X-Press Magazine #1370

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Taylor Swift

SWIFT RISE TO THE TOP

Paul Kelly

A FESTIVUS FOR THE NORTH-WEST OF US

The North West Festival is back again, returning to the Port Hedland Turf Club on Saturday, August 24, with a Rudimental huge line-up worth making the trek to the Pilbara for.

Paul Kelly, Bernard Fanning, 360, Grinspoon, The Black Seeds and Bluejuice will all be heading up for the day, along with Abbe May and Vance Joy. Tickets Chart-topping stars Rudimental are on their way go on sale next Wednesday, May 22, via Moshtix, with to Metro City on Friday, September 13, after the huge success of their debut album, Home. The first free camping factored into the price. single on the LP, Feel The Love, made it to #1 on the Australian iTunes singles and dance charts and going triple platinum.

Tickets go on sale next Monday, May 20, at 9am - go to oztix.com.au or ticketmaster.com.au.

RUDE LOVE

According to Frontier Touring, Taylor Swift just became the first female artist to headline an Australian national stadium tour since Madonna’s Girlie Show back in ‘93! Swift’s The Red Tour will be making its way Perth-ward on Wednesday, December 11, where the nib Stadium will host the multiple Grammy winner’s spectacular show. Tickets go on sale at 9am on Tuesday, May 21 through ticketmaster.com.au

MINDFUL MUSIC

Music Feedback needs you! For the past six years the program has tirelessly waged an anti-stigma campaign for mental health, and now it’s putting out the call for local musicians to express their interest in participating in the upcoming year’s work.

The Music Feedback program lets musos and artists inspire, comfort and promote discussion about issues of mental health through their work in a way that few other members of the community can.

Previously, participants have included San Cisco, Ash Grunwald, Karnivool, Mumford & Sons, Gyroscope and many more. Check out musicfeedback.com.au for more info, or email Bex Chilcott on becles81@gmail.com

Passion Pit

PROJECT PIT PASSION

Acclaimed for their dancefloor-making performances, Michael Angelakos’ Passion Pit, are bringing their party to Villa on Sunday, August 4, to perform songs from their latest album, Gossamer. One of the singles from the LP, Take A Walk, was awarded Rolling Stone’s third best song of 2012 and the outfit has recently played the famed Coachella festival. Tickets are on sale as of tomorrow, Thursday, May 16, via bigdayout.com.

HEATHCOTE CALL-OUT

The City of Melville’s Heathcote Museum And Gallery has put out the call for artists to display their works through their 2014 program. Both solo and group exhibitions are possible. Download an application from melvillecity.com.au/heathcote, but hurry - applications must be in by Monday, June 17.

Apricot Rail, RTR FM’s Fremantle Winter Music Festival

RTR WINTER WARMER

Twenty-five local outfits will be taking over four North Freo venues for RTR FM’s Fremantle Winter Music Festival on Saturday, June 29.

The Railway Hotel will host the post-indie room, featuring Apricot Rail, Gunns, Fall Electric while Mt Mountain and Grace Barbe & Afro Kreol, Rokwell & Groom, Seams, and Rakkit Dibs will performing world sounds at Swan Basement.

The Swan Lounge will host an alt-folk and country line-up, while Mojos will have two rooms on the go with The Empty Cup, Ylem, Yarkhob, Leon Osborn, and Capelas in the main room and DJ Raw Sugar, Roland Pain, Jack Doepel, and Leighton Head spinning beats in the courtyard.

The North Fremantle Bowls Club is the noise-rock room with Mental Powers, Doctopus, Water Temple, and Sacred Flower Union. Presales tickets are $15 for subscribers, $20 for the general public, and free for gold subscribers. Get ‘em from rtrfm.com.au.

Libby Hammer

SITTING ON THE DOCK OF THE BAY

The City of Busselton, in conjunction with Lamont’s Restaurant, Clancy’s Fish Pub, Fermoy Estate and Evans & Tate, are turning Dunsborough into a music lover’s dream destination from Friday, May 31, to Saturday, June 2, with Jazz By The Bay. A selection of entertainers from the Perth International Jazz Festival will be playing ticketed events at various wineries, pubs and restaurants, while two free concerts take place on Lions Park Green, including performances from Russell Holmes, Libby Hammer, The Michelle Spriggs Trio and The James Flynn Quartet. Head to busselton.wa.gov.au for more information.

Clairy Browne & The Bangin’ Rackettes Stafford Brothers

BANGIN’ ART Brown & The Bangin’ Rackettes perform at BROTHERS GONNA KNOCK Clairy the AGWA ARTBAR on Thursday, July 4, as part of the Art Gallery’s programme of musical entertainment.

YOU OUT While the Stafford Brothers now live in Los Angeles, and have brought it big time from Whistler to Warsaw, they haven’t forgotten their roots. That’s why, for one night only, the dynamic DJ duo will hit Metropolis Fremantle on Friday, June 7. Doors will open at 9pm for what is sure to be a sell-out show. Tickets available now from Oztix.com.au.

The big-haired band of bombshells will be strutting their stuff in the refined confines of the Gallery, and tickets include entry to the MoMA exhibition Van Gogh, Dali And Beyond: The World Reimagined on the night.

Tickets are available through Ticketek, or at the AGWA box office.

Andy Bull

A BULL MARKET

Sydney singing sensation Andy Bull hits The Aviary on Sunday, May 26, as part of the Aviary Rooftop Sessions. With support coming from Anton Franc, Charlie Bucket and Lightsteed, this is surely the best way to unwind on a Sunday arvo, with great tunes soundtracking one of the city’s most impressive skyline views, from 4pm. Best of all, entry is free.

Marlon Wayans

WAYANS’ WORLD 8 11 12 14 16 17 19 20 21 22 23 25 26 27 28 29 30 33 34 37

Reactions/Comp Thing Flesh Music: Something For Kate/ Funeral For A Friend/ Isaiah Mitchell/ Twenty One Pilots Music: Groovin’ The Moo/ Frenzal Rhomb Music: Jess McAvoy/ Brothers Grim And The Blue Murders New Noise Eye4 Cover: Stephen K Amos Eye4 Movies: News/ Broken/ Snitch Eye4 Movies: A Place For Me Eye4 Arts: Tiki Beat/ Melissa Egan Arts Listings Salt Cover: Afrika Bambaataa Salt: News/ Test Pad/ Charli XCX Salt: Oliver Twizt/ Basic Mind Salt: Club Manual Salt: Rewind: Seth Sentry Scene: Live: Tex Perkins & Charlie Owen/ OM Tour Trails Gig Guide Volume

COVER: ...And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of Dead will perform their acclaimed 2002 album, Source Tags & Codes,at the Rosemount Hotel on Saturday, May 25.

Story on page 11. Cover Photo by Moritz Maibaum.

SALT COVER: Afrika Bambaataa not only coined the term ‘hip hop’ but he’s also responsible for that iconic track, Planet Rock. Read more on page 25 ahead of his gig at The Bakery this weekend. www.xpressmag.com.au

Marlon Wayans, star of Scary Movie, Requiem For A Dream, and White Chicks, and brother to a staggering number of fellow Wayanses, will be on hand this Sunday, May 19, from 2.30pm, at Grand Cinemas Joondalup to meet and greet fans at a screening of his newest film, A Haunted House, a spoof of horror movies that runs the gamut from The Haunting to the Paranormal Activity series.

Tickets are available from grandcinemas.com.au.

Perth Roller Derby

THE DARING DOLLS OF DERBY

Boot up! The third bout of the Perth Roller Derby 2013 Season is almost upon us with The Apokalipstiks clashing with the Mistresses Of Mayhem at the Morley Rollerdrome this Saturday, May 18. Tickets are $15 for adults, $8 for kids, from the Rollerdrome, Lucky Skates and trybooking.com.

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Oliver Twizt

MIX! & MASH!

This Foundation Day long weekend get ready for the MixMash Label night at Villa! Catch the Dutch sensation Oliver Twizt, as he brings his eclectic sounds that will have you screaming “Please sir, I want some more”. Joining him on the night is Aussie Uberjak’d, these two will have you dancing all well into the morning! It’s all happening Saturday, June 1. Enter now to win one of two double passes we have!

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A Haunted House

SPOOF HAUNTING

Marlon Wayans, the creator of Scary Movie and White Chicks, will introduce a special preview screening of his new spoof film A Haunted House (MA 15+) at 3pm this Sunday, May 19 at Grand Cinemas Joondalup. He’s also gonna meet and greet fans at the cinema from 2.30pm. This movie is an outrageous send-up of Paranormal Activity and other ‘found footage’ movies, following a young couple battling with their demons - literally. Tickets to the preview can be secured at grandcinemas.com.au but you can 9213 2854 win one of ten double passes to the preview simply by emailing us.

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STATE OF THE ART LINEUP DJ Afrika Bambaataa

WIN SOME BAM!

Named by Life Magazine as one of the most important Americans of the 20th Century, DJ Afrika Bambaataa is a musical visionary, DJ extraordinaire, living legend and founder of the Universal Zulu Nation – a collective of socially and politically aware emcees, DJs, graffiti artists and break dancers. With over 35 years trailblazin’ around the world, Bam, as he’s affectionately known, can almost single-handedly be credited for the urban music revolution - redefining music and culture as we know it today. In fact, Bam is the person responsible for coining the term hip hop. Win one of two double passes to see him in action at the Bakery this Saturday, May 18.

The massive State of the Art Music Festival is on again this year on Sunday, June 2 at the Perth Concert Hall Precinct. Win one of three double passes to see Bob Evans, Kav Temperley and Gyroscope on three outdoor stages, alongside more than 20 emerging artists, including The Chemist, Sons of Rico, Emperors, Day of the Dead and heaps more.

See the website for more info. Tickets for the festival showcases to see Karnivool, Abbe May or Dave Hole are also available from Ticketek from $24.60 each. The festival will have both licensed and all-ages areas.

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THE ROCK ON A MISSION

9213 2853 In the action thriller Snitch, Dwayne Johnson aka The

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Rock stars as a father whose teenage son is wrongly accused of a drug distribution crime and is looking at a mandatory minimum prison sentence of 10 years.

Desperate and determined to rescue his son at all costs, he makes a deal with the US attorney to work as Deadlines an undercover informant and infiltrate a drug cartel on EDITORIAL a dangerous mission - risking everything, including his General: Friday 5pm,, Eye4 Arts: Thursday 10am, Comp’ Thing: Monday Noon,, Salt Clubs: Monday 5pm , Local Scene: family and his own life. It’s in cinemas from tomorrow, Thursday, My 16 but you can win one of two double Monday Noon,, Gig Guide: Monday 5pm passes if you get you’re entry in post haste.

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Progressive house legend John Digweed is playing at Villa on Friday, June 7. One of the planet’s most popular DJs, his sets never fall out of favour. His Bedrock mix series is still killing it 14 years on with Bedrock 14, having dropped last year. From ethereal, swirling cinematic soundscapes to energy-infused bass-bothering tech growlers, a new generation of clubbers are learning what we already know - that there’s nothing quite like being locked into a John Digweed set. Win one of two double tickets to the gig simply by emailing us.

Daniel Champagne

CHAMPAGNE PERFORMANCE

Following in the steps of his father, at only 23 years old Daniel Champagne is already a career troubadour having traversed North America, the United Kingdom, Europe, New Zealand and of course, his homeland Australia. Now he’s taking his second album The Gypsy Moon Vol I on the road and we’ve got a double pass to give away for each of his shows: tonight, Wednesday, May 15 at Indi Bar, and tomorrow, Thursday, May 16 at Mojo’s. Just let us know which one you’d prefer.

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album will come. A big party of musicians touring together... what fun!

You’re a highly collaborative musician, what do you feel are the benefits of that?

Each time I have worked with a variety of such quality musicians and artists you take away something creative that opens other avenues.

Back in the day, pre-digital bands and writers all collaborated together collectively. Now we have one human recording at home.

Tell us about the dub/reggae Midnight Oil covers project you’re involved with?

Well I have been dreaming this project up for years and finally it is almost at fruition stage. It will be released soon that’s all I can really say about it for now. Oh, and it sounds amazing.

Two of your songs are being used in the BBC series, Top Of The Lake. Have you had many TV/ movie synchs before and have they helped spark more interest in your music?

I have had a few syncs in various TV and movies but this seems to be the most wide reaching.

It really is a great series, Top Of The Lake.

...AND YOU WILL KNOW US BY THE TRAIL OF DEAD Photo: Patrick McHugh

Questionnaire

The LP is out later this year, what are the plans moving forward?

We plan to finish the record, tour far and wide and definitely overseas touring. And performing in front of as many people as we can.

Your third album is around the corner, what did you have in mind for it and how have you managed to accomplish that vision?

My third album is a collaborative effort, so we will tour it with whoever is available at the release time. Hopefully everyone who sang on this

Declan Kelly & The Rising Sun perform Wednesday, May 15, at Mojos; Thursday, May 16, at the Prince Of Wales, Bunbury; Friday, May 17, at Settlers Tavern, Margaret River; Saturday, May 18, at the White Star Hotel, Albany, and Sunday, May 19, at Clancy’s Fish Pub, Dunsborough.

DECLAN KELLY

Timothy Nelson

MORE STATE OF ART

Daniel Champagne

CHAMPERS IN TOWN

Travelling troubadour Daniel Champagne is stopping in for two shows in Perth this week to promote his second album. The 23-year-old singer songwriter has said the LP is a collection of road songs and has aptly entitled it The Gypsy Moon (Volume 1). See him at Indi Bar tonight, Wednesday, May 15 with support from Morgan Bain and tomorrow, Thursday, May 16, at Mojos with support from Riley Pearce. Both shows start at 9pm and tix are $12 on the door.

Timothy Nelson and drum’n’bass legend Greg Packer have been added to the already huge line-up for the State Of The Art music festival.

To be held at the Perth Concert Hall and surrounds on Sunday, June 2, three outside stages will feature a huge line-up including The Chemist, Day Of The Dead, Sons Of Rico, Emperors, Grace Woodroofe, The Love Junkies, Rabbit Island, Jake & The Cowboys’ Jarred Wall, Cow Parade Cow, Fitzroy Xpress, Rainy Day Women, MmHmm, Rachael Dease & Ylem (collab), Rokwell & Groom, The Weapon Is Sound, Sam Perry, Usurper Of Modern Medicine, 44th Sunset, Antonio Paul and Runner.

Showcase performances inside the hall will include: Dave Hole, Chain, Abbe May, Schvendes and Karnivool. Tickets start from $13.95 for access to all three outdoor stages or $24.60 per Concert Hall Showcase. Go to Ticketek.com.au.

Back On The Source

Presented by X-Press Magazine, ...And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of Dead perform their 2002 album, Source Tags & Codes, in full at the Rosemount Hotel on Saturday, May 25, at the Rosemount Hotel, supported by Sincerely Grizzly.

BOB GORDON reports. ...And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of Dead guitarist, Jason Reece, is in a reflective mood. He’s at the end of a US tour in support of last year’s Lost Songs album, staying at his parent’s home in Hawaii, where he grew up and first met co-conspirator, Conrad Keely.

And now, 11 years after its release, Trail Of Dead’s acclaimed third LP, Source Tags & Codes, will be honoured and played in full on the band’s upcoming Australian tour.

“We were just trying to have a way of making some special shows,” Reece says.“Australia is a place we love to play, we always try and get to you guys as much as we can. That was the goal in mind.”

Back in 2001, Trail Of Dead had just signed to Interscope Records and Source Tags & Codes was to be their major label debut. It was a new chapter for the band that brought with it previously untasted opportunities.

“We’d just reached a point where we’d signed with a major label, we had a budget,” Reece recalls.“We were like, ‘wow, this is crazy. We can actually live off our music’. We had some songs that we’d been working on and we just wanted to make the best thing that we’d ever done in our lives - not to cater to the mainstream, but more, in a way, to change music, in a sense.

“I don’t know if it did or not; I guess there’s a lot of people who hail it as one of our best works, and that’s cool. But we were definitely ambitious, and that was the general feeling, of trying to make something forward-thinking and provocative and intense.”

Trails of Dead’s previous independent albums - 1998’s self-titled debut and 1999’s Madonna - were recorded modestly in fits and starts. Actually having a recording budget must have been akin to being kids in a candy store.

“Well yeah, a little bit,” Reece says.“We didn’t go totally crazy like we were in an episode of Entourage, like buying Cadillacs and steak dinners or anything crazy like that (laughs). I think, for us, it was like a chance to go to a studio of our choosing, camp out there and not worry about the budget as much, more worry about how we going to make it great. How we were going top make it amazing.

“That was the only pressure; to write really special songs that we believed in. We had string players to back us up on a couple songs and we got to go to Nashville to Ocean Way Studios and mix in a really nice environment. So, in that sense, it was the simple things we never really got to taste before that time. For us, we had to sneak into studios before that to record late at night. Madonna was made on stolen studio time and the album before that was made on stolen studio time.

We stole a lot of shit (laughs). For the first time we paid for everything.”

Given time, environment and some extra creative tools, Source Tags & Codes showcased songs that took the band and producer Michael McCarthy, to the next level, musically and otherwise.

“There were certain songs that just happened so fast,” Reece says. “They were written so quickly that they just seemed spontaneous and just magical.

Homage, I wrote in 10 minutes, sitting in the corner of a room. I played it to everybody and we jammed it for like half an hour, making it tight. We recorded it and I did the vocal in one take. Baudelaire was another one of those songs where we it was just me and Neil (Busch, former bassist) and we jammed it for like an hour and we recorded it immediately because it was like, ‘this song’s cool!’ We recorded the skeleton pretty quickly. Then How Near How Far was a song that we had already, we been playing it for a few months and that was recorded just so quickly.

“But there were others that took a little time.

It Was There That I Saw You... we did a lot of takes of that because sometimes it was too fast, or too slow. We were just trying to figure it out.”

When it was eventually released in February, 2002, Source Tags & Codes was met with almost immediate acclaim, infamously gaining a 10/10 review from notoriously prickly US indie website/bible, Pitchfork.

“I kind of felt like, great about it,” Reece says, evenly. “Obviously you feel really good being told that you did some good work.

“Then you have all these expectations after that. I guess we wanted to have a bigger career, in a sense. (Laughs) We were trying to strive to be like our peers, like Sonic Youth and Flaming Lips. Actually, they’re not our peers, we wanted to be their peers. They’re our elder statesmen. You just want to be a bigger band, in one way. But we just never got there. It’s okay, it’s not a big deal, but what we put into it was definitely ambitious. To infiltrate the mainstream is a big feat, if you can do it.”

Reece concedes that the kind of success that Trail Of The Dead have since enjoyed has been more along the lines of his favourite bands in any case. The line-up of the band over the years has been transient to say the least, with Reece and Keely ever the mainstays.

Both have a lot happening outside of the band, which no doubt enhances what they bring back to it.

“I think, for us, we’ve always wanted to be busy,” Reece contemplates. “Conrad lives in Cambodia, so we’ll have spaces of time where we don’t work or see each other. During that time I’ll have three or four different musical projects I’m working on and I own a bar and there might be talk of making of movie. You know, you try and keep busy.

“And Conrad’s doing a lot of art and he’s writing a book. I also have a family (laughs). I have a kid and you know, we’re busy. We try to keep busy because we’re not the type of band that rests on our laurels.

Then when we get together there’s definitely a creative energy and synergy that happens.

“It’s pretty funny how fast we can work in a week or two. If I don’t see him for six months we can just pick up where we left off. It’s interesting; I guess it’s because we’ve known each other for so long.”

HORSES AT THE BIRD

In Hearts Wake

HEARTY HARDCORE

Byron Bay hardcore band, In Hearts Wake, are headed to Amplifier’s Academy night on Wednesday, June 19, as part of their Survival Tour. Canadian hardcore outfit, Counterparts, along with NSW band Stories will provide support. The five-piece have played more than 100 shows in the last seven months since the release of their debut album, Divination. Tickets from oztix.com.au. www.xpressmag.com.au

The Super Wild Horses Crosswords album launch tour will see the lo-fi Melbourne duo perform at The Bird, next Sunday, May 25. Crosswords is the follow up to their debut album, Fifteen, released i n m i d - 2 0 1 0 . Th e i r sophomore album has been heralded as a brilliant follow-up showcasing the duo’s growth as musicians.

Tickets are just ten bucks on the door.

Super Wild Horses 11

SOMETHING FOR KATE I Like Your Old Stuff And Your New Stuff

In the midst of their Star Crossed Cities tour, Something For Kate will perform at the Astor Theatre on Friday, June 7. BOB GORDON chats with vocalist/ guitarist, Paul Dempsey.

Something For Kate’s last national tour was their first in five years. Heading out in support of their sixth album, Leave Your Soul To Science, the band were psyched about playing songs both new and old.

There was just one thing.

“It was too short,” vocalist/guitarist Paul Dempsey says with a laugh. “We pretty much played every capital city, so it was only the eight or nine shows.

“We had our friend John (Hedigan, also of Dempsey’s solo backing band) playing keyboard with us, so it felt like a different arrangement of the band as well, having a lot of keys there instead of always two guitars. So it just felt really different and fresh and it was great to play the new stuff and to revisit some old stuff. It was just a bit too short, really.”

Hence the band’s newest jaunt, the Star Cross Cities tour, which rolls across the country over seven weeks.

“It feels like a luxury to be able to do such a long tour,” Dempsey says. “To play so many shows in Australia, you don’t get to do it very often.

“We’re looking forward to a nice long tour where we can really get into the groove and change the set each night and make our way through the back catalogue, play some stuff that we haven’t played for several years.

Touring Leave Your Soul To Science - albeit too briefly - was clearly a joy for the band as all the songs seemed to find their feet with ease in the live setting.

“Once you do a few shows, certain album tracks come to the fore pretty quickly, you kind of

FUNERAL FOR A FRIEND The Never Ending Cycle Funeral For A Friend guitarist, Gav Burroughs, is enjoying a day wandering around Brisbane when he calls SHANE PINNEGAR ahead of their shows at work out which ones are the live favourites and which Amplifier this Friday, May 17, and Bunbury’s Prince Of Wales on Saturday, May 18. ones are destined to just kind of be album tracks,” Something For Kate

Dempsey explains.

“But it was actually hard because this whole record is fun to play live and it was really written that way. It’s the closest thing we’ve made to a live, studio record. Everything went down pretty live and everything went down pretty quickly. So it has an energy about it and it translates really well to a live show. We were almost playing the entire album every night as well as back catalogue stuff.

“It’s just getting harder and harder to choose the setlist, you know? There’s like 150 songs now and you can play 20 a night.”

Given that some of these songs go back to the mid-’90s, when Dempsey was a younger man, one wonders how he feels about many of these postcards to himself from the past. Does he honour the younger man or reflect on the difference?

“There’s some songs I wrote when I was very young that I don’t necessarily want to play these days,” he says. “I cringe a little bit when I hear them now, but I also kind of give myself a break because you can’t help the fact that that’s where you were back then and it’s nearly 20 years, so inevitably there’s going to be a marked difference between the stuff I wrote when I was 18 years old and the stuff I’m writing now. I just put that down to the fact that I started very young and I wasn’t a fully formed artist or anything.

“And I’m still not. The whole thing is an evolution and a work in progress.”

Gav Burroughs is glad that Funeral For A Friend have returned to their hardcore roots on their sixth studio album, Conduit.

“I think we sort of went back to our old albums and all the hardcore bands we grew up listening to and that influenced the way the album sounded,” the guitarist says. “It’s more aggressive than our most recent albums. I think it’s because we just wanted to reignite that passion for the sort of music we grew up listening to.”

Funeral For A Friend have been a band for over 10 years now, with Burroughs joining on bass in 2008, before switching to guitar in 2010. He says it felt strange playing bass at all to start with.

“It was weird for me to play bass at the start because I never really played bass that much.

The boys kind of just knew me as a friend and thought I’d fit in with the band as a person, so I kind of just winged it really with the bass When I came to play guitar I felt a lot more comfortable.”

Burroughs says WA audiences can expect high energy shows this weekend.

“We just like to kind of get as much crammed into our show as possible and have a good time and hopefully everyone else can have a good time in the process.”

Conduit features a striking piece of cover

art created by Welsh artist Snowskull, aka Matthew Evans, a former singer from the band’s early days.

“We’re all friends,” explains Burroughs, “he’s doing pretty well with his artwork and it just came up in conversation like, ‘why don’t you do something for the album artwork’. I think it’s really cool having something very unique and it’s like almost organic coming from somebody who’s actually been in the band and associated with it and with us going back to those roots musically, too.”

The album/tour/album/tour slog is well underway for the band, with the European festival circuit on the calendar after their Australian tour, a smaller venue UK tour early next year, followed by a possible visit to Japan and then launching into the next album. Is all this running ‘round and ‘round on the treadmill a chore?

“Yeah, it’s a never ending cycle!” laughs Burroughs. “It’s just a process. For me being in a band isn’t a chore, it’s the dream. I think we all really appreciate it. I think there are different aspects that can be negative, it’s not all positive. Touring and stuff, you miss people back home, your wife or girlfriend and your family and stuff, but there are definitely more positives than there are negatives. Personally I enjoy all aspects of touring and recording, everything.”

ISAIAH MITCHELL Step Up

TWENTY ONE PILOTS Solidification

The band began receiving serious American duo, Twenty One Pilots, international attention after their SxSW appearances, recently dropped their new album, Vessel, with links to their live shows flying across the web. reputation for putting on phenomenal live shows in Australia. Previously fairly unknown Their has become common knowledge, with talk of crowd internationally, this year the band have surfing, backflips, and general insanity – all from two a drum kit, a keyboard and a bass guitar. been creating quite the ruckus down dudes with“To me, there’s no comparison to the feeling under. CHLOE PAPAS catches up with of an experience where there’s a large group of people surrounding me that feel the same, and are passionate drummer, John Dun for a chat. about music and energy and the live show,” Dun says.

When X-Press calls up Josh Dun from Twenty One Pilots, the band is in a bus driving between shows.

Dun explains that they’ve just bought a swanky new tour vehicle to get through the long road-trips across America.“Most of the day we’ve been yelling at the TV because we haven’t been able to get it to work,” he laughs.

The duo and various co-conspirators have been touring on and off around the States for the past few years, self-releasing records along the way. After signing to the Fueled By Ramen label last year, its all gone uphill for the lads from Ohio, with the release of their first “proper,” but third “actual” full-length record, Vessel. Judging by Dun’s mood, they’re fairly excited about the attention coming their way.

“We really, truly started out in our hometown of Columbus, Ohio, and we just recently released our first national album across America. There’s something really cool about that, people from states other than ours can hear it,” says Dun. “But when you get to the whole other side of the world, different countries across the ocean like Australia, there’s something that really solidifies that for me, and really makes it feel special and humbling, really.”

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There’s no real way to shove Twenty One Pilots into a specific genre: they grab elements from rock, pop, hip-hop and EDM to create a style that many other groups have tried and failed to produce. Dun notes that the band rarely name musical influences publicly, for fear that they will be pigeonholed into a genre.

“I think 10 years ago, if you were to ask somebody what kind of music they listen to, they would probably give you a very specific answer – ‘I listen to rock, I listen to pop.’ But now, when you ask somebody, almost anybody is going to say, ‘I listen to everything.’ That’s how both of us grew up, listening to whatever it is that we could find. And I think that kind of develops our style – why not pick different genres and styles for one song, and try to pioneer a new style of genre?”

Twenty One Pilots are on tour in America and Europe for the next few months, hitting some summer festivals and trying their luck overseas. But, Dun says that there are plans in the works to head down to Australia.

“There’s no dates totally locked in right now, but we’ve been talking about it with the label.

We really want to come over as soon as possible. We’re hoping to get there sometime this year.”

The guitarist behind Californian psychedelic rock titans Earthless, Isaiah Mitchell, is stepping out on his own for his first ever solo tour in Australia this month. JESSICA WILLOUGHBY talks to the man himself before the show with his outfit, The Black Elf Medicine Band, on Monday, May 20, at the Rosemount Hotel.

It doesn’t take much to get the ever-busy Isaiah Mitchell on track.

“I just have a lot of pokers in the fire,” the singer/guitarist says of the growing number of musical projects he has on the go. “But if someone says ‘hey, we got this tour coming up’, it helps me to really crack down and focus.”

Mitchell is an artist that is driven by a need to fulfill every inch of his musical persona. Best known for the soaring rhythms behind psychedelic instrumental outfit, Earthless, his unique ability to adapt has seen him contribute in a more vocal sense to acts such as Golden Void and Howling Rain.

But this Californian native has been granted a rare opportunity. He will set out to do his first ever tour as a solo musician in Australia this month. Although the guitarist admits his own album, to be released under The Black Elk Medicine Band moniker, has been in the works for some time, it was a conversation with a Melbourne promoter that saw the idea for a live show become a reality.

“I’ve only played a couple of solo shows in my life and they were a few years ago now,” Mitchell says.“I’ve been working on stuff for a solo thing for a while and it’s just been really slow moving because I’m a music-aholic and have a bunch of other bands with their own priorities and recording schedules. So I pushed my stuff aside for a bit, but I didn’t want to neglect myself any longer.

“Then Robert (MacManus, Heathen Skulls promoter) said after the Earthless tour in Australia

Isaiah Mitchell last December that I should do my own tour. I thought, ‘God, that would be awesome’. But I didn’t really think he was going to make it happen. Let alone make it happen immediately. I was pretty blown away and it was a big fire underneath my arse to get my solo album done. Usually, I just do things at my own pace – which can take a long time. I’m really glad this happened because this tour will be just me and it’s something I’ve never done before. Rob’s belief in me really got me inspired to step-up.”

Armed with just his own voice and a few guitars, the San Diego-based musician will also be joined by MacManus (Monarch) on drums and Tame Impala’s Nick Allbrook for shows in three capital cities – with Perth being one of the lucky few.

But what can we expect from the new material? According to Mitchell, a surf-psychedelic mix with a Native American theme.

“The name for the band came from the medicine man of the Sioux Tribe of Black Oak. With this album, after all the costs are paid for, I want to donate the earnings to the Oglala Indian Reservation because there’s a lot of pain and suffering there. They have the highest suicide rate amongst teenagers in the entire USA. People have lost their spirit and I just want to help in whatever way I can.”

X-Press – First on the street, Wednesdays

www.xpressmag.com.au

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Tame Impala

The Bronx

GROOVIN’ THE MOO FESTIVAL Hay Park Oval, Bunbury Saturday May 12, 2013.

It is seldom that major international acts are easily upstaged at a festival by the homegrown talent produced in our state. But then again, not all festivals are Groovin’ The Moo. The regional festival has gone from strength to strength and this year delivered one of its best line-ups yet. Not only was the artist bill full of highlights, but included many Western Australian favourites. And boy did they deliver.

Heavy rains thankfully subsided for a cool overcast event last Saturday. Thousands trekked to the seaside city of Bunbury for what promoters earmark as annually being one of the loudest and most action-packed instalments of the festival.

Again, they were not wrong.

The day got off to a solid start as Brisbane quartet Last Dinosaurs hit the main stage soon after noon. Hot on the heels of last year’s long player, In a Million Years, the lads smashed out an impressive set. These youngsters have a knack for killer riffs and they perfectly transferred onto the stage. The boys have already cornered their sound and tracks Andy and Honolulu further the claim that this is one act to watch.

Although it was a disappointment that Urthboy had to drop out from the local leg, a slew of quality international musicians filled the mid-afternoon hole. US indie rock stars Matt & Kim soon took to the stage and brought their sunny tunes and unabashed energy with them, their simple melodies and catchy beats created a feel good atmosphere for everyone to enjoy.

There were even a few surprises along the way as the pair blasted ‘90s anthem Better Off Alone by Alice Deejay to a frenzied crowd.

Meanwhile at the Moolin Rouge tent, another US

Example

outfit was concocting a more aggressive energy.

Punk rockers The Bronx came to play – the energy from these guys was a sight to behold and the musicianship behind the wall of noise is also something to appreciate.

There was no lull in the loudness from the tent either as Australian hardcore rockers The Amity Affliction were up next. These guys were certainly the heaviest of the day and the crowd responded accordingly by going absolutely apeshit.

It was good to see Regurgitator back on the main stage. These guys are now veterans of the Aussie music scene and it is great to see they have stood the test of time. They continue to create quite a polished sound for a three-piece and just to witness such an iconic act in the flesh was a treat.

The main stage continued to deliver the goods with international heavyweights They Might Be Giants. With an accordion player in tow, they gave audiences something a little different.

The banter between the two Johns and the crowd was enjoyable, but many were just waiting for the reining gods of psychedelic rock, Tame Impala.

With Kevin Parker supplying dreamy vocals and impeccable guitar skills, the band worked like a well-oiled machine as they bounced off each other and segued effortlessly between tracks.

Even small things, right down to the lighting – where the song’s vibrations were transmitted onto the screen with varying colour effects – added another breathtaking element. The band’s brilliance is in the subtlety – extended song structures to showcase one instrument before heading back into the track with gusto screamed Tame Impala. Each musician in the ensemble is clearly talented in their own right and it is no wonder that Tame Impala’s sibling Pond have also found success. Sing-alongs were a must as Parker lead the crowd into the group’s better known songs. The swarms of fans went suitably nuts when

songs such as Elephant and Feels Like We Only Go Backwards were aired. To see their set closer Half Full Glass of Wine, when the riff slows and relaxes into a rolling rhythm, was equally impressive. A festival highlight with a bit of everything.

The good vibes continued on the main stage as Canada’s Tegan & Sara unleashed their brand of indie rock. Unfortunately for the duo they were up against the white-hot producer Flume. The crowd was suitably epic for the young beat maker as he sampled and mixed his way to a formidable set.

The result was nothing too new from what crowds saw at Southbound, but when the songs are as good as Holdin’ On, Sleepless and Left Alone, who can really complain? As well as the standouts from his self-titled LP of last year, Flume threw a brand new song into the mix. And wow, what a track!

The electronic beats were in full swing now as Yolanda Be Cool gave audiences a taste before segueing into the drum’n’bass of Perth’s own ShockOne. With his first album fresh on the canvas, many songs from the long player got a run.

A few initial sound issues were quickly rectified and everything from Crucify Me and Chaos Theory to

Temper Trap Photography by Rachael Bussell passe internet fad Harlem Shake were blasted. You know this is one confident producer when he can still get audiences raving to that ridiculous track.

The tail-end of the evening saw freezing temperatures but hot acts. Example kept the party raging in the tent as he brought his English swagger to the masses. Changed The Way You Kissed Me was an obvious highlight and the man certainly knew how to please a crowd.

The Temper Trap seemed an unusual headliner but were serviceable back on the main stage. The vocals of lead singer, Dougy Mandagi, are, put simply, phenomenal. His voice reached crazy notes and sounded just as good, if not better, than on the record. Their brand of alternative rock was a pleasant way to end the night but was nothing really more than that.

Overall, the day was full of many more highs than lows. Organisers hand-picked a perfect array of world class acts and it was awesome to see our local talents stand up against some of the globe’s best. Bring on next year. _ JEFFREY KITT

Frenzal Rhomb

FRENZAL RHOMB

expressing further concern that verses are and no one cares about them.

As The Worm Turns heshitsays, But it’s just a bit of a laugh. Whalley

Last Dinosaurs

ShockOne 14

The Amity Affliction

Matt & Kim

Defying the odds, Frenzal Rhomb head back to WA this week, with shows on Wednesday, May 15, at the Prince Of Wales, Bunbury; Thursday, May 16, at Players, Mandurah; Friday, May 17, at the Indi Bar and Saturday May, 18, at the Rosemount Hotel. MIKE WAFER chats with vocalist, Jay Whalley.

After suffering two seizures in January, Jason Whalley spent three nerve-wracking weeks living with the assumption that the tumour found in his brain was cancer, and that this might be the end of the line.

The tests came back with good news.

Well... ‘good’. Not a tumour, but the egg of a pig tapeworm that had worked its way into his brain and died; the mess in his head was at least operable and not cancerous. Frenzal Rhomb pulled out of the Descendents tour and Whalley underwent surgery.

Back on the road and brain-worm-egg free, Whalley is looking forward to playing a bunch of WA shows this week and getting started on the new Frenzals album. Like a fuckin’ champion.

And while fans eagerly await at least one album’s worth of brain-worm-egg songs, Whalley voices a small but concerning thought. “I’ve only been able to write verses since the surgery, so I’m worried they cut out the ‘chorus’ part of my brain,”

is already writing songs and looking forward to “hopefully going back to Colorado and doing it all again,” implying that the next Frenzal Rhomb album may well see the band teaming up with uber producer Bill Stevenson again. Having survived a brain tumour himself, one would expect Stevenson might have had some encouraging advice for Whalley during his ordeal?

“Three fucking words,” Whalley confirms. “‘You’ll be fine’. That’s all I got.”

And while that might not be the world’s longest pep-talk, it was certainly true. Though this is not the first brush with death Whalley has walked away from. Back in the 1999 he suffered a heart attack, brought on (according to Whalley at the time) by drinking. Swearing off the booze and onto a health kick of weed and Mersyndol, Whalley stopped having heart attacks long enough to wind up in Central America ingesting a pig tapeworm... an impressive feat for a vegan.

Whalley says that an alarming amount of people in Central America have these parasites.

“If they don’t end up in your stomach they work their way into the muscle,” he explains, “which is only really a problem if they make their way to your brain, heart or your eyes.” Gross.

But it’s a bloody good thing that Jason Whalley lives on, because he tells us that’s the only way Frenzal Rhomb will also live on. As it turns out, no one else in the band writes songs that are any good, “except Gordy, but he’s a cunt,” the singer explains.

Just as well, then. Live long and prosper, Jason Whalley.

X-Press – First on the street, Wednesdays

www.xpressmag.com.au

15

JESS MCAVOY

En Masse Again Jess McAvoy has been gone for quite some time from Perth stages, doing the hard yards across the East Coast and now living in Toronto. But before Twitter, before Facebook, even before MySpace, she was ours.

And now, she tells SABIAN WILDE how she can be ours again.

Rarely backward about being forward, Jess McAvoy has just launched an IndieGoGo campaign to crowd-fund her next album, The Women.

While understandably nervous about how it will go, McAvoy managed to ‘pre-sell’ her 2004 album, En Masse, with little more than a mailing list and a hectic gig schedule.

“There were a couple of other artists in my peer group using that model when I first decided to do it,” she says. “The great thing is that it didn’t feel like begging because I was selling people an album... I was just going to give it to them a while later.

“It engages people in a way that I could never have imagined; they truly feel part of the process... and they are.”

McAvoy hopes that The Women will be her most accomplished and mature album, a retrospective of powerful relationships and an opportunity to progress. “ These songs confront my waning obsession with making other people the centre of my focus, which I have done with certain women ever since I can remember,” she says.

In some ways, her romantic life has paralleled her understanding of herself as an artist; passionate, compelling and sometimes fraught, and now entering a period of reflective insight

and growth - putting a new light on her 12 previous independent releases.

“I’m not making this record for anyone - for the first time in my life it will be recorded for its own benefit, which is the best way to love something,” she says. “I feel that maturity comes when you learn to love unconditionally. Truly unconditionally.

“This is how I feel about my music now more than ever before... after spending my entire 20s as a strategic, over-thinking, self-managed ambition addict.

“You can always sense when an artist is trying too hard,” she admits. “Now, there’s nothing left to try... because I’ve grown so much as an artist and I know that just being is enough.”

In other ways, The Women will represent the end of an era for Jess McAvoy, as she confirms rumours that she is fronting an honest-to-goodness rock band. “It’s true,” she exclaims. “I have indeed, finally, embraced the incessant need to wear black and leather... and cowboy boots.

“I’m not making this record for anyone - for the first time in my life it will be recorded for its own benefit, which is the best way to love something. I feel that maturity comes when you learn to love unconditionally. Truly unconditionally. This is how I feel about my music now more than ever before... after spending my entire 20s as a strategic, overthinking, self-managed ambition addict.

“I had a suspicion that I was a rock singer many years ago, I just didn’t know what to do with that. The band is called Jesmaq & The Thump and I am testing the waters here in Toronto so I can get my stage legs in that forum.

It’s so different to do as a performer, and very confronting,” she says.

BROTHERS GRIM AND THE BLUE MURDERS Beasts Of Their Own

Brothers Grim And The Blue Murders So when the band headed up to the Touring in support of their new Empty Room studio in Nagambie in regional Victoria release, Roll It In, Brothers Grim And for a weekend of recording, it was an entirely new The Blue Murders hit Mojos on Friday, experience.

“We wanted to find a completely different May 17, and the Indi Bar on Saturday, head space,” says vocalist, James Grim. “We were May 18. PATRICK EMERY reports. sleeping in the studio, getting up in the morning With a hectic touring schedule, and a reputation for exploring the inebriated boundaries of the rock’n’roll lifestyle, Brothers Grim And The Blue Murders haven’t always allowed itself a great deal of luxury in the recording studio.

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and going for a swim and then going to record. It was a different environment – it was a luxury that we didn’t know how to deal with. It was great, but after it was over we thought for next time it’ll be straight back to a concrete box!” Grim laughs.

Jess McAvoy “Awesome fun, but really scary. So the plan is to get that super tight and ready for New York City audiences when I move there next year. Meanwhile, I am getting the ‘last’ record in this 13 release span out of my system, so to speak.”

McAvoy plans to record The Women in North America later in 2013, pending the successful conclusion of her crowd-funding campaign - which has just under 40 days left on the clock at igg.me/at/JessMcAvoy.

The funding model provides a range of opportunities for her fans to get involved, with offers including personalised album artwork or even a performance in your home.

Having built a permanent fanbase in various parts of the world, McAvoy is counting on her supporters to help her make the music they want to hear, and address the gap since her last full-length release, As The Sun Falls.

“I felt like I’d been aggressively smacking my head against a glass ceiling for some years, to the point of complete burn out,” she says by way of explaining the two-year gap in releases and her move to Toronto.

“I was on the brink of quitting music, so I really just had to leave Australia. Toronto kind of picked me, really. I had been here for North By North East the year prior, and I wasn’t ready to move to New York City in the state I was in.

“This has been a softer landing ground; it’s been win/win really, considering I went from almost quitting to working on a new record in the space of two years. That’s a pretty quick recovery time, if you ask me.”

All going well, McAvoy plans to return to Australia this summer to tour the album you helped her make.

With a break in touring, Brothers Grim had decided to put down some new tracks for what would become the seven-song Roll It In EP (or “minialbum”, in Grim’s words).

“The initial plan was always to record an EP,” Grim says. “We tour all the time, and we like to have a new product each time we go on tour to feed to the audience. We could have looked at doing a complete album, which would have meant slamming down 14 or 15 songs and choosing the best 10 in a more expansive process. But with a mini-album, it means you can spend more time over the songs.”

While Brothers Grim have made a modern day art form of transposing dark and seedy tales into a confronting punk-blues aesthetic, Grim was wary of going down the slippery road to artistic contrivance.

“You can go crazy if you spend too much time thinking of what you should write,” he says. “You have to write what you feel, and what you want to create, and then you work hard to finish that song.

And on this record there’s a really wide variety of styles, from punk rock to Stonesy-riffs to weird prog, and it was all really enjoyable. We just let ‘em go where they wanted to go.”

On a personal level, Grim feels his own lyricwriting is maturing.

“With the genre I write in, it’s pretty easy to fall into the misogynist trap, just because of the sort of material you’re dealing with, because you’re dealing with murder ballads,” Grim says. “But I want to empower the characters that are in the songs. So lyrically, I feel that I’m creating characters that both men and women can appreciate – even if they don’t actually like those characters.”

On Roll It In, Brothers Grim pay tribute to the distinctive – and frequently under-appreciated lyricwriting – of the late Bon Scott, with a cover of AC/DC’s Kicked In The Teeth. “Bon Scott was a big influence on me,” Grim says.“He had a wicked, sly sense of humour. I think Back In Black is a brilliant album, but I’m not sure that if Bon Scott had stayed in the original band that the band would still be going at it today. Bon Scott certainly isn’t the sort of guy you’d want to peter out.”

Scott’s influence on Grim can be seen in the final track on the new record, Baby Girl. In the song, Grim adopts the position of a father contemplating what would make him turn to violence. “The song comes from a pulp story titled I Killed The Only Man My Baby Girl Ever Loved – when I saw that, I thought, ‘wow, what a statement’. The novel was written from the perspective of the mother, but I started looking at it from my perspective, and in the context of domestic violence, which I absolutely abhor.”

Grim is conscious of the potential for the lyrics to be misinterpreted by the audience, but sees that as an occupational risk. “The person I want to respond to the song is the perpetrator of domestic violence – it’s a veiled threat,” Grim says.

With Brothers Grim about on the road for a series of shows to promote Roll It In, there’s no immediate need for Grim to ponder an alternative career outside of music – but he does have a suggestion.

“Maybe a cult leader – it’s all about getting laid, but doing it in a way that makes people more peaceful,” Grim says dryly. “But I wouldn’t be wearing sandals!”

“With the genre I write in, it’s pretty easy to fall into the misogynist trap, just because of the sort of material you’re dealing with, because you’re dealing with murder ballads. But I want to empower the characters that are in the songs. So lyrically, I feel that I’m creating characters that both men and women can appreciate – even if they don’t actually like those characters.”

The brief juncture from touring also meant that Grim could spend more time creating the lyrics for the band’s songs. “Cathartic is a bit of a horrible word, but in a way that’s what it was for this record,” Grim says. “We finally had time to write after the last tour was finished. So rather than sit down and say, ‘this is the album that we want to write’, it was more of a case of ‘this is the story that we want to tell’.”

Grim, the band’s chief lyricist (and fanatical front man) began with some choice sketches of tracks, each one of which was eventually realised in the recording process. “It was a really interesting time for us,” Grim says. “The new songs are all beasts of their own.”

X-Press – First on the street, Wednesdays

STEREOPHONICS Graffiti On The Train SHE & HIM Volume 3 Spunk

While their Christmas album may have thrown out their numerology, She & Him stick to the basics with their fourth album, Volume 3. The pairing of Zooey Deschanel and M. Ward has been a fruitful one both critically and commercially.

It was the inclusion of Ward that allowed She & Him to avoid any criticism based on this project being just another actress trying her luck in the music industry.

Deschanel has grown in confidence with each release and is now clearly seen to be the one pulling on the reins. Again she writes and arranges all of the tunes on Volume 3 while dipping deeper into her love for the female pop stars of the ‘60s.

I’ve Got Your Number, Son kicks things off in much the way you would expect from the doeeyed Deschanel. Tambourine, handclaps and sweet female backing vocals push all the right twee buttons, without tipping into extra cheese territory. She & Him are three songs into Volume 3 before Ward makes his presence felt on the call and response of Baby.

Sunday Girl is given a fairly faithful workout, and with Deschanel at the helm is the version that you would be more likely to take home to meet your parents. Deschanel reinvents herself as an alto singer on Turn To White, but it is the bright love songs of Somebody Sweet To Talk To and Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me that resonate the loudest.

Volume 3 doesn’t offer up a lot in the way of difference for She & Him. Business as usual is more than satisfactory when you hit as many home runs and they continue to.

IGGY & THE STOOGES Ready To Die

BILL DARBY The Buzz & The Bloom

Stylus Records

Independent

Stereophonics play to their strengths on their eighth studio album – their first since 2009’s lacklustre Keep Calm & Carry On - opening in widescreen cinematic style with the epic, We Share The Same Sun. Laden with sumptuous strings, the song points at the direction of the album – big songs, big arrangements and one big eye on the pop charts.

Kelly Jones has always written his best songs about little tragedies – tales of suburban people next door and the trouble they get into - and the title track is another doozie of a tearjerker about a lad who dies whilst graffitiing a marriage proposal to his lover on a train.

The whole album is a smattering of the best bits of the band’s career: if you’re a fan of the band you’ll love it; if you don’t like what they do, there’s probably nothing here to convert you to the cause.

Having said that, they’ve undeniably progressed a lot since their meat-and-potatoes 1997 debut. First single, In A Moment, pulses with atypical beats and stabs of angular guitar, a bit-too-obvious attempt to appeal to the charts; Take Me sees Jones duetting with the breezy vocals of partner Jakki, elevating an otherwise standard song into something a bit more ambitious; Been Caught Cheating sees the band in acoustic swinging blues mode, apparently inspired by Amy Winehouse (though whether that’s musically or lyrically, is anyone’s guess).

When Bill Darby was playing with punk rockers O! at venues in Nedlands during the ‘90s, no one would have predicted the breadth of music that he would become involved in over the next few decades. Recently Darby has been showing his wares through his Ten Bit Tonsil band and The Buzz & The Bloom builds on this promise.

Mixing melodic electronica with acoustic guitar, Darby joins the ranks of home recording artists who use the limitations and charms of the bedroom to their advantage. Whites Of Their Eyes has a playful rhythm and joyful whistling that should see it filter into households via the advertisement for the latest mobile phone or tablet if any advertising exec worth their salt casts their ears across it.

Darby has a sophisticated ear when it comes to pop songs whether he be leaving plenty of room to breathe on the divine No Room, getting Beck-like funky on Distant Swarm or throwing the kitchen sink at Falling Star.

Bill Darby appears to have taken it on himself to bridge the gap between experimental and accessible. The Buzz & The Bloom is not only a triumph on those grounds, it is beautiful in its own right.

_ SHANE PINNEGAR

Fat Possum Records

The irrepressible Iggy Pop is back and sounding anything but ready to die. Reunited not only with The Stooges, but also the second most important collaborator throughout his long career, guitarist James Williamson, Pop sounds inspired and artistic, and has made a far better album than 2007’s The Wierdness.

Williamson has been there by Pop’s side for some of his best work both in and out of The Stooges, and he brings more than just his chainsaw-throughglass guitar to this raucous, unrepentant album.

Ready To Die finds Pop surly and stirring the pot as often as he is reflective – though ‘mellow’ in Iggy’s world is still pretty out there for the rest of us. ‘Fame & Fortune make me sick’, he croons over Williamson’s subtle acoustic guitar on Unfriendly World; ‘I can’t feel nothing real/my lights are all burned out’ (The Departed) hint at the sadness that comes with a life lived hard and nearing its conclusion, and Beat That Guy touches on a fight with depression. Don’t think he’s gone soft though - he remains defiant in the face of his impending mortality, and isn’t giving up yet: ‘I’m shooting for the sky / ‘cos I’m ready to die’ (Ready To Die).

Rest assured there’s plenty of life left in Iggy Pop, and although he gets pensive at times, he has Williamson at his side to ensure he never tips over into moroseness and keep proceedings as full of punk attitude as they were 40 years ago when they first _ CHRIS HAVERCROFT collaborated on the cult classic, Raw Power. _ SHANE PINNEGAR

CHRIS HAVERCROFT

BLACK STAR RIDERS All Hell Breaks Lose Nuclear Blast

Scott Gorham has answered critics in the best way possible with Black Star Riders, the rebooted, renamed, Thin Lizzy’s debut, delivering a record which reminds us of past glories at the same time as it stands imposingly on its own two feet.

From the first chime of Gorham and Damon Johnson’s guitars, the spirit of Lizzy looms large over the album, and while these comparisons are obvious, there is no doubt that Black Star Riders is a new project, and a valid way to continue the character of the band with new material without disrespecting what has gone before.

Johnson handles most of the songwriting, with vocalist Ricky Warwick taking care of the lyrics, and additional input from Gorham and bassist Marco Mendoza, and they’ve caught some real emerald lightning in the bottle with the rollicking anthem, Bound For Glory and the classy Celt-rock of Kingdom Of The Lost, featuring tin whistle and a riff worthy of a hard rock jig.

The CV’s of the band members read like a Who’s Who of hard rock –The Almighty, Whitesnake, Sammy Hagar, Alice Cooper, Ted Nugent, White Lion, Ozzy Osbourne, David Lee Roth, Megadeth – not to mention producer Kevin Shirley’s work with Iron Maiden, Led Zeppelin, Rush, Slayer and more, so it’s no surprise that the album is so confident and assured - never showy, purely professional, powerful and exquisite.

The duelling guitar sound so renowned

by Lizzy is showcased throughout the album and it’s glorious to hear it again on such quality new material. _ SHANE PINNEGAR

FLEETWOOD MAC Extended Play Independent/iTunes

With very little promotion or fanfare, Fleetwood Mac released their first record in a decade at the end of last month, a four-track EP aptly titled Extended Play.

The quintet-turned-quartet (Christine McVie chose to opt out), haven’t released anything since 2003’s See You Will, though each have undertaken various solo projects.

Extended Play was written primarily by Lindsay Buckingham, and doesn’t sway too far from his recent albums – in fact, if it weren’t for Stevie Nicks’ stunning vocals in the background, it would be difficult to tell the difference. First track, Sad Angel, is the single taken from the EP – a sweet, poppy song with a memorable chorus. Without You is, unsurprisingly, the standout tune – written by Buckingham and Nicks pre-Fleetwood Mac - a longlost folk-ballad that will appease long-time fans of both the band and the ex-couple.

But the appeal of Fleetwood Mac’s early work was the drama, the emotional chord struck with the audience within seconds of listening to a song.

Extended Play takes a few listens before any impact is made, and even then it doesn’t have that extraordinary feel to it. Though there isn’t anything overly bad about the EP itself – it is a fine a little offering – it’s disappointing that the first release from Fleetwood Mac in a decade sounds so… unlike Fleetwood Mac. But, perhaps we must stop looking to the past - and accept that we’re never going back again. _ CHLOE PAPAS www.xpressmag.com.au

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X-Press – First on the street, Wednesdays

AN AG R AM MA N Stephen S St h K K. A Amos, iis b bestt k known tto A Australian t li audiences di ffor his appearances on Good News Week and The Great Debate, and now he returns with a new book of memoirs, I Used To Say My Mother Was Shirley Bassey. He is also in town to perform his new one man show, The Spokesman, as part of the Perth International Comedy Festival. LIAM DUNN speaks to the British comedian about his new show, the state of comedy today and if a comedian can ever go too far.

No stranger to Australian shores, Stephen K. Amos has built a sizeable audience around the country, which affords him a lengthy stay when he does come to visit, but he may have an ulterior motive for his return this time around.

“The boys!” says Amos, laughing. “Not really. The weather is amazing, it’s just really good fun, and the people like me so I’ll keep coming back.”

Amos is in town for the Perth International Comedy Festival, which is enjoying its second year, with a full line up of national and international comedians who seem to view this fair city as a proving ground for new material. Not to be left out, Amos comes with his new show The Spokesman tucked neatly under his arm. “The Spokesman is an anagram of my name, Stephen K. Amos, and basically it’s kind of exploring the whole notion of a ‘spokesman.’ Who are these people who talk on behalf of government or somebody who’s got into trouble? Suddenly there’s this spokesman who appears on TV or in the press reading a statement that we’re all meant to believe or take at face value.”

Amos began his career on stage doing MC and hosting work in comedy clubs before becoming a full time stand-up. His success at both of these roles, he believes, can be boiled down to an essence. “If you’re good, then the audience will accept you and be drawn into your world. Being an MC in a comedy club, people will expect you to be funny, so you’ve got that kind of leeway where you can be a bit more yourself. But when you’re doing a set as a comic, they’ll expect you to deliver the goods.”

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BY THE BOOK

Local author Michael Muhling has taken a stab at figuring what inspired fantasist JRR Tolkien to write The Lord of the Rings. In his new book, The Real Middle-earth: Discovering The Origin Of The Lord Of The Rings, he places the origin of many of the elements of Tolkien’s epic series in ancient Abyssinia. This Saturday, May 18, Muhling will be signing copies at Quality Comics on Hay Street from 11am. Head The Real Middle-earth on down for a look at the real world mysteries behind one of the most beloved book series of all time.

Perfect Tripod

FOUR PIECE FUNNY MEN Stephen K. Amos CONTINUED FROM COVER It is easy to see why Amos’s affable and warm stand-up style is so popular in both Australia and his native United Kingdom. One of his main calling cards is the level of audience involvement in his shows; something he says keeps both himself and the audience on their toes. “It lets you know, and it lets me know, that the night is going to be a little different and I want to be in the moment.

So whatever happens in the room, if it’s funny I’ll run with it, if it’s not funny we can go off in another direction. I don’t want to get bored with what I’m talking about.”

It becomes apparent that something Amos certainly does not find boring is the current surge in popularity in comedy around the globe, where more and more people are discovering the freedom of a good joke. “Everywhere around the world there is some live, exciting comedy scene. I don’t know if that’s because there was a financial crisis and people need a laugh, but it’s nice to see people be able to have the freedom to be able to laugh at and criticise governments and taking people down a peg or two.

Being a comic is the only job I can think of where you’re allowed to say whatever you want. You are your own self censor. Particularly when you’re doing a live show, there’s nobody there telling you what you can or cannot say.”

In light of recent events where comedians have come under fire for crossing some kind of perceived line, or saying things that have been found to be considered too offensive, Amos believes a comic has the right to say whatever they like.

However, it isn’t a one-way street. “I am totally an advocate for freedom of speech, I accept that people can say whatever they like, as long, as far as I’m concerned, they can back it up or justify it in some way. But also if you accept freedom of speech you must accept freedom of expression. So if you say something on stage that somebody in the audience doesn’t like, or doesn’t get, and they challenge you, so be it. That’s the nature of this job. As far as I’m concerned there are some things that I wouldn’t say, but that’s just my own boundaries.”

This accountability on the part of the artist, Amos believes, is in danger of being dissolved by the anonymous nature of the Internet. “The thing with the Internet is, you can be a faceless, nameless individual and you can talk the most hideous, vitriolic, vile stuff and hide behind anonymity. With stand-up, people know it’s you, there’s nothing you’re hiding behind you’re out there. But the Internet has meant that all these people who live in wherever, can say whatever they like with the safety net of never being discovered, and that’s the danger I think.” _ LIAM DUNN

Rosemary’s Baby

U(WA) OUGHTTA BE IN PICTURES

The University of Western Australia Film Society is kicking things into high gear once more beginning this Thursday, May 16, with the first of a series of six classic movie screenings. The first iconic artwork of the silver screen is Roman Polanki’s chilling Rosemary’s Baby, which will be introduced

by SixThousand editor Danielle Marsland. Future screenings include a double feature of Czech New Wave classics Daisies and Valerie and Her Week of Wonders, Dead Man, Bringing Up Baby, Lolita and Down By Law. Each screening starts at 7pm in the Crawley campus’s Social Sciences Lecture Theatre.

Comedians Eddie Perfect and Tripod - aka Perfect Tripod - are coming to Perth after a whirlwind tour that saw them sell out venues across the nation. It’s a night of high-flying musical comedy, with the four proving that not only are they some of Australia’s most renowned comedians for a reason, they’re also dab hands at the whole music malarkey, too. Perfect Tripod are hitting The regal Theatre on Friday, August 30 and Saturday, August 31. Go to regaltheatre.com for details and ticketek.com for bookings.

A PURRFECT PIECE OF THEATRE

Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Cats is coming to Perth!

The deathless Broadway phenomenon is being mounted by the ICW Performing Arts Association, who were responsible for successful runs of Oliver and Les Miserables last year. Director Mark Barford and Musical Director Ian Westrip lead an impressive cast of Australian acting talent, while the renowned Chrissie Parrott handles dance choreography. The show runs at The Regal Theatre from July 11 - 20.

Tickets are available through Ticketek.

Moira de la Hunty

TIME AFTER TIME

Time Bids Be Gone, the new exhibition by artists Moira de la Hunty and Tane Andrews, is a meditation on the nature of time, transition and stillness. This mixed media collection represents the latest work by two of Perth’s most innovative and technically accomplished creative figures. It runs at Melville’s Heathcote Museum and Gallery from May 25 - June 30. Go to melville.wa.gov.au/heathcote for details.

Snitch Broken

BROKEN

Last House On The Left Directed by Rufus Norris Starring Tim Roth, Cillian Murphy, Zana Marjanovic, Rory Kinnear, Robert Emms, Bill Milner, Eloise Laurence.

A diabetic young girl’s coming of age is wrought with danger as she is confronted by extreme circumstances that threaten not only to steal her innocence but also her life in this beautifully photographed and composed drama by renowned theatre director, Rufus Norris.

Based on the novel by Daniel Clay, Broken follows Skunk (Laurence), a 13 year-old girl with Type 1 diabetes who lives with her single father (Roth), brother Jed (Milner) and their nanny Kasia (Marajanovic). Skunk is a young and innocent free spirit whose world is irreparably altered when their neighbour, a single father of three young girls (Kinnear), attacks another neighbour (Emms) after one of his daughters accuses him of sexual abuse.

After this violent attack the lives of these families are turned upside down, and for Skunk, she must learn to navigate this dangerous new world or risk being consumed by it.

In his feature film debut, Norris has a crafted an excellent, if a little heavy-handed, story of a young girl’s navigation through a world which 20

is forcing her to grow up too fast. Norris’s skill as a theatre director shows through with superb performances from all the major players. Veterans Roth and Murphy are great as always, but it is with the young actors that he has truly scored high. Young Eloise Laurence is a revelation as Skunk, bringing an innocence belied only by a deep wisdom that engenders sympathy right out of the gate.

This great ensemble cast is complemented brilliantly by the gorgeous cinematography of Rob Hardy (Red Riding: 1974) which creates a lustre that gives the film an almost dreamlike quality, until that dream turns into a nightmare of deepening shadows. It is the editing by Victoria Boydell (Spooks, Luther), though, which deserve special mention. The elliptical editing style is heavily influenced by the films of Christopher Nolan, turning events inside out and back to front with the odd flash of the future or a dream sequence which enriches the viewer’s experience of the film while never feeling cluttered or confusing.

If there is one time the film falters it is in the third act where events spiral so far out of control for the characters, it all becomes a little too convenient and the themes are brought home a little too hard, stretching credulity almost to a breaking point. Thankfully, the film is saved by the stunning central performance of Laurence which lets you off the hook if you feel like shedding a tear or two. _ LIAM DUNN

SNITCH

The Rock In A Hard Place Direct by Ric Roman Waugh Starring Dwayne Johnson, Jon Bernthal, Susan Sarandon, Michael Kenneth Williams, Barry Pepper, Melina Kanakaredes, Benjamin Bratt The biggest problem facing wrestler turned actor Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson is that his own natural charisma and screen presence is so rarely matched by the material he finds himself in - remember Faster or Tooth Fairy? Now, even after success in the Fast & Furious and GI Joe franchises, Snitch comes along to remind us that, for the most part, Hollywood just doesn’t know what to do with him.

Johnson is John Matthews, a regular, hardworking guy (and that alone should be setting off alarm bells - The Rock is many things, but normal isn’t one of them) whose world is turned upside down when his estranged son, Jason (Rafi Gavron), is arrested for drug smuggling. The boy is facing hard time, but Matthews cuts a deal with prosecutor Keeghan (Susan Sarandon) and DEA Agent Cooper (Barry Pepper): he will help them bust some bigger fish in the drug game in return for a reduced sentence for Jason.

Leaving aside the fact that the film’s ‘war on drugs’ plotline is straight out of the ‘80s, Snitch is a confused and uncertain affair. It wants to have its cake and eat it, both decrying the antics of its drug baron villains (Benjamin Bratt and Michael Kenneth Williams, who both deserve so much better) and the brutal and

unsophisticated mandatory sentencing laws that send first time offenders away for life. It’s not so much a balanced view as a contradictory one, and you’re never quite sure what the film is trying to say.

It’s also a remarkably cheap looking production. Most of the running time consists of a small number of people talking in enclosed sets, and even the big action climax feels like a TV-scale sequence.

Director Ric Roman Waugh, who gave us the pretty decent Felon, cut his teeth as a stuntman in almost 50 productions, so you could be forgiven for imagining he’d know his way around an action sequence, but here he just shakes the camera and piles on the rapid cuts and zooms, mistaking incoherence for energy.

Snitch does boast a good cast, though, although they generally struggle to do much of anything with the turgid and self-important material.

Jon Bernthal, who was the most interesting thing in The Walking Dead for the first couple of seasons, does well as Daniel, the conflicted ex-con that Matthews uses to gain entry into the narcotics underworld, and Johnson himself shows an ability to convey nuance and complexity that, while hardly Oscar-level, puts him streets ahead of his fellow action heroes.

It’s all to negligible effect, though. It’s hard to care about these characters and their situation, and the prosaic scale and uninspired action staging means to fails even as a fire-and-forget action movie.

Even hardcore Dwayne Johnson fans - and they are legion - will have a hard time finding kind things to say about this one. Let’s hope that, sooner rather than later, the big guy gets the action vehicle he deserves. _ TRAVIS JOHNSON X-Press – First on the street, Wednesdays

A Place For Me

A PLACE FOR ME

Tangled Thoughts of Leaving Directed by Josh Boone Starring Greg Kinnear, Jennifer Connelly, Nat Wolfe, Lily Collins, Logan Lerman, Liana Liberato A fractured family deal with the myriad permutations and pitfalls of love in this loose but amiable comedy drama from first time writer/director Josh Boone.

Released elsewhere as Stuck In Love, A Place For Me sees Greg Kinnear play William Borgens, a successful author unsuccessfully coping with both his divorce from Erica (Jennifer Connelly) and the challenges of raising two teenage kids, Samantha (Lily Collins) and Rusty (Nat Wolfe), both of whom he groomed as writers from a young age. Promiscuous Samantha is on the verge of publishing her first novel, but is emotionally disconnected thanks to living through her parents’ divorce. The younger, more awkward Rusty longs for the experiences he thinks will make him a great writer, along with the affections of his classmate, party girl Kate (Liana Liberato).

Capturing the mindset of a writer is something that film rarely, if ever, does well, and while A Place For Me is nowhere near as bad as the truly execrable The Words, there’s a tweeness and a sentimentality about the writer’s craft that rings false.

Structurally, the somewhat sprawling film, with its large cast and complex relationships, feels like it was adapted from a novel, and it would be unsurprising to learn that Boone first tried his hand at that medium

before settling on the cinematic form to tell his story.

Strong performances and a decent amount of self-deprecating humour buoy the proceedings.

Kinnear is excellent as a man who is stuck in neutral, who vacillates between stalking his ex-wife and her newer, younger, dumber husband and indulging in torrid afternoon dalliances with his married neighbour, Tricia (Kristen Bell). The younger cast also do quite well, with Lily Collins in particular giving a brave and complex performance.

The key problem here is that we’ve seen all this before. Boone’s screenplay has the ring of autobiography, although it’s clearly not an entirely faithful account, and it’s easy to imagine that, for him at least, the film is redolent with significance. Anyone not as close to the material, though, can see how easily it fits on the shelf in between The Squid And The Whale and, say, Bee Season or Smart People. The tribulations of rich, educated white people are not an unworthy subject - although they’re an eminently mockable one - but it helps if you’re bringing some new insight or angle on the milieu; consider how Wes Anderson’s wry wit and subtle surrealism leaven what would otherwise be fairly leaden accounts of the suffering of the privileged. Boone lacks such an idiosyncratic viewpoint.

Still, A Place For Me is by no means unwatchable. The game cast and a solid, if only occasional trenchant, script mean that the running time never drags, but it’s not a film that sticks in the memory for long. _ TRAVIS JOHNSON

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AUDI FESTIVAL OF GERMAN FILMS Fans of German cinema were out in force at Cinema Paradiso on Thursday, June 9 for the launch of the 2013 Audi Festival of German Films. Patrons got a look at the WWII era cabaret satire Hotel Lux before retiring to The Bakery for the after party.

Photos by Matt Jelonek

Ella, Ally

Steve, Viktoria Jarrad, Vivi

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Lena, Martina 21

The Red Balloon - Melissa Egan

MELISSA EGAN Life With Archie

Acclaimed Queensland-based artist Melissa Egan’s new exhibition, The Good Life, is on display at Linton & Kay Galleries until Thursday, June 6. We talk to her about her history, her influences and her brush with The Archibald Prize.

Coming from an artistic family, it seems that Melissa Egan was always destined to be an artist.

As her long-lasting career demonstrates, she’s fulfilled that destiny to the hilt.

“I guess I’ve been painting for the last 27 years seriously,” she tells us. “My family were always very encouraging of art - my brother is also an artist, as is my mother and it was just the thing to do. I guess it was spurred on when I had a marriage breakup, and it just went from there.”

Although firmly ensconced in the contemporary Australian art milieu, Egan says that her influences go back much further. “Obviously I’m heavily influenced by the Renaissance European artists like Goya, Velasquez, Delacroix, Rembrandt, the old masters and such,” she says. “As well as Australian contemporary artists. Charles Blackman, he’s been a big influence both personally and with my work.”

Indeed, Blackman, one of the last of the Antipodeans and easily one of the most famous living artists in Australia today, is a close friend of Egan’s, and the subject of the portrait that saw her shortlisted for the Archibald Prize last year.

As for her latest exhibition, which is also her first solo show in Perth, Egan says that The

Good Life is about “...all the enjoyable things in life.

It’s kind of, on the surface, all very welcoming. Sort of evocative of the things that we enjoy, I suppose, like eating and drinking and riding horses, riding in boats.”

Pressed to name a favourite, she says, “I suppose the eating ones combine a lot of elements, like still life, portraiture and animals, so they’re sort of my favourites. There are different elements I’ve brought in, like old napkins and jars that I collected in Europe - they’re my favourites. And finally there’s this large one that I did at the end - because your last painting until you get onto your next one, and then that’s your favourite - and it’s a big haystack.”

But back to the Archibald Prize for a moment, a rare plaudit coveted by almost everyone in the Australian art world. Even though she ultimately didn’t win - Tim Storrier’s The Histrionic Wayfarer scooped the top slot in 2012 - being a finalist was something of a whirlwind.

“When you get the phone call,” she says.

“You can’t really believe it. It goes on and on and on. The painting is still touring - it tours regional galleries up and down the east coast for about a year afterwards. I think it’s coming back this month.

“It was really good because I painted Charles Blackman, and he’s an old friend. It was nice because I didn’t have to seek out anybody. He was there, I knew him pretty well and he didn’t have expectations.

That made it really special. And afterwards there’s so much going on - the parties and the interviews and everything. It was a great experience.” _ TRAVIS JOHNSON

TIKI BEAT

South Seas Surprise This Sunday, May 19, sees the grand opening of The Tiki Beat Bar, the brand new tiki bar at Fremantle’s Newport Hotel, with a groovy gala populated be Rocket to Memphis, Shotdown From Sugartown, Carnies With Candy and more - head to thenewport.com for details. TRAVIS JOHNSON had a chat with the bar’s designer, Australian tiki godfather Marcus Thorn.

World renowned tiki carver Marcus Thorn was pretty much born for the job. Right from the get-go he was in a prime position to lose himself in the strange world of tiki culture, where indigenous pacific traditions get mashed up with the iconography of American ‘50s cool.

“I was born in Port Moresby, New Guinea,” he recalls. “And what made me start carving was basically just a love of Polynesian carvings. Once I saw my first carving, a big 12 foot tiki, I said, ‘Jeez, I’ve gotta start on doing something like that.’ I started about 18 years ago and I’ve been carving ever since.”

Thorn has a deep love for full-scale tikis - the giant wood and stone carvings of elongated humanoid forms that are central to Polynesian mythology - but he works in a wide variety of media in his Queensland studio, imbuing a dizzying array of objects with his unique take on the style. Such is the demand for his work that he has travelled the world with his wares, going from “... Japan to Hawaii to the States doing Hawaiian shows and carvings for big projects, like tiki bars, over there. Then I came back over to Queensland where I’ve been ever since, just carving at my studio. I’ve done stuff for movies, especially here at Movie World for some American films. Also bars and hotels in Hawaii, and in America it’s mainly been for clients and gallery shows. Mainly it’s sold to the public in America.”

But it’s his work in Perth that we’re interested in now, specifically the new Tiki Beat Bar situated at The Newport Hotel. Thorn has designed every element of the bar, from the hand-carved totem poles to the ship’s wheel logo; every item in the new venue has his mark on it. It’s clearly a labour of love. “They approached me, talking about doing a tiki bar and they asked if I could design the bar. So I designed the whole bar, every inch of it. Because we’re so far apart it was a long 22

Marcus Thorn project; it was me going backwards and forwards with sketches and drawings so the builders knew exactly what to do and make.

“I wanted to give it an old sailor, nautical bar feel,” Thorn continues. “That it could have been built in the 1800s and has, over the generations, things have changed slowly. Basically, just to give it that old feeling, that sailors have brought carvings and tikis back from their travels all over the South Seas.”

For Thorn it’s a continuation of a culture that, though it may ebb and flow in the popular consciousness, never really goes away. “For me to explain why I’ve got into it, the culture that I’m in, I always grew up within the rockabilly scene; the cars and the music and the architecture. Other people were into low art or pinstriping cars and I thought I’d try something different, so I started carving. That was what I did, and brought the tiki back into the Australia, where it mixed in the whole culture.”

X-Press – First on the street, Wednesdays

VISUAL ARTS Made To Remember: Ar t G a l l e r y O f WA , Northbridge 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 June 30.

The Oracle: Turner Galleries, Northbridge In this new collection, Anna Nazzari examines the prophet-like abilities of the octopus through a series of images that allude to the impending fates of notable Australians. The exhibition runs until May 18.

Go to turnergalleries.com.au for more.

each other’s work perfectly. While Ansell’s work has a strong sense of place, inspired as it is by the Pilbara and the goldfields, Hall uses visual metaphor to evoke notions of childhood, fantasy and imagination.

This dual exhibition is a great showcase of their themes and concerns. It runs until May 24. Go to elementsartgallery.com.au for further information.

Bound to the Rush: Gadfly Gallery British artist Becky Blair ’s 10th anniversary exhibition is a celebration of life filtered through the understanding that existence is, by necessity, seasoned with risk and tragedy. It runs from until June 2. Visit gadflygallery.com for more.

Van Gogh, Dali and Beyond - The World Reimagined: Art Gallery of WA, Northbridge The third exhibition in AGWA’s MoMA Series promises to be one of the most fascinating. This extraordinary show encompasses 134 works from 96 artists, including Vincent Van Gogh, Paul Cezanne, Richard Long, Frida Kahlo and more, tracing the development of modern art in the 20th Century. The exhibition runs from June 21 - Dec 2.

Go to artgallery.wa.gov.au for further information.

Year 12 Perspectives: Ar t G aller y 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.

From War to Remembrance - A Living History of the RSL From War to Remembrance - A Living History of the RSL: The State Library of WA An exhibition on the history, goals and activities of the RSL in Western Australia, encompassing art installations, interactive displays, archival photographs and objects, film screenings and guest speakers.

It runs until June 30.

Apparition - The Syndicate II: Fremantle Arts Centre Renowned WA sculptor Peter Dailey presents a series of ten life-size human figures presented under specific lighting designs in a darkened gallery in order to allow the viewer to contemplate the cultural, economic, political and environmental mechanism they are a part of. Runs until June 2.

Secrets of the Afterlife: The Western Australian Museum This collection of over 100 Egyptian artefacts from the British Museum collection - including two mummies! - explores ancient attitudes to life after death. The exhibition runs from May 17 - September 22. Go to museum.gov.au for more.

The Trail of Time - The Sandalwood Project: Fremantle Arts Centre WA born, Melbourne based artist Michael Bullock’s sculptural exhibition is a look at WA’s sandalwood industry. It mixes personal experiences of place and family with a detailed understanding of the history, trade and uses of sandalwood. The exhibition runs until June 2.

THEATRE/DANCE/ PERFORMANCE

Mad About You - 40 Years of the Fremantle Arts Centre: Fremantle Arts Centre In a nice bit of metatextuality, this exhibition at FAC is all about FAC; specifically, the history and culture of the now 40 year old institution. It runs until June 2 - head to fac.org.au for more.

Desert Dreams and Nocturnal Journeys: Elements Art Gallery Perth artists Jill Ansell and Beba Hall work in contrasting styles, yet their endeavours complement

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This version by The Black Swan State Theatre Company stars Austin Castiglione, Adrianne Daff, Luke Hewitt and Eden Falk. It runs until May 25. Go to bsstc.com.au for session times and tickets.

A Clockwork Orange: Subiaco Arts Centre Following the 50th anniversary of the publication of Anthony Burgess’s searing and seminal novel, this stage adaptation brings all the controversy, violence and ethical cerebration to vivid life. The show runs until May 19. Go to clockworkorange.com.au or subiacoartscentre.com.au for session times and tickets.

Nevermore: Hackett Hall, Floreat This mysterious musical based on the life, loves and work of Edgar Allen Poe, widely regarded to be the father of modern horror, should prove to be macabre evening’s entertainment. It runs until May 18. Go to Perth International Comedy Festival: numerous playlovers.org.au for details and tickets. locations across Perth Guests this year include 30 Rock’s Tracy Morgan, Death of a Salesman: The Heath Ledger Centre Perhaps the greatest American play of the 20th Margaret Cho, Jim Jefferies, Stephen K. Amos, and century, Arthur Miller’s sobering Death of a Salesman The Wayans Brothers. It runs until May 19. Head to is a perennial favourite amongst theatre aficionados. perthcomedyfest.com.au for details.

FESTIVALS

Frida Kahlo - Self Portrait With Cropped Hair, Van Gogh, Dali and Beyond

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X-Press – First on the street, Wednesdays

He’s been credited with coining the term ‘hip hop’, is the founder of Universal Zulu Nation and created the legendary tune Planet Rock, now celebrating its 30 th anniversary. ANNABEL MACLEAN chats with the American visionary that is DJ Afrika Bambaataa.

DJ Afrika Bambaataa, or Bam as he’s affectionately known, has been redefining music and culture as we know it today for over 35 years. He’s co-produced and performed with the likes of James Brown, George Clinton, UB40, Leftfield, Jungle Brothers, A Tribe Called Quest and more. In 2007, Bam was nominated for induction into the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame and last year, he was appointed as a visiting scholar at Cornell University in New York.

Per forming his music and talking to students at Cornell – spreading the word about hip hop culture is something Bam loves doing. “ We teach them the knowledge and we get the knowledge as we speak to the people; the youth, young adults, the elders, everybody’s dropping knowledge to each other,” he says of his experiences at Cornell so far.

“That’s the great part – exchanging our thoughts.”

Although Bam is teaching students, he has definitely taken away a l o t h i m s e l f f ro m t h e experience so far. “We learnt that Cornell has all these hip hop archives on New York City,” he says.

“The archives are what bought so many people to New York City.

It’s a place that has accepted the whole culture of New York City hip hop, that’s why so many people are trying to get their archives to Cornell because they really show a love for the culture.

“Many people around the world should go to Cornell because all the hip hop archives are there.

They’ve got great archives, not just of hip hop, but of history – of many different things; Indigenous people signing treaties to different cultures of witchcraft, so many crazy books.

The stuff there is amazing.”

Bam is credited with coining the term ‘hip hop’ with regards to the global movement and says hip hop has changed dramatically since he came up with the title. “There was a lot of trying to get people to come out to enjoy the breakbeats and rap movement and the DJs and putting all the

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elements together for people to come and experience,” Bam says of hip hop back in the ‘70s and ‘80s.

“It was real exciting to see the beginning because a lot of times DJs today, they don’t really play the breakbeats. If you say ‘breakbeat’ now, they think you’re talking about jungle. And most people when you say ‘hip hop’, they think you’re talking about a rap record, whereas back then you had James Brown, The Rolling Stones, whatever it was to get people partying to the beat.”

Now, Bam is heading down under for a national tour in celebration of the 30th anniversary of Planet Rock. “I think the last time I was here [Australia] was Big Day Out with me and The Black Eyed Peas. There were lots of memories – seeing everybody, going to visit the Indigenous Australians, the radio station over there, going to different communities and playing at different clubs and seeing everybody enjoying themselves and having a good time.”

Bam will of course be playing a special version of Planet Rock in his set on his upcoming tour. “They say it’s the most sampled hip hop record ever in the hip hop history,” he says.

“So many hip hop artists, dance artists, electro artists… a lot of people have used something from this record… There’s so many [different remixes]. There’s breakbeat ones and Indian versions and so many reggae versions, there’s a piano classical version, a jazz piano version – real nice. I always play different versions. They won’t let me get away if I don’t play some type of Planet Rock (laughs).”

A s fo r o t h e r p a r t i e s on the cards, Bam will also be celebrating the 40th anniversary of Universal Zulu Nation and the 30th anniversary of hip hop culture this year. There are original productions, singles and copious amounts of touring to be smashed out before the end of this year but, for now, it’s all about celebrating hip hop culture. “It’s amazing to see how it [hip hop] has transferred into so many different nationalities in the human race and so many people are doing different stuff with hip hop in so many different countries,” he says.

“It’s just great to see all over the planet. We want people to come out and enjoy themselves and leave all your troubles for the night or for the day and let’s party on the mothership - just listen to some music and have fun!”

» DJ AFRIKA BAMBAATAA » SATURDAY, MAY 18 @ THE BAKERY

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DIALECTRIX THE COLD LIGHT OF DAY

THE KNIFE SHAKING THE HABITUAL

This might be his third album in four years, but Dialectrix just keeps upping the ante. Once again teaming with Plutonic Lab and DJ 2buck, the album kicks off with Shadow In The Light, showcasing Plutonic’s explosive percussion. This basically sets the tone for the album, with the emcee’s intricate flow weaving through and around the beats, setting the foundation for some of his most personal lyricism yet.

At times the pace is almost manic, but always controlled. The beats have an urgency without always being at a high BPM, and the lyrics are tightly condensed without seeming rushed. Style is a particular highlight, with horns and bass blurting beneath a playful delivery, featuring P Smurf. Later in the album, Fire In The Blood is highly personal track, that’s at once dark and reflective, dealing with cynicism and a legacy of violence he prays his children will not inherit.

This is then contrasted by tracks like We Ride Beats, with its slapping rhythm, double time flows, and some incredible guest verses from Chip Fu and the legendary Def Wish. Another successful chapter from a great team up, and hopefully not the last.

The Knife have returned with their fourth studio album, the Swedish brother and sister duo reuniting after solo forays. During the recording process their brief was “to let go of what we already knew about music (and) explore what we didn’t,” a purpose which comes through strongly on the record. In seven years since their last LP Silent Shout, they’ve had ample time to comprehend what they are all about, and what they want to bring to their music and in turn to the listening public.

Utilising innovative methods to make sounds and compile songs, the listener is led through electronic drumming, eerie, disjointed chord progressions and harshly whispered lyrics asking “When you’re full of fire, what’s the object of your desire?” on Full of Fire.

On Without You My Life Would Be Boring the language delves into more obscene territory with the verse “A handful of elf pee, that’s my soul, spray it all over, fill the bowl.” They go deep into obscure, metaphorical themes and their own political ideas, believing in what they have to say, resulting in a two disc album that requires significant time spent with it to achieve an understanding.

With songs less about recognisable riffs and instead centred around thought provoking, questioning lyrics and offbeat, clashing, synthesised sounds it would seem a difficult album to appreciate. Their unusual sound makes the journey deeper, coercing the listener into reflection and contemplation, as its unpredictability brings something new around every corner. Consideration and an open mind are vital - there is no other way to listen to this album.

OBESE RECORDS

» NICK SWEEPAH

Mantra

RABID RECORDS

» TOM KITSON

LOUD MANTRA Random Access Memories

PRE-ORDER DA PUNK

The long-awaited and much hyped-up latest Daft Punk LP, Random Access Memories is finally available for pre-order and a full free listen on iTunes for a limited time. On sale from this Friday, May 17, the French duo’s electrifying disco-pop album features collabs with Italian electro producer, Giorgio Moroder, Julian Casablancas from The Strokes and vocalist/producer Pharrell Williams of recent ‘Rub Up A Mexican Monkey’ fame. Get to iTunes.com/daftpunk.

Melbourne-based rapper, Mantra, will be dropping his new single on The Rosemount next weekend.

Having just signed to the same label as Seth Sentry, Ten To Two Records, his new tune, Loudmouth, is an autobiographical song about being the class clown and is the precursor to his next LP, out later this year. Tickets are on sale now from mantraemcee.com for the Saturday, June 1 show.

Lady Waks

Rudimental

FEELIN’ THE LOVE

Chart topping stars Rudimental are on their way to Metro City on Friday, September 13. Their debut album Home has completely smashed it across the world with their track, Feel The Love, making it to #1 on the Australian iTunes singles and dance charts and going triple platinum. Tickets go on sale next Monday, May 20 at 9am - go to oztix.com.au or ticketmaster.com.au.

BASS FACE REQUIRED

Major Bass is back this year with Russia’s Lady Waks and New Hampshire’s CRNKN. Kick starting her career as a hip hop radio show host, Lady Waks was the driving force behind the Russian breakbeat massive. New to the dance music scene, the 20-yearold CRNKN is a trap pioneer and also dabbles in dubstep. Stay tuned for more info about the event, to be held on Saturday, June 29 at Villa. Tickets are $38+BF from Moshtix.

CHARLI XCX TRUE ROMANTIC

English singer-songwriter and pop goddess Charli XCX has been performing and writing tunes since she was 15 years old. Now, the sassy lass has just released her debut record True Romance, a personal collection of poptastic tunes about love in every shape and form. ANNABEL MACLEAN gets the lowdown.

Charli XCX, aka Charlotte Aitchison, is currently on tour with Welsh singer-songwriter and Marina and her band The Diamonds, having just collaborated with the musician on their recent track Just Desserts.

“It’s funny because I feel like we have a lot of the same fans,” Aitchison says of the tour so far.

“It’s cool touring with her, she’s like my big sister and we always have a lot of fun together and we always wanted to do a song together just because I feel like it was like a present to our fans.”

Aitchison has just released her debut record, True Romance, and says she’s received positive feedback so far.“I’m nervous because it’s my baby and I’ve been working on it for such a long time and I was scared everyone was going to call it ‘an ugly child’ or something but they didn’t which is really nice,” she says, laughing.

“I grew up during the process of writing this album. One of the songs I wrote on there when I was 15 and some of the others when I was 17, 18, 19, and I feel like your perspective on love and life changes a lot during those times.

“I think that’s what the record is about and it’s about me discovering what true romance is. True romance is beautiful and emotional and there’s those moments where you’re walking on clouds and it’s an absolute dream-world and I think it’s also those moments where you’re crying and you’re alone and you’re depressed… I feel like you can’t really have true romance unless you have both sides of that. I feel like passion swings both ways. I think that’s reflected in the record as well because there’s definitely darker moments and lighter moments and I feel like that’s the darker and lighter sides of love.”

26

Charli XCX Aitchison worked with Ariel Reichstadt (producer for Usher and Major Lazer), Patrik Berger (producer for Lana Del Ray, Robyn), Blood Diamonds and J£zus Millions on the LP, however, it was only Reichstadt and Berger who were physically in the studio with Aitchison for the recording process. “I’m very closed-off when it comes to writing,” she says.

“Even though there’s a few different people on the record, the only people I was ever in the room with was Ariel and Patrik and even though I love everybody else that I worked with on that record, everything else that I did I did over email because I don’t like working in the studio with new people, it kind of scares me, it kind of intimidates me and I like my own small team.

I never feel embarrassed or anything like that, everyone else I like to keep at a distance.”

Aitchison is also the songwriter behind Swedish pop duo Icona Pop’s hit I Love It and performed the song with the duo earlier this year at Perez Hilton’s party at South By Southwest. “I did 10 shows in five days so it was kind of intense,” she says of SXSW. “The Perez show really was this crazy bubble land and it was very poptastic and I felt like I was the misfit there… it was a ‘wow’ moment but I peaked too early on the first night.

We got really fucked up and I was like ‘shit’, I lost my voice for the rest of the week but it was cool. I feel like everyone’s like that. Everyone’s like popping pills first night and then after that it’s like ‘shit, what have I done?’”

Aitchison is planning on spending the rest of this year touring True Romance to “really put on a show and make it 10 times better than what it is on the album”.

“I really want to come back out to Australia and I think at the beginning of next year that’ll be possible and I’m also working on new material which is cool,” she says.

But, she says her next record will have fewer collaborations than her debut. “I’ve done quite a lot of collaborations for this record and for the next record I just want it to be about me… but after this Icona Pop song, loads of doors have been opened for me in terms of writing with other people and for other people and I’d love to work with loads of people – I’d love to work with Gwen Stefani, I’d actually really love to work with Cher Lloyd as well. It’s cool to be able to make your own imprint on top 40 whilst doing your own pop weirdo stuff.”

» CHARLI XCX » TRUE ROMANCE [WARNER] » OUT NOW X-Press – First on the street, Wednesdays

OLIVER TWIZT SOME SATISFACTION

Dutch producer Oliver Twizt is a man living his dream on the back of a string of successful releases. TOM KITSON spoke to him about his new ‘girl-friendly’ track and something about ‘bubbling.’

Forming an interest after an introduction from his music teaching uncle at an early age, Joel Rene aka Oliver Twizt soon started mixing beats, to the point where he felt good enough to construct his own tunes. In 2008 he released Do the Monkey with MC Roga on Spinnin’ Records, and since then a steady string of remixes and releases on that label and on Mad Decent and Dim Mak has earned him international recognition.

After just completing a 13-date US tour throughout March, he’s about to tour Australia with Adelaide up-and-comer Uberjak’d on good mate Laidback Luke’s Mixmash Records label, and he’s looking forward to his third visit.

“I love Australia and I’m really looking forward to it,” he says. “You guys know how to have a good time, it’s just going to be one big crazy party.”

Starting out as a fairly successful duo with his friend Edin Ibrahimovic aka Skitzofrenix, it didn’t take long for Twizt to venture out on his own and evolve into his current stage name and persona.

“We were pretty famous in Holland in the underground scene, so (after breaking up) it was pretty hard for me to fight my way back,” he says. “That was when tech house was the headline genre, so I tried to do something fresh through a lot of hours redesigning myself and making new music, and it really worked.”

His efforts have paid off, with the Dutchman playing his first set at Creamfields in 2009 and then making forays into more commercial music and cementing his place among the extremely productive EDM talent pool in the Netherlands.

He cites old school hip hop and house as important influences on his musical direction, and describes ‘bubbling’ in his home country as a turning point in his development.

“In the Netherlands people were remixing trance and making these big trance songs mixed up in a really cool, urban way,” he says. “This was called ‘bubbling’ and that along with genres coming from the

Oliver Twizt UK really inspired me to make my own sounds.”

Twizt has a vast musical background to draw from, but he can actually narrow it down one song that gave him the urge to be in electro music.

“When I heard Satisfaction by Benny Benassi, I was convinced that I really loved electro music,” he says.

“I heard the record and I was just like ‘yeah man, what is this?!’”

With a huge few months coming up including new releases, collaborations with the likes of Laidback Luke and plenty of international touring, he’s keen to bring out a bunch of new stuff in different areas.

“I’m also doing, let’s say, my first big room, progressive, girl-friendly track with a lead vocalist, so I’m pretty excited about that,” he says.

Now a common fixture among the Mixmash stable, Twizt believes in what the imprint is working towards and can’t speak highly enough of its efforts and ambitions.

“It’s really exciting and futuristic, and they’ve also signed a lot of fresh new talent which gives them a chance,” he says.“That’s super good man, it’s really what the industry needs.”

» OLIVER TWIZT » MIXMASH » SATURDAY, JUNE 1 @ VILLA

BASIC MIND LIVE ELECTRICS

Tim Loughman is Basic Mind. Known locally for his work in bands including Astral Travel, Magic Window, Golden Staph and Mental Powers, Loughman has recently launched his first solo project as a techno beat-maker with a penchant for creating mindbending, spaced-out, atmospheric compositions. JO CAMPBELL asks him about his all live performance ahead of his set at RTR FM’s Altered States gig this Friday.

When did you realise you wanted to make beats?

I first began music playing the electric guitar and drums. As I progressed so did my interest in manipulating the sound of the guitar with effects. I started experimenting with an old preset drum machine and an electric organ making very basic tracks on a four track tape deck. Mucking around with this stuff was great because I discovered the strange and uncertain sounds electronics can produce. I got my hands on a synthesiser and things just moved quickly from there.

I was more fixated on making irregular rhythms and melody when I first started out. Later on, dance music took more of an influence on me.

When you perform what’s your set up? What you do is all live?

I use a bunch of hardware synths, Lexicon mpx 500 for reverb, a pair of digital delays to create extra rhythms, Doepfer modular system, which does all the weirdo sounds and produces rhythmic voltages for the other gear. I’ve also recently started using an MPC for drums and sequencing. Yeah it’s live, I muck around with everything in real time - I try to keep the sounds moving.

What are you getting out of your Basic Mind project in comparison to your work in bands?

I enjoy working with machines because it’s an environment where you have total control. Also having musical diversity is pretty important to me, which is probably why I’ve played with many bands. I try to listen to as many different styles/types of music as I can. Working with a group of people is great because that environment gives you access to ideas you wouldn’t normally think of yourself. Just jamming with other musicians is great too, allowing music to happen spontaneously. www.xpressmag.com.au

Basic Mind supporting Actress Are you self taught or have you studied music?

I have little musical training. Most of what I know is from personal interest. The Internet is a wonderful/crazy thing; you can learn anything from there!

What do you do for a day job?

I work as a bicycle messenger in Perth.

It can be a tough occupation because it’s pretty dangerous and you’re constantly subjected to the weather but working outdoors is great.

Your live sets can be a bit more uptempo than your Soundcloud adds. When you’re producing tracks are you thinking about making a perfect one-off or is it more for use in your live sets, to mess with?

When I play live, I like to make electronic stuff which you can dance to. Rhythm is such a powerful and interesting musical aspect for me. Most of the stuff on my Soundcloud are just jams. I’ve been working away on something until it sounds good and then just hit record for a bit. I haven’t put much effort into writing tracks from start to finish. Anything written at home could be a potential live track in one form or another. Every track I’ve created to play live has undergone some large variation - it keeps things fresh for me.

» BASIC MIND » ALTERED STATES » FRIDAY, MAY 17 @ GEISHA 27

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All inclusions are at the discretion of X-Press. Email guide@xpressmag.com.au

THE COURT

EXAMPLE

WEDNESDAY 15/05

THURSDAY 16/05

Amplifier –Harlem Wednesday’s ft Genga Connections – LMW Flying Scotsman – DJ Armee The Bird – Twist ft Razor Jack & Seventh Son Mustang Bar – DJ Giles Newport Hotel – Tom Drummond/Angry Buda/Mr Phat/Wot Evs Rosemount Hotel – DJ Anton Maz The Bird – Beat Lounge 9 The Court – Wicked Wednesday Captain Stirling - Lokie Shaw Sovereign Arms - Jordan Scott The Grand Central - ANG3L The Leederville Hotel FIVEO

Boulevard Tavern – 151 Thursdays Old Skool R&B Claremont Hotel – DJ Live Phase/DJ Pup Club Bay View - Master Jon Ee Connections – BINGAY & POP! Devilles Pad – Rock N Roll Karaoke Eve Nightclub – Retro Thursdays DJ Crazy Craig The Elephant and the Wheelbarrow – Karaoke ft DJ Lucas Mustang Bar – DJ James MacArthur Newport Hotel – Skoob The Bird – Weird Frequency & Future Past records present Andrew Tuttle

Lapalux

Delta Heavy

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METRO CITY

The Beat (downstairs) Fantasy Thursdays The Causeway - Payday ft: audiovisual dj set (special guest) The Deen – Chase The Sun ft DJ Flex/ DJ Nano/ DJ Surge/ DJ Don Migi The Avenue – Lokie Shaw Swallow Bar – DJ Mama Cass

FRIDAY 17/05 Ambar – Challenger Ready? Ft Benny P v Tee EL/ DNGRFLD v The Barons Red/ Philly Blunt v 4by4/ Marko Paulo v MR eD/ Bezwun v Tapeheads Amplifier – DJ Jamie Mac The Avenue – Lokie Shaw The Bird – Weird Frequency & Future Past Records Present: Andrew Tuttle Brass Monkey – Vicktor/ James Ess/Green George Capitol – Retro Mash ft DJ Jamie Mac Capitol (Upstairs) – I Love ‘90s Eve Nightclub –Dj Don Migi Flying Scotsman – Back To Mono DJs Flyrite – Self Help Social Club Geisha Bar - Alex Niggeman Metro City –Flava Fortnightly Fridays Metro Freo – Frat House Fridays Death Disco DJs Mullaloo Beach Hotel – Flaunt ft Kenny L Mustang Bar – Swing DJ/DJ James MacArthur Newport Hotel – Karaoke night Rocket Room – Howlers ft DJ Frank N Bean

FRESH

CLUB RED SEA

Shape - The Switch The Aviary (Birdcage) – Tobias John (Sun City) The Aviary (Rooftop) – Troy Division/ Mark Trowbridge The Beat (downstairs) - Play The Causeway - Airwolf The Shed – DJ Glenn 20 Villa – Mind Electric Tanktop/ Chiari, Acebasik/ Paul Scott/ Rob Sharp/ Carl Drake/ Jackness/ Damian John The Saint - Mikeee

SATURDAY 18/05 Ambar - Japan 4 ft Philly Blunt, Oli, Bezwun, DNGRFLD, Marko Paulo Atari Teenage Riot Amplifier – Pure Pop ft Eddie Mullaloo Beach Hotel – DJ SUNDAY 19/05 Electric Danny Claremont Hotel – DJ Double Beat Nightclub (Upstairs) Mustang Bar – Rockabilly DJ/ Dee/DJ Pup Canvas DJ James MacArthur Brass Monkey - DJ Peta Eve Nightclub –DJ Slick Newport Hotel – So Fresh So Flying Scotsman – Pizza (downstairs)/ DJ Jewel Hit machine (upstairs) & Pint ft Nathan J/ Nizbet/ The Queens – Jay Mackay Brighton Hotel – Misschief Pasha/ Chris Sail & Anchor – Catch The Bar 120 – Little Nicky Flying Scotsman (Defectors) Child’s Play DJs Capitol – Death Disco DJs – Raaghe Sovereign Arms – The Jinx Capitol (Upstairs) – Cream of Mullaloo Beach Hotel – Project the 80’s DJ Ryan The Aviary (Birdcage) – Mark Geordie Shore ft Vison/ Slickj/ The Bakery - DJ AFrika Kenny L Trowbridge Bamaataa Mustang Bar – DJ Rockin’ The Aviary (Rooftop) – Zel/ The Deen – 100% SILK Rhys Troy Divison Claremont Hotel – DJ The Aviary (Rooftop) – Aviary The Bird – Man The Clouds G-Martin Rooftop Sessions ft Matt release “Mr Berry” Eve Nightclub – The Runaway The Beat Nightclub – Big Kidz Mclean/ Troy Divison/ Zel Tour ft Ricci & Dan The Causeway – Sun City (dj The East End Bar –DJ Gold Flying Scotsman – Andrei Finger/AZ-T set) Maz The Saint – Jon Ee/ANG3L The Craftsman - Jeremy Flyrite – Family The Shed – James Wilson Stark Liquid Nightclub - DJ Klar55/ The Court – DJ Flex/DJ TimBee and more DJ Stevie M The Saint – Az-T Swallow Bar – Sugar Boy Ash Llama Bar – DJ Reuben The Shed –DJ Andyy Metro City – Seven Deadly Sins The Wembley – Lokie Shaw Metro Freo –Roger Smart/DJ Villa - Inhibit ft Killafoe / Illusiv TUESDAY 21/05 High Road Hotel – DJ Matty J Wazz/Ben Carter & Dvise / Gracie &Sistym Victoria Park Hotel – DJ Metro Freo (Upstairs) – I Love Melvin 80s 90s

X-Press – First on the street, Wednesdays

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YACHT

THE CAUSEWAY

SETH SENTRY

VILLA

GEORDIE SHORE

MULLALOO BEACH HOTEL

IN THE THIS WEEK Lapalux Friday, May 17 @ The Bakery

tyDi Saturday, May 25 @ Villa

Dash Berlin ft Marlo Lil B Sunday, June 2 @ Sunday, June 16 @ The Metro City Bakery

Tommy Trash ft Japan 4 ft Nick Goldfields ACEBASIK/Chiari Thayer/Tee El/Micah/ RTR Altered States ft Friday, June 21 @ Sunday, June 2 @ 133 Dead Easy/Mr eD Joe Stawarz Metro Freo Aberdeen St Saturday, May 25 @ Friday, May 17 @ Saturday, June 22 @ Ambar Geisha DJ Rashad & DJ Amplifier Manny ft Rok DJ Afrika Bambaataa Von D ft DDWYT Riley/420 Crew/ Saturday, May 18 @ The Crew/Bolsty/Bazil JUNGLE Oni Ca$h vs Starks/ SHAKEDOWN Bakery Zemplys/Clunk Allstate Vs Clunk Thursday, May 30 @ Sunday, June 2 @ The Friday 21 June @ Delta Heavy ft Fred Geisha Bar Ambar Bakery V & Grafix/Killafoe/ Illusiv & Dvise/Gracie/ Breach & Route 94 Hook N Sling ft DJ Earlwolf ft Tyler, Systym Friday, May 31 @ The Creator & Earl Kenny L/Jus Haus/ Saturday, May 18 @ Gilkisons Dance Villa Sweatshirt John Paul/Slick Studio Tuesday, June 4 @ Sunday, June 24 @ Capitol Mullaloo Beach Hotel Brow Horn Orchestra COMING UP P-Money & David Friday, May 31 @ C5 Allday 100S Dallas Freo Thursday, May 23 @ Saturday, June 29 @ Thursday, June 6 @ Saturday, June 1 @ The Bakery Villa Amplifier Settlers Tavern Elite Force ft Oli/ John Digweed Fresh Produce A$AP Rocky Stranger Than Digital Friday, June 7 @ Villa Sunday, June 30 @ ft Arms In Motion/ Friday, May 24 @ Subwalker/ Alex Metro City Ambar Tensnake ft Tong/ Austy /Fendi Sepalcure/Jimmy Friday, May 31st @ ALT-J Edgar Ambar Friday, June 7 @ The Saturday, July 27 @ Bakery Challenge Stadium MixMash Australian Tour ft Oliver Twizt/ Hedkandi ft Gregor James Blake Uberjak’d Salto/Henton/ Friday, July 26th @ The Saturday, June 1 @ James Ess/Ace Basik Astor Villa Vs Paul Scott Friday, June 7 @ DCUP ft Micah/Troy Geisha Bar SUPAFEST ft T.I./50 Cent/Waka Flocka/ Joe Stawarz Division/Paradise Paul Jack Beats ft Qwerk/ Akon/Ne-Yo/Young June 1 @ The DNGRFLD/Get More Jeezy/Mindless RTR ALTERED Saturday, Saturday, June 8 @ Aviary Behaviour/DJ Unk/ STATES FT JOE Villa Kevin McCall/DJ Nino Mantra STAWARZ Brown/Dizzy Doolan/ Kid Kenobi June 1 @ FRIDAY, MAY Saturday, Phinesse Friday/ 14 June @ Rosemount Hotel 17 @ GEISHA Postponed date TBC Ambar

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BIG SCIENCE Ellesquire / Tuka / SETH SENTRY Villa Nightclub Friday, May 10, 2013 By the time the live music starts, Villa is all but packed out. There’s a committed team of fans near the front of the stage, and the crowd in general seems eager, if not downright anxious, to hear some of the most popular Australian hip hop tracks in recent years. After a disappointing lack of local support artists, Sydney based emcee Ellesquire entered the spotlight. His self deprecating humour is juxtaposed with eloquent wordplay and clever storytelling. As is the case with many of his Big Village crew mates, Ellesquire slays a variety of styles of beats with quite a casual demeanour.

However, when the slapping bass of On The Prowl starts to leak from the speakers, the crowd’s attention suddenly becomes more focused. Those down the front start to show more energy, and the emcee clearly thrives on it. It’s all over a bit too quickly, but we’ll definitely see bigger and better things from this guy in the not-too-distant future.

After a short break, fellow Big Village member Tuka is up next. As one third of the group Thundamentals, he’s toured extensively, and it shows from the moment he starts to rhyme.

Intricately crafted, but not alienating, his lyrics are relatable and his stage presence engaging. Whether spinning the obligatory ode to 4:20, or unleashing some double time raps with precision, Tuka controls the stage with ease. By this time, the front of stage has really filled up, starting to resemble a little mosh pit, which erupts when the massive instrumental of Thundacats kicks in. Although it’s a Thundamentals album track, Tuka has no trouble holding the fort on his own, and the audience laps it up. His recent cover of Chet Faker’s I’m Into You goes down a treat as well, justifying it’s vast amount of Youtube views. Ellesquire returns to the stage to join in on posse track Vertigo, and you can’t help but imagine the possibilities of an entire Big Village tour. Nevertheless, it’s a pleasure to watch these two skilled performers do their own verses of the track, leading the crowd into a sing-along of the infectious hook, more than a couple of times.

After what has basically come across as the Big Village show, Melbourne’s rapidly-risingstar Seth Sentry wastes little time getting stuck

Seth Sentry (photo by Brandon D’Silva) into his set. At first he looks around like he thinks he shouldn’t be here, but quickly switches gear, demonstrating how he wowed audiences at South

By Southwest, and ended up performing on Jimmy Kimmel Live. Despite these recent experiences, he appears genuinely awed by the impressive turn-out, and genuinely excited when - as soon as he starts rapping - the crowd seems to know all his lyrics. Sentry launched into a set list of tracks old and new, equally at home with lyrics full of absurdist humour and observations, as he is with braggadocio. DJ Sizzle provided the beats, along with a proficient display of cuts, appropriately complementing the emcee’s cadence. Churning through the tunes, and some pretty entertaining on-stage banter, Sentry switched it up by rapping over some classic hip hop instrumentals, before coming out with the big guns. The Waitress Song had the mixed crowd screaming out the chorus, to the point you could barely hear the man himself.

This would’ve been hard to top, had he not pulled together an impromptu posse track by bringing out surprise guests Pez and 360, to the crowd’s obvious delight. Naturally closing with Dear Science, Sentry declared this ‘One of the funnest nights’ he’d had, and those in attendance would surely have said the same thing. » NICK SWEEPAH

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TEX PERKINS & CHARLIE OWEN

Tex Perkins Photo: Stefan Caramia

for him. ‘I’m not sure how much thinking’s gone into it,” he demurred once he arrived at the mic. ‘Rest assured though, we’ll do the thinking for you all tonight’.

Prescient words actually, as a good-natured, The thinking person’s rock star? Tex Perkins wasn’t so sure about MC Russell Woolfe’s pre-set introduction intimate set which occasionally went off the rails Artbar Thursday, May 9, 2013

OM Daramad/Mt Mountain/ Craig McElhinney Rosemount Hotel, North Perth.

Saturday, May 11, 2013 Head down. Eyes closed. Deep thought. To fully appreciate the sounds of OM is a ritual in itself. With a career built off the warmth of spiritually resonant tones and drone, the Californian outfit was formed in 2003 by the former rhythm section of legendary stoner rock outfit, Sleep. Now, OM’s core strives to continue and explore the meditative power of the riff. Pushing their boundaries to unprecedented extremes, the bar set by these musicians was always to bend but not break the tantric flow of their style. Finally coming to Perth on the release of their fifth album, Advaitic Songs (2012), the three-piece taught the crowd about the pleasure of the journey – in every sense.

Local noisemaker Craig McElhinney also knows about the wealth of the journey. An architect of abrasive soundscapes, his ethos fell perfectly in-sync with that of the headliners. Tapping into a different level of consciousness, he channelled his engaging style to suit the evening – with traditional Middle Eastern vocals spliced between walls of distortion and erratic bursts of static noise.

Mt Mountain chose to travel down a doomier path, filled with Black Sabbath bass lines and soaring vocals. Akin to a poor man’s Black Angels ensemble, the Perth quintet are all about the crescendo – letting the power build slowly with each minute until they reach fever pitch. Much hyped about lately, it was easy to why with vocalist Steve Bailey commanding from the moment he stepped behind the mic.

Daramad offered a more unusual flavour to the festivities. Comprised of three Iranian and three Australian musicians, they drew together the sounds of the Middle East with jazz – leading us down a mainly instrumental path. Using diverse orchestration, from lutes to double bass, they wove the line between modern and traditional influences with ease.

OM have always been a band that have favoured the minimalist approach. Hinted at on Sleep’s

stepped into action with A Name On Everyone, featuring Charlie Owen on keyboards and Perkins on acoustic guitar. Owen seems a silent partner of sorts, but as he swapped between keys and acoustic/slide guitar, his contribution to the Perkins oeuvre is both undeniable and impressive.

‘It’s a delightful foyer you have here’ the singer said of the Artbar’s surrounds, perhaps prompting a two-way banter with the audience that occasionally sidetracked the show.

Whenever It Snows, from the 2005 Tex, Don & Charlie album, All Is Forgiven, was, as ever a thing of beauty. A song that soared in 2006 with Tim Rogers and the West Australian Symphony Orchestra in King’s Park, also soared as Perkins and Owen played it, stripped back, in the Art Gallery. Perkins acknowledges that’s he’s a singer who plays guitar, as opposed to a guitarist, but he did seem very proud of his guitar work on this song, striking lead guitarist poses for the photographers at front. He dedicated Paycheques, from the same album, to ‘the workers and the drinkers and the non existent God’ before laying his guitar aside to sing a song his claimed was found in Paul Kelly’s bin.

You’re 39, You’re Beautiful And You’re Mine spoke very clearly to the ladies in the crowd, perhaps more so when he upped the figure in the last chorus to 49. Hoots and hollers were yelled before during

and after Red Heads, Gold Cards And Long Black Limousines, Kathleen and Won’t Last Long. Suddenly shouts of ‘take your shirt off!’ echoed around the Artbar with Perkins playing along until the joke came to its conclusion and the duo began to count in to the next song. Until...

‘Take your pants off!’ one darling heart yelled, breaking momentary silence.

Perkins shook his head and took back the spotlight.

‘Take your teeth out!’

The place roared with laughter, but it seemed that Perkins had won the show back. The likes of Am I Still The Same and Different Language reflecting more mournful and ethereal moods.

Encores came in the form of the Beast Of Bourbon’s Can’t Say No and the closing track from 1993’s Sad But True album. Needless to say, I Must Be Getting Soft drew the requisite titters from the more vocal portions of the crowd.

Only weeks ago Perkins was fronting a reborn Beasts Of Bourbon in confrontational mode.

From hard man to ladies’ man, one can only wonder what will be offered in his forthcoming album release, The Ape. Shirts optional, one figures. _ BOB GORDON

masterwork pieces’ Jerusalem (1999) and Dopesmoker (2003) – where the group worked on a single, hourlong song over a four-period – OM’s method has sought to expand on that original, meditative sound through diverse instrumentalisation. But their 2012 album, Advaitic Songs, saw a monumental shift in their paradigm. Decimating whatever genre specifications they had gathered over the years, the outfit showed a level of sophistication and imagination that set them apart from the rest.

Now a three-piece, with multi-instrumentalist Robert Aiki Aubrey Lowe joining their ranks permanently, founder Al Cisneros and drummer Emil Amos let punters hear each strum of strings and crash of cymbal in a new light. Sampling heavily from their past three releases, OM unfolded a gorgeous mix of melodies and spiritually-laden grooves with a twist from the original recordings. From the spine tingling cello samples and deep bass on track Sinai, to the ambient noise between Cremation Ghat I and Cremation Ghat II off God Is Good (2009) and a divine slow version of Pilgrimage (2007) classic Bhima’s Theme – it was a true celebration of the riff, in all its facets.

OM Photo: Michael Wylie

_ JESSICA WILLOUGHBY

YA-YA’S

It’s a weekend of launches! On Friday, May 17, there’snot one, but two hip hop greats: Maundz and Purpose, as they each release their new albums. With support from Mr Grevis and Cortext it’s one that Perth hip-hop fans can’t afford to miss.

Saturday brings us the release of Mike Anderson’s latest local skate film, Rolling Collective! To celebrate this launch there’s a stellar line-up featuring Logan Crawford, Midnight Parasite, The Stokies and The Beers, as well as a special screening of the new film.

Entry is free before 8pm, so get down early!

Pink18stink

BEAT NIGHTCLUB

Thursday, May 16, EmpireTVR celebrate the launch of their new website with Delta.iota.Kappa - a frat party feel with no specific genre. Just Party.

Pink18Stink playing live from 11pm - Doors 9pm - $5 entry. Friday, upstairs has one of the biggest line-ups of the year with Emperors playing their return show from being on tour with Grinspoon.

Support from Mezzanine, PUCK & One Armed Scissor. Doors 8pm.

MOJO’S BAR

Sunday sees the recently returned The Growl tearing it up with help from Felicity Groom, Gunns and Maurice Flavel from 5pm - tickets are $20. For your chance to win a double pass, email mojos@coolperthnights.com with ‘The Growl’ in the subject line.

THE GOSNELLS HOTEL

Saturday, May 18 sees the hottest, sweatiest and sexiest show this weekend when Hells Bells and Legs Electric set the Gosnells Hotel of fire, figuratively speaking of course. Pre-sale tickets are $15 from heatseeker.com,au, $20 on the door.

INDI BAR

You may have discovered Brothers Grimm at Wave Rock Weekender a few years back, or at the recent Blues ‘N’ Roots Festival. However you have heard of them, you know they have live reputation as a well-oiled touring hybrid blues machine that engages dedicated punters with a combination of blush-worthy charm, razor sharp wit and explosive performance through loads of sweat, even more swagger and not a little swooning, don’t miss them this Saturday, May 18!

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Holly

MULLALOO BEACH HOTEL

Want to be ‘in there like swimwear?’ Holly, the most outspoken and controversial character from Geordie Shore will be getting ‘mortal’ this Sunday May 19 at the Mullaz. It’s bound to be a pumping afternoon with DJs Vision, Slick and Kenny L on the decks.

ROSEMOUNT HOTEL

This Wednesday, May 15 catch indie darlings The Morning Night playing the Perth show of their recent national tour, along with special guests Sidewalk Diamonds and Edie Green. Doors open 8pm and entry is only $5.

RAILWAY HOTEL

This Friday, May 17 catch First And Final, The Redlights, The Worst, Rob Hinton and Kimberley Heberley. Doors 8pm, $5 entry.

Saturday it’s the massive Eighttoeight IX party over two areas featuring Masonik, Gonzo, Harry Webb, Joe Stawarz, Paul Devins, Pranjal Bora, Schroedingers Funk, Phase Animator, Sven and Punkzonjunk. Doors open 7pm and entry is $10.

X-Press – First on the street, Wednesdays

EMPERORS After haring around the country with Grinspoon on their national tour, Perth rockers Emperors have returned from far afield to blow your hair back once more. Catch them at The Beat Nightclub on Friday, May 17, along with Mezzanine and Puck, then at the State of the Art Festival on Sunday, June 2. We had a brief word with guitarist Greg Sanders.

How did you guys form?

Adam (Livingston, singer/guitarist) and I met in a quilt making class during a trip to Mumbai. We realised we both shared a love of ‘50s music and the show Happy Days and both lived in Perth.

We started a band in about 2010 and hired Zoe (Worrall-James, bass and vocals) and Dane (Knowles, drums) who we have to pay to even talk to us. That’s ok though - they’re both quite dull to speak to. Solid musos though. Since then we have played about 200 shows around Australia, with plenty of good bands, and plenty of shit ones.

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

We try really hard to sound like our favourite bands from the ‘80s & ‘90s: The Replacements, Weezer, Pixies and so on. Our key influence is greed. We’re in this music game to get super rich.

Emperors

How was the Grinspoon tour? Any memorable events or incidents?

It was really good fun, we drank a lot and went deaf. We had a fill in drummer (Trevor Cotton) for all 20-odd shows and he did a really good job.

There are plenty of good stories, but you’ll have to ask us in person at a show for the really good ones that we can’t mention in the press. Off the top of my head, the most memorable incident was Joe from Grinspoon taking a jacket from Kingswood, who all have matching jackets for some reason.

Joe had a good reason to take the jacket (that I can’t go into) and took a bunch of photos of him wearing it in compromising positions - kind of holding it ransom. This carried on for a few days and then he gave it to us to have a turn. If you follow us on social media, you would’ve seen some of the better photos we took. Joe admitted we next leveled his efforts. It all ended when the Kingswood guys got a bit tired of the game and we gave it back to them. They referred to it as ‘Jacketgate.’

What’s up next?

We’re playing a few shows in Perth. We’ve also just started writing our second album and then we’ll be doing some more recording and touring later in the year.

BEAT FOR BEAT

Drumstrong is happening in Perth this Sunday, May 19. A public drum circle that aims to raise money for cancer support organisations, it’s a worldwide phenomenon; since 2007, more than 70 cities in 25 countries have held Drumstrong events, and now it’s our turn. It’s open to everyone, with no musical experience required, and all instruments are provided.

It’s all happening at the Royal Park Hall from 1pm. Go to drumstrong.org for more info.

Blackmilk

MILKING IT

Psych-rock sound assassins Blackmilk having conquered the rest of the country showcasing their album, In Lak’ech, are returning home to give local listeners a dose. Head down to The Fly trap at the Fly

By Night Club this Saturday, May 18 to catch them alongside The Wilds and Luke Dux of The Floors.

Doors open at 8pm, entry is $10

Pat Chow

DINO-MITE!

Thursday, May 16, sees Ya-Ya’s get positively Jurassic with a night of Dino-tainment. Catch Pat Chow, Branson Tramps, Gloria Ironbox and The Irrationals. It’s gonna be a loud one. Doors open at 8pm, entry is $5.

THE LIFE OF RILEY

Up and coming local troubadour Riley Pe a rce ’s c a r e e r i s moving for ward in leaps and bounds, with the 20 year old scoring the support slot for Daniel Champagne’s show at Mojo’s this T h u r s d ay, M ay 1 6 .

Doors open at 8pm.

Riley Pearce

DOUBLE DOWN

It’s gonna be a huge one at The Swan Hotel this Saturday, May 18, with Double Your Pleasure spilling across both the Swan Basement and The Swan Lounge. 11 acts will strut their stuff for your delectation, including Cavalier, Steadfast, Goat, The Choke, Bamodi, Lila Chanesar, Ex-Craw, Catalyst, The Reptilians, Warthreat and Agitated. Doors open at 6:30pm, and entry is $10. www.xpressmag.com.au

Kill Devil Hills

RUN TO THE HILLS

The mighty Kill Devil Hills will be bringing their dour and doomy musical stylings to The Rosemount Hotel this Friday, May 17. Also along for the ride will be The Coalminers Sect and Australian music legend Kim Salmon. Doors open at 8pm, tickets are available through Oztix.

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Tenacious D, May 15

Kate Miller-Heidke , June 5 - 8

The Beards, June 7 - 8

AND YOU WILL EARLWOLF PINK JAPANDROIDS (Tyler, The 25, 26 & 28 Perth 26 The KNOW US BY Creator & Earl Arena Rosemount TENACIOUS D THE TRAIL OF Sweatshirt) BILL ODDIE THE WHITLAMS/ DEAD 15 Riverside 4 Capitol 27 The Astor WASO Theatre 25 The NORTHLANE ALLDAY 30 Perth Concert Rosemount 4 & 5 YMCA HQ 27 Newport Hotel Hall FRENZAL JINJA SAFARI 5 YMCA HQ 29 Amplifier RHOMB 25 Amplifier 6 Amplifier THE RED 15 Prince Of AIRNORTH HAPPY SEPTEMBER PAINTINGS Wales MONDAYS KIMBERELEY 28 The MANHATTAN 16 Players Bar 5 Metro Freo Rosemount MOON TRANSFER 17 Indi Bar COOLIO EXPERIENCE (Guy KATE MILLER1 Regal Theatre 29 Metro City Sebastian/Mark HEIDKE THE CAT EMPIRE St Joseph’s A$AP Rocky EVERMORE Seymour/James 5 7 Red Hill Church 30 Metro City 16 Newport Reyne/Gurrumul 6 Mandurah Auditorium Hotel Yunupingu) AMANDA Performing Arts 17 Players Bar JULY PALMER & THE 25 Jim Hughes Centre 18 The Charles CLAIRY BROWNE GRAND THEFT Amphitheatre 7 Albany & THE BANGIN’ ORCHESTRA Entertainment Kununurra CHRISTINE RACKETTES Centre 8 Astor Theatre ANDY BULL 4 ARTBAR ANU REWIND 8 Margaret River PARKWAY DRIVE LA DISPUTE – THE ARETHA 26 The Aviary 15 & 16 Capitol THE REVEREND Cultural Centre 6 Amplifier FRANKLIN P-MONEY/DAVID 7 YMCA HQ FOALS HORTON HEAT SONGBOOK DALLAS 22 Metro City BALL PARK 17 & 18 The 28 The 6 Villa MUSIC/EAGLE & RIHANNA Ellington Rosemount SOMETHING FOR THE WORM 24 Perth Arena THE SEEKERS KATE 12 Metro Freo ONE DIRECTION DJ AFRIKA 30 & 31 Riverside 7 The Astor ENGLEBERT 28 & 29 Perth BAMBAATAA THE BEARDS Theatre HUMPERDINCK Arena 18 The Bakery 7 Amplifier ROSE TATTOO 13 Crown Theatre 31 Charles Hotel 8 Prince Of Wales YOU AM I D AT SEA TAME IMPALA DRAGON OCTOBER 13 Astor Theatre 7 C5 Freo 18 Belvoir 14 Astor Theatre SOILWORK 31 The Astor 8 Amplifier Amphitheatre JONNY CRAIG 8 The Rosemount Theatre 9 YMCA HQ 17 Amplifier AMORPHIS THY ART IS KILLING JOKE VITUS/ FUNERAL FOR A MURDER 16 Capitol 9 The Rosemount SAINT MONARCH FRIEND THE BREEDERS 31 Prince Of Wales EMMA LOUISE The 18 Prince Of 31 The Astor 13 Prince Of Wales 21 1 Amplifier Rosemount Wales Bunbury 14 Fly By Night ENSLAVED 2 YMCA HQ JAMES BLAKE 19 Amplifier 15 Amplifier 31 The 26 The Astor LIL B Rosemount ALT-J JUNE THE GASLIGHT 16 The Bakery 27 Challenge SAN CISCO ANTHEM THE BLACK Stadium NOVEMBER 1 The Astor 19 Metro City ANGELS BLEEDING KAKI KING SUPAFEST (T.I/50 17 Capitol THROUGH 1 The Bakery Cent/Waka KORA DEFTONES 28 Amplifier RIFF RAFF 19 Capitol Flocka/Akon/ 21 Metropolis 1 Black Betty’s ANDREW Ne-Yo/Young Fremantle AUGUST STOCKDALE STATE OF THE Jeezy/Mindless COLD WAR KIDS Behaviour/ 20 The Bakery JULIE ANDREWS ART MUSIC 2 Capitol FESTIVAL (Dave 21 Fly By Night DJ Unk/Kevin 21 Riverside 22 Prince Of Wales VILLAGERS Hole/Abbe McCall/DJ Theatre 2 Fly By Night May/Karnivool/ GOLD FIELDS Nino Brown/ FIDLAR 21 Metro Freo Bob Evans/ Dizzy Doolan & MAY 3 The Bakery 22 Amplifi er Gyroscope/Kav Phinesse) BARDO POND MATT CORBY Temperley and MUNICIPAL Date TBC Perth 4 The Rosemount WASTE 23 The Astor more TBC) Arena DON MCLEAN 21 The THE GHOST 2 Perth Concert 19 Perth Concert Rosemount INSIDE Hall THE SUPERJESUS Hall 23 Amplifier DECEMBER CABLE SOUNDS 21 Amplifier ANDREW OWL EYES TAYLOR SWIFT (Icehouse, The STRONG: THE 22 Amplifier 24 Amplifier Stephen Pigram UNKNOWN COMMITMENTS 11 Perth NIB SUPER WILD Stadium Quartet & Desert MORTAL 22 Metro Freo HORSES Child) ORCHESTRA BERNARD 25 The Bird BON JOVI 23 The FANNING BORN OF OSIRIS 2 Cable Beach Rosemount 25 Astor Theatre 12 Perth Arena Amphitheatre 25 The Bakery THIS WEEK

www.xpressmag.com.au

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This Other Eden, Wednesday at Ya-Ya’s

WEDNESDAY 15.05 BRASS MONKEY Sugar Blue Burlesque CAPITOL Harlem Wednesdays CARINE Open Mic Night Chris O’Brien CLAREMONT HOTEL Acoustica GREENWOOD Bernardine ELLINGTON JAZZ CLUB Tal Cohen Quartet GROOVE BAR (CROWN) 5 Shots INDI BAR Darren Guthrie Tashi Hall Lauren O’Hara LUCKY SHAG Howie Morgan MOJOS BAR Declan Kelly and the Rising Sun Grace Barbe (acoustic) Dilip & Drew MOON CAFÉ Pat Chow Tawney Rajah Knest MUSTANG BAR Pump DJ Giles NEWPORT Newport Wednesdays & RnB Heaven Tom Drummond Angry Buda PADDO Sophie Jane Brendan Gaspari Annabelle Harvey ROSEMOUNT The Morning Night Sidewalk Diamonds Edie Green THE BIRD TWIST Razor Jack the Seventh Son UNIVERSAL Retrofit

Grace Barbe, Wednesday at Mojo’s

VILLAGE BAR Village People - Open Mic YAYA’S This Other Eden Red Sky Opine

THURSDAY 16.05 BEAT NIGHTCLUB (DOWNSTAIRS) Fantasy Thursdays BEAT NIGHTCLUB (UPSTAIRS) Delta Iota Kappa Pink18Stink BELGIAN BEER CAFÉ Jean Proude BRASS MONKEY Rhythm Bound Karaoke BRIGHTON Open Mic Night Rob Walker BROOKLANDS TAVERN Celebrations Karaoke DEVILLES PAD Rock’N’Roll Karaoke DUNSBOROUGH TAVERN Open Mic Night ELEPHANT AND WHEELBARROW Karaoke & Dj Lukas ELLINGTON JAZZ CLUB Glyn MacDonald Group GROOVE BAR (CROWN) Dr Bogus INDI BAR Bex’s Open Mic Night LUCKY SHAG Adrian Wilson MARKET CITY TAVERN Jonboy Reuben Greys and Blues Jenia Jedd Crilly Brett Dunham Jimmy Rockets MOJOS BAR Daniel Champagne Riley Pearce

Midflight Parasite

MIDFLIGHT PARASITE THE BEERS THE STOKIES LOGAN CRAWFORD SATURDAY, MAY 18 YA-YA’S

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MUSTANG BAR Tracksuit Vida Cain The Frehleys DJ James MacArthur NEWPORT HOTEL Evermore Adam Martin Oak Tree Suite DJ Tim from Mills PRINCE OF WALES Declan Kelly and the Rising Sun ROSEMOUNT The Long March The Kickstart Cadillacs Rubbertime Salv SETTLERS TAVERN Acoustic Open Mic Night SWALLOW BAR DJ Mama Cass THE AVIARY Empire THE BAKERY Weird Frequencies Kucka Doctopus Praang Lost/Tuneless THE BIRD Afrika Bambaataa THE BOAT Jen De Ness THE GATE Greg Carter THE SHED Mike Nayar UNIVERSAL Off The Record YA YA’S Pat Chow The Branson Tramps Gloria Ironbox The Irrationals

FRIDAY 17.05 AMPLIFIER Funeral for a Friend BALMORAL Mike Nayar BEAT NIGHTCLUB (DOWNSTAIRS) Big KidZ BEAT NIGHTCLUB (UPSTAIRS) Emperors Mezzanine Puck One Armed Scissor BELMONT TAVERN Astrobat BEST DROP TAVERN Pretty Fly BRASS MONKEY Jean Proude C5 FREMANTLE Residence Boys Boys Boys!

Axe Girl Sidewalk Diamonds CARINE Velvet CHARLES HOTEL Bayou Got Sharks?, Nightmare Effect Amidst the Broken

The Morning Night, Wednesday at The Rosemount

CHASE BAR & BISTRO James Wilson CIVIC HOTEL BACKROOM Glen Prophecy & D.K.O. Switchblade Tera Kurse of Perth Dismay Powza Jamahl Ryder Baby Kool Reality Poets Laureate Rizen DJ Tricky DJ Sanga DEVILLES PAD Phillyharmonics Soulsidesa Les Sataniques Moggy’s Record Shoppe EAST 150 BAR Bernardine EDZ SPORTS BAR One Trick Phonies ELEPHANT AND WHEELBARROW Daren Reid & The Soul City Groove ELLINGTON JAZZ CLUB Christine Anu presents REWIND The Aretha Franklin Songbook Meg Mac and The Squeeze EMPIRE BAR Velvet FLY BY NIGHT Jimmy Rockets GREENWOOD Greg Carter HERDSMAN Back2Back HYDE PARK HOTEL Steve Parkin INDI BAR Vdelli THE INDIAN OCEAN BREW CO Ben Merito KALAMUNDA HOTEL Almost Famous KULCHA Zukhuta M ON THE POINT DJ Mischieff MAHOGANNY INN Dean Anderson MARKET CITY TAVERN Matt Burke Sarina Cooper METRO FREO Frat House Fridays MOJOS BAR Brothers Grim Datura Cal Peck & The Tramps MOUNT HELENA TAVERN Nasty Dogz

MUSTANG Adam Hall & the Velvet Playboys Cheeky Monkeys Swing DJ DJ James MacArthur NEWPORT HOTEL DJ Tom Drummond Sardi Evan NORTH FREMANTLE BOWLS CLUB Blowhole Strength of Twenty Winterhouse (Formally Brown Dog Saloon) PADDO Chris Gibbs REGAL THEATRE Stratosfunk Soul Train RAILWAY HOTEL First And Final The Redlights The Worst Rob Hinton Kimberley Heberley ROSEMOUNT The Kill Devil Hills Kim Salmon The Coalminers Sect SAIL AND ANCHOR Howie Morgan Duo SETTLERS TAVERN Declan Kelly and the Rising Sun SOUTH ST ALEHOUSE Robbie King Karaoke SPRINGS TAVERN Die Hard Karaoke SWAN BASEMENT Blackjack In Orbit Montrose Disaster Burnhabit SWAN LOUNGE Malignant Monster Sensory Amusia Legs Electric SWINGING PIG Greg Carter Rock-A-Fellas THE BAKERY LAPALUX THE BIRD Andrew Tuttle The Tigers Gulls Sacred Flower Union feat. Nora Zion.

UNIVERSAL Nightmoves YA YA’S Maundz and Purpose Dual Album Launch Mr Grevis, Cortext, Rob Shaker

SATURDAY 18.05 AMPLIFIER Artist Cartel BAKERY DJ Afrika Bambattaa BALMORAL Retriofit BEAT NIGHTCLUB (UPSTAIRS) CANVAS

X-Press – First on the street, Wednesdays

Deadline Monday 5pm. The Gig-Guide is a service to advertisers listing all LIVE MUSIC. All inclusions are at the discretion of X-Press. Email guide@xpressmag.com.au

The Long March, Thursday at The Rosemount BELGIAN BEER CAFÉ Mike Nayar BOAB TAVERN James Wilson BUNBURY REGIONAL ENTERTAINMENT CENTRE The Delltones CIVIC HOTEL BACKROOM Squeal DEVILLES PAD The Crawdads Razor Jack Safari Les Sataniques DUNSBOROUGH TAVERN DJ Nat Punk ELEPHANT AND WHEELBARROW Gunshy Romeos ELLINGTON JAZZ CLUB Christine Anu presents REWIND The Aretha Franklin Songbook Dd Soul featuring Elise Lynelle FLY BY NIGHT Blackmilk The Wilds Luke Dux FLYING SCOTSMAN Under The Influence Andrei Maz FOUR5NINE BAR Little Bird Single Launch GOSNELLS HOTEL Hells Bells Legs Electric GREENWOOD Pretty Fly GROOVE BAR (CROWN) Switch DJ Dan HOTEL ROTTNEST Helen Shanahan HYDE PARK HOTEL Overdrive INDIAN OCEAN BREWING CO Shawne & Luc INDI BAR Brothers Grim KULCHA The Continentals LAKERS Celebrations Karaoke M ON THE POINT Rhythm 22 MOJOS BAR Maundz & Purpose Paulie P Adam Crook Azmatik Defyre MUSTANG The Rusty Pinto Combo Rockabilly DJ Milhouse DJ James MacArthur

Friday Friday TravisCaudle Caudle Travis FlyBy ByNight Night Boys Boys Boys! Friday at C5 Fly

NEWPORT HOTEL Gravity DJs Tahli Jade Tom Drummond Steve Parkin Paul McCarthy PADDO Cheeky Monkeys PADDY MAGUIRES Holly Denton Band PEEL ALE HOUSE Galloping Hatracks PICA BAR(ARVO) The Groovesaurus Amanda Merdzan PORT KENNEDY TAVERN Kate Gilbertson PRINCE OF WALES Funeral For A Friend QUARIE BAR Little Ebony RAILWAY HOTEL Eighttoeight IX Masonik Gonzo Harry Webb Joe Stawarz Paul Devins Pranjal Bora Schroedingers Funk Phase Animator Sven Punkzonjunk ROCKET ROOM Kickstart ROLEYSTONE COUNTRY CLUB Carbon Taxi ROSEMOUNT Frenzal Rhomb Tikdoff Leeches SAIL & ANCHOR Better Days Childs Play SETTLERS TAVERN Toby SOUTH BEACH HOTEL Jook Joint Band STEVES BAR Sue Johnson SWAN BASEMENT Warthreat Tikdoff The Reptilians Bamodi Lila Chanesar The Choke SWAN LOUNGE Agitated Catalyst Ex-Craw Leeches Goat Steadfast SWINGING PIG Greg Crater Almost Famous THE BIRD Man In The Clouds Launch Ben Witt Black Stone from the Sun THE BROOK Chris Gibbs Duo THE GATE Dirty Scoundrels

www.xpressmag.com.au

The Growl, Sunday at Mojos

NEWPORT HOTEL Tiki Beat Bar Rocket To Memphis Shotdown From Sugartown DJ Tom Drummond DJ Lady Carla Tim Nelson NORTHBRIDGE PIAZZA Chelsea Gibson Mike Collinson Gary Lee Band Hale Horns OCEAN VIEW TAVERN Pop Candy SUNDAY 19.05 PADDO BALMORAL The DomNicks James Wilson PADDY MALONES BELMONT TAVERN Shesh Jamie Powers PORT KENNEDY BOAB TAVERN TAVERN Chris Gibbs Duo Dirty Scoundrels BRIGHTON QUARIE BAR & Alicia Risk BROKEN HILL HOTEL BISTRO Better Days Nathan Gaunt QUINDANNING BROOKLANDS INNE TAVERN Mike De Velta Mike Nayar CARINE QUEENS TAVERN Acoustic Aly Velvet CHASE BAR ROSEMOUNT Chasing Calee Soundz Like Sunday CIVIC HOTEL Acoustic Showcase Jean Proude SOUTH ST CLANCY’S FISH PUB ALEHOUSE DUNSBOROUGH Blackhart & Declan Kelly and the Strangelove Rising Sun SWALLOW BAR COMO HOTEL Sugar Boy Ash Sophie Jane & The SWINGING PIG Chilly Bin Boys Pat Nicholson ELEPHANT AND Kris Buckle WHEELBARROW Daren Reid & The Soul THE AVIARY Rooftop Sessions City Groove THE BIRD ELLINGTON JAZZ Secret DJ Show CLUB THE GATE Mill Point Quartet Greg Carter De Grussa Band GOSNELLS HOTEL THE SAINT Conny The Clown Threeplay INDI BAR UNIVERSAL Caravana Sun Retriofit INDIAN OCEAN WANNEROO BREW CO TAVERN Retrofit Adam James KALAMUNDA HOTEL Bernardine LAKERS TAVERN Wesley Goodlet Jamboree Scouts M ON THE POINT Galloping Hatracks METRO CITY The Gaslight Anthem Dave Hause MOJOS BAR The Growl Felicity Groom Gunns Maurice Flavel MOON CAFÉ The Morning Night Amanda Merdzan MUSTANG BAR The Roadmasters Rusty Pinto DJ Rockin Rhys THE SHED Huge THE WHITE STAR HOTEL ALBANY Declan Kelly and the Rising Sun UNIVERSAL Soul Corporation YAYA’S Rolling Collective Skate Video Launch Midflight Parasite The Beers The Stokies Logan Crawford

YA YA’S Morgan Bain Callum Kramer

MONDAY 20.05 BRASS MONKEY James Wilson ELLINGTON JAZZ CLUB Song Lounge MOJOS BAR Isaiah Mitchell of Earthless The Black Elk Medicine Band Mt Mountain Scum of the Earth MUSTANG BAR Triple Shots YA YA’S Big Tommo’s Open Mic Night

TUESDAY 21.05 BRASS MONKEY Open Mic Night Chris O’Brien CRAIGIE TAVERN Open Mic Night GROOVE BAR (CROWN) Ruby’s Groove KALAMUNDA HOTEL Open Mic Nunz Vacca LUCKY SHAG Ben Merito MERRIWA TAVERN Celebrations Karaoke METRO FREMANTLE Deftones MOJOS BAR Mojo’s Monthly Comedy John Robertson Mike G Shayne Hunter Sean Conway Colin Ebsworth MUSTANG BAR Danza Loca Salsa Night YA YA’S Burst and Bloom Evan Ashton Kathleen Ann

Lila Chanesar

LILA CHANESAR WARTHREAT TIKDOFF THE REPTILIANS BAMODI THE CHOKE SATURDAY, MAY 18 THE SWAN BASEMENT

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MUSIC GEAR & TECHNOLOGY

Send your Volume News to musicservices@xpressmag.com.au

Edited by T R AV I S J O H N S O N

EQUIPMENT ROUND UP

It can be hard to keep track of the newest and neatest gear that comes onto the market, but luckily CHRIS GIBBS is at hand to act as our sherpa up the mountainside of musical innovation.

LUCAS NANO 300 PORTABLE PA SYSTEM

In a market where increasing opportunities are presenting themselves for artists capable of scaling down the physical space required for performances, HK have developed a new product in the LUCAS series with the goal of making a PA much smaller and efficient than its predecessors.

No larger than a milk crate, the Lucas Nano 300 weighs just 10 kilograms, making transport and load-in a non-issue. In its basic form, that’s the whole set-up: the two satellite speakers (which weigh only 1 kilogram each) attach to the main housing (which comprises the subwoofer as well as the mixing desk) and you just plug in and play.

The mixing desk built into the subwoofer features three channels. The only downside here is that the third channel has RCA inputs, having been designed more for CD/mp3 player input and is thus a little harder to integrate into a regular show requiring more channels for live instruments, unless some creative work is done with some relatively unorthodox leads and adapters. The Nano 300 manual suggests attaching a mixing desk to one of the other channels to sort this (or even buying and connecting a second Nano 300 unit); however this seems to defeats the purpose of acquiring such a small and compact system in the first place. It seems that a couple more input connection options on each channel might have been a good way to remedy this issue.

The system delivers 230 watts, plenty for small acoustic performances or recorded background music shows, with the audio quality musicians have come to expect from HK products.

There are optional accessory packs which can be purchased to enhance the Nano 300. The most vital is the speaker stand set consisting of two mounting poles, a tripod and two speaker cables in a travel bag which retails for $229. There is also a roller bag which houses the Nano 300 providing an even more efficient load-in and transport option for $199.

The HK Lucas Nano 300 retails for $1249.

Reviewed at Joondalup Music Centre.

Fender EVH 5150

FENDER EVH 5150 III 50 WATT HEAD AND 2X12 SPEAKER CABINET

Lucas Nano 300

satisfy even the most saturated-seeking players. Sure the Eddie sounds are there, but the overall sound is not really locked to any particular style, provided that the style in question requires plenty of dirt and power. The amp is driven by 6L6 and 12AX7 valves.

The accompanying 2x12 cabinet is load with two Celestion 30-watt anniversary speakers, providing excellent dynamics, width and projection.

Other features on the rear of the amp include selectable impedance (4, 8 or 16 ohms), dual parallel speaker outputs, an effects loop (which can be switched in and out via the included fourchannel footswitch), a headphone jack and a line out.

There are even MIDI connections for use with MIDI footswitching for guitarists with more complicated rigs.

Not surprisingly similar to the original Peavey 5150 series - although looking decidedly cooler particular in the ivory colour option - this amp does one thing really well: uber-gain. Players who are after that will love it; players looking for more balanced and versatile tones will plug in elsewhere.

The Fender EVH 5150 III 50 watt head retails for $1499. The 2x12 cabinet retails for$799.

Also available in this series is a 100-watt head, 4x12 cabinet, 1x12 cabinet and a combo model.

Van Halen exploded back into the industry last year with the release of A Different Kind Of Truth, featuring original frontman David Lee Roth whom the Van Halen brothers reunited with a few years prior for a couple of tours. Eddie Van Halen, an innovator in rock guitar, has always had a slew of signature products available, often switching between brands. One of the guitarist’s latest pairings is with Fender, who has taken on the task of creating a new line of signature amps and speakers.

The EVH 5150 III 50 watt head is presented as a three-channel amp, but channels one and two share EQ, gain and volume, making it very difficult to set up two switchable, usable sounds. For example, dialling in a clean sound on channel one produces a brash, overly loud partially overdriven sound on channel two. Conversely, dialling in a great rhythm sound on channel two results in an ugly semi-clean channel one tone. So really what we have here is a two channel amp with an unnecessary gain boost on the clean channel. Luckily, channel three is what sells this amp: a gain-ridden monster of a channel with ridiculous amounts of drive and volume which will Reviewed at Mega Music Wangara.

DOING IT BY THE BOOK

Too-often overlooked in our online-obsessed world, instructional books and DVDs are and always have been an extremely reliable and beneficial method of taking on new musical concepts. Let’s take a look at some popular publications. CHRIS GIBBS reports.

For the beginning or intermediate guitarist, it turns out that the tried and true publications are still top of their game in terms of quality information and learning systems. The ever-popular Aaron Shearer’s Classical Guitar Technique has recently received an upgrade and is now available with an accompanying enhanced CD. For contemporary players, the Progressive series of instructional books continues to sell well, with most editions now including enhanced CDs, DVDs, or both. The Progressive series covers all styles of guitar from first chords for young beginners right through to metal finger-benders for more developed players.

Also available in the Progressive series are books for drums, bass, keyboards, vocals, harmonica and more. The aforementioned titles are available from all good music stores starting from as little as $15.95.

The Guitar Handbook by Ralph Denyer is one of the most concise reference books for guitarists. Suitable for players of all levels, the book covers the history of guitar through profiles on some of the greats, instructional sections from beginner’s chords right through to modal improvisation, a step-by-step guide to guitar maintenance and repair, recording techniques and alternate tuning information. Of particular use is the excellent chord dictionary at the rear of the book which covers a minimum of three voicings for all of the major, minor and dominant extended chord families in all twelve keys. The Guitar Handbook retails for around $29.95.

Popular with metal guitarists since the ‘80s, the Guitar Grimoire series of books provides an excellent reference tool for intermediate to advanced players. Penned by Adam Kadmon and originally covering seemingly endless fretboard positions for both diatonic and synthetic scales, the series has now grown to include chord, improvisation and finger exercise versions. Full ordering information is available at guitargrimoire. com Originally from the UK and now settled in Perth, seasoned drummer Jon Trotter has recently released Practical Grooves for the Working Drummer.

Featuring a 278 page book, an audio CD containing www.xpressmag.com.au

over 800 examples and a DVD featuring seven demonstration videos, the material covered includes examples from all modern styles including ska, hiphop, fusion, soul, drum and bass rock and swing. Find out more at johntrotterdrums.com Renowned jazz drummer and fulltime WAAPA lecturer Chris Tarr has released The Drummer’s Handbook. Designed as a comprehensive reference for the student drummer, the book utilises state of the art photography in order to provide technique images not seen in other drumming references. Check out The Drummer’s Handbook at thedigitaldoll.com

The Guitar Grimoire

SOUND ADVICE Any veteran punter has been to up to the standards of touring bands in Australia.”

It was while studying sound at the Academy countless gigs at Amplifier/Capitol, of Performing Arts that Stuart was asked to take over but have you ever considered who’s in-house duties at Amplifier and he’s been there ever since, working with countless bands and performers. responsible for making the guys on We asked him what he, as an engineer, liked to get stage sound so great? That’d be in- from any given band who sets foot on his stage. hope that bands come in and they house sound engineer Ian Stuart, and understand“I what it is that they have to do,” he tells we caught up with him to find out how us. “In that they can play their own songs properly, got good guitar sound, their drums are tuned the live scene looks from behind the they’ve - those kind of things. That’s what really makes a mixing desk. TRAVIS JOHNSON reports. difference to me; a band that comes in with all their Though he’s been at it for a remarkably long time, Ian Stuart never originally wanted to be a sound engineer; like so many, he first started on stage rather than behind the desk.

“I grew up in Melbourne and played keyboard and guitar in a few bands in the late ‘80s,” he explains. “I played in cover bands. Then I moved to Perth. I liked going to see bands, but I noticed that there wasn’t a lot of really good sound going on in Perth, you know? I just wanted to go see bands and here them sound good and get a good mix. I found that it was so hard to find any quality sound that I thought I might as well have a go at it myself.”

That decision led him, after a couple of years as a roadie, to a steady gig on the mixing desk at The Swanbourne Hotel mixing local bands.“Then they started doing quite a few touring bands - things like Cosmic Psycho and Frenzal Rhomb, Skunkhour, stuff like that. It started getting really technical as the acts got bigger and the PA got bigger, so I decided maybe I should get a little technical training, just to bring me

own shit together, knowing what they have to do.”

He does admit to having had the occasional clash with touring bands who “...kind of have a ‘this is what we do, this is how loud we play’ attitude, and they do the same thing at every gig. You can’t always do that; you need to play at an appropriate level for the size of the venue you’re in, the size of the stage you’re on, and the equipment you’re using. Some bands do come in and try to dictate to me, and that’s where I draw the line. I don’t allow people to dictate to me what they think they want. I give them what I think is appropriate.”

And perhaps that’s why, when we ask him what he likes best about the job, he says, “I really love watching local bands blow away touring bands. It’s just the best, and Perth has so many great bands.

One of my favourite things is to have a touring band do their sound check, and then the support band comes on with half the amount of equipment, half the amount of time and half the experience and yet, quite often, they sound twice as good. That’s always pretty gratifying to me.”

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MUSIC GEAR & TECHNOLOGY EMPLOYMENT & TRAINING GUITAR TUTOR required for busy guitar school in Northern suburbs. Exp and enthusiam in teaching all ages and levels. Great working environment and excellent pay rate. Enquiries call Stefan on 041 444 8907.

MUSOS WANTED ADVERSE REACTION NEEDS A DRUMMER!! We need a dedicated drummer to complete our line up. Must play double bass. Old skool metal style drummer. Influences are Motorhead, Metallica, Slayer, Megadeth. Phone Bagzy on 0427 799 089.

BANDS WANTED Young Top 40/Triple J/Classic Rock bands wanted. Regular country gigs available. Focus Promotions Mon-Fri 9am-5pm 9272 4144 focuspro@ iinet.net.au BASS PLAYER WANTED Koverd Dirt establishing blues/rock cover band, wanting reliable/committed player with good old fashioned bass skills. Avg age 42 yrs rocking. Contact trevorkidd@y7mail.com EXPERIENCED BASS PLAYER Seeks established working cover band. Also willing to do fill ins. Contact 0413 779 964 or lfilgoni@hotmail.com GUITARIST & BASS PLAYER WANTED 25+. Covers pop/jazz/rock (Sade, Stevie Nicks, Rickie Lee Jones) Stage presence + some vocals req. 0438 771 128 OPEN MIC NIGHT every Thursday night at Indi Bar. Just call Bex on 0404 917 632.

OPEN MIC NIGHT @ THE CRAIGIE TAVERN Tuesdays from 8pm. Solos, Duos, Trios, Originals and Covers. Contact Paula or Ceelay 0420375670 or openmiccraigie@hotmail.com PUNK ROCK DRUMMER WANTED Must be serious and innovative. Infl: Foo Fighters, The Offspring and Rise Against.. Call Zen 0433 056 548 RHYTHM GUITARIST, BASS, DRUMMER & SINGER WANTED For cover/original rock band. In Perth area.

Must have own gear and transport. Contact Nate 0413 901 893 THE CROOKED CATS Seeking bass player and keys.

Gigs waiting. Contact via Facebook or call 0448 436 491 or 0438 604 529.

VOCALIST WANTED Influences Depeche Mode. Retro Electronic. Email demos to srcoconut1@hotmail.com VOCALIST WANTED Male preferred for Funk/ Soul/R&B cover band. Contact 0423 429 363.

YOUNG FEMALE KEYBOARD/VOCALIST or guitarist/ vocalist for working band. Triple J Top 40. Focus Promotions 9-5 Mon-Fri 9272 4144 PHOTOGRAPHY PROJECT PHOTOGRAPHY Promo photography, studio, live, location. Mike Wylie 0417 975 964 www.projectphotography.com 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 * www.nightstarlightingaudio.com.au www.nightstarlightingaudio.com.au w w w . i n s t a n d t . c o m . a u www.instandt.com.au 9381 2363/ 9444 6651 CD & DVD MANUFACTURE Check out our latest CD & DVD specials online at www.procopy.com.au 9375 3902 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

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Edited by T R AV I S J O H N S O N

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 BANDS! - UNLOCK YOUR SONGS’ POTENTIAL +FREE 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 GOLDDUST Produc tion M ixing, recording and composition. Leederville $70 p/h. 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 ProTools..17 Years exp THE SOUND FACTORY 16 & 24 track tape + Pro Tools recording. Best of old school and modern technology. www.thesoundfactory.rockstar.org. au 0403 844 124 TONE CITY RECORDING STUDIO Professional recording & mixing. Clients include Abbe May, Pond, Felicity Groom & The Silentís. Ph: 0409 297 362.

Send your Volume News to musicservices@xpressmag.com.au

Remember that scene in Say Anything, when John Cusack’s Lloyd Dobler courts Diane Court by holding up a boombox playing Peter Gabriel’s In Your Eyes? We can’t promise you that buying one of these new-fangled portable speakers will result in any such memorable moments, but with seriously stupendous sound on your side how can you go wrong?

BIG JAMBOX - RRP $359.95 Producing by far the loudest sound of any of the devices mentioned here, the Big Jambox (a beefed-up version of the original Jambox) packs a punch.

Whether you want to pump out music loud enough to get a party started (and probably annoy your neighbors) or listen closely to the deep, deep layers of your demo, the Big Jambox is a damn powerful set of speakers. It evens works great in place of your TV’s builtin speakers and can be easily wired up via an audio-in jack. While the model comes with what many might consider to be a heft price tag, it’s really worth it alone for the high-quality performance, fully fleshed-out sound and 15 hours of playback time delivered.

Big Jambox

LOGITECH UE MOBILE BOOMBOX - RRP $299.95 If the sound of the Big Jambox gets your motor running, but you just can’t bear to part with that much dough, Logitech’s UE Mobile Boombox makes for a good sloppy seconds. It’s still not cheap, but for $50 less it produces almost the same level of sound as the BJ and has the added bonus of being able to stream music from up to 15 meters away. There are a couple of downsides though - it weighs a whopping 3 kilos and its playback time is only six hours.

JBL CHARGE - RRP $199.95 Not content to merely deliver top-notch portable audio performance, the JBL Charge differs from models in its ability to charge other mobile devices on the go. It provides more than 12 hours of playback time from its built-in, 6000mAh Li-ion rechargeable battery, and it can even charge your smartphone or tablet via its builtin USB port (presumably, that’s why it’s called the Charge). Weighing in at just under 500g, its size and shape is not dissimilar to a beer-can, making it pretty much the perfect product for your listening and charging needs.

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 The most appealing aspect of the Wowee One Slim (the recently released sleeker version of the Wowee One rooms, airconditioned, quality PAs mob 0418 944 Classic) is its surprising ability to push big sound relative to its diminutive size. Just 55mm wide and 105mm 722 long, it’s a wee bit smaller than an iPhone 4S and similar in shape. Available in white or black, the speaker has an unusual ‘Gel Audio’ driver underneath which, when placed on a suitable surface, can use that surface TUITION as conduits to produce bass frequencies. ***GUITAR LESSONS*** Perth’s ultimate guitar Plus, for vertical surfaces (such as studio. Beg-adv, all styles and levels including bass. windows and walls) you can buy a Cliff Lynton Guitar Institute. Mt Lawley 9342 3484 set of semi-permanent sticky gel/ www.clifflynton.com pads which hold the speaker BASS LESSONS Rock, funk & jazz. Tony Gibbs in place. It’s a pretty cool concept, and somewhat 9470 6131 makes up for the fact GUITAR & KEYBOARD TUITION (Beginners- that the overall sound Professional) One on One lessons. Burswood Ph the Wowee One 6460 6921/ 0415889645. www.gvkschoolofmusic. Slim produces isn’t com.au quite as fleshed-out GUITAR TUITION Tired of being taught scales and as those of some of theory? Why not learn your favourite songs instead, the other models at my studio or in your own home. Competitive on the market. rates. Rock, Pop, Metal, Folk and Classical 0403 223 958, 9319 9015 (Bicton area) jaymusic@optusnet. com.au.

WOWEE ONE SLIM - RRP $69.95

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Wowee One Slim

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