 7 Amplifier 3 Perth Arena Mindless Behaviour, Regurgitator/Seth Revue, Grace DJ Unk, Kevin McCall, Sentry/Shockone/ FRANK TURNER 8 Prince Of Wales Potter, Russell DJ Nino Brown, Dizzy 4 Amplifier Tame Impala/Tegan KILLING JOKE Morris, Mama DEAD LETTER CIRCUS Doolan & Phinesse) And Sara/The Temper 9 The Rosemount 25 Perth Arena Kin, Blue Shady 4 Prince Of Wales Trap/They Might Be EMMA LOUISE RUFUS Giants/Tuka With & Breakthrough 5 The Rosemount 13 Prince Of Wales 25 Newport Hotel GRINSPOON Ellesquire/Urthboy/ Winner) 15 Amplifier 26 Prince Of Wales 5 Prince of Wales DJ Woody’s Big Phat 23 Fremantle Park MUNICIPAL WASTE 27Amplifier 6 Amplifier 90’s Mixtape/Yacht/ 21 The Rosemount BRITISH INDIA SONS OF RICO Yolanda Be Cool) PINK 25 Prince Of Wales THIS WILL 5 Amplifier 11 Hay Park, Bunbury 26 Settlers Tavern 25, 26 & 28 Perth Arena DESTROY YOU 6 Settlers Tavern THE KOOKS 27 Capitol A$AP Rocky ICEHOUSE/MARK 11 Hay Park, Bunbury 23 The Rosemount MARILYN KELLER SEYMOUR 12 Fremantle Arts Centre 30 Metro City 26 The Ellington 5 Perth Zoo FLUME/CHET FAKER THE POTBELLEEZ WEST COAST BIRDY 12 Metro City 26 Capitol JULY BLUES & ROOTS 6 Riverside Theatre DARYL BRAITHWAYE/ FAIRBRIDGE FESTIVAL FESTIVAL (Ben ROGER HODGSON JOE CAMILLERI/JAMES LA DISPUTE (Tinpan Orange/ Harper, Santana, 7 Riverside Theatre REYNE/ROSS WILSON 6 Amplifier Bustamento/ Frank 7 YMCA HQ Paul Simon, Steve HUNGRY KIDS OF Yamma/ Kristina Olsen) 12 Perth Concert Hall BALL PARK MUSIC/ CRADLE OF FILTH 26-28 Fairbridge Miller Band, Wilco, HUNGARY 11 Newport Hotel EAGLE & THE WORM MIDGE URE 12 Metropolis Fremantle Bonnie Raitt, 27 Charles Hotel 12 Capitol TENACIOUS D 12 Metro Freo Jimmy Cliff, Rufus SUNDOWN SESSIONS SIX60 15 Riverside Theatre ALT-J Wainwright, 27 Metro City (Xavier Rudd, Tinpan EVERMORE 27 Challenge Stadium Michael THE GRISWOLDS Orange & Morgan 16 Newport Hotel Kiwanuka, 28 Newport Hotel Bain) 17 Players Bar DIG IT UP (Hoodoo Gossling, Ash 12 Scarborough Beach 18 The Charles AUGUST Gurus, Flamin’ JAGWAR MA Grunwald, CHRISTINE ANU ANDREW STRONG: THE Groovies, Blue Oyster 12 Metro Freo REWIND – THE ARETHA Graveyard Train, Cult, Buzzcocks, Peter FRANKLIN SONGBOOK COMMITMENTS 13 Amplifier Brothers Grim, 22 Metro Freo Case, The Stems) YACHT CLUB DJS 17 & 18 The Ellington Sticky Fingers, 28 The Astor Amplifier DJ AFRIKA MOVEMENT FESTIVAL Benjamin Francis 12 13 Prince Of Wales BAMBAATAA SEPTEMBER (NAS, Bliss N Eso, 2 Leftwich, The SETS ON THE BEACH 18 The Bakery AMANDA PALMER & Chainz, Chiddy Bang, DomNicks & VOLUME 11 (Yacht TAME IMPALA JOEY BADA$$, Angel THE GRAND THEFT Davey Craddock Club DJs, Owl Eyes 18 Belvoir Amphitheatre ORCHESTRA Haze, Spit Syndicate) LIVE, D-Cup, Mitzi LIVE, 30 Red Hill Auditorium And The FUNERAL FOR A 8 Astor Theatre Jagwar Ma, Dr Dondon FRIEND Spectacles) FOALS & Slicker Cities) 18 Prince Of Wales 24 Fremantle Park 22 Metro City MAY 14 Scarborough Beach Bunbury RIHANNA Amphitheatre 19 Amplifier THE RUBENS STICKY FINGERS JOSH GROBAN 24 Perth Arena 2 Prince Of Wales THE GASLIGHT 24 Newport Hotel ONE DIRECTION 16 Kings Park Botanic 3 Capitol ANTHEM Garden 4 Settlers Tavern 28 & 29 Perth Arena 19 Metro City

THIS WEEK

MARCH

NINA LAS VEGAS

STICKY FINGERS/LYALL MOLONEY 27 The Rosemount 28 Prince Of Wales 30 Settlers Tavern DRAPHT 28 & 30 The Rosemount TIJUANA CARTEL 28 & 30 Mojos Bar 31 Indi Bar PVT 30 The Bakery GUY SEBASTIAN 28 Crown Theatre 30 Crown Theatre NANTES/BATTLESHIPS 30 Amplifier 31 Newport Hotel STANTON WARRIORS 31 Villa JAMIE XX 31 The Bakery

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Wicked Wench, Thursday at The Rosemount

Claim the Throne, Friday at Amplifier

BAR WEDNESDAY20.03 THURSDAY 21.03 MUSTANG Vida Cain BAR 120 ADMIRAL Scotch Of Saint Felix Karaoke With Robbie James BEAT NIGHTCLUB King Midnight Mules (DOWNSTAIRS) Winterfold DJ James MacArthur SWAG BEAT NIGHTCLUB NEWPORT HOTEL BRASS MONKEY (UPSTAIRS) Throwing Shapes Sugar Blue Burlesque Clockwork Pimps Of Sound CAPITOL Iconoclast Freqshow Harlem Wednesdays It All Ends Here DJ Fluoro CLAREMONT HOTEL Dawn Of Leviathan PRINCE OF WALES Acoustica BELGIAN BEER CAFÉ Nina Las Vegas ELLINGTON JAZZ Howie Morgan ROSEMOUNT CLUB BRASS MONKEY Wicked Wench Battle Of The Planets Grace Woodroofe Rhythm Bound Nevsky Prospekt GREENWOOD Karaoke Stone Bleeder Bernardine BRIGHTON Sons Of Rico DJs GROOVE BAR Open Mic Night ROSIE O’GRADY’S (CROWN CASINO) BROOKLANDS (FREMANTLE) 5 Shots TAVERN HALE ROAD TAVERN Celebrations Karaoke Kevin Conway SOVEREIGN ARMS Fenton Wilde COMO HOTEL David Fyffe INDI BAR Courtney Murphy STEVES BAR Shaun Kirk DEVILLES PAD Morgan Bain Rock’N’Roll Karaoke Dove THE BOAT LUCKY SHAG DUNSBOROUGH Jen De Ness Howie Morgan TAVERN THE BROOK MOJOS BAR Open Mic Night Open Mic Night Fremantle Blues And ELEPHANT & THE GATE Roots Club WHEELBARROW Greg Carter Penny & The Mystics 5 Shots THE PRINCIPAL Rachel & Henry ELLINGTON JAZZ Bernardine Climb A Hill CLUB THE SHED The Latch Key Kids Brett Winterford Mike Nayar MOON CAFÉ FLYING SCOTSMAN UNIVERSAL Nora Zion Gidget Duck & The Off The Record Mei Saraswati Muldoon Wing WOODVALE Two Plus One Rabbit Island GREENWOOD YA YA’S MUSTANG BAR Monarchy Spaceman Antics Lixy GROOVE BAR Black Swan DJ Giles (CROWN) Ibis Elm PADDO Decoy Sophie Jane HIGH WYCOMBE Shenai Meade HOTEL FRIDAY 22.03 Alistair Hunt Flyte 7th AVENUE ROSEMOUNT INDI BAR Deuce The Decline Bex’s Open Mic Night ADMIRAL Silver Lizard Spikey T The Littlest Fox AMPLIFIER Alex The Kid LUCKY SHAG Claim The Throne El Capitan James Wilson DJ Anton Maz MALT SUPPER CLUB Advent Sorrow Nails Of Imposition ROSIE O’GRADY’S Kaberet Thursdays Red Descending (NORTHBRIDGE) MARKET CITY Abhorrent David Fyffe TAVERN BAILEY BAR THE BROWN FOX Jonboy Mod Squad Courtney Murphy Karla Mare Tip Top Sound DJ UNIVERSAL Heather Gray Bren Strutt Tony Mono BALLYS BAR Ses Sayer Ambi Duo Anderson VILLAGE BAR Serge Sharinovsky BALMORAL Village People - Open MOJOS BAR Mike Nayar Mic The Eastern BAR ORIENT YAYA’S Lucy Peach The Reggae Club The Southwicks Mama Boots The Empressions Sidewalk Diamonds MT HENRY TAVERN Mumma Trees The Belle Ends Neil Adams Sista Che

The Southwicks

THE SOUTHWICKS

SIDEWALK DIAMONDS THE BELLE ENDS WEDNESDAY 20TH YA YA’S

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Burning Fiction, Friday at Ya Ya’s

BEAT NIGHTCLUB (DOWNSTAIRS) PLAY BEAT NIGHTCLUB (UPSTAIRS) From Isolation TUSK Pending The Silence Severtone BELMONT TAVERN Electrophobia BENTLEY HOTEL Jamie Powers BISTRO 38 Gary Fowlie BRASS MONKEY Adrian Wilson BROKEN HILL HOTEL Matt Milford CAPTAIN STIRLING Chris Gibbs CARINE Pop Candy CHASE BAR & BISTRO James Wilson CIVIC HOTEL The Blazin Entrails Dirtwater Bloom Lila Chainsar I’m A Spaceship Black Swan CLANCYS DUNSBOROUGH Deborah Conway & Will Zygier COMO HOTEL Trevor Jalla CORNERSTONE Nicki Rose Trio CRAFTSMAN 5th Avenue DEVILLES PAD Riddum Shakers Razor Jack Coaster T Les Sataniques EAST 150 BAR Aidan Hargreaves EDZ SPORTZ BAR Cornerstone ELEPHANT & WHEELBARROW Darren Reid & The Soul City Groove ELLINGTON JAZZ CLUB Jodie Tes The Hopkins Bros Marksman Horny Horns EMPIRE BAR Howie Morgan FLY BY NIGHT Paul Brady FLYING SCOTSMAN Back To Mono GLOUCESTER PARK Courtney Murphy GREENWOOD Greg Carter HERDSMAN The Mojos HIGH ROAD HOTEL Envy HIGH WYCOMBE HOTEL Dr Bogus HIGHWAY HOTEL The Reals HYDE PARK HOTEL Steve Parkin INDI BAR Triplicity Djs Spikey T INDIAN OCEAN BREW Ben Merito KALAMUNDA HOTEL Better Days KULCHA Muchos Mariachi

LAKERS ST JOSEPH’S DJ Grizzly CHURCH Slickenside Julia Stone Melee Vance Joy LAST DROP TAVERN SWAN BASEMENT Neil Adams Daniel Firkin Trio LEFTBANK The Cult Of Addiction Groove Acoustics One Thousand Year LEGENDS BAR SWAN LOUNGE The Organ Grinders SJ Earle MAHOGANNY INN Toni E Anderson Robert Hinton MARKET CITY Jack Stanley TAVERN Malb Duo Emily J SWINGING PIG Nathan Mayers Greg Carter MERIDIAN ROOM Tandem John & Shaun THE BIRD Sandosham MERRIWA TAVERN 6s & 7s Nasty Dogz Methyl Ethel M ON THE POINT Shy Panther DJs Third Gear THE BOAT MOJOS BAR (ARVO) The Organ Kick Off Grinders Captn K THE BROOK Simmo T Acoustic Aly MOJOS BAR (EVE) THE EASTERN The Floors Nat Ripepi Loose Lips THE GATE Custom Royal Dirty Scoundrels The Dirty South MOON & SIXPENCE THE PRINCIPAL B.O.B Soul Corporation THE SAINT MUSTANG BAR Almost Famous Adam Hall & The THE SHED Velvet Playboys Krank Swing DJs THE VIC Cheeky Monkeys DJ James McArthur Jen De Ness THORNLIE NEWPORT HOTEL New Look Party BOWLING CLUB Nina Las Vegas The Mustangs YO! M.A.F.I.A UNIVERSAL NORFOLK Nightmoves BASEMENT Retriofit Red Engine Caves VICTORIA PARK Spacemen Antics HOTEL Ray Finkle Glen Davies OSBORNE PARK WOODVALE HOTEL TAVERN Plastic Max Switch PADDO YA YA’s Stu Harcourt Burning Fiction Easy Tigers The Grim PARAMOUNT Fandangos Flyte Castle Bravo PEEL ALE HOUSE Ten Points For Carbon Taxi PINK DUCK LOUNGE Glenroy Craig Ballantyne PLAIN ST BAR SATURDAY 23.03 Kizzy ADMIRAL PRINCESS ROAD Insane Dwaine TAVERN AMPLIFIER Local Heroes Nina Las Vegas RAILWAY HOTEL Eddie Electric Colour Control Shouting At Camels K-La BAILEYS BAR Cothe Dr Bogus Rag N Bone Tip Top Sound DJ ROCKET ROOM Bren Howlers BAKERY DJ Frank N Bean Lights Out Arts ROSE & CROWN Festival Kizzy Brow Horn Orchestra ROSEMOUNT FOAM The Spitfires Tired Lion Place Of Indigo Bedouin Sea The Disappointed BALLYS BAR The Government Dove Yard ROSIE O’GRADY’S BALMORAL Retriofit FREMANTLE BAR 120 Flash Nat & The Flyte Action Men BEAT NIGHTCLUB SAIL & ANCHOR Howie Morgan Duo (DOWNSTAIRS) Runaways Nightshift Statues SOUTH ST ALE Acrimony HOUSE Robbie King Karaoke BEAT NIGHTCLUB (UPSTAIRS) SPRINGS TAVERN Little Ebony CANVAS STEVE’S BAR BELGIAN BEER CAFÉ Velvet Mike Nayar

X-Press – First on the street, Wednesdays

Listing deadline is Monday 5pm. GO TO www.xpressmag.com.au /PLUG YOUR GIG and plug away!

The X-Press Guide is a Perth metropolitan service for advertisers listing tours, live, dance and arts events.

All inclusions are at the discretion of X-Press Magazine. The one entry system will update our print edition, website and App

Brow Horn Orchestra, Saturday at The Bakery

Friday Friday Travis Caudle The Aunts, Saturday at Travis Caudle FlyBasement ByNight Night The Norfolk Fly By

Freqshow, Sunday at The Bird

WHISTLING KITE CIVIC HOTEL MERRIWA TAVERN YAYA’S PADDO GROOVE BAR Cheap Sober Groovetube Acoustic Electrophobia Greg Carter Karaoke Bishi Bashi (CROWN CASINO) YA YA’S (ARVO) PEEL ALEHOUSE Complete Split Cities HI-NRG MOJOS BAR L.S.D Children HARGREAVES PARK Christian Thompson Lady Velvet’s Tea William Elliot PERTH CULTURAL Party Graduation Omac Santa Muerte COOLBELLUP Whitmore Afternoon CENTRE Defekt Cooby Fest Lincoln Le Fevre YA YA’S (EVE) COMO HOTEL Timothy Nelson And Folk & Roots Tom Ware Day Of The Dead SUNDAY 24.03 Jeremy Threlfall Acoustic Aly The Infidels MOON & SIXPENCE TH Jamie McKinnon DEVILLES PAD Del Mundo The Damien Cripps 7 AVENUE John McNair Reckless Kelly The Kahuna Daddies Band Sugarchild MONDAY 25.03 Keith Anthonisz Feminem & Frisky ADMIRAL Three Hands One MUSTANG BRASS MONKEY PINK DUCK Felines Sugarfi eld Hoof The Rusty Pinto James Wilson ELEPHANT & The Cockburn Pipe LOUNGE BAR James Wilson Combo ELLINGTON JAZZ Glen Davies WHEELBARROW Band ALEXANDRA BAR Rockabilly DJ CLUB PORT KENNEDY Timeout HIGH WYCOMBE Neil Adams Milhouse Chamber Jam TAVERN ELLINGTON JAZZ HOTEL BALMORAL DJ James GROOVE BAR Dirty Scoundrels CLUB The Organ Grinders Andrew Winton MacAurthur (CROWN CASINO) Deborah Conway & NEWPORT HOTEL BELMONT TAVERN HIGH ROAD HOTEL QUARIE BAR & Chris Murphy & BISTRO Willy Zygier Christian Thompson Adam James Kizzy Courtney Murphy One Trick Phonies Dd Soul INDI BAR BLVD TAVERN Gravity MOJOS BAR Chelsea Cullen Shovel And The Gun QUEENS TAVERN JOONDALUP NORFOLK Wide Open Mic Night Velvet ELMARS IN THE The Body Ventura Open Mic Night BASEMENT MUSTANG BAR RAILWAY HOTEL VALLEY INDIAN OCEAN BRASS MONKEY The Aunts Tripple Shots Murderfest Adrian Wilson BREW CO The Wild Frontiers The London Bureau THE DEEN Advent Sorrow FLYING SCOTSMAN Retriofit Dear Hella BREAKERS BAR Plastic Max & The Psychonaut Under The Influence Shawne & Luc DJ Cookie Chris Gibbs Token Gesture Mhorgl Andrei Maz INGLEWOOD HOTEL OSBORNE PARK BRIGHTON YA YA’S Blunt Force Trauma FORRESTFIELD James Wilson HOTEL Ali Hill Big Tommo’s Open Mic Hellious TAVERN JOONDALUP Plastic Max BROKEN HILL Variety Night Facegrinder Christian Thompson CENTRAL PARK Tempest Rising HOTEL FREMANTLE PARK PADDO Joondalup Festival Cheeky Monkeys Nathan Gaunt WEST COAST BLUES & Beans Burmas Boyz Obscenium TUESDAY 26.03 PARAMOUNT Dawn Of Leviathan BROOKLANDS ROOTS FESTIVAL Of Rhythm BRASS MONKEY Other Eden Felix TAVERN Sensational Space Adam Hall And The This Open Mic Night Severtone PEEL ALE HOUSE Mike Nayar Shifters Velvet Playboys CAPTAIN STIRLING Darling Buds Of May Pending The Silence ELLINGTON JAZZ Iggy & The Stooges Spritzer CLUB Tusk PORT KENNEDY Christian Thompson Swing It! Chris Isaak The Graham Wood Form Isolation TAVERN CARINE Jason Mraz KALAMUNDA Chainsaw Abortion Trio Sean Scott Status Quo The Bluebottles HOTEL Phil Doncon SAIL & ANCHOR QUARIE BAR Manu Chao La CHASE BAR Jean Proude GROOVE BAR Mike Nayar B.O.B Ventura Chasing Calee LAST DROP TAVERN SOUTH ST ALE (CROWN) Tedeschi Trucks Band ROSEMOUNT CIVIC HOTEL Kristen Kingwell Ruby’s Groove HOUSE This Will Destroy You Troy Nababan Fred Wesley & The M ON THE POINT LUCKY SHAG Dean Anderson Tangled Thoughts Of CLAREMONT HOTEL Third Gear New JBs Ben Merito SWALLOW BAR Leaving Julia Stone MOJOS BAR Sunday Driver MERRIWA TAVERN Sunday Sessions Dumbsaint Newton Faulkner Deborah Conway & DJ Dan Limelights Jazz Trio Celebrations Karaoke ROSIE O’GRADY’S COMO HOTEL Kitty MOJOS BAR Willy Zygier SWINGING PIG (FREMANTLE) Daisy & Lewis Burst & Bloom Steve Tallis Adrian Wilson Chris Gibbs The Music Maker Flavor Rich King Matthews The Holy Ghosts DEVILLES PAD Stu Harcourt Blues Revue ROSIE O’GRADY’S Hot Rods To Hell Val Verde Lucy Peach THE BIRD Grace Potter Blake Skinner (NORTHBRIDGE) MUSTANG BAR Burger Kings Freqshow Russell Morris MUSTANG BAR Everlong The Roadmasters Barbara Blaze Yarkhob Danza Loca Salsa Mama Kin ROYAL PALMS Weapon Is Sound The Kahuna Daddies DJ Rockin Rhys Night Blue Shady RESORT NEWPORT HOTEL Arms In Motion DUNSBOROUGH SETTLERS TAVERN Breakthrough Winner Kris Buckle (ARVO) THE DEEN TAVERN Open Mic Night GOSNELLS HOTEL SAIL & ANCHOR Tim Nelson Plastic Max & The Kris Buckle THE BIRD Light Street Astrobat NEWPORT HOTEL Token Gesture ELEPHANT & Barefaced Stories GREENWOOD Childs Play (EVE) THE GATE WHEELBARROW THE COURT The Reals STEVES BAR Chapel Greg Carter Daren Reid & The Open Mic & BBQ Night GROOVE BAR Jean Proude Sticky Fingers THE SAINT Soul City Groove TWO ROCKS (CROWN CASINO) STIRLING ARMS Stillwater Giants Howie Morgan TAVERN ELLINGTON JAZZ Decoy Phil Slabber The Mojos Project Jump For Joy CLUB HIGH ROAD HOTEL SWAN LOUNGE OCEAN VIEW THE SHED Karaoke Five Sax Orchestra Flame TAVERN Vincent Romeo James Wilson YA YA’S ELMARS IN THE HOTEL ROTTNEST Darren Guthrie One Trick Phonies UNIVERSAL Dharshini Muru VALLEY Pop Candy PADDY MAGUIRES Retriofit Arc Of Iris Kate Gilbertson Chris Gibbs INDI BAR Madam Montage WANNEROO Living Dying Sam & Nat Ben Merito EMPIRE BAR PADDY MALONE’S TAVERN SWINGING PIG Little Skye Ben Blondel CB3 Christian Thompson Jay Grafton Gary Fowlie Greg Carter INDIAN OCEAN FLY BY NIGHT Big Steve Spouse BREW Stage Fright Open Mic Band The Blackbirds FREMANTLE PARK THE BIRD JOONDALUP WEST COAST BLUES & Doctopus CENTRAL PARK ROOTS FESTIVAL Hootennany Joondalup Festival Ben Harper Lost-Tuneless Banuru Chorus Santana Ham Solo Brown Horn Paul Simon THE EASTERN Orchestra Steve Miller Band Alex Elbery Four On Six Wilco Silver Hills WAYJO Quintet Bonnie Raitt Needles Douglas Belleville Gypsy Jimmy Cliff, THE GATE Quartet Severtone Rufus Wainwright Dirty Scoundrels KULCHA Michael Kiwanuka THE SHED Rivertribe Gossling Huge LAKERS Ash Grunwald Celebrations Karaoke UNIVERSAL Graveyard Train Soul Corporation LANGFORD Brothers Grim WANNEROO ALEHOUSE Sticky Fingers TAVERN Die Hard Karaoke Benjamin Francis Chris Gibbs LEOPOLD HOTEL Leftwich WHALE AND ALE Steve Hepple th The DomNicks 5 Avenue M ON THE POINT Davey Craddock And WOODVALE Rhythm 22 The Spectacles TAVERN MERIDIAN ROOM GOSNELLS HOTEL Flash Nat & The (CROWN PERTH) Conny The Clown Howie Morgan Action Men

SEVERTONE

FROM ISOLATION TUSK PENDING THE SILENCE FRIDAY 22ND BEAT NIGHCLUB

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X-Press – First on the street, Wednesdays

MUSIC GEAR & TECHNOLOGY GUIDE: ISSUE 29, MARCH 2013

JOE SATRIANI A Class

Of His

Own In this month’s Volume, we talk to the legendary Joe SAtriani about his upcoming guitar clinic and cast an eye over the Fender Roadshow, plus the usual lowdown on the latest gear and technology news.

www.xpressmag.com.au

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X-Press – First on the street, Wednesdays

MUSIC GEAR & TECHNOLOGY EDITED BY TRAVIS JOHNSON

JOE SATRIANI A Class of His Own

One of the most famous and accomplished guitarists on the planet, Joe Satriani is bringing his Master Class Clinic tour to Australia for the first time in April. Joe took some time out from his preparations to let the Volume crew know what he is going to deliver to audiences during this unique tour.

This will be your first clinic tour in Australia. What can ticket holders expect to see and hear at these events?

Versatility and adaptability are key attributes for the successful musician. Despite the fact that both are great players, what are some of the challenges you typically face when People attending the clinics will get to see and hear me interchanging Chad Smith and Kenny Aronoff performing up close and personal. I will play a variety for various Chickenfoot concerts? of material from my catalogue and go into detail about the methods and techniques I use to compose and Every drummer has their own way of grooving. perform.

They use different parts of their kits to be time keepers and different parts to be expressive. Some We’ve spoken in the past about the importance of guys lay down the kick hard and heavy like a click developing strong rhythm and timing skills, why do all the time, no matter what, others like to use their you think it takes many guitarists so long to figure hi-hat to lead the band. You just have to listen out that there needs to be strong fundamentals closely and celebrate each drummer’s uniqueness. under the ‘flash’?

You have always wanted to play as a part of Let’s face it, practicing can be very boring! We all start a vocal band and that goal has been fulfilled out with strengths and weaknesses that need to be in Chickenfoot. As a musician who now has addressed though, and that’s where the practicing responsibilities towards a vocal rock band as helps. However, there must be a balance between well as a predominantly instrumental solo practicing music and really playing it. It’s the playing career, how do you go about sorting which new that’s the most important, so, the practicing must serve ideas suit which act? that end.

I like to bring a variety of songs to each project we You are always working on expanding your musical do together, but ultimately there is no master plan vocabulary, what specifically have you been with Chickenfoot, just friends rocking out, having fun and letting the ‘tape roll’. Writing for my solo devoting your practice time to recently? records requires more focus because I play all the Musically speaking, I’m always looking to shake off melodies, and make all the arrangement decisions, bad habits and adopt good ones. This always requires etc...like apples and oranges when you get down paying close attention to how you move your hands to it! around the guitar. Additionally, my daily routine often revolves around discovering new ways to be expressive What do you hope that guitarists who attend the clinics in Australia will take away from the on the guitar. event to build upon?

How are the new Marshall JVM amps working out I want to make a connection with my fellow for you? guitarists, and offer them all I’ve learned over the My new JVM410JS heads are so wonderful to play many years of being a professional musician. I will through! Punchy, articulate, and anywhere from clean play my guitar, tell a few stories and take questions to high gain settings spread across four channels with from the audience. They will walk out of the clinics with concrete musical ideas and technical three modes per channel. They are amazing amps! methods for playing, writing and performing.

Do you play through exactly the same rig in Chickenfoot as in your solo shows?

Joe Satriani

FENDER AUSTRALIA ROADSHOW featuring Greg Koch Three other very talented musicians back Koch. James Ryan, the band’s second guitarist, handles much of the technical information about the products being demonstrated. Amongst many other projects, Ryan has worked on Vanessa Amorosi’s albums and played with the house band on TV show The X-Factor though don’t let that put you off. Ryan’s guitar playing is as precise as a professional hitman, and is an excellent juxtaposition to the raw animal playing of Koch.

The insanely talented, axe shredding energy Ryan and Koch evoke ties together well with the band’s rhythm section, made up of drummer Haydyn Meggit and bassist Marcel Xammouni. Although the night is all about guitars, Meggit lays down some very intricate drum-solos and funky beats which add to the pristinely tight band. Xammouni on bass shows with a scary level of funkiness just what Fender’s new bass range can do as well as seamlessly demonstrating the sonic power of the new Bassman range of Fender Bass amps.

I use the same set of half-stacks but the pedals on the floor are always tailored for each tour’s set list so there is some variation there.

_CHRIS GIBBS

of Custom Shop, Signature and Pawn Shop guitars for 2013 as well as the use of footswitches and the interface of several new Fender amps made the show almost not feel like advertising. And even though it did aim to get the audience interested in buying Fender gear, the entertainment offered made us wish that all advertising expos could be this much fun.

After a creative rendition of tunes by Pink Floyd and Rage Against The Machine, the band wound up the evening with an intricate array of original guitar driven tunes and jams which left the audience needing a cold shower after the geargasms many of them had just experienced. Those of us who could still stand reattached our melted faces and were invited to go up to the stage and handle many of the guitars used throughout the Road Show.This was a nice touch, as the best way to really know if a guitar is right for you is to pick the thing up and play it.

Koch and the members of the band stuck around for a short while after the show to answer questions and discuss guitars. As the house lights raised and the audience continued to interact with both the guitars and each other an interesting community vibe developed. Information and anecdotes about favourite guitars were shared, and it seemed everybody left the show with thoughts of the axe that they just had to buy, and the Wayne’s World-like image of playing their new This year’s instalment of the Road Show toy whilst thinking ‘It shall be mine… Oh yes. It shall be opened with a video screen montage of vintage Fender mine. Schhawing!’ guitars that had the guitar nerds in the audience both salivating and reminiscing, depending on whether or not they had actually been born at the time many of these guitars were released. Judging by the greying Greg Koch _NATHAN CHRISTIANSEN ponytails or lack of hair altogether, most of the guitar The Fender Road Show is a week-long tour of most aficionados were very familiar with the classic guitars of the country’s capital cities. The Road Show’s presented, and were already captivated. The audience final performance was held downstairs in Perth’s was then taken on a sonic trip down memory lane led by State Theatre building on Thursday, March 7. Each Koch’s ‘60s and ‘70s inspired lead guitar demonstrations night of the tour Fenderophile Greg Koch and his and the tight backing of the Road Show’s band. Several band have been informing, advertising and faceimpressive guitar jams written by Koch were played melting prospective Fender buyers with some using the updated 2013 versions of many of these very entertaining demonstrations of what Fender classic vintage axes, such as ‘60s Telecasters and the guitars and amps can do. iconic ‘70s Stratocasters. The members of the band A native of Milwaukee (or ‘the good land’ as then engaged in an informal and hilarious discussion Alice Cooper calls it) The Fender Road Show’s ringmaster as they explained the subtle changes and almost and lead guitarist, Greg Koch, takes the audience of disturbing attention to detail that Fender had put into musicians, music store owners, Fender reps and lovers the rereleased versions of the guitars for 2013. of lead-breaks through a musical schooling that is over two hours long.

Although laden with facts and hardcore guitar terminology, the discussion of the guitars and Throughout the show his self-professed amps flowed well and the minutia of the details were ‘Sasquatchian’ hands shred their way through about not lost on those members of the audience who were 40 of Fender’s finest guitars from their new 2013 range. not already familiar with Fender products or guitar lingo Koch first started working with the Road Show in ‘94 in general. The stage presence of Koch at this point was after Fender representatives visited one of the Hal a mixture of stand-up comedian and old school guitar Leonard Guitar Clinics that he was teaching in Nashville, god.The group’s ability to explain with humour in depth factors such as tone and style of the upcoming range and he hasn’t looked back. www.xpressmag.com.au

Joe Satriani’s Master Class Clinic tour hits Perth on Wednesday April 17th. Limited tickets are available from www.thumpmusic.com.au.

Fender Pawn Shop Stratocaster Deluxe

Fender Super Bassman 300W Head 45

MUSIC GEAR & TECHNOLOGY EDITED BY TRAVIS JOHNSON

EMPLOYMENT & TRAINING BAND BOOKER WANTED Enter tainment agency looking to employ a band booker. Must have transport and will be required to call on entertainment venues. Knowledge of the industry an advantage. Send resume and photo to focuspro@iinet.net.au or call Brian Davidson Focus Promotions 9272 4144 Mon-Fri 9-5pm.

HAIR, HEALTH & HAPPINESS MUSO INJURIES? Acupuncturist in Maylands specializes in carpal tunnel, RSI, wrist pain, shoulder pain. Call METRO HEALTH 1300 132 830 MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS BETTA GUITARS & REPAIRS Hand crafted steel string, classical and electric guitars and repairs.

New bone nuts, saddles, set ups, fret dress, refrets, pickups and more. Call Ray on 0449 878 438. www.perthguitarmaker.com or check out Betta guitars on Facebook.

MUSOS WANTED BASS PLAYER NEEDED To complete Hard Rock/ Jazz trio. Must be enthusiastic, reliable and above all, in the pocket. An hour set of originals and film clip produced already. From 18 to 25 years old. Call Kyle - 0433 386 330 GUITARISTS WANTED Experienced 30+ guitarist & bassist wanted to complete new lineup of established orig hard rock band. 0435 825 090 MUSOS NEEDED For established original band.

Seeking Bass Player/Sax/Trumpet/Violins/Backup Singers Contact 0448 436 491 MUSOS WANTED Wanted like minded players to form really heavy blues band to write, rehearse and perform mostly original material. Lots of slide. Hills area. Sorry boys must be over 50 and fit! No pros please. If itís time for you to turn it up to ‘ELEVEN’ Phone Tony on 0401 315 017 OPEN MIC AT MOONDYNE JOE’S Ever y Thursday night 8-12. Grand Piano, good sound and friendly atmosphere. Call Mark 0409 137 850 OPEN MIC NIGHT every Thursday night at Indi Bar. Just call Bex on 0404 917 632.

OPEN MIC NIGHT Every Tuesday night at the Craigie Tavern 8-11pm. Call Corey for bookings 0431 448 235 VOCALIST NEEDED Perth prog rock band, must have vocal & lyrical power and creativity. Call Brendon on 0435 508 833 WANTED MUSICIANS Vocals, Trumpet and Trombone players. For more info contact 0451 458 533 PHOTOGRAPHY PROJECT PHOTOGRAPHY Promo photography, studio, live, location. Mike Wylie 0417 975 9 6 4 w w w. p r o j e c t p h o t o g r a p hy. c o m When its time to ice the cake...

PRODUCTION SERVICES * L I G H T I N G * A U D I O * S TA G I N G * w w w. n i g h t s t a r l i g h t i n g a u d i o. co m . a u w w w. n i g h t s t a r l i g h t i n g a u d i o. co m . a u www.instandt.com.au www.instandt.com.au 9381 2363/ 9444 6651 C D & DV D M A N U FAC T U R E C h e c k o u t our latest CD & DVD specials online at www.procopy.com.au 9375 3902

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MATRIX PRODUCTIONS AUSTRALIA Lighting, staging, sound systems, smoke machines, night club FX, intelligent lighting, strobes & mirror balls, crowd barriers, video projectors. 9371 1551 RECORDING STUDIOS ALAN DAWSON’s WITZEND RECORDING STUDIO Prof quality albums or demos, large live room, experienced engineer, analog to digital transfers, mastering..Alan 0407 989 128 or Jeremy 0430638178 www.witzendstudios.com ANDY’S STUDIO International multi award winning songwriter / producer. No band required. Broadcast quality. A songwriter’s paradise. Ph 9364 3178 AVALON STUDIOS BIBRA LAKE One of Perths best equipped studio. Record to analog tape or digital, Avalon pre amps, Neumann mics, the latest and best universal audio, plug in’s for digital recordings. All styles of music, $55 per hour call Tony 0411 118 304 email avalonstudios@bigpond.com GOLDDUSTCONSTRUCTION.COM Production, mixing, recording and composition for your music.

Unique award winning skills to take songs from ideas to finished mixes or to fulfill the potential in existing ones. Located in Subiaco. $70 p/h. Andrew 0408 097 407 POONS HEAD MASTERING Analog mastering at its best. Clients include Mink Mussel Creek, Jeff Martin, The Panics, Pond + The Floors. World class facility. World class results. www.poonshead.com 9339 47 91 RECORDING MIXING MASTERING PRODUCING Fremantle location. Call Pete Kitchen Cooked Records. Ph 0407 363 764 / 9336 3764 REVOLVER SOUND STUDIO Ph 9272 7505. www.revolverstudio.com.au S AT E L L I T E R E C O R D I N G S T U D I O www.satelliterecording.com 0419 908 766 SONGWRITERS! - UNLOCK YOUR SONGS’ POTENTIAL +FREE BAND APPRAISALS. UK Producer, 40,000+ hours studio experience. 20 yrs in London with bands and songwriters. Kicking arrangements, great studio and the ability to really listen will give your material the edge you need. Call Jerry on 0405 653 338 or visit www.jerichomusic.com.au REHEARSAL STUDIOS AAA VHS REHEARSAL ROOMS Great facilities, great vibe & great price!!! Unit 5 /16 Peel Road, O’Connor. Phone 9418 5815 or 0413 732 885 BIGBEAT SOUND STUDIO Clean rooms, all new PA systems, air-con and good parking . Willetton Ph: 0425 698 117.

PLATINUM SOUND ROOMS Professional rehearsal rooms, airconditioned, quality PAs mob 0418 944 722 TUITION ***GUITAR LESSONS*** Perth’s ultimate guitar studio. Beg-adv, all styles and levels including bass.

Cliff Lynton Guitar Institute. Mt Lawley 9342 3484 / www.clifflynton.com BASS LESSONS Rock, funk & jazz. Tony Gibbs 9470 6131 FREE MUSIC LESSONS Book your free 30-min trail lesson. All instruments, all ages, all experience levels.

0403 162 641 | walthermusic.com GUITAR & KEYBOARD TUITION (BeginnersProfessional) One on One lessons. Burswood Ph 6460 6921/ 0415889645. www.gvkschoolofmusic.com.au GUITARWORKS JOONDALUP Guitar tuition.

ALL levels from beginners to advanced.

Ph 0414 448 907 guitarworks@iinet.net.au

NEWS ROUND UP

This week we take a quick tour ‘round the traps to see what’s pinging on our muso radar.

BIRTHDAY BONANZA

Mega Music’s epic birthday sale continues until March 23, with absolutely everything in store reduced to one degree or another. There’s never been a better time to pick up that bit of kit you’ve been dreaming of, or just stock up on sticks and strings for the next few months. Head in to either their Myaree or Wangara store, or jump over to megamusiconline.com.au

PSYCHIC SOUNDS

The happy mutants at Neurowear are developing Zen Tunes, an iPhone app that analyses the user’s brainwaves while listening to music and constructs a unique playlist attuned to the user’s emotional state. No more clicking through tracks to find the right one for the moment - the machine knows. Head to neurowear.com for more.

VoiceLive Play GTX

Audiofly

Sennheiser e 835 fx microphone

POP FLY

YOU’RE THE VOICE

Top notch headphone handlers Audiofly have decided to put their brand esteem to good use, partnering up with Dave Stevens of Melbourne’s Pure Pop Records store for the Buy a Brick campaign, which aims to raise money to build a soundproof courtyard at the store to mitigate a neighbour’s noise complaints. For every 10 pairs of Audiofly phones that get bought, they’ll throw a Pure Pop Brick, aka $50, at the project. Headphones are available from Headphonic, 78 Records, Urban Records, Elroy Clothing and audiofly.com

Shipping soon to retailers from TC-Helicon is the new VoiceLive Play GTX packaged with a Sennheiser e 835 fx microphone. Enabling complete guitar and vocal processing right our of the box with no amp required, complete with TC Electronic guitar effects and Amptones. Designed to work with acoustic and electric axes, this unit allows the user to experiment with a range of different tones and effects without having to shell out for expensive amps and pedals.

The package retails for around $699 - go to tchelicon.com for details.

Schechter Synyster Gates Custom Marshall JVM

AVENGE ME!

The Schechter Synyster Gates Custom, built for the Avenged Sevenfold guitarist, is a thing of rare beauty. Built around Schecter’s Avenger frame, it comes in three colour schemes and boasts mahogany construction, an ebony fretboard, and Marshall’s new JVM series is setting a new inlayed Avenged Sevenfold logo with the legend benchmark in amplification. The 4 Channel 100 Watt SYN. Techwise, Seymour Duncan custom pickups are head coupled a 2x12” combo features dual master the beating heart of a beast designed for heavy work. volumes, two effects loops. channel memory, MIDI Retailing at around $1700, it comes to us courtesy compatibility, and a programmable footswitch. Head of D’Addario Australia. Head to daddario.com.au for to elfa.com.au to check out the full range and specs. more details.

MARSHALLING YOUR FORCES

X-Press – First on the street, Wednesdays

www.xpressmag.com.au

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X-Press – First on the street, Wednesdays