MELTING IN THE SNOW
Following the breakup of local do-gooders Snowman, Joe McKee has emerged as a reputable solo artist. McKee is touring the country in support of his excellent debut solo album Burning Boy, which X-Press awarded a four star review to upon it’s release. He will officially launch the record at the Rosemount Hotel on Friday, August 24. The album was recorded in Perth with long time collaborator Dave Parkin and written over a three year period. He has recruited Melodie Nelson to support him in Perth. Tickets to the tour are available through OzTix.
Joe McKee
DESIRE BE, DESIRE GO
Nicki Minaj
PINK FRIDAY AFTER NEXT
She is a rapper that dresses crazy, raps crazy and generally does crazy shit. Nicki Minaj is heading back to Australia for the second time this year, and this time she is heading to the wild, wild west as part of her Pink Friday Reloaded Tour. Minaj and her myriad of personas will hit Burswood Dome on Tuesday, October 9. After her debut album Pink Friday conquered the world with hits like Superbass, Minaj has continued her success with sophomore album Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded. Supporting Minaj is a rapper from the infamous suburb of Compton, Tyga. Tickets go on sale on Friday, August 3 via Ticketek.
WAY OVER YONDER
Billy Bragg
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Billy Bragg’s relationship with the original alternative musician Woody Guthrie is deeply personal. This October and November,Bragg will play special two-part shows in Australia, the first part will celebrate Woody Guthrie and the second will explore Bragg’s own music. Bragg will play the Astor Theatre on Friday, November 2 as part of his Ain’t Nobody That Can Sing Like Me tour. Bragg’s relationship with Guthrie was cemented after Guthrie’s granddaughter Nora discovered some of Woody’s unrecorded lyrics and Bragg along with Wilco set about putting music to them. The result was the recently released Mermaid Avenue: The Complete Sessions. Tickets via BOCS.
Missy Higgins
Comeback queen Missy Higgins is bringing both the razzle and the dazzle this December to Freo. After five years out of the music game, Higgins stormed back with the release of The Ol’ Razzle Dazzle. The talented singersongwriter will play the Fremantle Arts Centre on Saturday, December 8, with special guests still be announced. The comeback album has been recently released in the United States and saw her highest ever Stateside chart debut and the first time she has made the Top 100 of the Album Chart. Higgins also played The Tonight Show With Jay Leno and various gigs around the States. Tickets to the Perth show go on sale on Thursday, August 9 through Heatseeker.
THE TIME IS NOW
In the blog-accelerated music world we currently inhabit, the cycle of buzz turns so fast that bands caught up in it can find themselves in the paradoxical state of being brand-new and old hat at the same time. Case in point: Melbourneby-way-of-Perth quintet Split Seconds who are about to release their stunning debut album You’ll Turn Into Me (which garnered a five star review in last week’s X-Press) next Friday, August 10. After a big 2011, which saw them releasing a self-titled EP, taking three national tours and barnstorming the WAMi Awards, the boys are ready for the next chapter, and will be sharing the highs, lows and sordid tales of their debut album when they hit town to launch the new record on Saturday, August 25, at Amplifier, with young guns Stillwater Giants, Rainy Day Women and Warning Birds.
Split Seconds
Reactions/ Comp
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Flesh
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Music: Patrick Wolf
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Music: Serj Tankian
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Music: The Bride/ House Vs Hurricane
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Music: Dappled Cities/ Benedict Moleta
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Music: Icehouse
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Music: Opossom/ Versus The World/
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Music: Rai Thistlethwayte/ Futher
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New Noise
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Eye4 Cover: Portlandia
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Eye4 News/ Movies: Jackpot
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Eye4 Movies/ Music: Abraham Lincoln
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Eye4 TV: Portlandia
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Art Listings
Japandroids/ The Beautiful Girls Earth/ Jinja Safari
Vampire Hunter/ Toni Childs
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Lifestyle
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Salt: Cover Story: Girl Unit
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Salt: Cover Story: Girl Unit/ News/ Sun City/ Home Brew
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Salt: Benga/ Kasra
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Club Manual/ Rewind
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Scene: Live
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Scene: Live/ Pub Blurbs/ Pub Scene
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Local Scene
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Tour Trails
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Gig Guide
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Volume
Cover: Patrick Wolf plays the Fly By Night on Friday, September 14.
GOING VIRAL A simple snap entitled “The Best Review You Will Ever Read” brought a rush of excitement to the X-Press office yesterday. A mobile phone snap of a review published in last week’s X-Press Magazine was seen by the whole internet! Literally thousands upon thousands of people all over the world saw this review and reposted it here, there and everywhere. It had over 20 news articles on Google pointing readers to ‘news’ stories about the review and was picked up by American news websites including Gawker and The Chive. The Huffington Post even ran an article based entirely on the review with well over 200 comments published in the hours after. The incorrect contributor’s name was a trending topic on Twitter, and our front desk’s inbox got flooded with emails from the UK asking if we could send them out hard copies of the magazine so readers far away could frame the review. Some of the biggest news outlets in our land were after the story at the time we were going to print, and a meme had already begun to do the rounds. Not bad for a little old free magazine from Perth. Well done Chloe Papas!
Salt Cover: Girl Unit plays The Bakery on Saturday, August 4. www.xpressmag.com.au
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