Issue 1415

33,560 OCTOBER 2012 MARCH 2013 - AUSTRALIA’S HIGHEST CIRCULATING STREET PRESS

ARCHITECTURE IN HELSINKI

FEATURE INSIDE

VDELLI

SONS OF ANARCHY

THE HOLIDAYS

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LOCAL NEWS

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GLOBAL NEWS

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ANNOUNCEMENTS

STONESWATCH

GWAR BUT NOT FORGOTTEN: ODERUS URUNGUS DEAD AT 50 We had hoped that the rumours swirling around on Monday would be proved false, but both Richmond, Virginia police and GWAR manager Jack Flanagan have confirmed that lead singer Dave Brockie has died.

Brockie, aka Oderus Urungus, was found in his home by an as-yet unnamed band member on Sunday evening. Police were called but found Brockie dead at approximately 6.50pm local time. No foul play is suspected and the Medical Examiner will rule on the cause of death shortly.

Flanagan issued the following statement: “It is with a saddened heart, that I confirm my dear friend Dave Brockie, artist, musician, and lead singer of GWAR passed away at approximately 6:50 PM EST Sunday March 23, 2014. His body was found Sunday by his band mate at his home in Richmond, VA. Richmond authorities have confirmed his death and next of kin has been notified. A full autopsy will be performed. He was 50 years old, born August 30, 1963.

“My main focus right now is to look after my band mates and his family. More information regarding his death shall be released as the details are confirmed.”

A brilliant and fearless iconoclast with a wicked sense of humour and zero regard for propriety, Brockie was recently in our neck of the woods as part of the Soundwave Festival, where he had his GWAR bandmates cheerfully decapitated an effigy of Tony Abbott live on stage, much to the delight of their fans. A truly unique voice in music, culture and art, he will be sorely missed. Our thoughts go out to his loved ones.

SAVANNAH SHOW Straight from a sell-out stint on Broadway, Cirque Mother Africa is coming back to Perth for the first time in four years. Combining the worlds of daring circus performance, acrobatics, and African music and culture, Cirque Mother Africa is sure to be a breathtaking spectacle. The first show date will be at the Mandurah Performing Arts Centre Friday, May 23, followed by a series of rural shows, culminating in a show at the Crown Theatre on Friday, May 30, followed by a show at the Queens Park Theatre on Saturday, May 31. For more information, visit cirquemotherafrica.com.au.

Cirque Mother Africa

You’re probably well aware of the status of the Rolling Stones’ Australian tour, but in case of any doubt this was Frontier Touring’s official statement made late last week after our print deadline.

“Rescheduled dates are being presently worked on for The Rolling Stones 14 On Fire tour of Australia & New Zealand and will be announced as soon as possible. In the meantime we ask ticket holders to hold on to their tickets until the new dates are announced. If the new dates are not suitable rest assured you will be able to secure a refund. Please note for ticket holders wishing an immediate refund, this option is now available to you via the ticketing agency you purchased from. A new schedule of dates is presently being worked on and will be advised as soon as possible.

Information will be made available via rollingstones. com and frontiertouring.com as soon as available.”

Recent reports suggest the tour may now take place in October. You know where to keep an eye on for updates.

Dave Brockie, aka Oderus Urungus, RIP

CAN THE CANS All good things must, as they say, come to an end.

And so it is that after an eventful summer Dave’s Cans is bidding farewell to its rooftop abode with a party befitting its existence this Saturday, March 29, from 4pm-1am.

Outside there’ll be Morgan St Sound System, Ben M & Ben Taaffe, The Floors, Tired Lion, Rum Jungle , Timothy Nelson & The Infidels, Childsaint and Jack Doepel.

Inside it’s Salut Barbu b2b Rex Monsoon, Nik Ridik x Maria Mendes, Leon Osborn and ATRIPAT. Cheap pre-sales available now from events.ticketbooth.com.au or it’s $25 on the door.

Tired Lion, helping to shut up shop at Dave’s Cans

AMP IT UP

Fresh from two sell-out arena shows in Soweto, South Africa, Nitro Circus are returning to Australia.

Showcasing 40 of the world’s best action sports athletes, the show will feature a cavalcade of BMX, skate-boarding, and motocross stunts, as well as a menagerie of weird and wacky vehicles, set to the theme of a 1920s circus. If you’re a fan of motorsports, you can catch the show at the NIB stadium on Saturday, May 10. With many of the east coast shows already sold out however, make sure you get in quick.

Tickets available through ticketmaster.com.au.

It’s that time once again, the AmpFest 2014 final will be held on Saturday, April 5, as part of the 4Sure Festival at Nedlands Foreshore & Skate Park, from 1-6pm.

Some 50 entries were submitted this year, with the five finalists being Indigo, Silver Hills, Anna O, Fox Cat Rabbit and North Shore Shoals. They’ll all be in the running for $6,000 in cash prizes.

There’ll also be headline performances by The Love Junkies (all-ages launch for their Flight Test EP) and Mathas. There’s skate demos, craft stalls and plenty of free, fun activities.

Youth Advisory Councils from the City of Nedlands, City of Subiaco and Town of Mosman Park are helping to coordinate the event. For full details, head to ampfest.com.au.

Nitro Circus - Pic: Business Wire

The Love Junkies, Ampfest - Pic: Michael Wylie

ROLL UP, ROLL UP

THIS MEANS RAW Get a good grip on your rubs, as 15 of WA’s funniest up-and-coming comics will brings their best laughs to the State Final of RAW Comedy this Saturday, March 29, at His Majesty’s Theatre.

The comics will battle for a place in the 2014 RAW Comedy Final at the Melbourne International Comedy Festival in April. The ultimate winner there receives the opportunity to compete in So You Think You’re Funny? at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in August.

Lining up will be Ben Mulvi, Brodi Snook, Ciaran Lyons, David Tuffley, Des Pondent, Emmet Glynn, Hayden Stevens, Louise Cook , Matt Storer, Rory Lowe, Sian Choyce, Simon Etheridge, Jason Woods, Daniel Dellborrelo and Cameron McLaren. The evening will be hosted by Dave Williams and there’s also a headlining spot from Suns Of Fred.

Doors open at 7pm, tickets are $35-$42 via hismajestystheatre.com.au.

Suns Of Fred

MCMORROW CALLING Last seen around these parts performing at Southbound, James Vincent McMorrow is in the midst of his current US tour - which includes a string of sold out shows and a spot on Coachella in April supporting his new album, Post Tropical. He’s set to hit Australian shores once again and in Perth will land at the Astor Theatre on Wednesday, May 21. Tickets go on sale this Friday, March 28, from liveattheastor.com.au and secret-sounds.com.au.

James Vincent McMorrow 4

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WIN

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PRINT AND DIGITAL EDITIONS PUBLISHER/MANAGER Joe Cipriani

EDITORIAL - 9213 2888 MANAGING EDITOR Bob Gordon: editor@xpressmag.com.au FEATURES & DANCE MUSIC EDITOR Rachel Davison: featuresed@xpressmag.com.au LOCAL MUSIC & ARTS EDITOR Travis Johnson: localmusicarts@xpressmag.com.au GIG & EVENT GUIDES CO-ORDINATOR guide@xpressmag.com.au COMPETITIONS win@xpressmag.com.au For band gigs and launches - plugyourgig@xpressmag.com.au

DVD/BLU-RAY: B.B KING THE LIFE OF RILEY

PHOTOGRAPHY Rachael Barrett, Stefan Caramia, Guang-Hui Chuan, Daniel Craig, Brandon D’Silva, Max Fairclough, Daniel Grant, Sammy Granville, Matt Jelonek, Emma Mackenzie, Callum Ponton, Denis Radacic, Bohdan Warchomij, Michael Wylie CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Leah Blankendaal, Nina Bertok, Lucas Bowers, Aaron Bryans, Joe Cassidy, Hayley Davis, Chris Gibbs, Alfred Gorman, Shaun Cowe, Predrag Delibasich, Jayde Ferguson, George Green, Alex Griffin, James Hanlon, Chris Havercroft, Joshua Hayes, Brendan Holben, Coral Huckstep, Ellie Hutchinson, Rezo Kezerashvili, Tom Kitson, Clayton Lin, Charlie Lewis, Daisy Lythe, Andrew Nelson, David O’Connell, Shane Pinnegar, Nick Sweepah, Jessica Willoughby

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CLUBBING: DISCLOSURE Following their headline spot at last year’s Listen Out event, the Lawrence brothers aka chart-topping UK duo, Disclosure are returning to WA for Groovin’ The Moo on Saturday, May 10 at Hay Park, Bunbury, as well as their own show on Friday, May 9 at Metro City with Wave Racer. Disclosure’s debut album Settle hit #5 in Australia and #1 on the ARIA dance chart and their new single F For You featuring Mary J Blige has already clocked up over 3 million views. To be in the running to win a double pass to the show at Metro City, email: win@xpressmag.com.au.

CD: PAPA VS PRETTY

B.B. King: The Life Of Riley narrated by Morgan Freeman and directed by John Brewer, is a documentary exploring how an orphaned kid from Mississippi battled against all odds and unrelenting racism to overcome the toughest critics in the entertainment industry and become ‘king of the blues’. It includes extended interviews with the man himself as well as live performance footage from Royal Albert Hall. To win a copy of the doco on either DVD or Blu-Ray, email: win@xpressmag.com.au.

Sydney’s Papa Vs Pretty put out their second album, White Deer Park, last month. Produced by Dave Trumfio (Wilco, My Morning Jacket, Grandaddy) recorded at Studios 301 and Forgotten Valley Studios, and mixed at Kingsize Soundlabs in LA, the record is the follow-up to their ARIA award-nominated debut from 2011, United In Isolation. Catch the four-piece playing with Ball Park Music from April 24 to April 27 in venues around Perth and to win a copy of the album, email: win@xpressmag.com.au. Make sure you include your postal address!

B.B. King: The Life Of Riley

Papa Vs Pretty’s White Deer Park

FASHION: OUT WITH AUDREY For lovers of urban fashion, local online store Out With Audrey has a treat for one lucky X-Press reader. To be in the running to win a $150 voucher from their great range of clothing, accessories and shoes, email: win@ xpressmag.com.au and tell us what your ‘can’t do without out’ wardrobe item is this autumn, and head to outwithaudrey.com.au or facebook/ outwithaudrey for all things fashion, style and inspiration.

Disclosure

PRODUCTION DEPARTMENT - 9213 2854 CONTENT COORDINATOR Anthony Jackson - production@xpressmag.com.au ART DIRECTOR Dwight O’Neil DESIGN + PRODUCTION Andy Quilty, Anthony Jackson, Kasia Mazurkiewicz

Out With Audrey

PRINTING Rural Press Printing Mandurah DISTRIBUTION - 9213 2853 - distribution@xpressmag.com.au ADMIN / ACCOUNTS - 9213 2888 Lillian Buckley accounts@xpressmag.com.au EDITORIAL DEADLINES General: Friday 5pm, Eye4 Arts: Thursday 10am, WIN: Friday 5pm, Salt Clubs: Monday 5pm , Local Scene: Monday Noon, Gig Guide: Monday 5pm ADVERTISING DEADLINES Cancellations: Monday 5pm, Ads to be set: Monday Noon Supplied Bookings / Copy: Tuesday 12 Noon, Classifieds: Monday 4pm Published by: Columbia Press Pty.Ltd. A.C.N. 066 570 803 Registered by Australia Post. Publication No PP600110.00006 Suite 55/102 Railway Street, City West Business Centre, West Perth, WA 6005 Locked Bag 31, West Perth, WA 6872 Phone: (08) 9213 2888 Fax: (08) 9213 2882 Website: http://www.xpressmag.com.au WARRANTY AND INDEMNITY Advertisers and/or their agents by lodging an advertisment shall indemnify the publisher, and its agents, against all liability claims or proceedings whatsoever arising from the publication. Advertisers and/or their representatives indemnify the publisher in relation to defamation, slander, breach of copyright, infringement of trademarks of name of publication titles, unfair competition or trade practices, royalties or violation of rights or privacy and warrant that the material complies with revelant laws and regulations and that its publication will not give rise to any rights against or liabilities in the publisher, its servants or agents. Any material supplied to X-Press is at the contributor’s risk.

33,560 OCTOBER 2012 MARCH 2013 - AUSTRALIA’S HIGHEST CIRCULATING STREET PRESS

DVD/BLU-RAY: ENDER’S GAME

FILM: THE RAID 2 Indonesian action film, The Raid 2 is out in cinemas this week and follows on from the 2012 hit, The Raid: Redemption. Rookie Jakarta cop Rama thought it was over. After fighting his way out of a building filled with gangsters and madmen - a fight that left the bodies of police and gangsters piled in the halls - he thought it was done and life was back to normal. He couldn’t have been more wrong. To win a double in-season pass, email: win@xpressmag.com.au.

The Raid 2

From the producers of Star Trek comes Ender’s Game - an action/sci-fi adventure film starring Harrison Ford, Sir Ben Kingsley and Asa Butterfield. The plot goes something like this... Years after earth has been ravaged by an alien invasion, Ender Wiggin (Asa Butterfield) a shy but brilliant boy, has been chosen to defend the planet from a hostile threat. Under the tutelage of Colonel Graff, Ender must lead his fellow soldiers into an epic battle that will determine the future of the human race. To win a copy on DVD, email: win@xpressmag.com.au.

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SPORT: WA ROLLER DERBY Ahead of their bout with Adelaide this week, WA Roller Derby skaters will be getting into the fun of Monster Fest at the premiere of MurderDrome at Luna Leederville this Thursday night. Dressed up in their zombie best, the players are helping put the skate into the movie premiere and also promoting their coming interstate game with Adelaide’s Murder City Roller Girls. To be in the running to win a double pass to the game this Saturday, March 29 at Kingsway Indoor Sports Stadium from 6:30pm, email: win@xpressmag.com.au.

WA Roller Derby

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FLESH

NEWS - INTERVIEWS - REVIEWS - CONTENTS

VDELLI

RUSSELL MORRIS

Live And Let Live Vdelli launch their new live album, Live & On Fire at the Charles Hotel this Saturday, March 29, with help from The Julius Lutero Band and Kat Wilson. BOB GORDON checks in with Michael Vdelli.

How long have you wanted to do a live album and why now?

For quite a while our audience has been asking for a live release. The time seemed right to add a live album to our catalogue now that we had more new original material to showcase in a live and spontaneous situation.

The last album, Never Going Back, showcased more hard rock flavours than previous releases, did that make for pretty fired up performances on the European tour which gave rise to this live album?

The live set, particularly with the addition of new heavier material, is definitely the main asset of our band so I suppose it’s logical to capitalise on one’s strengths.

Describe the show wherein the live album was recorded?

The show was recorded in front of a full house at the Indi Bar late last year. The vibe was great and fortunately we played well so the end result was what we were looking for.

Whores, Strumpets And Bad Women Of Tasmania Russell Morris will release his new album, Van Diemen’s Land, on Friday, April 11, and perform at West Coast Blues N’ Roots on Sunday, April 13, at Fremantle Park.

BOB GORDON reports.

How aware during the show are you of being recorded? Can that itself be distracting?

The fact that one is being recorded is always apparent however over time, experience has taught me to enjoy the challenge of producing under pressure. I quite like it, actually. It seems to bring out the best in the band.

You’re off to Europe again in May. What are the plans and indeed your hopes for the rest of 2014?

Yes, it’s only been a couple of months since the last adventure but this tour will see us playing at summer festivals and showcase concerts in Europe. I would say the highlight could be Sweden Rock Festival at which we have been asked to open proceedings, but so far the whole tour looks great. The plan for the rest of the year is the same as always, to get our music to more people, improve our live show and continue to expand our touring territory.

HOME BAKED BLUES FREE AS A BIRD Ms. Lauryn Hill is heading to Australia for Vivid Sydney and is also playing shows in Melbourne and Perth. Despite all the publicity for tax evasion rather than music in recent times, she’s now free to perform those songs from her 1998 debut album as a solo artist - The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill. Since departing The Fugees, she’s won five Grammy awards including being the first hip hop artist to win ‘Album Of The Year’. Expect a mix of R&B, pop, hip hop and reggae when she plays Fremantle Arts Centre on Saturday, May 24. Get your tickets this Thursday, March 27, from 9am via Oztix.com.au.

Stoney Sound System is putting on a country feast of home baked blues in the pleasant surroundings of the Astor Theatre’s Lounge Bar on Saturday, April 5.

Expect a dash of boogie blues from Huge Magnet; swinging country with electro roots from Stoney Joe; bluegrass from The Seals; and some harp and guitar medicine courtesy of Dux & Downtown. Tickets on sale via eventbrite.com.au.

Stoney Joe

Lauryn Hill

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News Win Flesh Music Russell Morris Monster Magnet Architecture In Helsinki Band Of Skulls, Steel Panther, The Holidays New Noise Eye4 Cover: Kim Coates Nymphomaniac, Life Father Like Son My Sweet Pepper Land Vintage in vogue Arts Listings Salt Cover: Joel Fletcher Edu Imbernon, Vengeance News, Test Pad Club Manual, Behind The Decks Rewind: Cult What’s On: April Scene Local Scene King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard, David Craft Kate Miller-Heidke Tour Tour Trails Gig Guide Volume Chris Gibbs

FRONT COVER: Russell Morris release’s his new album, Van Diemen’s Land on Friday, April 11 and performs at West Coast Blues N’ Roots on Sunday, April 13, at Fremantle Park.

SALT COVER: Joel Fletcher plays Ministry of

Sound’s Clubbers Guide to 2014 this Saturday, March 29 at Villa.

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TIME WARP Festival favourite, Sydney’s Hot Dub Time Machine, a DJ who plays everything from the Beatles to Beyonce, The Rolling Stones to Snoop Dogg and the Bee Gees to Nirvana, is heading back to WA to play two shows at Metropolis Fremantle’s Blu-V Party on Friday, April 4, and Capitol on Saturday, April 5. Get your tickets from Oztix.com.au, dig out your dancing shoes and bring your mum!

Russell Morris is a collector of stories. He finds them and then he tells them. It’s a simple process that led him to writing and releasing 2012’s Sharkmouth album - featuring colourful, often criminal identities - an LP that took him back to the top of the charts several decades after his psychedelic hit, The Real Thing, blew the whole country’s mind.

Now he’s back with Van Diemen’s Land, another foray into unearthed nuggets that say something of who we were and who we are. More and more these Australian stories are finding new listeners, in music, film and television.

“If I’d said to you 100 years ago, ‘your grandfather’s a convict isn’t he?’ you would have absolutely died,” Morris posits. “You would have gone, ‘no! There’s no convicts in our family’. The stigma attached to being a convict was horrendous. Most of the convicts eventually changed their name.

“Now, people are absolutely delighted to find convicts in their past. I went to Tasmania with Tony Naylor (guitarist), who is Taswegian, all his ancestors were from Tasmania. As is my bent, I was trailing in this historical bookshop and he was with me and goes, ‘look at this!’ He had this huge, thick book and he goes, ‘that’s, my great, great, grandmother’.

There was a whole page on her and the title of the book was Whores, Strumpets And Bad Women Of Tasmania.

“She was a convict who’d been sent out to the colonies for stealing a gold watch, and while she was out here she committed some other offences. She had a whole rap sheet and he was delighted. He got the book and took it home, but 100 years ago that would never have happened. That would have been a stigma on the family name.”

Call it the hangover of colonialism. Morris recalls that when he first travelled to England as a musician in the early ‘70s, he was often referred to as ‘The Colonial’. It was affectionate, but it spoke volumes. Times change, however, and as a nation’s confidence grew and people spoke of and recognised the past, our stories emerged.

“For so long that stigma just hung over, then all of a sudden a lot of things started for Australia and everyone went, ‘hey, our past is what we are, we have to embrace this’. The good, the bad and the ugly, we have to embrace it because that’s who we are. I think that awakening has been like a renaissance. And we do embrace the bad, because it’s interesting. What country hasn’t had a horrendous past?”

The songs on Van Diemen’s Land were all written after Sharkmouth was released and have moved from the grimy streets of Melbourne in the 1920s, to various Australian places.

“When I decided to have a look at material for another album, I knew of a couple of stories... one, the Loch Ard Gorge, because I used to go surfing down at Anglesea, and further on up the coast is where a ship ran aground and everyone perished except two people.

That was always in my mind, and so was Breaker Morant. So I started looking at them and writing those stories. I would have loved to have run this album in a chronological order but it was too depressing “Van Diemen’s Land, Lucy McBride, Eureka and others, they’re all pretty heavy songs so I felt I couldn’t do that. We had to mix it up a little bit. I didn’t want to put people in a depressed state (laughs).”

The album features guests musicians such as Rob Hirst (Midnight Oil), Scott Owen (The Living End), Vika and Linda Bull, Ross Hannaford, Phil Manning and Rick Springfield. On a track called Birdsville, Joe Camilleri comes in on saxophone with a burst of brightness that is reminiscent of Bobby Keys on the Rolling Stones’ Brown Sugar.

“What I did with every player on the album was sit down and say, ‘this is what the song’s about. This is the story’. And I’d tell them the story and say, ‘I need you to infuse that into your playing’.

“I said to Joe, ‘what’s happened is the man could never get a woman, they would always leave him because he lived in such remote places, and what the saxophone is to signify is that he’s just got a letter from a Lonely Heart’s Club from a woman who’s coming to see him. So it’s gotta be like him walking out into the desert and screaming up at the night sky’. So the sax represents him walking out into the desert and going, ‘yes! Finally!’

“That’s what it’s supposed to signify. And Joe really got it.”

Morris also approaches what is perhaps a better known tale on Breaker Morant, the (Boer) warcriminal-cum-folk-hero who was immortalised in the 1980 Australian film.

“I think Breaker Morant’s probably my favourite track on the album,” he notes. “This is all about that colonialism thing again. Breaker Morant was no doubt guilty; from all the facts I’ve gleaned he was guilty, but he wasn’t the only one. The Boers were doing the same thing.

“They were murdering prisoners of war; people who surrendered, they would shoot them, there and then. It was a dirty war; a really rotten war. The British were doing it, the Australians were doing it and so were all the other colonial troops in Africa and the Boers were doing it. But it got messy and some police got killed and they had top find a scapegoat.

“The British said it was Breaker Morant who did it so they court-martialled him and his second-incharge and they were shot. The Australian government still, to this day, are trying to get a pardon. I thought it was a great story - he was a real roustabout Australian.

One of those guys who read poetry, womanised, he was a drunk, he was a brawler and a superb horseman, apparently. I thought he’d be a great one to put in there.”

Van Diemen’s Land is the second in a trilogy of Australian story releases, Morris is keen to explore the country’s original inhabitants on the next installment. Following this trilogy of tales the 65-yearold musician is toying with the idea of finishing up his recording career with a rootsy-psychedelic album, “along the lines of Lenny Kravitz’s first album (Let Love Rule, 1989),” to come full circle from his early Real Thing days. He’s even expressed a desire to collaborate with Tame Impala’s Kevin Parker if he has the time to do so. (What do you say, Kevin?)

In the meantime, there is the imminent release of Van Diemen’s Land. In 2012 Morris had 500 CD copies of Sharkmouth pressed thinking he was being ambitious.

It has since sold 80,000 copies.

On the eve of releasing a follow-up to a phenomenal career turnaround, he admits to feeling a little apprehensive.

“It feels like I’ve got up in the morning and gone down to the swimming pool,” he notes.

“I’m standing at the edge thinking, ‘it looks good, I wonder if it’s cold? How is it going to be when I dive in?’ It’s that feeling. I’m about to dive in, is it going to really shock my body or am I going to feel pleasantly surprised, or will it be stimulating at first, cold, then start to warm up?

“It’s a really hard thing, you never know what people are expecting with the next album. We’ve gone a little bit further than the last one, we’ve made some of the soundscapes much bigger. I’m hoping people will go, ‘yeah it’s developed, it’s good’. Some people might go, ‘oh it’s not like the last one’. Some people may say that, but hopefully they’ll like the direction in which this has gone.”

Russell Morris

Hot Dub Time Machine

SUPER-DUPER ANTICS For some electronic, new wave, pop and everything which lies in between, head to the Claremont Hotel this Saturday, March 29 where upstairs, you’ll catch DJ sets from Beryl Streep (aka San Cisco’s Scarlett Stevens) and Tim Ayre from Tim & Jean fame.

Downstairs, they’ll be a ton of live music including some new beat-driven tunes from Felicity Groom, energetic electro-pop from Boys Boys Boys! (with new member Addison Axe) and some surf romp from Thee Gold Blooms. Entry is free!

LOVE EXPLOSIONS

THE FREO CRAWL

This Saturday, March 29, from 8pm, head to Four5Nine Bar (at the Rosemount Hotel) and catch Stuart Orchard and his band, likely performing tracks from his new album, which was recorded in Berlin and will be released later in the year. Special guests include Tangled Thoughts of Leaving’s Ron Pollard with his jazzy Quintet, and the retro and randy Surf Rabbits.

Tickets are on sale now from Oztix.com.au for $10 or $15 on the door on the night.

Following on from the first instalment of the North Freo Pub Crawl which happened last Australia Day weekend, comes round two, across two venues - the Railway and Swan Hotels. Put Sunday, April 6, from 2pm in your diary to witness a mammoth line-up which includes The Kill Devil Hills, The Floors, Datura, The Coalminers Sect, Huge Magnet, The Ghost Hotel, Davey Craddock & The Spectacles and The Morning Night, to name just a few. Get your tickets now from Oztix.com.au

Boys Boys Boys!

Stuart Orchard & co

Datura

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MUSIC

VIEWS

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STORIES

BAND OF SKULLS Climb Every Mountain Band Of Skulls have just released their third album, Himalayan. KEIRON COSTELLO reports.

Three albums in and Band Of Skulls are ready to let the world know that they’re aiming high.

After bursting out of the blocks with 2009’s Baby Darling Doll Face Honey and avoiding the second album slump with the excellent Sweet Sour, the Southampton three-piece will release their third album this month.

Himalayan builds on their well-established hallmark of pounding drums, catchy hooks and vocal harmonies, and according to drummer Matt Hayward, the album is a reflection of the good space the band is in at the moment.

“It’s a funny thing, because you make your first record and it’s a very exciting time; your life completely changes and you start travelling and gigging every night, and then there’s all this pressure that seems to come on the second record,” says Hayward.

“We finished touring the first one and went straight in and made the second one, so there was a lot of nervousness and a tenseness to that record.

And this time round we feel much more comfortable in what we do and can be a bit more objective in looking at what we’ve done previously and taking the things we feel are the best parts of those two records to make this third one.”

With this newfound comfort, the trio have been able to take stock of their increasing popularity and develop their sound accordingly. Their aims as a band are right there in the album title, and although the term ‘Himalayan’ is an in-joke for the group, Hayward also admits that “perhaps it is a metaphor for bigger things to come.”

Singles Asleep At The Wheel and Nightmares might be at opposite ends of the band’s musical

spectrum, but in between Himalayan is jam-packed with certain crowd pleasers, from the monster riffs of I Feel Like Ten Men, Nine Dead And One Dying to the playful quiet/loud dynamics of I Guess I Know You Fairly Well.

According to Hayward, the biggest development in their sound has been a growing confidence as each of the trio inevitably improves musically and the vocal harmonies of guitarist Russell Marsden and bassist Emma Richardson also get better as they adapt to a growing audience.

“I think Russell and Emma singing every night and learning what works on a bigger stage and how that translates to a bigger audience, that translates to your writing because you visualise where you might be playing these songs in the future and I guess subconsciously it does reflect on the writing,” says Hayward. “There’s no smoke or mirrors, it’s just drums, bass and guitar and two vocals. It’s about how we can convert that sound into a bigger stage as our shows start to get bigger.”

Band Of Skulls shows are indeed growing quickly, and after supporting some of the world’s biggest bands in Muse and the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Hayward believes they’ve got the best possible preparation for their upcoming headline dates.

“Every support tour we do it’s a massive learning curve for us to see how a band further down the line go about their business,” he says. In particular, a recent support spot for Queens Of The Stone Age gave Band Of Skulls the template they want to emulate. “They were the sweetest people, and so kind to us... there’s no bullshit to them, they just play the greatest rock show every night.”

Just about to start a massive world tour in support of Himalayan that takes them across three continents in as many months, the English rockers will soon get to test out the lessons they’ve learnt.

Their schedule is so hectic that they barely have a day off from now until after their Australian shows in June (no show, sadly, in Perth), an endeavour that Hayward describes as “daunting”.

“We haven’t been touring heavily for quite some time, so to look at it in front of you is a bit unnerving. But then one day in and it’s like you live in this weird bubble and just take it as it is...I don’t want to think about it,” he laughs. “Everyone’s in very high spirits right now, but you never know, give it a few weeks.”

But even if the band’s Australian dates come at the end of such a gruelling schedule, Hayward and the rest of the group can’t wait to return to our shores.

Having visited in 2010 and again in 2012 to play Splendour In The Grass and a handful of sideshows, this will be their first visit without the support of a festival slot.

“Going to Australia is one of the greatest experiences we’ve had as a band. To be pretty much as far away from your home town as you can possibly be... even since we went out there the first time for the first record, there’s been the nicest response, like no other place really, and it’s only got better since we’ve been back again,” says Hayward.

“I can’t speak more highly of our experiences in Australia, we’ve just had a great time out there. The nice thing is people are so loyal to bands they believe in out there, a lot of the bullshit doesn’t really exist. If they like a band they stick with them, they’re very supportive of what you do.”

THE HOLIDAYS Feeling Real

STEEL PANTHER How Far Can Too Far Go? Brace yourselves – Steel Panther release their third album, All You Can Eat, this week, and lyrically they’ve crossed even more taboo boundaries than ever before. How far, SHANE PINNEGAR asks, is too far?

“Well, we write our lyrics from personal experience,” singer Michael Starr, explains, “so it just depends on where we go in our life.

“And that’s the appeal of Steel Panther the honesty behind it and I think that you can see that in our shows.”

That may seem disturbing when the new album features songs about girls crying during sex parties and gangbanging pensioners at a retirement home, but Steel Panther have always walked a blurry line between fact and fantasy.

“That’s good,” says Starr, laughing at the suggestion that the band must sit around trying to out-gross each other when they’re writing lyrics, before continuing, somewhat open-endedly, “We’re really excited with this record, we spent a lot of time working on it. We went over every single lyric with a fine-tooth comb. We really took our time with it and it’s a little bit darker of a record for us. We’re excited because we feel like we took the best of Feel The Steel and Balls Out, and All You Can Eat is a combination of that. That’s where the title really came from - it’s like, it’s all you can eat: it’s every bit of Steel Panther you could ever want.”

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In addition to causing offence with the sexual nature and swearing in their songs, Steel Panther have also raised the ire of a lot of people who love heavy metal, but think you shouldn’t joke about it. Again, Starr is unrepentant.

“Oh, man I look forward to causing offence,” he says with a laugh. “I really spent most of my life having fun and enjoying myself, and not taking myself too serious, because there was a time when I did take my self real serious and it got me nowhere.

So we don’t take ourselves too serious because I think that heavy metal’s not about being serious for us.

It’s about having a good time. My main influence is Van Halen and when I first saw Van Halen, David Lee Roth didn’t take himself too seriously, but he was the baddest motherfucker on the planet back in the day.

That’s what we’re all about.

“My message would be, ‘if you don’t like it, don’t listen to it. If you like it, listen to it’. That’s it. You know if you’re in a mood where you want to hang out with a chick that’s super-sensitive you might want to put on some Bruno Mars, but if you’re pissed off about your bills being due and you’re bummed out that your mum’s kicking you out, you might want to listen to Steel Panther to escape.

“And then,” he adds, just in case anyone thought he was getting too serious, “if you’re feeling like you want to kill yourself, you can listen to some Nirvana.”

Steel Panther were last in Australia in December 2013, and Starr reassures that they will be back to play All You Can Eat. “I don’t know what our plans are yet, but I know it’s going to be at the end of the year, or hopefully it will the very beginning of next year maybe Soundwave or something. I don’t know yet.”

Touring in support of their newly released second album, Real Feel, The Holidays hit the Rosemount Hotel this Saturday, March 29, and The Newport on Sunday March 30. AUGUSTUS WELBY chats to singer, Simon Jones.

Certain bands are so perfectly suited to their name that you couldn’t imagine them wearing any other title. The Clash, Spiritualized and The Velvet Underground are a few that jump to mind, but summer-soaked Sydney pop group The Holidays might take the cake.

Back in 2010, the band released the Australian Music Prize-nominated debut, Post Paradise, and now we finally get to hear its followup, Real Feel. The extended interval between albums suggests the trio’s work ethic is as breezy as its tunes, but vocalist and main songwriter, Simon Jones, says the last few years haven’t been entirely relaxing.

“We finished touring the last album and we said, ‘Look, we could do another album that sounds like this relatively quickly, or we could spend a bit more time trying to find something new again’,” he says. “That takes time and takes experimenting, so we set about doing lots of experimenting.”

Re a l Fe e l m i g h t b e t h e re s u l t o f deconstructive experimentation, but the record doesn’t actually sound too dissimilar to its predecessor. Fans of Post Paradise have already gleefully embraced the optimistic pre-album singles Voices Drifting and All Time High. So does this mean their quest to break into new ground failed?

“A big part of why the album took so long is you think, ‘I don’t want it to sound like that, I want it to be dark and I want it to be this and this’,” Jones explains. “You end up listening to it and think, ‘It’s

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fine, but it’s not The Holidays’. That’s a big part of it: trying for a while to be something else and then realising that’s not actually what you want.”

This recognition supports the notion that bands don’t choose their sound, it chooses them. Indeed, a band called The Holidays seems pre-determined to favour relaxed arrangements and warm tones. Jones muses on what might explain their defining characteristics.

“Our default setting for sound is somehow this breezy, happy sound, which is kind of weird. I don’t know why that happens. I think once you’re an adult, you’ve got your things that you like. You know, I like slow percussion, I like buzzed-out guitar, I like weird synth pads and stuff like that. If I put all the things I like together, it makes our sound.”

It wasn’t just Jones’ musical preferences influencing the songs on Real Feel. Taking time off from the frazzle of touring let the band become acquainted with everyday living, subsequently allowing Jones et al to gather some crucial life experience.

“When you’re in a full-time band and what you do is tour and then you make a record and then you tour and then you make a record, you get in this sort of suspended animation. You don’t grow up or anything like that. So, taking a long time on this album, what incidentally happened was I bought a house, I got in a serious relationship – got a bit more mature, really.”

Thankfully, taking on adult responsibilities hasn’t sucked the youthful spark out of The Holidays.

However, Real Feel does possess a contemplative shimmer that distinguishes it from the band’s earlier work. “I wouldn’t say it sounds like a different band, but knowing the ideas behind it, I think it’s a more mature album.”

Furthermore, Jones looks into the future with a relaxed confidence that’s surely informed by experience. “I’m not really worried about what people think. We like it and I think after being pretty tough on ourselves, if nobody else likes it then that would be a bit weird.

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ARCHITECTURE IN HELSINKI Pop 4Eva Charming, unrepentant pop craftsmen, Architecture In Helsinki, are headed back to WA to enjoy to sunshine and good vibes of this year’s Groovin’ The Moo at Hay Park, Bunbury on Saturday, May 10. The band’s latest album, NOW + 4EVA, is released this week. SHAUN COWE reports.

Architecture In Helsinki vocalist, Cameron Bird, is in the final stages of preparing for the release of the band’s fifth studio album, NOW + 4EVA. The album has been applauded for its bright, unencumbered melodies and subtle interplay of light and shade.

For Bird though, the release sees the fruition of over a year of patience and hard work. “It’s been really good,” he says. “You know, this might be our fifth record but it’s like Christmas Eve. It’s like waiting for the big day; you still feel that element of enthusiasm and excitement for what will come.”

However, for all the excitement of unwrapping the present, Bird laughingly admits to a little nervousness over whether people will see an Xbox or a pair of socks.

“Any musician that tells you that they weren’t nervous before they put out a record is a liar... I’m sure we, in the back of our minds, are waiting for our demise. It hasn’t come thus far, but we roll with it. Que sera, sera.”

For Bird however, the final judgement doesn’t come from critics, producers or record executives, but from a rather unexpected source. “Generally, I really respect the opinions of people under 10-years-old.

Because I do feel that children listen to music with such honesty that their opinions are really direct. I’d be more upset to get a 1/5 from an eight-year-old girl than I would from the Sydney Morning Herald.”

One of the main elements that Bird keeps coming back to for his albums is the heavy use of synth.

For him, it has been a love affair that began in the band’s early days and has grown steadily from there.

“I really love the synthesiser as an instrument, in that it is completely limitless as to what sound you can make… It’s trial and error, for sure, but it’s also about understanding synthesis and how it works. It’s not about

just hitting a preset and going, ‘Yeah, that’s cool. I’m just going to roll with that.’ It’s about understanding what your song needs, and what mood, and what colour.”

To support the release of their album, Architecture in Helsinki are embarking on a series of live shows across the country, as part of Groovin The Moo. For Bird, the choice to appear as part of a festival, rather than holding a series of headline shows, is a conscious decision to play to the band’s strengths.

“I think, for a long time, I would have said we preferred playing club shows, because you’ve got a captive audience and you can kind of do whatever you like. It doesn’t matter if you take five minutes in between a song to talk about what you ate for lunch. But I think we really grew to love playing festivals.

“We kind of feel like we know how to do it, whereas there was a time where we were just rubbish at festivals. I really enjoy the challenge of winning over a crowd at a festival. You know, you might start out and you’re like, ‘Oh, that’s not going so well’. But then it’s like you’ve really got to find another gear and work out how to get that energy back from the crowd. Generally we find the energy we put in comes back at you 10 times louder.”

With the band’s image heavily entrenched in the festival scene, Bird has experienced first-hand the recent, waning popularity of many big name festivals in Australia, and is unapologetic about voicing where the blame lies.

“I will summarise it with this: Groovin The Moo goes well because they understand how to price the festival; they’re making something that’s appealing to a lot of people. I think greedy promoters that, when the Australian dollar got really strong, were like, ‘Oh yeah, we can charge $500 at a festival. People will pay that’. I think the ass was always going to fall out of that, and it’s a very unsustainable business model, and, culturally, just doesn’t have any real benefit on the long term.”

That’s not all he is up front about. Despite the poor reputation of pop music among self-styled music puritans, Bird is quick to voice his deep love for the music he sees as a uniting force for all people, and the driving ethos behind the band’s writing.

“I think that on a really primal level, people really feel melody and rhythm, and when you’ve got a hook that works, that sticks with you, it translates to any language, at any time and any

NEW NOISE

“That’s the thing about great pop music, it’s so transcendental and it’s so applicable to anyone. I think that’s such an incredibly difficult thing to write music that can move people, regardless of race, or religion, or age.” place. That’s the thing about great pop music, it’s so transcendental and it’s so applicable to anyone. I think that’s such an incredibly difficult thing to write music that can move people, regardless of race, or religion, or age. “ We l ove p o p m u s i c . We ’ l l re a l l y, unashamedly listen to Miley Cyrus and Katy Perry, and we’re much more interested in listening to that than what the new Animal Collective record is, to be honest. To me, the best songwriting and the best artists in the world are people who write pop music.”

For more album reviews head to xpressmag.com.au

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3.5

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EMMA RUSSACK

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OUT OF 5

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OUT OF 5

KING OF THE NORTH

SYDONIA

OUT OF 5

CHARLES JENKINS & THE ZHIVAGOS

You Changed Me Spunk

Sound The Underground MGM

Reality Kicks Sydonia Records/MGM

Although she has relocated to Melbourne, Emma Russack returned to the familiar surroundings of Yowrie to record her second album, You Changed Me. The smoky-voiced singer is said to bring a new found interest in Henrik Ibsen after a two-month sojourn in Scandinavia to her down tempo tunes that weigh heavy on the heart.

Russack uses minimal instrumentation from the get-go as she gives this set of tunes plenty of room to breathe. Get Back has a healthy smattering of pedal steel from Ed Bates to add some country twang to the confident vocals of Russack.

Melbourne indie luminary Cameron Potts puts his punk rock roots behind him as he sits at his customary drum kit and plays in a much more subdued fashion than history would suggest. It is this type of restraint that is the biggest asset of Russack, who never tries to overdo it or rely on studio smoke and mirrors to embellish her tales of the ordinary and mundane.

Emma Russack isn’t the kind of artist that will fill stadiums anytime soon and you would think that is the way she would like it. You Changed Me is a classy collection that is well suited to dimly lit wine dens or more intimate nights with company.

Take a shot of whiskey and throw on your leather jackets; old-school rock has returned in the unexpected form of the Melbourne born two-piece, King Of The North. With only a guitar and drums at their disposal, Andrew Higgs and Danny Leo have generated a massive sound, powered on an endless stream of riffs and roaring choruses. Combining Jet’s intensity and AC/DC’s attitude, the duo shine through Leo’s intense snare rolls, Higg’s ability to merge the sound of two guitars and a bass into one guitar and thunderous 4/4 beats, taking Australian rock to a whole new, layered level.

Opening thunderously with swagger and a booming drum fill, It’s Been Too Long wastes no time exposing what is ahead. Higgs has no problem singing along to his challenging and impressive lead guitar, finishing the track with and impressive vocal yell. By the time Watch It Die has come around, heads are banging and bodies are pumping as Bon Jovi’s Dead or Alive meets its hardest competition to date. Sound The Underground may well have proven King Of The North may be the new king of Australian rock anthems.

It was 2007 when Sydonia’s first LP, Given To Destroyers, drew the attention of Lamb Of God’s Randy Blythe in an Australian record store. Ever since, Sydonia have been on top of the Australian local scene, touring alongside Slipknot, Korn and Stone Sour.

Now, seven years later, the Melbourne four-piece has released their second album, Reality Kicks, with a sound as ambitious and diverse as ever before. Continuing to blur the lines of rock and metal, Sydonia blend symphonic guitars with impactful drums, aggressive bass and soaring vocals to generate a haunting and darker mood; ranging from the forceful kick of booming bass drum and unclean growls in Elbow to the acoustic guitar-driven, ascending track Reality Kicks.

That being said, Sydonia’s openness to a multitude of musical directions may allow them connect to a broader audience, but fails to excel in any memorable fashion overall. Besides the impactful and melodic Wheels, there isn’t anything to take away from the LP other then the potential of their interesting blend of sounds.

AARON BRYANS

Too Much Water On The Boat Silver Stamp Records/Public Bookings They don’t make ‘em like this anymore. Or perhaps it’s just that not enough people buy ‘em. Regardless, it’s been a long time since tunes such this – expansive, playfully but un-ironically beholden to the conventions of genre and song craft – monopolised the mainstream.

The stage is set by the opening triumvirate of The Prime Minister Is Missing, a minor key surf rock belter, the swaggering Britpop of The Whale Song and the jaunty country of 7 Creeks (a fiddle led tale of a certain Kelly gang member and his rumoured transvestism). The peak of the albums good qualities may be Sweet Mildura, a rueful and laconic Dylanesque ballad where each chord change is just so, just perfect.

If a record like Too Much Water On The Boat was going to change your life, most likely you’ve already discovered that record elsewhere. But if all Charles Jenkins & The Zhivagos achieve is to inspire a little nostalgia for an era when an ear for a chorus and a great record collection got you noticed, I suspect they wouldn’t mind.

CHARLIE LEWIS

AARON BRYANS CHRIS HAVERCROFT

3.5 OUT OF 5

DRIVE BY TRUCKERS English Oceans ATO Records/PIAS Australia This alternative Georgian country band are seen as one of the leaders of their genre. They have tended to fall short of expectations that the heaped praise they constantly receive would suggest, and although not the ground breakers they are credited with being, they do have a solid bank of work.

Drive By Truckers have tried to shake off the southern rock label since their concept album and thinly veiled tribute to Lynard Skynard in 2001, yet can’t help 12

themselves here with opening track, Shit Shots Count, having plenty of gritty guitar and southern appeal, whilst being equal parts Rolling Stones.

Main songwriters Hood and Cooley share the writing duties throughout. Primer Coat has the type of guitar jangle that was prominent on Australian independent records of the ‘80s. With Cooley’s unaffected vocals it is a tune that would have sat nicely within the confines of Billy Baxter’s Sydney outfit, The Hollowmen.

Patterson Hood shows the incestuous nature of the genre by writing a tune about a Willy Vlautin character. Pauline Hawkins is a nurse in the book The Free and the song in her name here is an ode to the emotionally unattached that flows through many moods and tempos on this bar room rocker.

English Oceans doesn’t see Drive By Truckers reinventing the wheel and yet it is still their best effort in some time.

CHRIS HAVERCROFT

3.5 OUT OF 5

TWIN FORKS Twin Forks Dine Alone Records/Cooking Vinyl Australia Twin Forks is Chris Carrabba of Dashboard Confessional fame’s latest side project – a four-piece full of uplifting folk tales with a country twist. Carrabba’s exceptional ability to write catchy songs with soaring vocals is still ever present, however, youthful angst is replaced with a touch of revelry. What is still the same is Carrabba’s penchant for writing love songs, never more present than on Kiss Me Darling, a track that also features sometimes fellow vocalist, Suzie Zeldin.

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Storytelling is big here, something that Carrabba’s always been good at, however some of the songs here aren’t as personal and are instead tales of yesteryear and Americana. Scraping Up The Pieces and Danger are perfect examples of this third-person style of narration.

The Twin Forks LP is not ground-breaking in any way. However, what it does do is serve as a gateway to folk rock. If someone wanted to get into the genre but didn’t know how, then this album, particularly for Dashboard Confessional fans, would be the perfect one to use to get them there.

While it can certainly be used a stepping stone, even if you have no intention of listening to folk songs with more than a hint of storytelling and yarns of days gone by, this album is downright enjoyable in its own right. Most of all this album proves that Carrabba is an exceptional songwriter no matter which style or genre he chooses to channel.

ALEXANDER CROWDEN

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Ahead of his appearance at An Evening Of Mayhem films here and there. I started to die early a lot and one of my early said, ‘Would you please do this?’ and I had trepidations like crazy. I said, agents said, ‘You should make a death reel.’ and I went, ‘Not happening!’ ‘You know, I have no interest in playing a sociopath. there’s gotta be at the Astor Theatre this Sunday, March 30, alongside 25 years later, some guy or girl has made this reel of, like, 30 of my something there.’ And he wasn’t really sure what was gonna be there Yeah, I’ve seen it. It’s very funny. It’s great.” for Tig but he promised me that he’d be a whole character. He’d be fellow Sons Of Anarchy cast members Mark Boone deaths or something.

Of course, being part of a television ensemble means it’s funny, he’d be hysterical, yes he’d be tough, yes he’d be psychotic Junior and Theo Rossi, we spoke to Kim “Tig” Coates been a long time between deaths for Coates. As Alexander “Tig” he’d be all those things, but he’d be a brother and be funny and cry Trager, the murderous but loyal Sergeant At Arms in Sons Of Anarchy, and laugh.” about his role in the hit biker melodrama. he’s an integral part of a cast that boasts some of the best character To be honest, though, there hasn’t been a lot of laughter in actors currently working. Such a recurring role was a new experience the increasingly grim series, which has mounted atrocity upon murder “I just blew off Melbourne just for you. I just blew them right off. I for Coates. of late. “Where’s the humour gone? Where’s the comedy gone? It’s said, ‘There’s Perth on the other line - go fuck yourself. You’re done, get “I’ve never been a regular on a television program before,” a changed show. In fact, I gotta say, people need to keep reminding outta here.’” he tells us. “I just never have. I’ve done all my movies and the odd themselves that this is fiction. This is a television show. this is not Take note, future interviewees: that’s a textbook way to arc here and there, but I wasn’t really looking and all of a sudden this reality. We’d all be so in jail by the third show of the first season! In get your interrogator onside, as demonstrated by the canny and script came up. It was amazing and I read it and I love to ride - I’ve fact, the bikers that I know - I mean, I’m a family man, I got two girls, charismatic Kim Coates. A regular supporting player on both big screen been riding my whole life - so I auditioned. I was too young for Clay I don’t do that side, but I’ve been in circles where they’ve been around and small, Coates has spent a goof chunk of his career dying for his art. and I wasn’t right for Bobby, so there wasn’t really anything for me and I’m telling you, some of these guys tell us, ‘You know what’s wrong In fact, there’s a supercut floating around the ‘net of Coates’ various so I walked away - I wished them all the best, though. Then three with the show occasionally? First of all, you guys do way too much killing onscreen deaths that puts Sean Bean’s to shame. months later they were gonna reshoot the pilot and at the time they and shit and the other thing is - where’s all the fun?’”

“When I was a young actor in New York,” he recalls. “On didn’t have Tig - they didn’t have a Sergeant At Arms, they didn’t have Broadway, Warner Brothers come a-calling and I started doing a few that guy. So (Showrunner Kurt) Sutter called me at the 11th hour and TRAVIS JOHNSON

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MYTHED OPPORTUNITY DOG DAYS Spare Parts Puppet Theatre are bringing yet another piece of top notch all-ages entertainment our way with Hachiko. Based on a true story that has already been adapted to numerous media, including two film versions, it tells the tale of a loyal dog who waited at a Tokyo train station for nine years for his owner to return. The production utilises Japanese-inspired papercraft puppets and runs from April 12 - 26. For info on session times and tickets, go to sppt.asn.au.

Hold onto your ballistic gel! The enthusiastic Adam Savage and the imperturbable Jamie Hyneman are heading our way with the MythBusters: Behind The Myths Tour. The co-hosts of SBS’s Mythbusters will be live onstage performing experiments with the help of audience members, fielding questions and throwing out behind-the-scenes anecdotes for fans of unplanned explosions across the land. Tickets go on sale from Ticketek at 10am on Tuesday, April 1, with the Perth show happening at Perth Arena on Wednesday, August 27. Shoot over to mythbusterstour.com for more info.

Hachiko Adam Savage and Jamie Hyneman, Mythbusters

ARCHITECTURE IN PERTH Perth Centre For Photography will be housing two new exhibitions that explore the interplay between architecture and space via large scale photographic works. Rohan Hutchison’s Kanazawa Study explores Japanese architecture through tome and class systems, while Unfixed Connections by Robyn Creigh is an audience-interactive look at the role of memory, imagination and interpretation in individual experience of the urban realm. Both run from April 3 - May 5. Go to pcp.org.au for more.

COMEDY, RAW AND DRIPPING The Raw Comedy State Final is going down at His Majesty’s Theatre this Saturday, March 29. Hosted

by Dave Williams and featuring Suns Of Fred as the headline act, the night will see the 15 comics who have made the cut so far go head to head to see who will represent WA at the 2014 Raw Comedy Final at the Melbourne International Comedy Festival in April. Tickets are available through hismajestystheatre.com.au.

MARTU MOVIES On Monday, March 31, Rooftop Movies will be screening the Malya Yuturringu Film Night, the first of three public fundraising events for the Malya Yuturringu: Be A Star film festival, which will be held in Karlamilyi National Park in the Western Desert. A number of fantastic short films created by the Martu Youth will hit the screen for the first time. Book your tickets through rooftopmovies.com.au.

THE ELEPHENT IN THE ROOM Elephents, the first full stage production by independent theatre company The Last Great Hunt, runs at The Blue Room Theatre from April 29 - May 17. a surrealist soap opera whose characters express all the tings they want to say but usually can’t or won’t through song. A sharp look at the nature of truth, it’s written by Jeffrey Jay Fowler and directed by Kathryn Osborne, who gave us the brilliant Minnie And Mona Play Dead. Go to blueroom.org.au for more.

NYMPHOMANIAC PT 1 & 2 Sexual Healing Directed by Lars von Trier Starring Charlotte Gainsbourg, Stellen Skarsgard, Stacy Martin Found beaten in an alleyway, Joe (Charlotte Gainsbourg) recalls her life to her would be saviour, Seligman (Stellen Skarsgard). As a self-diagnosed nymphomaniac she unapologetically relates her life in terms of her sexual experiences and how such has ultimately lead her to this point. Seligman, a gentle and bookish sort, listens patiently, interjecting with various diatribes on academic points of interest. What follows is a tale of Joe’s sensationalist life, how she gains sexual fulfilment, only to lose such sensation and be forced to seek it in the darker parts of the human psyche.

Lars von Trier brings us a rich and rambling epic of sexual discovery full of his usual stylistic flourishes. Meticulously constructed, it is a film that moves beyond the salacious topic to bring us a meditative piece. Crammed full of interesting side trips into esoteric realms, it is able to relate a diverse range of human activity to the aspect of sexuality.

From fishing to religion, Bond to Roman empresses, all get woven into the narrative, providing a different perspective to the aspect of sensuality. It also infuses a much needed sense of humour into the situation.

Where else would you see an explanation of the Fibonacci sequence and Bach purely for a dick joke?

Yet it is also a film that is unrelentingly

sexual. With pornographic actors hired as body doubles for the sex scenes, many of those sequences are shockingly confrontational but necessary given the subject matter. This is not just titillation and some of these sequences are unsettling and difficult to watch. Part 1 is lighter in tone demonstrating Joe’s growth as a sexual being, while Part 2 covers Joe’s attempts to regain lost feelings and moves much further down the rabbit hole.

With such a wide stretch of time to cover, various actresses play Joe at different stages of her life. Charlotte Gainsbourg (Melancholia) brings a convincing dose of world-weariness to her portrayal, as well as a keen intelligence gained experientially.

Her older Joe might harbour some regrets but is not seeking atonement or redemption; rather she is open to the idea of change as she narrates her tale. Stacy Martin makes a stunning debut as the younger Joe, with a tonne of sexuality and confidence, but never vamping. Skarsgard (Thor) provides a willing father confessor to Gainsbourg’s narrator, despite the claims of only an intellectual curiosity about religion. His scholarly ramblings bring much of the humour to the film, but also allow the audience some distance to contemplate the subject matter rather than entirely being caught in the carnal nature of it all.

Controversial and thought provoking, Nymphomaniac might not be a masterpiece, but it is a work worthy of viewing, analysing and discussing.

An experience for the senses and the mind.

DAVID O’CONNELL

FILM

LIKE FATHER, LIKE SON The Ties That Bind Directed by Kore-eda Hirokazu Starring Fukuyama Masaharu, Ono Machiko Nature versus nurture is perhaps one of the most age-old debates of science, but on which side lies the heart? Like Father, Like Son tells of the Nonomiyra family as they find out that they were given the wrong child at the hospital, six years ago.

Businessman Ryota (Fukuyama Masaharu) and his gentle wife Midori (Ono Machiko) must decide whether they will swap the child that they are raising for the child that is genetically theirs. Is it your blood or your upbringing that truly makes your son?

With Dreamworks having acquired the remake rights to this film, it’s probably worth catching this work in its undiluted form. Writer and director Kore-eda Hirokazu brings us a subtle treatment of a subject that could all to easily fall to melodrama.

Gentle and deliberate, Kore-eda uses a pared-back style to bring us an examination of what it means to be a parent in modern Japan, prioritising work-life balance and expectations, as well as issues of status and class.

Key to t h i s p re s e n t at i o n a re t h e performances of Fukuyama Masaharu and Ono Machiko. Both of them pitch towards a reserved stoicism in their acceptance of the situation and attempts to deal with it. This is not to say they are emotionless, but rather don’t tend towards the histrionics that many family dramas can gravitate towards. Fukuyama’s performance clearly demonstrates his character’s hard edge as a businessman that has had to rely on hard work and 14

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drive to lift himself out of a mediocre background.

As such, his callous and occasionally unrealistic expectations are given more grounding, as are his revaluation of them as he examines what it actually means to be a father. Ono is the counterweight to this as a gentle and doting mother, yet again there is another layer. Midori’s love is undoubtedly with their first son, and not only is she cold and distant to their birth son, but in one beautifully staged scene considers drastic action to retain him.

With parenthood (especially fatherhood) as the major theme it is little wonder we see it dissected and portrayed in a number of ways. Ryota bears it like a responsibility, but is allowed one or two scenes of genuine warmth and affection with his son (which allow an emotional payoff later in the film).

His relationship with his own father is strained, but he has formed a bond with his corporate mentor. By contrast, the other family affected by the hospital mix up (the rather rural Saiki) might not be guaranteeing their children’s future through academic advancement courses, but actually make time to play with them.

Deliberate and heartwarming, Like Father, Like Son takes what could so easily be midday movie fare and treats it with intelligence and compassion.

Little wonder it was commended by the Cannes jury last year and caught Spielberg’s eye.

DAVID O’CONNELL

Like Father, Like Son screens as part of the Lotterywest Festival Films season at Somerville from March 21 April 6 and at Joondalup Pines from April 8 - 13. For more details, head to perthfestival.com.au.

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Georgia King and Jacinta Larcombe in The Little Mermaid

MY SWEET PEPPER LAND GEORGIA KING The Little Mermaid Go West Directed by Hiner Saleem Starring Korkmaz Arslan, Golshifteh Farahani There is an art to transposing a good Western to another setting, but in general the environment needs to be on the frontiers of civilisation. This could mean anywhere from the reaches of space (Outland, Serenity), to a small village in feudal Japan (Yojimbo), to the steppes of the newly re-established Kurdistan as in My Sweet Pepper Land.

Former freedom fighter, Baran, is growing disenchanted with his new job as the police. Although he keenly realises the need for law in his newly formed homeland, he is cynical of the way such law is being executed. Despite attempts to quit the force and live a normal life (which are quickly kyboshed by his mothers continual attempts at matchmaking) he ends up back on duty and sent to where he is “most needed.” In this case, it is a remote town near the Turkish border. Here he comes into conflict with a local warlord in a fight for control of the town.

As a transposition My Sweet Pepper Land works well. With its gallows humour (literally), its beautiful but desolate landscape, its collection of quirky characters, the approaching spectre of modernity, a badass hero and a plethora of armed desperadoes on horseback (albeit the diminutive steppe pony) it feels very much like a spaghetti western. Even its traditional steel-drum-inspired soundtrack sounds like something Morricone could have done in one of his quirkier moods.

Yet somewhere towards the end My Sweet Pepperland robs itself of the bloody climax it should come to, and denies its hero agency. In a film as smart and aware of its genre tropes as this one, it is hard to think this is unintentional. Perhaps there are cultural factors in play, perhaps it does have a more realistic tone to it. Yet in a film that has worked so hard to draw those parallels to the classic Westerns it feels vaguely unsatisfying.

Korkmaz Arslan is physically well cast as the freedom fighter turned town sheriff, with his eerily steely eyes and designer stubble. At times he feels a little wooden in some of the dramatic and action scenes (not entirely out of place for the genre), but ironically handles the comedic elements well. Golshifteh Farahani (Body of Lies) as a modern woman trying to teach in the village’s small school fills both the schoolmarm and the scarlet woman archetype at the same time. Farahani is quite stunning in this and even manages to play much of the steel drum music that is in the soundtrack.

Despite its strong start, the failure of its third act really lessens the impact of My Sweet Pepper Land. We are left with a quirky film that, in spite of all its swagger, just seems to miss the mark.

DAVID O’CONNELL

My Sweet Pepper Land screens as part of the Lotterywest Festival Films season at Joondalup Pines from April 1 -6. For further information, go to perthfestival.com.au.

Having already impressed audiences who saw it in 2012, The Little Mermaid runs as part of the Independent Theatre Festival at The Subiaco Arts Centre from April 9 - 12.

We caught up with actor Georgia King.

It’s been a busy few years for Perth thespian Georgia King.

“The last sort of five years has probably been the most interesting,” she tells us. “I started an independent theatre company called The Little y and I’ve done a lot of shows - mostly Blue Room shows and Fringe shows. So that’s been my main area - producing and acting in independent theatre shows, such as Scent Tales, which won some awards in 2011. We just did Second Hands as part of the Fringe. Last year we did Public Space and the year before that we did Glengarry Glen Ross at The Blue Room.

Now she’s working on a show previously mounted at The Blue Room in 2012 - Ian Sinclair’s radical modernist take on the classic Hans Christian Andersen fairytale, The Little Mermaid. Tackling the piece again is clearly something she relishes.

I’d been wanting to work with Ian for a little while,” she recalls. “I’ve always liked what he did with Wet Weather Ensemble, his theatre company, and he had been wanting to work with me for a little while.

So we were talking and this - Little Mermaid - came up last year. It sounded like a really interesting show, taking the Hans Christian Andersen show and making it contemporary. I was really excited to work with him,

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stripping it right back, taking the essence of the story and turning it into something really contemporary.

So that was a really scary and exciting show to be involved in last year and it went really well - we were really excited about how it went. It was the first stage of the development of the show, so now it’s exciting to be getting back into it and seeing how we can take it a little bit further.”

Further is certainly the word - anyone expecting a faithful adaptation of the original text - or even a Disney-style happified version - is probably in for quite the shock. This iteration is defiantly modern and definitively Australian. “Well, the original text is not contemporary, obviously - it was written a very long time ago. We’ve just taken the core elements and made it really Australian and really contemporary. So our version is set in a very Australian - very Western Australian coastal lifestyle, suburban kind of environment. In the original text it’s about a girl who’s a mermaid who wants to become part of the living world - that’s her fantasy, that’s her way of escaping. In our version, there’s a girl who’s unhappy in our world and her fantasy is to become part of the underwater mermaid world that’s her escape. So it kind of flips it on its head a bit.

Sometimes, for teenagers, it can be overwhelming to be part of this modern world, so that kind of fantasy, it seems relevant. The idea of being a mermaid is a very simple fantasy that’s easy to latch onto.”

TRAVIS JOHNSON

For tickets and session times, go to subiacoartscentre. com.au.

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THE BREAKFAST CLUB Eating Early In P-Town It’s the most important meal of the day, or so we’re told. But life moves fast and only crazy people feel like cooking first thing in the morning. Still, putting some fuel in the old furnace at some point between the alarm going off and the buttocks hitting the office chair is generally a good idea. Hit these joints and let them take care of you.

Drive Through The City’s Edge - Consuelo Cavaniglia

VISUAL ARTS Unmasked: Moores Art Building A collaboration between local Fremantle artists, shedding light on the many masks we wear and what lies beneath them. Featuring work from David Vincent Maisano, Xavier Turisini, Junko Kitamura, Saschka, Luke Ey, David Spencer and more. It runs until March 30. Go to fac.org.au for further information.

Pop & Splat: Little Creatures Brewery An exhibition of works from Perth stencil artist I’m The Boss, presented by Gullotti Galleries. It runs until April 14. Check out imtheboss.com.au for more.

Bali - Return Economy: Fremantle Arts Centre A diverse exhibition focusing on Australia’s relationship with Indonesia as well as showcasing pieces from some of the most extensive collections of Balinese art in Western Australia. It runs until March 27. Go to fac. org.au for details.

The Refusal Of Time: PICA This video and sculpture installation by William Kentridge sits at the crossroads of industrialisation and colonialism, combining theatre, drawing, music, film, dance and animation. Presented by PICA, Perth International Arts Festival and the Art Gallery Of Western Australia, it’s on display until April 27. Go to perthfestival.com.au for details.

Ukiyo-E - Japanese Prints Of The Floating World: Lawrence Wilson Art Gallery An exhibition of Japanese woodblock prints from the collection of Ronald and Catherine Berndt. It runs until June 28. Head over to lwgallery.uwa.edu.au for details.

Year 12 Perspectives: The Art Gallery Of Western Australia This annual exhibition of the best work that our graduating Year 12 arts students have to offer runs until May 5. Go to artgallery.wa.gov.au for further information.

Encounters: Heathcote Museum And Gallery Nidia Hansen’s examination of the shifting point where raw materials are transformed into art runs until April 6. Hansen works in wood veneer, paper and canvas to construct minimalist, organic shapes, geometric patterns and other objects. Go to melvillecity.com.au for more.

Fights And Flights: State Theatre Centre A stunning mixture of dance, theatre and kung fu from Steps Youth Dance Company. 65 performers, ranging in age from seven to 30, work together to celebrate the challenges and victories of life. It runs from May 10 - 11.

For tickets and session times, go to ticketek.com.au.

X-WRAY Essex Street, Fremantle Not only a burgeoning live venue, X-Wray boasts a killer morning menu. Pikelets with mango and vanilla ice cream makes for a sweet treat, while the coffee is espoused as amongst the best in Freo. Best to get down before the weather changes if you fancy a lazy morning repast in the courtyard, though.

Independent Theatre Festival: Subiaco Arts Centre Offering up great West Australian theatre and dance every Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday until April 12. Productions include The Guys, Dancers Speak Volumes, The Standover Man and more. Go to subiacoartscentre.com.au for more.

Monster Fest: Luna Outdoor This massive celebration of cult, horror and schlock takes over Luna Outdoor from March 27 - April 2.

Featuring the roller derby slasher flick, Murderdrome; lo-fi psychological thriller, Jugular; seductive vampire study Kiss Of The Damned and more! Head to lunapalace.com.au for tickets and session times.

Oz Comic-Con: Perth Convention And Exhibition Centre From March 29-30, the Convention Centre becomes a Mecca of sci-fi, fantasy and geek culture, with stalls, panels and guests including Billie Piper, Nana Visitor, Amanda tapping and Jewel Staite. For info and tickets, go to ozcomiccon.com.

VINTAGE IN VOGUE Whether you’re looking for vintage pieces to complement the current fashion trends, or to go completely against them, investing in recycled fashion is more than just a way to make you look a million dollars - it’s also a way to give back to the local community.

Floating Bits: Linton & Kay Galleries This new exhibition by twin brother photographers Ian and Erick Regnard is a series of stunning black and white underwater images that contrasts the need for solitude with the feeling of lurking otherness. It runs from April 9 - 23. Go to lintonandkay.com.au for further information.

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Beaufort Street, Northbridge Another venue who pride themselves on their ecologically-conscious ingredient choices, Source Foods on the corner of Beaufort and William offers a topFESTIVALS notch all day breakfast menu - especially important for Alliance Francaise French Film Festival 2014 those of us who tend to have our first meal of the day So Frenchy, so chic! The greatest Gallic film festival in the afternoon. Try the spinach and feta scramble is just over the horizon, once again bringing Perth or the house muesli, or grab a super green smoothie cineastes the finest of filmic treats. It runs at Cinema to slam down a quick does of nutrients.

Paradiso until April 6. Go to affrenchfilmfestival.org for details.

Drive Through The City’s Edge: Perth Centre For Photography Consuelo Cavaniglia’s new collection references the narrative and formal conventions of film noir. It runs from April 3 - May 5. Go to pcp.org.au for more.

Paco Peña Dance Company: Perth Concert Hall Flamencura, the latest production from flamenco legend Paco Peña, will be performed for one night only on Wednesday, April 2. For info and tickets, go to ticketek.com.au.

GREENHOUSE St Georges Terrace, Perth With their focus on renewable, ethical ingredients and healthy options, dining at Greenhouse means you can get your motor running with a clean conscience. Try the cabbage and shiitake dumplings, the blood orange and mascarpone crepes, or the simplicity of eggs on toast with a side of house-smoked bacon. Breakfast is available from 7.30 - 11.30.

MUSIC Silver Swans: Fremantle Arts Centre Presented by Tura New Music, cutting edge ensemble, Etica, will be presenting three new works in the FAC courtyard, including James Ledger’s Silver Swans, Chris Tonkin’s Transient States and Ross Edwards’ Laikan. Performance on April 10, tickets through oztix.com.au

Awoke In Light: Buratti Fine Art Jason Benjamin’s new exhibition of alluring, modern neoclassical paintings opens March 27. Go to buratti. com.au for further details.

A Streetcar Named Desire: State Theatre Centre Sigrid Thornton stars as Blanche DuBois in Black Swan State Theatre Company’s production of Tennessee William’s classic tale of delusion and desire until April 6. Head to bsstc.com.au for session times and tickets.

THE FLYING TACO Angove Street, Perth One the oldest and best of the recent explosion of Mexican eateries, the crew here have recently started serving breakfast from 8-11. Choose from such eyeopeners as the Jack Palance (refried beans on toast), The Cheech And Chong (beans, home fries, spinach and mushrooms), the Danny Trejo (rancheros huevos, more or less) and more, complimented by bottomless Antz In Ya Pantz coffee.

Jewel Staite, appearing at Oz Comic-Con

To have your performance, exhibition or cultural event listed, get in touch via

localmusicarts@xpressmag.com.au For more Art Stories head to

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Over the past few years, the thrill of uncovering a rare gem has propelled fashion tastemakers to hunt out retro pieces from decades gone by, with online specialist vintage boutiques and retailers trading on eBay and ASOS Marketplace cleaning up from the new surge in interest in pre-worn threads.

However, as St Vincent De Paul’s Leanne Robinson attests, there’s still much to be gained by paying a visit to the gold ol’ local charity shop.

According to Robinson, shoppers who take the time to scour the second-hand racks at charity shops - such as St Vincent De Paul’s Vinnies shops - are often rewarded by finding unique items that are not generally available in mainstream retailers.

“Customers at Vinnies can express their individuality with a one-of-a-kind outfit, reducing the fear of someone else wearing the same dress,” she says. “We have many hidden treasures in our shops and many customers are excited to find designer labels amongst our other clothing at bargain prices.”

While the ability to physically try on items of clothing and save money on online shipping are the

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obvious key advantages to shopping in store, Robinson says there is another, often unrecognised benefit for bargain hunting at charity shops such as Vinnies.

“By shopping at Vinnies the customers are comforted knowing that their purchase goes towards funding our many charitable works within WA,” she says.

All Vinnies shop profits are used to fund St Vincent De Paul Society’s services and programs, which aid and assist the homeless, disadvantaged youth, those living with a mental illness and refugees, among others.

With many of the shops run by volunteers, Robinson encourages people looking for a unique way to give back to the community to put their hand up for a shift or two.

“If you can offer a few hours, a day or a few days per week we would love to hear from you. There are many fun jobs that can be done in our stores everything from the sorting of donations to displaying stock on the shelves to helping customers,” she says.

Fashionistas looking to clear out their wardrobes can also make donations of good quality (i.e. not damaged) clothing directly to any Vinnies shops (during trading hours) or to the Vinnies Osborne Park depot at 59 Edward Street, Osborne Park.

While fashion trends come and go quicker than you can say ‘Kate Moss’, giving back to society’s less advantaged will never, ever, go out of style.

JENNIFER PETERSON-WARD

To f i n d yo u r c lo s e s t Vi n n i e s s h o p , v i s i t www.vinnies.org.au.

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At the forefront of the Melbourne bounce sound and backing up his remix of Savage’s Swing with Loco featuring Seany B, is young producer and DJ Joel Fletcher. TOM KITSON chats about the making of party anthems with Fletcher ahead of his appearance at Ministry Of Sound’s Clubbers Guide To 2014 with Ember this Saturday, March 29 at Villa.

Entering the electronic music world at the young age of 14 after being a drummer and sportsman through his formative years, Fletcher quickly worked out the direction he wanted to take in his career.

“I started to write music and find a passion for DJing around 16 (achieving his first club residency at that age) and I then began thinking about chasing the dream,” he explains on the phone from his home. “I played drums and a lot of sport when I was younger, so I wanted to do either one of those for a living.”

Since releasing his remix of Savage’s party tune, Swing with a distinctly bass-heavy, bouncy sound in mind, he’s supported Avicii on his Australian tour, collaborated with fellow Melbourne DJ/producer, Will Sparks, and has overseas tours lined up for later this year.

The remix itself, was a spur of the moment concoction from Fletcher, who is primarily making party anthems at this stage in his career.

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Continued from cover.

“Swing was a big game changer for me. I never expected the success we’ve had off that record,” he explains. “I actually whipped up that remix a few hours before a gig one night and ended up playing it out.

“It got a really good response and the guys from Ministry Of Sound wanted to get their hands on it and put it out as an official release, so they teed that up with (original artist) Savage’s management and I went back and spent some more time on it, and when it came out it kind of just took off!”

Savage himself came down to help film the house party-themed video clip, put together with the help of his label Ministry Of Sound.

Fletcher says the chance to play on Avicii’s recent national tour (although the Perth Arena show was supported by Will Sparks) was amazing, and something that just came out of the blue.

“He was someone I looked up to as a young DJ, so getting the chance to warm up the crowd for him was a dream come true,” he says. “I was sitting with my manager after a gig one night and out of nowhere, he told me I was on the bill to support Avicii!

“Without management and relationships like that I definitely wouldn’t be where I am,” he adds.

Able to grab a quick handshake with Avicii as he was whisked off by security after his set, Fletcher is among good company locally with mates like Will Sparks - another young champion of the Melbourne bounce.

“Will is a pretty good mate of mine and we’ve worked together in the past,” he says. “He’s pretty flat out with touring overseas but we do try to catch up as much as possible.”

Drawing on the likes of international artists Chuckie and Showtek and playing some of their tunes live, Fletcher likes to go into a show with minimal preparation, so he can adjust best to the vibe of the crowd.

“I don’t really plan my sets - I kind of just judge the crowd on the night because all crowds are different,” he explains. “On top of heading to Perth for the Clubbers Guide tour, I’m flying to America next month for the first time, which I’m really looking forward to as well.”

Preferring to use only the decks in his sets and go on crowd adrenalin, he suffered a minor setback a few months ago when his collection of CD’s was involved in an unfortunate accident.

“I was one of the last of my mates to switch to USB DJing,” he says. “I had a drink spilled all over my CD’s one night a few months ago, so from there I thought it was time to change and make the most of the convenience of USB’s.”

TIDE IS HIGH

In the online environment, Fletcher is quick to credit Facebook with a huge chunk of his success and publicity, also stemming from radio play that really kicked off his career.

Now under constant pressure to live up to the popularity of his previous tracks, he says it can be difficult but vital to maintain momentum and keep putting out good music in short timeframes.

“It is daunting to have that pressure to keep putting out good releases,” he says. “Having the Swing remix go platinum means there are added expectations on my next tunes which brings a bit of heat.

“The fast paced nature of the business means days can blend together when I’m touring and it can get a bit messy, but it’s absolutely an enjoyable challenge!”

MUTATED SONIC TREATS

Port Beach Sand Tracks, Fremantle is the place to be over the Anzac Day long weekend with a trio of events being held including High Tide - a drum’n’bass beach party on Saturday, April 26 from 3pm. On the billing is local lad conquering the world - ShockOne; Nu:Logic aka Logistics and Nu:Tone; UK producer (on his first trip to Perth) Dimension; plus Ekko & Sidetrack, Gran Calavera and Gracie & Sistym. Get your tickets from ticketbooth.com.au.

The second instalment of Altered Fauna is on this Friday, March 28 at the Velvet Lounge with an eclectic local lineup including hip hop journeyman, The Boost Hero Man; some hypnotic ambience from Willow, The Community’s DJ Silence, tech explorations from Joe Stawarz and the post-noise soundscapes of Celestial Excursions, plus DJ Yung Ouro. It kicks off at 9pm and entry is free!

ShockOne

The Boost Hero Man

LUDAPALOOZA

FORD OF THE WILD

Death Disco on Saturdays at Capitol is throwing a “fundraising rave” for Greens senator Scott Ludlam this Saturday, March 29 from 8pm. It’ll be a fun night for a good cause - with all proceeds going towards Ludlam’s campaign for re-election in the Senate on April 5.

Special guests on the night include vocal loop artist/ MC, Sam Perry; Philly Blunt and Micah aka Black & Blunt; Lilt, Command Q and of course Death Disco DJs Andrei & Anton Maz. Tickets are $10 on the door.

Local hip hop artist, Alex Ford is releasing his debut EP, The Wild Imagination this March 28 (independent) and launching it on Sunday, April 13 at the Ellington Jazz Club. There’s seven tracks on the record including singles, Sea Of Desire and The Rain, which were all produced by San Diego’s Esta. Fold also collaborated with a whole stack of artists on the record including US soul singer, Miles Bonny, who will perform at the launch.

Sam Perry

Alex Ford

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FREEDS

RADIAL

Jetski Blues Independent

Crux Radial Records

It’s not always wise to consider the tags an artist attaches to their own music, but on Freeds’ Bandcamp you’ll find them very appropriate, as he simply brands himself as “indie, pop, rap.” Lead track Little Light begins with a bit of low-key piano and guitar plucking, then some sharp claps and rapid-fire raps. This aspect of his work is probably the most impressive part - Freeds can flow. It’s fast rap, but not in a tough guy, Twista or Yelawolf kind of way. Lyrics bounce effortlessly over the minimal instrumental, transitioning nimbly into more melodic sing-song lines, or full blown pop-rap choruses. In general it’s not breaking any new ground, but Freeds definitely has a way with words, and there are some humorous and clever lines in there. The beats, again, aren’t anything more than a serviceable backing for the raps, however it’s all he really needs - anything too hectic might distract from his delivery. As much of a cliché as it sounds, this is a new emcee worthy of being called ‘one to watch’ and he seems destined to appear on a certain national youth radio station alongside the likes of Seth Sentry or the Big Village team.

Radial were originally a two-piece from the Netherlands, but this, the second long player under the alias, sees Jeroen Liebregts branch out on his own and gives him the freedom to express his own approach, style and technology to make the music closest to his heart. With a completely revamped (mainly analogue) studio the Dutchman has plumped straight for the dancefloor with an album packed full of pumped up techno jams. The dark, incessant tech-funk of Excavated is perfectly made for cavernous ultra-loud bass-heavy clubs containing, as it does, meaty reverbs and huge bottom end, whilst the relentless rhythms of Cosmetics with its understated breakdown could last for 30 minutes and still keep the crowd locked in the moment. Though the minor key excursion of Karplus doesn’t quite hit heights, there are plenty of other highlights including the evocative, spacey Fifth Wheel with the refrain that has a hint of the 1991 classic Vamp by Outlander, and the raw intensity of Tunnels with its dark punchy kicks and rolling groove.

The digital version of this release includes some bonus tracks which show a laidback side to Liebregts’ character but it’s the fuel-injected tracks that really make this album a winner. Strictly for the DJs.

NICK SWEEPAH ANDREW NELSON

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THE CRYSTAL METHOD The Crystal Method Tiny e Records The Crystal Method has been around since the early ‘90s, but the beauty of being in an electronic outfit is that it’s acceptable to change your stripes every few years as the dance music zeitgeist shifts. Emulator, the opening track to the Las Vegas two-pieces eighth album is a banger - the title may be a self-effacing hat 18

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tip to heavy bass house artists like Harvard Bass and Deadmau5, who the track clearly references. The dark rave-y atmosphere of the record is seductive, but the tendency, like on the song Over It ft. Dia Frampton, to turn to dubstep dulls the impact of these lamely derivative tracks. It also drags into focus that it isn’t just the UK and Europe having a rave revival. The US does bangers with the best of them and The Crystal Method’s collaboration with young Atlanta producer La Castle Vania on Storm The Castle, is the kind of track you can imagine ravers overdosing on juice to.

Grace, the song they do with US singer LeAnn Rimes, is a shocker. Depressingly, there is a modulated synth that sounds like a violin so that Rimes’ nasal warble doesn’t sound too out of place. Although inconsistent, this is one hell of a rave album and Emulator is a killer tune.

DAN WATT

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EDU IMBERNON From Valencia With Love He’s a softly spoken musician; polite not to mention passionate - and Spanish. But be sure not to mistake Edu Imbernon for a man who is anything but a consummate musical professional. RK speaks to the Spaniard about his take on a melodic style of techno indie fusion ahead of show at Geisha this Friday, March 28.

“Everything has been going really well,” says the man from his current pit stop in the UK. “I’ve been touring quite a lot in the last year. And now I’m preparing for my upcoming tours of Australia and the United States, plus a very exciting summer that is coming up in Europe.

Currently though, I’m in London and due to be playing at the Egg Club.”

Having released on labels like Bedrock and Get Physical, his path is a testament to his hard work and perseverance. Starting formally in music at the age of 16, Imbernon has evolved into playing a very distinct blend of electronica, techno and indie, but with melodic influences that make punters feel special.

“Of course, I’m always keeping an eye on the dance floor and interacting with the crowd, but it’s the music that drives me,” he explains.

An extension of that though, is the broader environment - an important and symbolic part of his influence.

“It can be my family, the weather or my friends influencing me,” he says. “For a Spanish person, weather is a key factor. Being on the road also influences me, as does playing globally and meeting loads of inspiring people and cultures.”

During the off-season though, the northern winter has been productive for the Imbernon in his hometown of Valencia.

“I’ve been working a lot in the studio,” he says. “Right now, I have my remix of Hot Natured Emerald City about to drop on FFRR (Records - Pete Tong’s label). Following that I have three solo EPs on Culprit, Suara and Eklektisch Records coming up too.

VENGEANCE Acidic Apocalypse With acid for blood and rave in his veins, Sydney’s Vengeance is bringing his hyperelectrified take on EDM to Ambar on Friday, April 4. TROY MUTTON learns the party is strong in clubland, but could be stronger.

“On my label, I have a special record that I worked on during the winter that will be coming out on Eklektisch called Dalt, which will include a John Tejada remix as well as a video - look out for that too.”

And finally a few words on life between tours. “I love spending time with friends and my girlfriend. I also love to cook - you should try my paella sometime!”

Sounds like an offer too good to be true.

And while this three date tour, which kicks off in Perth, is not technically his first tour of Australia, it is his first as a headlining artist, before he heads off to shows in Europe, South America and the US. “I have to say I’m super excited! It’s good to be coming back to Australia. Expect to hear some very special sets,” chimes Imbernon. “I can’t wait to party with you all.”

“Rave, because fucking shut up and rave.” They’re stern words from Sydney producer/DJ Vengeance, but when it comes to the genres he dabbles in (see: destroys) he’s not messing around.

We find Vengeance making these bold proclamations midway through his Acid For Blood Australian Tour, slamming its way around the darkest clubs in the country for a pumped-up series of shows featuring the Sydney-sider’s patented brand of all out aural assault.

“I actually feel like the rave gods have smiled upon us this whole tour. All the shows have been busy and the people have been awesome, which is pretty much all you need to have a killer time…”

Vengeance is no stranger to the club circuit with four years of high profile club and festival shows behind him, along with a heap of international remix work, it’s been in his blood for a long time.

“I loved dance music when I was young sproutling in the ‘90s, and I mean way to young to even understand clubbing, DJs, mixing, producing, drugs, whatever… I was just a little kid who loved dance music.”

Citing the likes of Nick Skitz and the Wild FM/Ministry Of Sound compilations as a driving

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force in those early days, you’re now likely to find his originals and extensive remix catalogue in record bags owned by Chuckie, Porter Robinson, Nick Thayer and Plump DJs, to name a few.

Prolific as he may be, the process is by no means an easy one. “I sit down; have a panic attack for 72 hours straight and if I’m lucky, I’ll have a track at the end of the ordeal… I like to focus on one key sound/ riff/loop and build the entire track around that sound as if the whole song is just a pedestal for the delivery of that initial, inspiring sound. The same works with remixes except it’s a lot easier because you get to pull apart the track and choose the inspiring sound or element you want to focus on, rather than create it.”

The current tour is focused around his latest mixtape, Acid For Blood, an intense and diverse selection of sounds ranging from acid-rave, electro, EDM, trap, dubstep and more - all providing a snapshot of what to expect at his shows.

“I like to play my sets super high energy.

The only major differences is I mix my mixtapes much faster, to battle that short attention span syndrome the internet has given everyone (myself included). The mix is eight months old now, so people can expect a whole heap more fresher shit than that.”

Being such a fixture in clubland for the past few years, who better to ask about the current state of affairs on the dancefloors of our nation, especially given the government interference in his home city of late?

“To me, you can go all night sober, drunk or drugged out of your mind and as long you’re having a good time, enjoying the music and not posing any threat to anyone (yourself included) then the rave is strong with you! A vast majority of clubbers have this mindset, and that’s why my high energy rave sets have worked all over during this tour. It’s not a testament to my own talent, but to how well-adjusted all the clubbers and patrons are.”

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B E AT S

CAUSEWAY

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NEWS

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INTERVIEWS

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REVIEWS

Weirdest tune you’ve played? Probably opening a set with Roly Porter’s Variation of Function: Vulgar Display Of Power by Emptyset.

Any life changing musical moments? Probably launching a physical label - it’s definitely less common nowadays but both myself and Thomas Barnes (my collaborative partner) felt it was the only way to do some sort of justice to our music rather than simply hound labels... In terms of life changing moments having your own music released on a physical medium converts the energy, time and effort you have put into your music into something more realistic and definitely helps develop your musical identity and ethos.

HENRY GILLETT How long have you been DJing/producing for? DJing - six years. Producing - three years.

Best track to open and close a set with? Love Never Ends by Sharon’s Last Party.

Favourite new track? Cap De Turc by Exoteric Continent.

PRODUCER’S CUT

What’s next on the cards? There’s a steady flow of material coming out on Algebra Of Need over the next six months. More info can be found at: algebraof. tumblr.com. In general - just working on music throughout the week and progressing the avenues of music I love.

Henry Gillett plays eightoeight x VOID/persistence at Fremantle Navy Club on Friday, March 28 along with Senate, Craig Hollywood and LoFo vs. Whoa!gan.

hours of travelling each week is by playing trivia questions with our DJ, Dixie (laughs).

Tools of your trade? Gig wise, we use our own gear at every gig - EQ, compressor, limiter, Feedback Destroyer and Shure wireless mics, then four CDJ2000’s and a DJM900. In the studio lately we’ve been touring and using different setups... it’s great to work with other crews and see what they’re rocking.

One of our favourites is the Ministry Of Sound Studio in Sydney where we wrote Better Luck Next Time and our upcoming one with the Potbelleez.

You’re huge in...? I think we’re top 10 in a few eastern block countries at the moment, if it’s ex-communist, they love us!

Producers/DJs you’re digging? Heaps of the Aussie guys are killing it, but Tommy Trash will always be the king.

BOMBS AWAY Quick overview of your year? We’re super jetlagged doing this right now - just got back from a tour of Canada and the US which was great!

Where’s home these days? We’ve still got our house in WA so technically there, but we also set up a studio in Queensland and spend our time between there and overseas now.

Most annoying ‘on tour’ habit? Not so much annoying, but the only way we can get through 20

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EVENTS

AMPLIFIER/ CAPITOL

METROPOLIS FREMANTLE

WED 26/03

BEHIND THE DECKS

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Top of your list to do in Perth? Apart from getting ‘stoopid’ with everyone at the gig, we can’t wait to catch up with mates we rarely get to see and head to Freo for a bite.

What’s next on the cards? Gearing up for summer in Europe at the moment and the release of our next couple of tracks, MotherTruckers and Apple Juice And Vodka!

Bombs Away play Toucan Club, Mandurah on Friday, March 28 and The Deen on Saturday, March 29 with Dixie.

AMPLIFIER Academy Iconoclast Mindless Illuminator Bounty Hunter THE BEAT (DOWNSTAIRS) Street BRASS MONKEY DJ Vicktor Burlesque CAPITOL (UPSTAIRS) Harlem Wednesdays & Lenox Ave Genga Philly Blunt J.Yes Peter Payne BMB Benny P Pussymittens CAPTAIN STIRLING Lokie Shaw CLUB RED SEA Cheek THE DEEN Manic Mondays GOLD BAR Famous ft.

DJ Crazy Craig THE GOOD SHEPHERD Thinkfar GRAND Wednesday We Tanqueray!

DJ Vineo Ndorse GROOVE BAR (CROWN) 5 Shots HIP-E CLUB DJ Roger Smart LAKERS TAVERN Grizzly LLAMA BAR Akuna Club METRO FREO Next Gen MUSTANG BAR PUMP DJ Giles NEWPORT HOTEL Newport Wednesdays ROOFTOP BAR (PRINCE LANE) Horseplay Launch Party Lukas Wimmler Sun City DJs Fakelove THE SHED DJ Dillan SOVEREIGN ARMS Jordan Scott VILLAGE BAR Village People Wednesdays

THURS 27/03 BRASS MONKEY Karaoke THE CAUSEWAY Xport Thursdays

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THE CLAREMONT HOTEL Institution Thursdays.

DJ Pup B-Fix CLUB RED SEA Thursday Night Revolution CONNECTIONS Bingay THE CRAFTSMAN FIVEO THE DEEN Chase The Sun Thursdays DJ Don Migi Nano Surge DJ Flex THE FLYING SCOTSMAN DJ Jess Kill DJ Tyranny GOLD BAR OG Thursdays LEISURE INN DJ Peta LOST SOCIETY The Collective MUSTANG BAR The Last Fair Deal DJ James MacArthur THE SHED Midnight Ramblers VILLA Jurassic: Frat Party ft.

IWrestledABearOnce

FRI 28/03 AMBAR Chris Lorenzo Micah Black & Paul Scott Pussymittens Parakord AMPLIFIER Fridays Are Back ft.

Edwardo Norton THE AVIARY Paradise Paul Troy Division THE BAKERY Mosca Clunk Whisper THE BAYSWATER Mario Zuli THE BEAT (DOWNSTAIRS) PLAY THE BIRD Ben Taaffe Ben M THE BRASS MONKEY James Ess DJ Vicktor THE BRIGHTON DJ Peta C5 METRO FREO Trap’d ft.

Midsole The D’vauz Brothers CAPITOL Capitol Fridays ft.

DJ Tucker CAPITOL (UPSTAIRS) I Love 80s & 90’s THE CARINE J!mmy Beats THE COMO Moe-Hee-Toe

THE CRAFTSMAN Dazman DAILY PLANET Sundowner Sessions THE DEEN Student Night EVE NIGHTCLUB Recharge Fridays FLAWLESS Monarch Fridays FLYRITE DeadWeight! pres. 140 Kings Rekab Modo Elayche Sexon C Treble GINGER NIGHTCLUB Mondo Dance Party GEISHA BAR Habitat ft.

Edu Imbernon THE GEORGE NDORSE GOLD BAR Vanity THE GOOD SHEPHERD Throwback Fridays GROOVE BAR (CROWN) Switch DJ Crazy Craig HIP-E CLUB DJ E-Funk LAKERS TAVERN Grizzly LANGFORD ALEHOUSE The Sky’s the Limit Showcase LEISURE INN Miss Chief LIBRARY Dorcia MALT Nu Disco Hip Hop METRO FREO Clique Angry Buda DJ Mr-Phat Whitehype MINT Club Retro MULLALOO BEACH HOTEL DJ Darren Wize MUSTANG BAR Flash Nat & The Action Men DJ James MacArthur Adam Hall & The Velvet Playboys Swing DJ MY PLACE Karaoke PARAMOUNT Paramount Party Crew PARKER EMAS UWA Miami After Party PLAYERS Three Corner Jack POURHOUSE BAR & KITCHEN King Tito’s Dirty Disco THE QUEENS Jon Ee & DJ Reuben THE SAINT Britty

THE SHED Crush DJ Matt SOVEREIGN ARMS Lokie Shaw TOUCAN CLUB Bombs Away VELVET LOUNGE Altered Fauna 000002 Boost Hero Man Willow DJ Silence Joe Stawarz Celestial Excursions DJ Yung Ouro WHALE & ALE Danny B YAYA’S ACE Fridays

SAT 29/03 AMBAR Japan 4 Mo’Fly DNGRFLD Dead Easy Tee El Marko Paulo AMPLIFIER British India Dead Glorious Pure Pop ft.

Electric Eddie THE AVIARY Zel Paradise Paul Hykus AVENUE Lokie Shaw THE BALMORAL Back To The 80’s BAR ORIENT The Reggae Club BEAT NIGHTCLUB (UPSTAIRS) CANVAS BRASS MONKEY DJ Az-T & Grizzly THE BRIGHTON Miss Chief C5 METRO FREO I Love 80’s & 90’s DJ Wazz DJ Shane CAPITOL Ludapalooza Sam Perry Black & Blunt Lilt Command Q Death Disco DJs CAPITOL (UPSTAIRS) Cream of the 80’s ft.

DJ Roger Smart THE CAUSEWAY House Party THE COMO Jon Ee THE CORNERSTONE P!NK Tribute THE DEEN Saturdays ft.

Bombs Away DEFECTORS BAR Future Wives Club EAST END BAR Home EVE Eve’s Flirt Party FLAWLESS LQ Saturdays FLYRITE Father Saturdays

THE GENEROUS SQUIRE Jay Lee Lloyd GOLD BAR Pure Gold THE GOOD SHEPHERD Chocolate Jesus THE GRAND Garrison GROOVE BAR (CROWN) Hi-NRG Hero DJs HIP-E CLUB DJ E-Funk LIBRARY MKT LLAMA BAR DJ Reuben DJ Morris LOST SOCIETY Chalk MANY 6160 Dave’s Last Shout @ Dave’s Cans METRO FREO Metropolis Saturday’s ft. Dr Wazz, Ben C, DJ Shane, Darren Tucker, DJ Sunich MULLALOO BEACH HOTEL DJ Gaz MUSTANG BAR Rockabilly DJ DJ James MacArthur Milhouse Shot Down From Sugar Town NEWPORT HOTEL Gravity DJ Tahli Jade DJ Tom Drummond PARKER Parker Saturdays ft.

Troy Division Lukas Wimmler Axen Kastel Wasteland PARAMOUNT Saturday Nights ft.

Felix PEEL ALEHOUSE Miss Chief THE QUEENS Ben Mac & DJ Reuben THE SAINT Dazman THE SHED Huge DJ Andyy SOVEREIGN ARMS Moe-Hee-Toe WHALE & ALE Julio VELVET LOUNGE Liquid Lounge Sardi Sistym Niwum Acomply Pegasus VILLA Ministry of South: Clubbers Guide to 2014 Joel Fletcher Ember WHALE & ALE Spin Back Saturdays YAYA’S Arcadia

Deadline Monday 5pm. The Club Manual is a service to advertisers listing all DJs & Dance Music. All inclusions are at the discretion of X-Press. Email guide@xpressmag.com.au

DELICIOUS @ ROCKET ROOM

I LOVE 90’S @ CAPITOL

MY PLACE

SUN 30/03 THE AVIARY NDORSE Zel Ben Sebastian CLAREMONT HOTEL Sunday Driver FLYRITE Day-Woo #3 Bill Frank Willy Shade Modesty Blaise Jack Doepel A La Swanbourne Bathers LUCKY SHAG B AR DJ Richie G MULLALOO BEACH HOTEL MBH Surfing Pro Party DJ Boston DJ Slick DJ Degraaf MUSTANG BAR Jack Royal & the Hot Shot Playboys DJ Holly Doll THE QUEENS Jay Lee Lloyd & Sam Spencer THE ROSEMOUNT (BEER GARDEN) The Get Down ft.

Charlie Bucket Klean Kicks Nick Sheppard THE SAINT Jon Ee & Az-T THE SHED The Healy’s Blue Hornet

MON 31/03 BRASS MONKEY Monkey Madness THE DEEN Manic Mondays THE ROSEMOUNT HOTEL Bex & Turin’s Wide Open Mic THE SHED The Healy’s YAYA’S Big Tommo’s Open Mic

TUES 01/04 THE BIRD The Bird’s Open Mic Night BRASS MONKEY Acoustic Open Mic Night MUSTANG BAR D a n za Lo ca S a l s a Night

THIS WEEK EDU IMBERNON 28 Geisha CHRIS LORENZO 28 Ambar MOSCA 28 The Bakery BOMBS AWAY 29 The Deen MINISTRY OF SOUND CLUBBERS GUIDE TO 2014 ft. Ember & Joel Fletcher 29 Villa

APRIL VENGEANCE w/ Philly Blunt, Axen, MR.eD 4 Ambar SAMUEL TRUTH & FUNK BASTRD 4 Flyrite HOT DUB TIME MACHINE 4 Metropolis Fremantle 5 Capitol A$AP FERG 5 The Bakery

Senate live at Boiler Room on March 10, 2014.

Photo by Heads With Tales.

eightoeight x VOID/persistence ft. Senate, Henry Gillett, Craig Hollywood, LoFo vs. Whoa!gan FRIDAY, MARCH 28 @ FREMANTLE NAVY CLUB

DUB FX & OPIUO 5 Villa ART VS SCIENCE 5 Amplifier Bar CHICKS ON SPEED 5 Fremantle Arts Centre NEKO PLANET 9 The Bakery LIMELITE ft. Peking Duk 11 Parker ELIZABETH ROSE, SAFIA, FISHING 11 Amplifier 12 Mojos DEADBOY 12 The Bakery DJ HYPE & FUNSTA MC, LOADSTAR 12 Villa THIEF 12 Amplifier 13 Newport Hotel KILLSWITCH ENGAGE 16 Metro City EASTER BOUNCE ft.

Kid Kenobi 17 Parker COSMO’S MIDNIGHT 17 Villa BAM BAM & SAVO 19 Amplifier

DELTA HEAVY 20 Villa TOUCH SENSITIVE 20 Aviary Rooftop Sessions

HARDSTRAYLIA ft.

RL Grime, Destructo, Oliver, Motez 27 Port Beach Sand Tracks

THE CARNEVALE ft.

LIMELITE 7TH BIRTHDAY The Martinez Brothers 27 The Causeway ft. Cedric Gervais, John Dahlback, Sebastien LORDE Leger 29 Challenge Stadium 24 Capitol & Amplifier (all ages) WHY MAKE SENSE ft.

Rustie, T.Williams, New York Transit Authority & Nightwave 24 Port Beach Sand Tracks FAR TOO LOUD 25 Ambar WILD FOR THE NIGHT ft. Ashton Shuffle 25 Parker THE ASTON SHUFFLE (DJ set) 25 Parker HIGH TIDE ft. Shockone, Nu:Logic, Dimension & more 26 Port Beach Sand Tracks VILLA’S 5TH BIRTHDAY ft. Krafty Kuts 26 Villa

MAY OSCAR KEY 1 The Bird DJ PREMIER & PETE ROCK 1 Capitol KANYE WEST 2 Perth Arena BLISS N ESO, HORRORSHOW, SETH SENTRY 2 Signal Park, Busselton 3 Wellington Square HUXLEY 3 Geisha ARMADA NIGHT ft.

Andrew Rayel, Jorn Van Deynhoven & Marlo 3 Metro City THUNDAMENTALS 8 Flyrite

Allstate. Photo by Alfred Gorman

CULT

THE PRESETS, WORDLIFE, DJ BENI 8 Capitol

Techno Practices

VANCE JOY & GOSSLING 8 The Bakery

LoFo, Henry Gillett, Allstate, James A, JDubz, Phil Airey @ Geisha Friday, March 21, 2014

HOLY FUCK 8 The Rosemount 9 The Odd Fellow DISCLOSURE 9 Metro City 10 Groovin’ The Moo, Hay Park, Bunbury GROOVIN THE MOO ft. Disclosure, Dizzee Rascal, Holy Fuck, Illy & more 10 Hay Park, Bunbury LAURYN HILL 24 Fremantle Arts Centre ELLIE GOULDING 28 Challenge Stadium RÜFÜS 30 Players Bar 31 Fremantle Arts Centre

JUNE THE PRESETS (with the Australian Chamber Orchestra) 4 Concert Hall

Techno fans are a particular sort. The sort that love their tunes deep, dark and hard, to an almost obsessive point. And Cult is a new regular club night at Geisha for the dedicated disciples of dance to gather and worship their DJ deities.

The techno scene has always been here in Perth, bubbling away in the underground, since its early ‘90s rave explosion heyday with local legends like Dave Jackson, Colin Bridges, Darren Briais, Puff and Mr Whippy banging out Detroit and Berlin techno all night. We’ve always been fortunate to have a lot of internationals touring to our remote shores, but there has been a lack of regular club nights dedicated to playing pure, proper, straight-up techno.

But there now seems to be a shift, with the rise again of techno in recent years and the amount of quality music coming out, the global techno scene seems to be thriving and exciting, and accordingly the Perth scene is strengthening with a lot of love for the rawest, most unadulterated form of dance music.

The second lineup instalment for Cult was a solid selection of talent old and new. LoFo from Fremantle techno crew eightoeight started off the festivities from 10pm, including an hour of free drinks for the VIP crowd, with some nice mid-tempo tech tunes.

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Henry Gillett followed up and took it down a notch with some deep atmospheric sounds, perfect for that time of night as the crowd were still arriving and mingling round the bar.

Allstate is fast becoming one of our finest techno talents. Stepping up around midnight he really picked up the tempo and got it pumping as the post-midnight crowd started to fill the room and the dancefloor, as Joey Beltram’s seminal classic Energy Flash made a welcome appearance with its tweaking 303 riff.

Veterans of the scene James A and JDubz entered the booth and got stuck in, keeping the energy levels high with hard, upfront beats, delivering a quality ‘headliner’ worthy set of tech-y goodness, even mixing in some actual vinyl with pro panache.

They kept things at a nice easy tempo, before picking it up towards 3am with some tribal rhythms, dropping Tomaz vs Filterheadz Sunshine, which had the now packed dancefloor shaking.

Making his club debut, Phil Airey is a man who has been an avid promoter and punter of the Perth scene for many years. If techno really was a cult, Airey would probably be its head shaman, and he’d prepared something a little special for us tonight.

Playing an uncompromising late night set for the real heads, banging out heavy, tough beats including Ancient Methods’ Knights And Bishops before breaking it down into something a little more funky with Wink’s interpretation of Radio Slave’s Screaming Hands before finishing off the night with the more uplifting, classic sounds of Orbital’s Halcyon + On + On. Showcasing some great local talent, this is one new night that deserves to keep growing.

ALFRED GORMAN

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A preview of everything happening in the Perth scene this March! advertise: advertising@xpressmag.com.au

SAIL IN, SAIL ON Join the Sail & Anchor folks this April as they tap brews from great US craft brewers such as Stone Brewing Co., Rogue, Sierra Nevada, Brash, Deschutes, Mission, Anderson Valley, Elysian and more. They have a huge month planned with guest appearance from guitar legend Greg Koch and a 20 tap takeover of the best American beers!

Beer on at the Sail & Anchor

ON THE RAILS

ON THE PORT GOES PREHISTORIC!

For those of you who like your music loud and angsty, the Railway Hotel will be hosting Heavy Rail, a night of Perth’s premier indie, hardcore, and punk bands on Saturday, April 26. Headed by local acts, Alex The Kid and Burning Fiction, the lineup will also feature Melbourne alt-rock stars, Ceres, Sydney-based punk rockers, Ted Danson With Wolves, and a host of other local bands. Tickets will be available for $15 at the door, though presales are available through heatseeker. com.au and 78 Records for $10 plus booking fee.

This easter long weekend the City of Fremantle will be transformed into a prehistoric wonderland as part of the Street Arts Festival. Roaring with hunger and charging through the crowds, these Saurus’ will be joined by some of the world’ s best outdoor theatre, music, comedy, circus and cabaret performers for three jam-packed days of shenanigans, laughter and outright shock, from Saturday-Monday, April 19 – 21, along Marine Terrace, Fremantle. It’s free!

Ceres

Do you think they Saurus? Fremantle Street Arts Festival

THE VINYL COUNTDOWN Do you love the smell of vinyl in the morning? Well it’s time to show your appreciation the best way you know how, spending wads and wads of cash! Record Store Day Australia is coming up again on Easter Saturday, April 19. Make sure you keep an eye on your local record stores as they begin to announce appearances, signings and special promotions in honour of the special occasion.

In Fremantle, Junction Records (2735 William St) and Mills Records (22 Adelaide St) will be celebrating Record Store Day. Head to recordstoreday.com.au for more details.

Record Store Day

HITCHCOCK & KILBEY

Mojos Monthly Comedy Club returns in April with a once-off double headline bill with Rich Cieseler (USA) and Ben Darsow (SA). Cieseler’s comedy career has spanned over three decades and included countless TV appearances, live performances and corporate appearances with Richard Branson. Once again the night will be MC’d by everyone’s favourite yobo, Chris Franklin. There’s $12.50 ticket specials available online (through the Mojo’s Monthly Comedy Facebook page), $20 at the door or $99 for top knot wearing hipsters. It’s coming up on Tuesday, April 15.

Doors open 8pm.

Following the roaring success of the first North Freo Pub Crawl in January, The Swan Hotel and The Railway Hotel have once again joined forces to put together the Ultimate Fremantle Sunday Session. This time around catch The Kill Devil Hills, The Floors, The Ghost Hotel, Valdaway and over 25 other bands for only $20! Tickets through oztix.com.au or $25 at the door.

For one night only, a very special performance by Robyn Hitchcock of The Soft Boys and Steve Kilbey of The Church will be held at the Fly By Night on Saturday, April 26. Drawing heavily on the influence of ‘60s icons, such as The Beatles, Bob Dylan and The Archies, these two songwriters will be drawing on their vast repertoires to entertain fans with psychedelic melodies and subtle wordplay.

This is a guaranteed one-off performance and an absolutely e s s e n t i a l g i g fo r f a n s o f Hitchcock and Kilbey. Tickets a re o n s a l e n ow t h ro u g h tombowler.com.

Mojos Monthly Comedy Club

Kill Devil Hills, Ultimate Fremantle Sunday Session

Robin Hitchcock & Steven Kilbey

COMEDY MOJO

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ULTIMATE FREMANTLE SUNDAY SESSION

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LOCAL NEWS

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INTERVIEWS

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REVIEWS

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Q & A

King Gizzard And The Lizard Wizzard - Photo by Daniel Grant

KING GIZZARD & THE LIZARD WIZARD The Silents/Mt Mountain/Pat Chow The Rosemount Hotel Saturday, March 22, 2014 Pat Chow started off proceedings with a grungy set full of hard energetic screams from vocalist Ben Protasiewicz. This solid sounding three piece had a distinctive ‘90s North West American rock feeling about them that oozed melodic distortion and drive.

Mt Mountain are a group of skateboarding enthusiasts who had a street-style look that had little correlation to their slow ebbing musical sound. The amplifiers raged long drawn out sustained tones, over which lead vocalist Steve Bailey’s droning tones embedded deeply with the swelling synths that flanged and rolled like tunes from Slowdive or Spaceman 3. Detuned vocals mixed with the simple three chorded verses and slow building chorus song structures that created a trippy feeling of echoic mystic proportions.

Steeping up the tempo and volume and sounding more like a traditional melody-driven band, The Silents blended a set full of blaring guitar strings and bass punch. Wearing all black attire, front man Mike Jelinek led the band through their set of discordant, organ-droned rock with ease. Jelinek’s vocals displayed an emotive fragility that combined well with the chaotic melodic trip the band’s style shaped. The Silents had a post-punk revival sense about them and they performed a compelling live show that maybe was over the heads of the punters onboard tonight.

The touring band with a name you just can’t forget in a hurry, King Gizzard And The Lizard Wizard, had the stage jam packed with a lineup of seven, including two drummers, three guitars, bass, vocals and somehow some keys also. Starting off their set with a new song, I’m In Your Mind, The Gizzards (or Wizards?) immediately set the stage alight and the room went off like someone had set the floor on fire. Intensive three guitar harmonies, harmonica blues riffs and vocals that had a vox-box type of effect that rendered singer Stu Mackenzie sounding like he was in a tunnel, took the beginning of their hour and a half set to extreme heights of energised, on-beat sonic action.

Hot Wax was the first of only three numbers taken from the new album, with the remainder being new unreleased tracks or from the Willoughby’s Beach EP or Float Along – Fill Your Lungs album. Each song filled the room with tight rhythms from the drumming duo, while simple-chorded intensity and organ-tastic tones created an epic feeling with hint of 1960s-style grooving.

The set had the audience clearly losing themselves whether they were up close to the stage in the mosh pit or standing back in the shadowy corners of the Rosemount. Either way, the Gizzards excelled at producing an entertaining dynamic set of retro textures, ear-piercing feedback and sonically rich lead guitar tones of messy, irresistible, musical delight.

MICHAEL CAVES

KATE MILLER-HEIDKE Sweet Jean The Quarry Amphitheatre Saturday, March 22, 2014 It was a breezy but snug Saturday night at Quarry Amphitheatre where Kate Miller-Heidke played against a spectacular natural backdrop. The gig was a sensory experience: rain threatened, wind wept, falsetto carried up over rock walls, shadows danced, and blue and red lights bathed the stage. The only thing that could have made the evening more picturesque was if the lightning storm began earlier.

A punctual crowd arrived to see support duo Sweet Jean. Simon Nugent and Alice Keath sing melancholic folk and laugh about it in between. Their storytelling

is dark and their sound is beguiling. Joking they were getting the party started, they launched into Maureen, an “...accidental love-fuelled rage single homicide ballad” and Shiver And Shake, inspired by a Grimm fairytale. Their Americana influence shone through a captivating cover of Doris Day’s Secret Love and a rendition of Dock Boggs’ 1920s song, Country Blues.

John Rodgers played solo violin as Miller-Heidke entered the stage wearing a halo headdress. We were left to ponder the stage décor of leafy garlands and several white dresses hanging with fairy lights and swaying in the wind.

The gig was a marriage of sorts – wedding her past three albums released under Sony with her

David Craft - Photo by Jessica Sorci

DAVID CRAFT Ben Witt/Hayley Beth/Rabbit Island The Bird Saturday, March 22, 2014 Upon a stage illuminated by many shades of red, a trademark of many a gig at the Bird, David Craft launched his EP Smokey Lungs & Dirty Puns to a full house, all packed cosily together in an intimate, candle-lit atmosphere.

Kicking things off was local guitar maestro Ben Witt, with a sound that could be described as a cross between folk with experimental. The rhythm of his repertoire had an almost improvised, yet organic feel to it. The feedback was quite ear-ringing, but that was more owing to the rather compact space.

Despite this, it didn’t detract from the quality of his set and he drew quite an audience.

Hayley Beth then came on. The duo act provided a rather minimalist set, with only keys and a guitar for instruments, but they played second fiddle to Beth’s powerful southern-esque drawl. In The Bird’s tiny space there was plenty of distortion from the feedback, which drowned the vocals.

Rabbit Island gave the audience a break from the loud, giving them a set that was more chilled out and mellow. Audience interaction was kept at a minimal, letting the music do the talking.

Their lead singer Amber’s quiet, sonorous voice, latest, O Vertigo!, produced as an indie artist. This tour was a reminder that no one out there is doing what she does – blending the wild with the fragile, humour with pain, enigma with stark truth.

It began with the soft lullaby Rock This Baby To Sleep with the sensitive lyrics, “if I can’t have what I want / dear God let me want what I have.” Older songs followed – a stripped back Ride This Feeling and Caught In The Crowd, a hit that has taken on a life of its own. These inclusions ensured the audience could anticipate those climactic highs that Miller-Heidke does best.

Sweet Jean joined for a chilling performance of The Devil Wears A Suit, standing politely at the back of the stage and remaining for Politics In Space in which the wind got up and the purple smoke danced in front of the stage. The song Bliss is a segue between Nightflight and O Vertigo! I preferred it live as it was more textural. Among the more upbeat of the evening

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flecked with a poetic quality and combined with the rich ambient soundscape, was definitely a soothing, calming change of pace. Each instrument the band possessed made its presence heard. About halfway, Amber traded the synth for an acoustic and finished the set with it.

The man of hour then came on and boy, does Craft knows how to put on a show. Playing songs from the EP, including the titular track, the vibe was reminiscent of old school folk, and the songs proved to be quite danceable in the gentlysway-away kind of way. Craft’s deep smoky, throaty and sometimes angry vocals belie his tall, lanky stature. He wouldn’t have been out of a place in a saloon. The band that backed him up showed plenty of enthusiasm. In between tracks, banter was also provided, with one member of the band regaling the crowd with a story about Craft’s transition from vegetarianism to carnivore. A highlight from his set was the band’s cover of Sam Cooke’s A Change Is Gonna Come, for which Hayley Beth was brought on the stage to provide that trademark drawl. To close the set, his band ramped up the tempo and the volume loud enough for it to reverberate throughout the entire front room, as if Craft had crossed into the folk version of raising the amps to 11.

CLAYTON LIN

were Can’t Shake It and Words, a single from MillerHeidke’s debut with perfect lyrics for an eclectic set: ‘do you think my personality is written in stone?’

Around midway a Happy Birthday was sung in exchange for a salted caramel cupcake. A dose of crazy came with Hornets, a frenetic jam of bluegrass and opera. Keir Nuttall showcased a hilarious love song and sung for Drapht in Drama. Other zany additions included Lose My Shit and the tour’s namesake O Vertigo! which was delightful for the yodelling alone.

Miller-Heidke joked an apt review so far was that she sounds like Enya on crystal meth.

Worried that she wouldn’t do it justice, Miller-Heidke’s version of Divinyls’ I’m Jealous was emotionally voluminous; her vocals ethereal compared with Amphlett’s croaky rawness. However it was Last Day On Earth that stole the show.

CORAL HUCKSTEP

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LOCAL NEWS

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INTERVIEWS

MULLALOO BEACH HOTEL

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LIVE REVIEWS

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Q & A

OCEAN ONE BAR

FEATURED VENUE: THE RAILWAY HOTEL Answered by Luke Rinaldi, venue booker.

What makes The Railway Hotel important to Fremantle?

It’s one of the oldest pubs in Fremantle and is home to a lot of reggae and metal, although rarely at the same time.

What is unique about The Railway Hotel?

The huge beer garden is really one of the best outdoor areas in Freo.

ROCKET ROOM

MULLALOO BEACH HOTEL The Surfing Pro Party kicks off from 3pm this Sunday!

Get in early to ride the indoor wave and you could win a $100 bar card and surfboard on the day. With guest DJ Boston Switch and resident DJs Slick and Degraaf pumping the beats its better by the beach!

MOJOS Wednesday, March 26, sees a classic night of duo performances - Going Duo. Catch Justin Walshe, John Barret, Dear Hella and Jeff’s Dead all playing in duo format. See it all in the perfect setting of Mojos Bar from 8pm. $10 entry.

INDI BAR Back from yet another run of successful festival performances, Blue Shaddy bring their trademark whirlpool of foot stomping infectious energy to the stage of the Indi Bar this Saturday, March 29. Doors open at 8pm and entry is $20.

What’s coming up at The Railway?

Coming up is the North Freo Pub Crawl: Sunday Edition on April 6, with The Kill Devil Hills headlining a massive lineup over five stages across here and The Swan Hotel.

SWALLOW BAR

THE MUSTANG BAR

ROCKET ROOM

Every Wednesday is Perth’s best backpacker and student night! For a mere $5 you get yourself an Aussie BBQ plate with all the goodies, drink inclusive and a ticket to win the door prize of $100 cash. Free pool competition from 8.30pm but get in early as spots fill up quick! Catch Perth’s hottest band, Pump, on stage from 9.30pm with DJ Giles on the decks.

This Friday, March 28, head down to celebrate the launch of Tusk’s new single/video, Fear, and Eyes Cast Skyward’s new EP, Fractures. This jolly metal evening will also feature the likes of fellow Perth metallers Sanzu and Weapons, whom have both immediately gained an enormous rep for their strong musicality and talent. Doors open at 8pm.

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Blue Shaddy

The Southwicks

THE ROSEMOUNT HOTEL Thursday, March 27, The Southwicks finally are set to release their new EP, Euphoria. Catch awesome support acts as The Right Way Up, Being Beta, These Winter Nights and Ohayo. So grab your dancing shoes, and your partner and head down!

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Live music kicks off this week on Thursday with Steel Guts. This acoustic guitar duo play an incredible selection of music ranging from jazz, Latin and contemporary. Mister T King is on the decks on Saturday night, playing an eclectic mix of soul, trip hop and disco. Sunday Sessions at Swallow Bar brings you a magic afternoon of tunes with a jazz harp duo kicking off at 5pm. Get your groove on!

Put the word to the herd about upcoming album, EP, single or video releases by dropping us a line at plugyourgig@xpressmag.com.au

A QUICKIE WITH... MATT WARING Matt Waring Launches his debut EP, Smoking Gun, this Saturday, March 29, at The Causeway with support from with support from Sam Barendse and Eloise Ashton.

When did you first start playing music?

I first picked up a guitar in 2009 where I tried teaching myself how to string a few chords together to impress a pretty girl. Only recently have I been gigging, as I wasn’t overly confident in my voice, but I have comfortably found my own style and am enjoying the nightlife.

What’s your style?

My style at the moment is a ‘finger-style’ acoustic approach, sort of folky and rootsy. Light guitar with melodies all over the place.

Think Josh Pyke and City and Colour.

Where did you record the EP? I recorded with Chris Gibbs at Noiseathon Records. It was great - really opened my eyes up to the possibilities of creating music. He is a funny guy, always with the sarcastic jokes and movie quotes, which suits me perfectly. He was a great producer too; whenever I felt like I’d hit a wall adding things creatively, he gave me a different perspective, a few ideas would always follow.

What’s the standout track in your estimation?

She Says and Smoking Gun are at a tie in my mind. They are both crowd favourites and I really enjoy playing them.

What does the future hold?

The future is all about more music.

Matt Waring

KINGS OF THE ROAD YEARS IN THE MAKING Bluesy rock machine One Thousand Years bring their Get Your Rabbit’s Foot And Run tour to Clancy’s Fish Pub Fremantle this Thursday.

Joining them for the night’s entertainment is country-folk chanteuse, Billie Rogers. Entry is free, support plays at 9pm.

One Thousand Years

RUM AND UNCANNY Get down to The Rosemount Hotel this Wednesday, March 26, for Rum Jungle, Night Signals, Surf Rabbits and the David Craft Duo. Doors open at 8pm, entry is $5.

Night Signals

If you missed their recent single launch, this is your last chance to catch folk rock troubadours, King Of The Travellers, before they roll out on their regional tour. They’ll be playing The Rosemount hotel this Friday, March 28, from 8pm, along with fellow travellers (heh) The Morning Night, Rich King Matthews and The Fortunados. Entry is $8.

King Of The Travellers

GIBBSY GOES HARD A hugely respected longtime part of the Perth music scene, Chris Gibbs is launching his second solo album, Big Appetite, at The Indi Bar this Sunday, March 30. Support comes from China Doll, Why Georgia? and Amy Sugars. Doors open at 6.30, entry is $10.

DIG DOOGS Last year’s Camp Doogs was, according to all reports, a hell of a good time, so now the team behind that little shindig are putting on a killer gig at Mojos this Saturday, March 19, featuring the likes of psychedelic shoegaze exponents Dream Rimmy, The Pissedcolas, Sun Gods, Gunns and Electric Toad, plus the Camp Doogs Djs filling in the gaps. Doors open at 8pm, entry is $5.

SKAPE RATTLE AND ROLL

ANTIC MUSIC IT’S GRIME TIME! Search & Destroy presents Gimmie The Grime at 459 Bar this Friday, March 28. Featuring an earth-shaking lineup of no-frills rock and good time grooves from Day Of The Dead, Legs Electric, Creature and Them Sharks. Doors open at 8pm, entry is $10.

Legs Electric

Super Antics is back at The Claremont hotel this Saturday, a two-floor extravaganza of local talent sure to please even the most jaded of musical palates. Downstairs hear live music from Felicity Groom, Boys Boys Boys!, Thee Gold Blooms and Marc, while upstairs features DJ sets from Beryl Streep, Tim Ayre, Grrl Pal, and Scenic. Plus, head Behind The Grey Door to see orignal artwork from Nina Marlena, Levi Caddy and Matthew Van Leuwin. Entry is free from 8pm.

Spun off from local art-punk outfit Faim, Noah Skape And The Teenage Wasteland are attempting something quite remarkable in The Resolution Works: writing, recording and releasing one song every work for the whole of 2014. Hear the first 13 efforts at YaYa’s this Thursday, March 27, along with sets from Like Junk and Michael Strong. Doors open at 8pm, entry is $10.

Noah Skape - photo by DanMac Photography

LO C A L & L AU N C H I N G 28/03 28/03 29/03 29/03 30/03 30/03 02/04 04/04 04/04 04/04 05/04 05/04 05/04 11/04 26/04 31/05

SPILT CITIES Bondurant Single Launch @ YaYa’s TUSK Fear Video Launch & Eyes Cast Skywards Fractures EP Launch @ The Rocket Room MATT WARING Smoking Gun EP Launch @ The Causeway VDELLI Live & On Fire Album Launch @ The Charles CHRIS GIBBS Big Appetite Album Launch @ Indi Bar EBONNIE Patchwork Fantasia Album Launch @ Rubix Bar THE DE NIROS Ethical Somnambulist EP Launch @ The Velvet Lounge GINA Williams & Guy Ghouse Kalyakoorl Album Launch @ Fly By Night LEONIDAS AND THE CORYNTHIAN Make The Most Album Launch @ The Rocket Room OPIA One Minute Ago Single Launch @ Rosemount BRYAN RICE DALTON Eastern Lights EP Launch @ The Odd Fellow FOX CAT RABBIT Self Titled EP Launch @ The Velvet Loung THE LOVE Junkies Flight Test EP Launch @ Mojos THE SHAKEYS White Lightning EP Launch @ The Rocket Room SLEEPFREAK Sleazebag Video Launch @ The Bakery RUBY BOOTS Self Titled EP Launch @ The Astor Lounge WWW. XP RE SS MAG.COM. AU

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TOUR TRAILS

IWRESTLEDABEARONCE, MARCH 26 - 27

THIS WEEK THE STRAY SISTERS 26 Fly By Night IWRESTLEDABEARONCE

26 YMCA HQ 27 Villa JOHN BUTLER TRIO 27 Fremantle Arts Centre 28 Belvoir Amphitheatre 29 Old Broadwater Farm, Busselton BRITISH INDIA 28 Indi Bar 29 Amplifier Bar STUART ORCHARD 29 Rosemount Hotel HUNTER & COLLECTORS 29 (sold out) & 30 Kings Park THE HOLIDAYS 29 Rosemount Hotel 30 Newport Hotel KRIS KRISTOFFERSON 30 Red Hill Auditorium THE STRAY SISTERS 31 Albany Entertainment Centre APRIL PACO PENA 2 Perth Concert Hall MONSTER MAGNET 3 Amplifier Bar ART VS SCIENCE 5 Amplifier Bar CHICKS ON SPEED 5 Fremantle Arts Centre, Courtyard HYPERFEST Spit Syndicate, Allday, Cub Sport, Glass Towers, Jackie Onassis, Closure in Moscow, Mathas, In Hearts Wake, Luca Brasi, The Love Junkies, Statues, Timothy Nelson and the Infidels, When Giants Sleep, Emecia, The Decline, FOAM, Scalphunter, Apache, Lionizer and more 6 Midland Oval KYLESA 6 The Bakery THE TROUBLE WITH TEMPLETON 10 Astor Theatre SUZANNE VEGA 11 Astor Theatre DALLAS FRASCA 11 Settlers Tavern, Margaret River 12 The Odd Fellow 13 Indi Bar 1927 11 The Ravenswood ELIZABETH ROSE 11 Amplifier Bar 12 Mojos Bar THIEF 12 Amplifier Bar 13 Newport Hotel YOU AM I ft. ESKIMO JOE, JEBEDIAH & KATY STEELE 13 Hotel Rottnest

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TOURS LIVE

KYLESA, APRIL 6

WEST COAST BLUES N’ ROOTS Matt Corby, Michael Franti, John Mayer, Dave Matthews Band, Doobie Brothers, Boy & Bear and more 13 Fremantle Park BOZ SCAGGS 14 Crown Theatre 3 INCHES OF BLOOD 16 Amplifier Bar KILLSWITCH ENGAGE/KILL DEVIL HILL 16 Metro City BURIED IN VERONA 16 Villa 17 Prince Of Wales, Bunbury 18 YMCA HQ JOSH PYKE 17 The White Star Hotel, Albany 19 Dunsborough Tavern BAM BAM 19 Amplifier Bar TWELVE FOOT NINJA 19 Rosemount Hotel 20 Players Bar, Mandurah TOXIC HOLOCAUST & SKELETONWITCH 20 Rosemount Hotel KREATOR & DEATH ANGEL 20 Amplifier Bar THE ACACIA STRAIN 23 YMCA HQ 24 Amplifier Bar ELEANOR MCEVOY 23 Rosie O’Grady’s SKID ROW & UGLY KID JOE 23 Metropolis Fremantle THE ALMOST 23 Amplifier Bar CANCELLED JEFF BECK 24 Perth Concert Hall HUNX & HIS PUNX & SHANNON & THE CLAMS 24 Rosemount Hotel TED DANSON WITH WOLVES/CERES 24 Flyrite 25 Prince Of Wales, Bunbury 26 Railway Hotel ADRIAN EDMONDSON & THE BAD SHEPHERDS 24 The Odd Fellow 26 Rosemount Hotel FAIRBRIDGE FESTIVAL 2014 25-27 Fairbridge Village BALL PARK MUSIC 24 Astor Theatre 25 Studio 146, Albany 26 Prince Of Wales, Bunbury 27 Newport Hotel MICHAEL BUBLE 26 & 27 Perth Arena AARON NEVILLE, DR JOHN & THE NITETRIPPERS 26 Riverside Theatre

HUGH LAURIE & THE COPPER BOTTOM BAND 26 Perth Concert Hall SLEEPFREAK 26 The Bakery ROBYN HITCHCOCK & STEVE KILBEY 26 Fly By Night TAME IMPALA 27 Hotel Rottnest JUSTICE CREW 27 Crown Theatre LORDE 29 Challenge Stadium BOY & BEAR 30 Divers Tavern, Broome

MAY DJ PREMIER X PETE ROCK 1 Capitol KANYE WEST 2 Perth Arena RUSSIAN CIRCLES 2 Rosemount Hotel JAMES REYNE 2 Charles Hotel MKTO 2 Crown Theatre BLISS N ESSO 2 Signal Park, Busselton 3 Wellington Square LEE KERNAGHAN 6 Princess Royal Theatre, Albany 9 Crown Theatre ORIGIN 6 Amplifier Bar GIDEON 7 Amplifier Bar 8 YMCA HQ ELLA HOOPER 8 Artbar VANCE JOY & GOSSLING 8 The Bakery THE PRESETS 8 Capitol 5 SECONDS OF SUMMER 8 Riverside Theatre THUNDAMENTALS 8 Flyrite 9 Mojo’s Bar MISERY SIGNALS 8 Amplifier Bar 9 YMCA HQ HOLY FUCK 8 Rosemount Hotel 9 The Odd Fellow DISCLOSURE & WAVE RACER 9 Metro City THE JEZABELS 9 Astor Theatre THE JUNGLE GIANTS 9 Rosemount Hotel JASON DERULO 10 Perth Arena PAUL WOSSEN 10 YaYa’s 11 Mojos Bar GROOVIN THE MOO Andy Bull, Architecture In Helsinki, Disclosure, Holy Fuck, The Jezabels, The Jungle Giants, Karnivool, Kingswood, The Kite String Tangle, Loon Lake, The Naked And Famous, Parkway

TWELVE FOOT NINJA, APRIL 19 - 20

Drive, The Presets, Peking Duk, Robert Delong, Thundamentals, Vance Joy, Violent Soho, Wave Racer, What So Not & more 10 Hay Park, Bunbury THE NAKED & FAMOUS 11 Astor Theatre ARCTIC MONKEYS 13 Perth Arena JONNY CRAIG 14 Amplifier Bar 15 YMCA HQ PETULA CLARK 17 Perth Concert Hall SEPTICFLESH & FLESHGOD APOCALYPSE 18 Amplifier Bar HITS & PITS 3 Strung Out, Face To Face, Unwritten Law, Implants 18 Capitol & Amplifier Bar JAMES VINCENT McMORROW 21 Astor Theatre DZ DEATHRAYS 22 Prince Of Wales, Bunbury 23 Indi Bar 24 Amplifier Bar 25 Newport Hotel WAGONS 23 Fly By Night THE ENGLISH BEAT 23 Rosemount Hotel MANGO GROOVE 23 Metro City 2014 AIRNORTH KIMBERLEY MOON EXPERIENCE Eskimo Joe, The Waifs, John Williamson, 42 Decibel 24 Jim Hughes Amphitheatre, Kununurra MS. LAURYN HILL 24 Fremantle Arts Centre GARY NUMAN 25 Astor Theatre ELLIE GOULDING & BROODS 28 Challenge Stadium LARRY CARLTON 28 Astor Theatre RÜFÜS 30 Players Bar, Mandurah 31 Fremantle Arts Centre WE ARE SCIENTISTS 31 Amplifier Bar THE BEARDS 29 The White Star Hotel 31 Prince Of Wales, Bunbury

JUNE THE BEARDS 1 Astor Theatre DARREN MIDDLETON 1 Mojos Bar MEAT PUPPETS 2 Astor Theatre PROPAGANDHI 3 Amplifier Bar

YO GABBA GABBA! LIVE! 7 Riverside Theatre FRENTE 7 Astor Theatre LA DISPUTE 7 Rosemount Hotel 8 YMCA HQ DEAD LETTER CIRCUS 4 Pier Hotel 5 The White Star Hotel, Albany 6 Settlers Tavern, Margaret River 7 Prince Of Wales, Bunbury 8 Rosemount Hotel CARCASS 12 Capitol JAMES BLUNT 12 Crown Theatre 13 Riverside Theatre BASTILLE 18 Challenge Stadium THE PAPER KITES 19 Artbar 20 Prince of Wales, Bunbury FINNTROLL 22 Amplifier Bar MONDO ROCK 22 Regal Theatre KEITH URBAN 29 Perth Arena

JULY THE CRIMSON PROJEKCT 2 Fly By Night THE AUDREYS 4 Fly By Night THE ANGELS 31 Newport Hotel

AUGUST THE ANGELS 1 Wintersun Hotel THE ANGELS ft.

DAVE GLEESON 2 Charles Hotel 3 The Ravenswood Hotel, Mandurah ROY ORBISON & DEL SHANNON TRIBUTE 7 Albany Entertainment Centre 9 Crown Theatre TINA ARENA 15 Crown Theatre LADY GAGA 20 Perth Arena THE DANDY WARHOLS 22 Astor Theatre

SEPTEMBER MARINA PRIOR 5 Albany Entertainment Centre 6 Astor Theatre 7 Mandurah Performing Arts Centre ROBBIE WILLIAMS 11 Perth Arena BIFFY CLYRO 12 Metro City

OCTOBER JUSTIN TIMBERLAKE 8 Perth Arena

NOVEMBER KATY PERRY 7 & 8 Perth Arena

TO U R TA L E S

MONSTER MAGNET Let There Be Rock The Dark Lord of space rock, Dave Wyndorf, brings Monster Magnet back to Perth for a show at Amplifier Bar on Thursday, April 3, supported by King Of The North and Chainsaw Hookers.

SHANE PINNEGAR takes the call from his New Jersey home.

Usually considered a metal or stoner rock band, Monster Magnet’s roots are more heavily in '60s psychedelic garage rock.

In fact, Dave Wyndorf hates the band being labelled as heavy metal.

“Totally. Exactly,” he says, exasperatedly. “I don’t think the guys at any record company we were ever at totally got that. Just because the band has ‘monster’ in the title and we play loud doesn’t mean it’s metal. I was like, ‘Dude, this is hardly metal. It’s loud rock music, but it’s not metal’.”

Wyndorf agrees that because of this genrespecific marketing, his band has been misunderstood by a certain percentage of their audience.

“A huge amount!” he says. “To the point where I couldn’t even tell who my audience was.

There were certain parts of the world where I could understand it better. Australia, for one, I always thought understood it just because I think Australia has a long tradition of guitar bands.

“The States was always tough for me to get the point across. Europe was always good because they could tell the difference. So, it’s funny, the place I was born in and the place where rock‘n’roll was born turned out to be the worst place in the world for me to play! It turned out to be a huge pain in the ass.

“I think there’s not that many people that get it and I think there’s a stereotype that a lot of people want to believe in. They want to believe that hard rock is one thing, that metal is one thing, and this is it. It’s almost like in the world of metal, those

guys speak like sports fans - ‘No, my band’s better than yours. They’ll kick your ass and blah, blah, blah’.

It’s like they’re speaking about sports.

“I wish the world was a little bit more open-minded because I think loud music would take a real turn.”

If anyone out there has been blurring the boundaries of what you can do with loud rock music, it’s been Monster Magnet, and the analogy between metal fans and blinkered, one-eyed sports fans is magnificent.

“I think there’s not that many people that get it and I think there’s a stereotype that a lot of people want to believe in. They want to believe that hard rock is one thing, that metal is one thing, and this is it. It’s almost like in the world of metal, those guys speak like sports fans - ‘No, my band’s better than yours. They’ll kick your ass and blah, blah, blah’. I wish the world was a little bit more openminded because I think loud music would take a real turn.”

“It’s embarrassing, dude,” Wyndorf continues, warming to his subject. “You know, it’s like they’re holding themselves back with their own fucking stupidity. Why would they want to have guy music by guys, playing music to more guys. I always tried to write about as much sex as possible because I was just hoping there’d be some girls at the show.”

Wyndorf rates Last Patrol, the band’s ninth album, highly enough to have played it in entirety every night on their recent European tour, but says Australia will get a more across-the-board setlist.

“Yeah, we did the whole thing. I figured I could get away with it in Europe, because we play there very often, almost one or two tours a year.

In Australia it’s going to be a little bit more varied.

There will be probably three songs from the new album and then a set of, I guess for lack of a better term, greatest hits.”

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GIG GUIDE

JUSTIN WALSHE (SOLO)/MOJOS/ WEDNESDAY 26 WEDNESDAY 26/03 AMPLIFIER BAR Academy Metal Madness Iconoclast Forstora Idle Eyes BRASS MONKEY Sugar Blue Burlesque CAPITOL Harlem Wednesdays Genga Philly Blunt JS Peter Payne Lenox Ave Pussymittens BMB Benny P THE CARINE Open Mic Night Shaun Street CLANCYS CANNING Songwriter’s Night Minky G Dan Durack ELLINGTON JAZZ CLUB Andrew Gander Jamie Oehlers Quartet Night Cap Sessions FLY BY NIGHT The Stray Sisters Ruby Boots THE GREENWOOD Bernardine GROOVE BAR (CROWN) 5 Shots INDI BAR Original acoustic acts LANEWAY LOUNGE Adam Hall & The Velvet Playboys LOBBY LOUNGE (CROWN) Decoy Duo THE LUCKY SHAG Howie Morgan MUSTANG BAR Pump DJ Giles MOJOS BAR Justin Walshe John Barrett Dear Hella Jeff’s Dead THE MOON CAFE Going Solo Catlips James Gates OCEAN ONE BAR Marcio Mendes THE PADDO POW! Cowboy X Kristie Smith Lost Pilot Effect ROSEMOUNT HOTEL Rum Jungle Night Signals The Surf Rabbits David Craft

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SMRTS/MOJOS/FRIDAY 28

SETTLERS TAVERN Open Mic Night THE SHED DJ Dillan THE SWINGING PIG Open Mic Night Greg Carter UNIVERSAL BAR Retriofit THE VIC Leighton Keepa VILLAGE BAR Village People Open Mic YAYA’S Punks for Purple Day Sail On! Sail On! Alex The Kid Paper Plains YMCA HQ IWRESTLEDABEARONCE

THURSDAY 27/03 BAR ORIENT Open Mic Night THE BIRD D-Jeong Kaminari Knight Yarhkob The Boost Hero Man Rae Sounds BRASS MONKEY Rhythm Bound Karaoke BRIGHTON Open Mic Night Rob Walker THE BROOK Open Mic Night Chris Gibbs BROOKLANDS TAVERN Celebrations Karaoke THE CAUSEWAY BAR Xport Thursdays CLANCYS FREMANTLE One Thousand Years Billie Rogers THE DEEN Howie Morgan Project Astrid Ripepi DEVILLES PAD Rock’N’Roll Karaoke DUNSBOROUGH TAVERN Open Mic Night Kris Buckle ELLINGTON JAZZ CLUB Andrew Gander The Freddie Grigson Trio Night Cap Sessions FREMANTLE ARTS CENTRE John Butler Trio THE GATE Greg Carter GRAND CENTRAL PARK Acoustic Aly GROOVE BAR (CROWN) Decoy INDI BAR Open Mic Night KALAMUNDA HOTEL The Black Fridays

LOCAL GIG

SAIL ON! SAIL ON!

SAIL ON! SAIL ON!

ABORTED TORTOISE ALEX THE KID - PAPER PLAINS WEDNESDAY, MARCH 26, YAYA’S

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LANEWAY LOUNGE James Flynn LOBBY LOUNGE (CROWN) Jack + Jill LUCKY SHAG James Wilson MARKET CITY TAV Emily J Jana Fischer Toia & Chelz Tender Fiddle Vita Stu Capewell MOJOS BAR King Cactus Foam Golden Slums Hideous Sun Demon THE MOON CAFÉ Yambeque MUSTANG BAR The Last Fair Deal DJ James MacArthur NORMA JEANS DJ Damo OCEAN ONE BAR Turin’s Open Mic Night PEEL ALE HOUSE Open Mic Danny Bau PRINCE OF WALES HOTEL Cherry Lips 459 ROSEMOUNT HOTEL The Lone Unemployed Tradesman The Limbs David Craft Ben Protasiewicz ROSEMOUNT HOTEL The Southwicks The Right Way Up Being Beta These Winter Nights Ohayo SETTLERS TAVERN Latehorse THE SHED Midnight Rambler SWALLOW BAR Steel Guts UNIVERSAL BAR Off The Record THE VIC Harry Moore VILLA IWRESTLEDABEARONCE YAYA’S Noah Skape And The Teenage Wasteland Like Junk Michael Strong

FRIDAY 28/03 THE ALBION Jen De Ness Trio AMPLIFIER BAR Hair!

Voyager Emerald City Arkayan King Onion THE BAKERY Mosca Clunk Whisper BALMORAL Danni Stefanetti Duo BEAT NIGHTCLUB (DOWNSTAIRS) PLAY BELGIAN BEER CAFE Roger Roger BELMONT TAVERN Siren & Assassin BELVOIR AMPHITHEATRE John Butler Trio BEST DROP TAVERN Driven By People THE BIRD Ben Taaffe Ben M BISTRO 38 DJ Daz Hall THE BOAT Ben Merito

HYTE/RAILWAY HOTEL/FRIDAY 28 BRASS MONKEY Justin Cortorillo THE BRIGHTON Rob Walker THE CARINE Frenzy CARNEGIES BAR Ivan Zar Michael Triscari CHASE BAR & BISTRO James Wilson CITRO BAR Adrian Wilson CIVIC HOTEL Animal Amberdown Hostile Little Face Daniel Roby CLANCYS CANNING DJ Boogie CLANCYS CITY BEACH Gillian Moorman Trio CLANCYS FREMANTLE Wayne Green’s Ragged Company COMO HOTEL Fiona Lawe Davies Trio CORNERSTONE ALE HOUSE Sweet Surrender CRUISING YACHT CLUB Barry Gee DEVILLES PAD Rockin’ A Gogo DIDGERIDOO BREATH Ondrej Smeykal DUNSBOROUGH TAVERN Cuddles EAST 150 BAR Adam James ELLINGTON JAZZ CLUB Natalie Gillespie Sam & Jo EMPIRE Howie Morgan FAIRLINES AMPHITHEATRE Nathan Gaunt THE GATE Choppa & The Hitman GOSNELLS HOTEL Chris Gibbs Cheek2Cheek THE GREENWOOD Mike Nayar GROOVE BAR (CROWN) Switch DJ Crazy Craig HERDSMAN Chill Divine HOTEL ROTTNEST DJ Eugene HYDE PARK HOTEL (COURTYARD) Ricky Green INDI BAR British India KALAMUNDA HOTEL Vendetta LANEWAY LOUNGE Nat Ripepi Why Georgia?

M ON THE POINT Retriofit MAHOGANY INN T.J. O’Donovan MOJOS BAR SMRTS Mudlark Night Signals Wizard Sleeve Dux N’ Downtown MUSTANG BAR Adam Hall & The Velvet Playboys Swing DJ Flash Nat & The Action Men DJ James MacArthur NORMA JEANS 97.3 Listeners Party DJ Daz OCEAN ONE BAR Mad Agents THE PADDO Flyte PADDY MAGUIRES Easy Tigers PEEL ALE HOUSE Siren Song Enterprises

PLAYERS BAR Three Corner Jack PORT KENNEDY TAVERN Elemental THE PRINCIPAL Electrophobia QUARIE BAR & BISTRO One Trick Phonies RAILWAY HOTEL Hyte Muzzle Azmatic Few & Far Between ROCKET ROOM Tusk ROLEYSTONE COUNTRY CLUB Monique Serpell 459 ROSEMOUNT HOTEL Day of the Dead Legs Electric Creature Them Sharks ROSEMOUNT HOTEL King Of The Travellers The Morning Night The Fortunados ROSIE O’GRADYS FREMANTLE Madam Montage SAIL AND ANCHOR Howie Morgan Duo THE SANDBAR Helen Shanahan SETTLERS TAVERN Tracksuit THE SHED Crush DJ Matt SOUTH ST ALEHOUSE Karaoke with Robbie King SWAN HOTEL (LOUNGE) Redlight The Worst Mentok Commandz SWAN HOTEL (BASEMENT) Grave Forsaken Psychokinetic Tumultum Drown SWINGING PIG Greg Carter TOUCAN CLUB Bombs Away Dixie TWILIGHT HAWKERS’ MARKET Jane Germain & Ian Simpson UNIVERSAL BAR Nightmoves THE VELVET LOUNGE Altered Fauna VERNON ARMS TAVERN Greg Carter THE VIC Nathan Gaunt WINTERSUN HOTEL James McDonald THE WOODVALE Gunshy Romeos YAYA’S Spilt Cities Foam These Winter Nights Lionizer

SATURDAY 29/03 7TH AVENUE Karaoke THE ALEXANDER Back2Back AMPLIFIER BAR British India ASTOR THEATRE Peace Train Cat Stevens Story THE AVIARY Just For The Night THE BALMORAL The Wire Birds THE BAKERY Lanark Antelope Mt. Mountain Foxes BAR ORIENT The Reggae Club

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

GRAVE FORSAKEN/SWAN BASEMENT/FRIDAY 28 BEAT NIGHTCLUB (UPSTAIRS) CANVAS BEAT NIGHTCLUB (DOWNSTAIRS) Runaways BENTLEY HOTEL In The Groove THE BIRD Craig Hollywood Mono Lisa Chach Tred BOAB TAVERN Electrophobia THE BRIGHTON Triple Shots BROOKLANDS TAV Elemental CAPITOL Ludapalooza Senator Scott Ludlam Sam Perry Black & Blunt Lilt Command Q Death Disco THE CARINE Frank G THE CAUSEWAY Matt Waring Sam Barendse Eloise Ashton CHIPPY’S JINDALEE Electrophobia CIVIC HOTEL Inhuman Decay Entrails Eradicated Nexus Grotesque Animistic Inanimacy Darkenium CLANCYS CANNING Steve Parkin CLANCYS FREMANTLE Flap!

THE CLAREMONT HOTEL Super Antics DJ Beryl Streep Tim Ayre Grrl Pal Scenic Felicity Groom Boys Boy Boys!

Thee Gold Blooms Marc Antonio THE CORNERSTONE P!nked THE CRAFTSMAN 5th Avenue DEVILLES PAD Black Magic Disco DUNSBOROUGH TAVERN Brett Donald ELEPHANT & WHEELBARROW Gunshy Romeos ELLINGTON JAZZ CLUB Shameem Astrid Ripepi EMPIRE BAR DJ James Shipstone DJ Miggy FLY BY NIGHT Chris Gudu & Afro Pamoja Dilip n the Davs THE GATE Greg Carter GOSNELLS HOTEL Almost Famous GREENWOOD Cargo Beat GROOVE BAR (CROWN) Hi-NRG Hero DJs HYDE PARK HOTEL Easy Tigers INDI BAR Blue Shaddy INDIAN OCEAN BREWING CO Shawne & Luc KALAMUNDA HOTEL Celebrations Karaoke THE KIOSK Paul D McDowell KINGS PARK Hunters & Collectors LAKERS TAVERN Celebrations Karaoke

ENTRAILS ERADICATED/CIVIC HOTEL/SATURDAY 29

LANEWAY LOUNGE Astrid Ripepi Quartet LOBBY LOUNGE (CROWN) Why Georgia?

M ON THE POINT Rhythm 22 MERRIWA TAVERN Celebrations Karaoke MOJOS BAR Camp Doogs Dream Rimmy The Pissedcolas Gunns Electric Toad MUSTANG BAR Shot Down From Sugar Town Rockabilly DJ Milhouse DJ James MacArthur NEWPORT HOTEL Gravity Tahli Jade NORMA JEANS DJ Damo OCEAN ONE BAR Desert Bells DJ Martin OLD BROADWATER FARM John Butler Trio PADDY MAGUIRES Too Easy PARAMOUNT NIGHTCLUB Felix PLAYERS BAR Luxe DJ Tito PORT KENNEDY TAVERN Stu McKay QUARIE BAR & BISTRO DJ Eugene RAILWAY HOTEL Tuxedo Pig Gloria Ironbox Bay Sickly The Flying Embers ROCKET ROOM Ladies Night 459 ROSEMOUNT HOTEL Stuart Orchard Ron Pollard Qintet Surf Rabbits ROSEMOUNT HOTEL The Holidays Braves Methyl Ethel ROSIE O’GRADY’S FREMANTLE Flava SAIL & ANCHOR Better Days THE SANDBAR Reilly Craig Tyson Keene SETTLERS TAVERN Moondog J THE SHED Huge DJ Andyy SOUTH ST ALE HOUSE Robbie King & Friends SWALLOW BAR Mister T King SWAN HOTEL (LOUNGE) The Lucky Numbers Lady Luck Bodhi THE SWINGING PIG Frenzy TOUCAN CLUB Cazzari PRoject UNIVERSAL Soul Corporation THE WOODVALE iGen YAYA’S Paradise Motor Inn White Avenue Childlike Empress Dan Peters and the Volatyles Padaphobia

SUNDAY 30/03 ASTOR THEATRE An Evening Of Mayhem Kim Coates Theo Rossi Mark Boone Junior

THE AVIARY Reilly Craig NDORSE BAILEY BAR & BISTRO Gary Fowlie BALMORAL Andrew Winton BELMONT TAVERN Sophie Jane BEAUMARIS SPORTS ASSOC. One Trick Phonies THE BRIGHTON Julius Lutero Calectasia John Read BROKEN HILL HOTEL Justin Burford THE BROOK Luke O’Connell BROOKLANDS TAVERN Gerry Azor CAPTAIN STIRLING Open Mic Night Josh Terlick THE CARINE Mike Nayar THE CAUSEWAY Acoustic Sunday CAVES HOUSE Chelsea Morgan Melanie Timms CHASE BAR & BISTRO Stackjammer Duo CHIPPYS JINDALEE Double Take CIVIC HOTEL Frank G CLANCYS CITY BEACH Salt Shaker Sundays DJ Boogie & The Salt Shaker Selectors CLANCYS FREMANTLE The Zydecats COMO HOTEL Ansell & Fretall CRUISING YACHT CLUB Kathy Carver DUNSBOROUGH TAVERN Kris Buckle ELLINGTON JAZZ CLUB Rochelle O’Reilly FLINDERZ HILLARYS Adam James FLY BY NIGHT Stage Fright Open Mic Night FREMANTLE ARTS CENTRE Boom! Bap! Pow! THE GATE Choppa & The Hitman GOSNELLS HOTEL Steve Hepple GROOVE BAR (CROWN) Peace Love HYDE PARK HOTEL (COURTYARD) Jonny Dempsey INDIAN OCEAN BREW CO Retriofit INDI BAR Chriss Gibbs China Doll Why Georgia?

Amy Sugars KALAMUNDA HOTEL The Mojos KINGS PARK Hunters & Collectors LAKERS TAVERN Wesley Goodlet Jamboree Scouts LANEWAY LOUNGE Randa & the Soul Kingdom THE LAST DROP TAVERN Barry Gee LOBBY LOUNGE (CROWN) Thierryno LUCKY SHAG Christian Thompson MOJOS BAR SpaceManAntics Red Engine Caves Hideous Sun Demon Mt. Mountain Silver Hills Dream Rimmy

FELICITY GROOM/CLAREMONT HOTEL/SATURDAY 29 THE MOON CAFÉ Ghost Drums Josh Fontaine Craig McElhinney M ON THE POINT Siren & Assassin MUSTANG Jack Royal & the Hot Shot Playboys DJ Holly Doll NEWPORT HOTEL Holidays Methyl Ethel Anna O OCEAN ONE BAR Tahnee DJ Martin OCEAN VIEW TAV Electrophobia PEEL ALE HOUSE Trevor Jalla PORT KENNEDY TAVERN Greg Carter QUARIE BAR & BISTRO The Gypsy Minions REDCLIFFE ON THE MURRAY Wanderlust RED HILL AUDITORIUM Kris Kristofferson Ruby Boots ROSE & CROWN Electrophobia 459 ROSEMOUNT HOTEL PissedColas Clitfitz Laurel Fixation Catbrush Shit Narnia Foreign Aids RED HILL AUDITORIUM Kris Kristofferson Ruby Boots ROSEMOUNT HOTEL The Get Down Charlie Bucket Klean Kicks Nick Sheppard ROYAL PALMS RESORT Stu Harcourt THE SAINT Howie Morgan Project SAIL AND ANCHOR Childs Play THE SANDBAR Karin Page SANDY COVE TAVERN Nate Lansdale Mike de Velta SEAVIEW TAVERN Jean Proude SETTLERS TAVERN Moondog J THE SHED The Healy’s Blue Hornet SOUTH ST ALEHOUSE Helen Shanahan SWALLOW BAR Sunday Sessions Jazz Harp Duo SWANBROOK WINERY Matt Passmore Sean Corry

SWAN HOTEL (LOUNGE) MODERN NASH SWINGING PIG Elemental Justin Cortorillo UNIVERSAL Cartel VERNON ARMS TAVERN Anthony Buttaccio WANNEROO TAVERN Matt Williams WHISTLING KITE James Wilson THE WINDSOR Ryan Webb THE WOODVALE Ade Payne

MONDAY 31/03 ALBANY ENTERTAINMENT CENTRE The Stray Sisters BRASS MONKEY Wire Birds ELLINGTON JAZZ CLUB Chamber Jam MOJOS BAR Wide Open Mic MUSTANG BAR Triple Shots YAYA’S Big Tommo’s Open Mic Variety Night

TUESDAY 01/04 BRASS MONKEY Open Mic Night Josh Terlick THE CHARLES HOTEL Perth Blues Club GROOVE BAR (CROWN) Jack & Jill LOBBY LOUNGE (CROWN) Hans Fiance LUCKY SHAG Ben Merito MERRIWA TAVERN Celebrations Karaoke MOJOS BAR Breakthrough MUSTANG BAR Danza Loca Salsa Night OCEAN ONE BAR Undergrowth Open Mic Night PERTH BLUES CLUB Mike DeVelta Francesco Renna Freebird Benny Walker Band ROSEMOUNT HOTEL Bex ‘n’ Turin’s Open Mic Night SWINGING PIG Siren Song Enterprises YAYA’S Rich King Matthews Kat Wilson The Lost and Found Duo Kyle Bonser

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Chris Gibbs | Photo by Bree Ferguson

CHRIS GIBBS More Than A Game Chris Gibbs launches his new solo album, Big Appetite, this Sunday, March 30, at the Indi Bar with help from China Doll, Why Georgia? and Amy Sugars. BOB GORDON finds out about how the album came to be.

What made you go for a solo album, rather than a Graphic Fiction Heroes album, this time around, given you compose and sing for both?

There were a few reasons. I started recording this album in July last year and it just wasn’t the right time for GFH to be commencing a new recording as we were still working Dan Toal on keys into the lineup. I also knew that I wanted to attempt a recording that was entirely created from start to finish at my home studio. Because I wasn’t sure how that was going to pan out, I used myself as the guinea pig rather than the band. Also, we have established a style with GFH that many of the songs on this recording simply weren’t suitable for.

It’s turned out to be a rockier acoustic album than you initially envisioned - how much of that was intentional and how much was fuelled by its own momentum?

The limitations with the home studio in terms of tracking live drums drove the decision to go acoustic, but during the process I found various ways to create rhythms and strong percussion some live, some with loops - which in turn presented the opportunity to add more instrumentation.

Once that development occurred, I just went for what felt good and what sounded right and that opened up the whole project. It was fortuitous because since then I have tracked live drums for someone else’s project in the home studio and it went really well. Nevertheless the perceived limitations at the time provided a unique way forward and I just trusted the framework. I am much more comfortable with an electric guitar and I have ended up with plenty on the album, so I’m happy!

You’re very consistent with releasing music. Is it important for you to build a volume of work?

Yes but I think the driving force in trying to consistently release music is simply that I keep writing it. A recording is the ultimate diary for a songwriter’s development and progress so if the songs are there my inclination is to ‘make them official’. I do enjoy

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having so much on offer though. There was a brief period in the mid-2000s where I didn’t release anything because I was still hoping to get Kingpin back on track. Given that there is a final album from that band completed but never released, it became a little stumbling block for me. Once I faced reality in regards to the future of that band, the wheels started to turn again. So since 2009 there’s been the first solo record, the GFH record, an Axe Cane EP and now my new record. I guess I just like being back in the game.

What’s the rest of the year hold (in all of your musical guises?)

Graphic Fiction Heroes will commence tracking drums for a new EP in April with Rob Agostini at Soundbaker, which I’m very excited about. We have a good system with the band where after drums, the rest is tracked at my place and then it all goes back to Rob for final mixes. I still have a lot to learn and a lot of equipment to buy before I’d trust myself mixing a fully-tracked GFH recording, but I’ll do a couple of dummy-runs anyway for the experience. Meanwhile, I’ll be promoting Big Appetite with a kind of freeform lineup. I have a selection of musicians in mind to work with live, most of whom are performing with me at the launch, but they won’t always be available. So the idea is to have a few options for the main instruments and just see where it takes us.

I am very happy with the current Graphic Fiction Heroes lineup and I enjoy that solidarity, so the delineation that I now require to make the solo project a separate entity will come from a slightly more relaxed approach to presenting my solo work live, which I am very much looking forward to. It’s also a big year for me at WAAPA, I’ve been given more classes to teach than ever before which is great. The home studio is kicking along, I recently completed Matt Waring’s EP and there are two other projects on the go with another in the pipeline, plenty to do there. I’ll certainly be hoping to pull on the space boots as Fake Frehley in KissTake too. In the meantime it’s business as usual: have guitar, will play!

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FEELING SEEDY The Seed Fund is now a decade old! That’s 10 years of John Butler and company helping Australian musical artists get established in the industry, particularly rural artists who may lack the opportunities and resources that city-based musos take for granted. Applications are now open for 2014 funding, with categories including Money For Managers, which supports emerging music managers and It’s All About The Song, which is designed to help artists produce and release a high quality single. Plus, the annual Management Workshop is on the horizon, where up to 25 lucky applicants will receive a crash course on the business of music. For full details, go to theseedfund.org.

John Butler

RIDE INTO RODE Rode Microphones are holding a free workshop at Theo’s Music in West Leederville on Friday, April 4 from 10am until noon. Learn about the latest rode toys, plus pick up technical tips on mic placement, feedback reduction and more. For full details, hit up the Theo’s Music Facebook page.

Behringer B2031A

Event 20/20 Bas

Yamaha HS8

MORE BOOM FOR YOUR BUCK Having helped many people build their first home studio, there seems to be a trend amongst budding EDM producers that you want a big, noisy system for maximum bro power and bragging points if you can break the neighbours’ china with your sub. We’ll help you avoid some of the easy pitfalls in choosing your monitors.

First of all, don’t buy KRK. This brand of monitor is designed for DJs. They’re a big, heavy, bassy mess that dubstep and hip hop sounds great on, but they are not accurate. The second series of these monitors are the most popular and the worst problem makers and while the third revision is an improvement, it’s still too inaccurate for its price. Remember, you want something as accurate as possible. If your monitors have overstated bass, you’ll overcompensate for that in your mix, to make it sound good in your home studio. Consequently, when you take your track out to perform, you’ve mixed all of the bass out of your track.

In terms of cheap monitors, the Yamaha HS8 do a great job without a huge price tag. They’re bright in the top end, similar to a JBL, but only $399 as opposed to the JBL’s $899. They have a decently flat frequency response, and while not having as much bottom end as some of the higher brands, will give you the best bang for your buck if you’re on a budget.

Right in the middle of the range is the Behringer B2031A. Behringer have always been one of the cheaper brands on the market, but since buying Klark Teknik and Midas, they have been doing some very accurate studio monitors, while still keeping that low price point. These monitors are best for trance, breaks, and drum ‘n’ bass. The silk tweeter goes up nice and high without getting too sandy, and you have RECORDING MIXING MASTERING PRODUCING Fremantle location. Call Pete Kitchen Cooked Records.

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enough bass representation to keep the bottom end tight and smooth. The Behringer Truth B2031A retails for $635 per pair.

Finally, the Event 20/20 Bas are the best studio monitors you can buy for under a grand ($799).

Famously good for bass music, the 2020s have been popular with R&B artists since the mid ‘90s. They have a deep, smooth, low end response, without being overstated or muddy. Also, they really excel at bringing up the mid ranges to be on spec with the tops and bass, which is something most entry level two way monitors struggle with. If you produce with these monitors, your track will sound good on anything.

And most importantly, if this is your first speaker purchase, don’t think these will be performance speakers. You will want high volume noise makers when you go gigging, but keep your studio monitors at home.

All too often people ask me for a speaker that will be good to produce with, and to perform with, but they are two different tools for two completely different jobs.

Also, when you head down to Kosmic to have a listen for yourself, bring some music you know really well, and if possible bring a lossless version (wav, aiff or flac). The guys down there will plug it in to the speaker wall for you, so you can make the best decision for your style.

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