Issue 1434

ISSUE 1434

ANBERLIN

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6TH AUGUST 2014

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F R E E W E D N E S D AY S

DANDY WARHOLS

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E N T E R TA I N M E N T I N P E R T H

KAV TEMPERLEY

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#XPRESSMAG

GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY

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NEWSDESK

LOCAL NEWS

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GLOBAL NEWS

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ANNOUNCEMENTS

THE BURGERS ARE BETTER

THE KING IS BACK

Burgers of Beef are proud to announce their brand spanking new album, Athwart Hawse, to be launched this Friday, August 8, at the Four5Nine Bar of the Rosemount Hotel. After many years in the making, they’re pleased as punch with the result and can’t wait to share it, along with their special guests Glenn Musto (Showbag!/The Nordeens/College Fall) and The JAC (with Joe Algeri). 8pm start, tickets $10 on the door.

King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard are returning to home soil in preparation for the release of their fifth album. The Gizzernaut will be heading off on their 13-date Sino-Australian tour in August, concluding at The Bakery on Friday, September 26, alongside Mt Mountain, Aborted Tortoise and Ghetto Crystals, with an additional show at the Wave Rock Weekender on Saturday, September 27. For more information visit kinggizzardandthelizardwizard.com.

I Killed The Prom Queen and The Ghost Inside are teaming up for a huge 22-date Australia/New Zealand Rise Of Brotality tour this September in celebration of Prom Queens’ post-resurrection album, Beloved. The bands will also join forces with up and comers In Hearts Wake, Hellions and UK’s Bury Tomorrow. Tickets for the Perth leg of the tour at HQ (all-ages) on Saturday, September 27, and Capitol on Sunday, September 28, are available through premier.ticketek.com.au.

Burgers Of Beef

King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard

I Killed The Prom Queen

THE CITY OF ART The City of Perth has given the go ahead for two ephemeral art projects, bringing interactive art to the streets this Winter. The first project, High Visibility

by Melissa McGrath, will feature a series of limited edition prints being distributed at Perth Train Station every Wednesday morning until August 31; while over in East Perth, Chris Cobilis will be showcasing his sound installation, Preludes, 24 hours a day until to Sunday, August 31. For more information visit perthwinterarts.com.au.

High Visibility, Melissa McGrath

IT’S PROM NIGHT!

ENSEMBLE DIABLO Break out your vintage frocks and get ready to shake your groove thang. Ensemble Formidable is hitting up Devilles Pad for a night of jumpin’, jivin’ electro swing this Friday, August 8. Backed by DJs J019 and Coaster T, and featuring the saucy ladies of the Les Santiques Gogo Troupe, it’s a great excuse to kick back at one of Perth’s most devilish bars and watch the old world collide with the new in the grooviest way possible. Tickets are $10; get there before 8pm to score yourself free entry.

CAM ON FEEL THE NOISE

A NATIONAL DECLINE

Cameron Avery has been taking it worldwide in recent years, and is heading to Australia for a solo tour, debuting new material from his forthcoming album with The Growl. Avery’s bandmate/oldmate, Shiny Joe Ryan, will join him on the national tour that will see them hit Fremantle on Saturday, September 13, at Mojo’s Bar. Tickets are available through villagesounds.oztix.com.au.

Perth punk rockers, The Decline, are hitting the road for their Man Gets Hit By Football national tour, which will see the band join forces with songwriter Ben Elliot. The conclusive Perth leg of the tour will feature a live recording at the Amplifier Bar on Saturday, September 27, with Puck, Ratking and Blindspot joining the line-up. Tickets are available through oztix, for more information see thedecline.com.au.

Ensemble Formidable

Cameron Avery

The Decline

VICTIMISED! Back in the ‘70s Perth trio The Victims were pioneers of punk music not only here but nationally and eventually around the world. Original members Dave Faulkner and James Baker are teaming up with HardOns bassist, Ray Ahn, as The Television Addicts (the band’s best-known track), to perform the songs of The Victims at the Rosemount Hotel this Saturday, August 9, with guests The Homicides, Helta Skelta and Legs Electric. Tickets are $40 (plus booking fee) from 78 Records, Mills Records, Planet Video, Star Surf Stores and Rosemounthotel.com.au.

Check out xpressmag.com.au for part two of our interview with Dave Faulkner and James Baker.

James Baker and Dave Faulkner, The Television Addicts Pic: Daniel Grant

PRAISE THE PEOPLE The Beautiful Girls are back after four years thanks to a crowdfunded Pledge campaign that has enabled the recording and release of their new album, Dancehall Days, on Friday, October 3. The news comes just as tickets for The Beautiful Girls national tour go on sale this Friday, August 8; including a Perth show at The Rosemount Hotel on Friday, November 7, and an appearance at Blues At Bridgetown on Saturday, November 8. For more information visit Oztix.com.

The Beautiful Girls

EMPIRE OF THE FUN The Cat Empire are accepting audition videos from the public for a chance to join them on stage during their national tour next month. The options are endless with all instruments and even vocals available, with the winners being hand-picked by the band for the show closest to their hometown. Winners will also receive their own backstage pass for themselves and a friend. For entry details visit thecatempire.com or facebook. com/thecatempire. All entries must be received by Friday, September 5.

The Cat Empire 4

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WIN

N E W S L E T T E R - S I G N U P AT F O R E X C L U S I V E C O M P S

LET'S KILL UNCLE For what promises to be an epic night of metal madness, Let’s Kill Uncle launch their latest EP at Amplifier this Friday 15th. To celebrate, we have a double pass and two copies of the EP to give away this week. Just email win@xpressmag.com.au for your chance to win!

Tell us who your uncle is and why he should be spared.

PRINT AND DIGITAL EDITIONS PUBLISHER/MANAGER Joe Cipriani

EDITORIAL - 9213 2888 MANAGING EDITOR Bob Gordon: editor@xpressmag.com.au FEATURES & DANCE MUSIC EDITOR Zoe Kilbourn: 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

ADVERTISING - 9213 2888

BELLE With an impressive critical approval rate from Rotten Tomatoes and the thumbs up from David and Margaret, Belle is a period drama with particular clout. It’s based on the true story of Dido Lindsay, the aristocratic and mixed race niece of a Lord Chief Justice wrangling with the biggest legal decision of the year - a definitive step towards determining whether human beings can be considered legal property. It deals as much with pride and prejudice (and sense and sensibility) as it does with the enormous legal and political tensions surrounding the Abolition movement. It’s out on DVD, and if you’d like a copy, hit us up at win@xpressmag.com.au.

Sarah Gadon and Gugu Mbatha-Raw in Belle

ONELOVE, ONE LIFE Hard-hitting Australian EDM label OneLove have dropped another compilation album, and it’s just hit #2 on the iTunes charts: Sound Machine 2014, featuring two discs of deep house and big room floorfillers. OneLove’s CEO was one of the masterminds behind Stereosonic, and this compilation shows how closely the two projects’ hearts beat. It’s 2.5 hours of the biggest releases from the likes of Calvin Harris, Cash Cash, Tiesto, Zhu, Booka Shade, and Martin Garrix, with a few surprise remixed throwbacks thrown in (Madison Avenue as restored by Motez; Basement Jaxx by Mark Knight). You can catch the national Sound Machine tour when it hits Limelite on Friday, August 15. Alternatively, hit us up at win@ xpressmag.com.au to win a copy of Sound Machine 2014.

SALES MANAGER AGENCY / MOVIES / ARTS / EDUCATION / SPONSORSHIP / ONLINE MARKETING Craig Mauger - advertising@xpressmag.com.au MUSIC SERVICES / MUSICAL EQUIPMENT / BANDS / RECORD LABELS Stefan Caramia - musicservices@xpressmag.com.au ENTERTAINMENT VENUES / LIVE AND DANCE MUSIC PROMOTERS Tim Milroy - entertainment@xpressmag.com.au CLASSIFIEDS LINAGE classifieds@xpressmag.com.au

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

BABY JUST SAY YES It was only a matter of time before Julian Fellowes screenwriter behind Gosford Park and Downton Abbey and archetypal English gent - took on Shakespeare.

Romeo And Juliet is reimagined for the 21st century in this lush adaption, scripted by Fellowes and directed by Carlos Carlei. It’s set in Verona and features all the lush melodrama you know and love in Fellowes’ period pieces (plus Paul Giamatti). Romeo And Juliet is out on DVD, and if you’d like to win a copy, get in touch at win@ xpressmag.com.au.

Hailee Steinfeld and Douglas Booth in Romeo and Juliet

RAIDERS OF THE LOST JAKARTA Not only do we have recent release The Raid 2 still up for grabs, we’ve just received a swag of The Raid Blu-Ray discs to giveaway. It’s a big, bombastic Indonesian martial arts mess, and it’s received enormously positive praise from critics and gore freaks across the world. Think blood and beautifully constructed battle scenes, every step of the way. If you’d like a copy, hit us up at win@xpressmag.com.au.

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

PREDESTINY Fans of Australian film, science fiction, or Australian scifi are getting spoilt. Hot off the heels of the fourth Mad Max trailer, we’ve got another Australian dystopic thriller hitting cinemas. Peter and Michael Spierig, the brothers behind vampire-virus movie Daybreakers, are the dudes behind Predestination. The film follows a Temporal Agent (yes) who has the perfect career-securing move - a timetravel journey to ensure he’s never out of work again.

Predestination stars Ethan Hawke, Sarah Snook, and Australian legend Noah Taylor, and you can catch it in cinemas from Thursday, August 28. Get in touch at win@ xpressmag.com.au for your chance to win a double pass.

Iko Uwais in The Raid

THE RAID 2 Welsh pencat silak obsessive Gareth Evans just keeps whipping up martial arts masterpieces, and The Raid: Redemption is no exception. Rama, an undercover operative/martial arts expert spends two years in prison to gain the trust of and infiltrate a Jakarta criminal empire.

Plenty of virtuoso blood and gore ensues. The Guardian called it “pelvis-dislodgingly, inner-ear-damagingly hardcore action”; The Mirror gave it five stars. DVDs are out now, and if you’d like a copy, let us know at win@ xpressmag.com.au.

MISTER AND PETE

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20,000 LEAGUES

Even with star power like Jeffrey Wright, Anthony Mackie, and Dreamgirls' Jennifer Hudson behind it, The Inevitable Defeat Of Mister And Pete focuses on the harrowing story of two young children abandoned in a New York tenement and dodging Child Protection Services. It's received enormously positive press, and it's out on August 13. If you'd like to win a copy, get in touch at win@xpressmag.com.au.

Nick Cave freaks, those fascinated by his mythos, and everyone who dug his neo-Western The Proposition should check out the new semi-fictional film, 20,000 Days On The Earth. The film is a broody take on a day in the life of Cave, and it’s an intimate and frank look at the creative process and who we really are. It’s bound to be as trippy and melancholically meta as his music and novels, and you can see it in cinemas from August 21. Keen for a double pass? Hit us up at win@xpressmag.com.au.

The Inevitable Defeat Of Mister And Pete

20,000 Days On The Earth

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FLESH

NEWS - INTERVIEWS - REVIEWS - CONTENTS

HIDEOUS SUN DEMON

THE BIG SPLASH Sgt Pepper’s Lovely Big Splash Band The Big Splash 2014 Grand Final happens this Saturday, August 9, at The Bakery with Dream Rimmy, Hideous Sun Demon, Pat Chow and Kitchen People, plus MC Magnus and after-party guests, Old Blood. BOB GORDON taught the bands to play (dress-ups).

Last year the X-Press front cover for The Big Splash competition saw members of Scalphunter, These Winter Nights, The Dianas and Apache take a mid-winter dip in the diving pool at Beatty Park Leisure Centre.

It was cold and cruel, but we were recreating Nirvana’s Nevermind cover after all.

This year, we removed all risk of influenza and had our finalists get their Beatles on for a Sunday morning photo shoot, coming together as Sgt Pepper’s Lovely Big Splash Band. Why? Because Big Splash and The Beatles, okay?

Ali Flintoff (Dream Rimmy), Vin BuchananSimpson (Hideous Sun Demon), Jake Suriano (Kitchen People) and Ben Protasiewicz (Pat Chow) are ‘John’, ‘Ringo’, ‘Paul’ and ‘George’, respectively. The other folks in there are a mash-up of icons and faves from Perth and elsewhere.

The Grand Final at The Bakery this Saturday will see these four bands play for the chance

to win the first place prize of $10,000 cash; second place receives $2,000 worth of audio recording, video production, photo shoot and private function (hold private gig up to 70 guests) courtesy of Yo Yo Studios; third place gets $1,000 worth of goods thanks to Kosmic Sound. There’s also the Enchantment Award, chosen from all 32 bands that made it to the heats, the winner of which will perform at The Beaufort Street Festival, courtesy of Jump Climb.

Given the quality of the heats and semifinals, the Grand Final should be a real treat for Perth music lovers. Tickets are $20 available from nowbaking.com.au or at the door from 8pm.

HOW THE WEST IS WON Big Splash co-coordinator Andrew Ryan explains to BOB GORDON how the judging process for the competition works.

The Big Splash has a pretty unique and insightful approach to judging. What is the thinking behind it?

We bring in as many respected music industry opinions as possible. This year has seen judging presence from Paul Sloan, Dave Faulkner, Roy Martinez, Phil Stevens, Scarlett Stevens, Abbe May, Mike Harris, Bob Gordon and Vanessa Thornton... just to name a few. Each heat saw five of this level of judges present and points were tallied up according to our rather considered criteria. After the points are tallied up I prompt a conversation with all the judges where I play mediator between the collective judges’ points and their collective opinion – to make sure that The Big Splash judging process is quantitative and qualitative. No judges have left feeling dissatisfied with the results. Maria (Florides) and myself do not take part in any of the judging – we trust our industry heavyweights!

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Newsdesk Win Flesh Music Kav Temperley Hanson, The Empty Hearts Dandy Warhols, Anberlin, The Nordeens, Jungle New Noise Eye4 Cover: Eddie Martin (All This Mayhem) Guardians Of The Galaxy, Lucy All This Mayhem, Home Is Where My Heart Is Deliver Us From Evil, Marilyn Monroe The Hit List, Fashion, Arts Listings Scene Cover: Indian Summer EDM News, Colab Festival, Caustic, Take 5 Live: The Hidden Sound, Big Splash Semi-Final #2 Live: Timothy Nelson & The Infidels Local Scene: Moana X-Press Guide Social Pics, Volume

What kind of judges do you look for?

We aim to have one engineer, one successful artist, one venue booker, one band manager and one member of the media to make sure the winning bands have what it takes in all the fields that are required in the challenging world of musical success.

Describe the follow-up for the bands, post-judging.

We sit down with each band a few nights later and chat with them about their set. I give bit of feedback about set list, vocal warm up, pointers on equipment being used and other performanceoriented considerations.

Maria advises the acts on how to set up their band account, ABN, business name and URL ownership. We then ask the bands to make sure all their friends, family and fans are coming, as - aside from Maria’s incredible annual $10,000 gift of the first prize of The Big Splash Band Comp – which we do not seek to recoup - and factoring in all the help we have received from our sponsors – in particular 4 Pines Brewing Company – the band comp is a very expensive exercise as we refuse to do anything by halves.

From the MC, to the advertising, to the administration of this competition, we take great pride in The Big Splash being fun to experience and run professionally. To be completely honest, it’s essential that we get lots of punters through the events – just to break even. This is certainly not a money making exercise – other than for the band that wins!

Everyone that attends these shows are an essential part of the equation that make such a band competition possible. So, if you like great music, want to be entertained by a great band comp and support this kind of philanthropic venture happening independently in Perth - I will see you at The Bakery this Saturday!

FRONT COVER: The Big Splash 2014 Grand Final is this Saturday, August 9, at The Bakery with Dream Rimmy, Hideous Sun Demon, Pat Chow and Kitchen People. Photography by Rachael Barrett. Outfits from The Costume Studio, Wembley. Hats by Bob Gordon.

SCENE COVER: Indian Summer hit the Newport Hotel on Wednesday, August 27, and Ginger Nightclub on Friday, August 29.

Big Splash honchos Andrew Ryan and Maria Florides 8

Vin Buchanan-Simpson, vocals/guitar

Jake Suriano, vocals/guitar

How would you describe your Big Splash experience to this point?

I’ve had a fun time. Getting to the finals is kind of surreal, really did not expect it and we’re all pretty humbled. Magnus is an amazing MC and a real nice guy. Also Maria is easily the best host I’ve ever met.

Generally everyone’s been pretty supportive of each other which is nice.

Competitions can sometimes bring out nasty things in people, but with this one everyone I’ve met has been real cool. Andrew and Maria obviously put a lot of effort into every aspect of this whole thing.

How would you describe your Big Splash experience to this point?

Very interesting. I guess I have low band esteem so I was fairly opposed to being entered, but was ousted out on this one. Mainly because we didn’t practice regularly and had played less than 10 shows, I didn’t think we where ready. Somehow we have made it to the final and every time we’ve made it through we’ve all been pretty shocked. Especially considering how talented a lot of the players have been in the comp. It’s been a pleasant surprise and has definitely kicked us more into gear, as well as changing my view of the band as ‘just a side project’. Getting to watch Magnus entertain regularly and giving Matty Sav (Big Splash team member) a tour of our Hamilton Hill ‘mansion’ have been highlights!

Have you discovered any bands that you particularly like?

I hadn’t seen Old Blood live until last week at the semi and they were unreal. Tony can work a crowd so well. The whole band’s presence and playing ability is formidable, those boys are gonna do some good things.

Junkadelic were an experience as well. I dig the whole swamp jazz thing. Big Energy. Girl Heroin - who I believe might have changed their name recently - were also very cool. Go team.

Vin Buchanan-Simpson, Ali Flintoff, Jake Suriano and Ben Protasiewicz Sgt Pepper’s photography by Rachael Barrett

KITCHEN PEOPLE

Did you enjoy being a Sgt Pepper’s-era Beatle for the photo shoot?

I have to admit I’ve never actually listened to the Sgt. Pepper album. I’ll probably cop a lot of flak for that. I don’t think the frontman of Kitchen People has either, to be honest. But we had a good time. I was dressed as Ringo and he was always the lady-killer so I did feel pretty sexy and tough. Bob did a good job on the hats, that’s for sure. And Maria’s apartment is such a nice place to visit.

How have others described your music? How do you describe it?

I know people have compared us to the Dead Kennedy’s a lot, which is kind of odd because I’ve never really listened to much of them. I think I see where they’re coming from, though. There is a pretty punky energy throughout our music. Everyone in the band has pretty varied tastes, Jake and I have always been post punk fans which is where I think our sound came from, but Andy brought a real heavy edge to it, and Blake brings a groovy element as well. A lot of our songwriting so far has evolved from jams as opposed to one member bringing a whole song, which means all our influences get to come through a bit more. But there’s definitely a collective appreciation of garage and post-punk and kraut and all that good stuff.

If your band wins the $10,000 prize what will you do with it?

We’re ready to master our LP, Sweat, which we’ve been working on for a while now. So if we were to win the big main prize, we’d be able to finance the mastering, CD and vinyl printing, shipping, promoting, all that shit. From there we could either tour or put it towards another recording, or both. 10k is a lot of gravy.

DREAM RIMMY Ali Flintoff, vocals/guitar How would you describe your Big Splash experience to this point?

My Big Splash experience has been mostly just full of surprise seeing as though I didn’t think we’d even get through the first heat let alone get through to the grand final! It’s been real fun and I’ve met some awesome people. Seeing old mate Magnus every week is probably the best part. Sushi at Maria Florides’ place comes a close second.

Have you discovered any bands that you particularly like?

The only band that I haven’t seen before that I really liked was World-A-Fuzzy. They were in our heat at The Bird and they were so energetic and had such a killer sound. Besides that I’ve always loved Silver Hills, PUCK, Kitchen People and hot girls, Hideous Sun Demon.

Did you enjoy being a Sgt Pepper’s-era Beatle for the photo shoot?

Despite most of us being up on around one-ortwo-minutes of sleep it was actually quite fun. The best part was seeing punk boys Vin, Jake and Ben dressed up in pretty, bright and shiny colours. They didn’t want to take their costumes off and they tried to leave with them because they felt so beautiful. It was really awkward.

Maria had to wrestle them until they gave up their outfits.

Broken dreams all round. Maria wins again.

How have others described your music? How do you describe it?

People always tell me what bands we remind them of and it’s really cool ‘cause I’ve discovered so many bands just from people telling me what bands we sound like. We got described as psyche-gaze which I think is a pretty good representation of the music.

But all we want to be is the Backstreet Boys but no one understands. Dream Rimmy’s Back Alright!

If your band wins the $10,000 prize what will you do with it?

We will finish off mixing and mastering our EP, Pacific Rim. Get it printed, then probably save the rest for touring in the future, I guess. We haven’t really spoken about it in depth because we didn’t think we’d come this far so I just presume this is what we would do.

We’d probably also buy lots of puff vests for George and some burritos for Vin.

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Have you discovered any bands that you particularly like?

This one’s tough as I’m mates with a few of the bands I really enjoyed playing with and watching, such as PUCK and Silver Hills. That being said, some bands I didn’t know who I’ve enjoyed in the comp are Sprawl, Old Blood and Stu Orchard.

Did you enjoy being a Sgt Pepper’s-era Beatle for the photo shoot?

To be honest I was dreading it leading up.

I already have a daggy DIY bowl cut and have never really vibed the Beatles that much. I remember buying the album from Sanity in my youth for $30 and I believe it may be one of the few albums my mother owns... a bad sign.

All that trademark negativity aside, it was actually quite fun on the day and I loosened up as the shoot went on. Despite feeling a little silly everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves. Props to the photographer’s attention to detail regarding imitating the body language in the original Beatles photos. I was pretty hungover but free muffins and tea hopefully made me look more alive. I was promised that post-production would fix my hair and fingers crossed I don’t look like a total gronk in the final product!

How have others described your music? How do you describe it?

These are all things people have said: ‘started kind of shit and then picked up as it went on’, ‘songwriting as the focus. Very fun band.’ ‘Even though they weren’t the best players’, ‘singer was singing in what appeared to be his own accent,’ ‘hi-tempo skuzzy&-dangerous 60’s-garage cake’.

Musically, I like to think we are influenced by ‘60s garage and ‘70s punk. We have all been playing together for quite some years so we have good chemistry. The songs are hopefully strong enough to pull through despite an often sloppy delivery. Tom is an ‘all killer, no filler’ human drum machine. Vin channels ghosts of WAAPA long past to shred bass and disturbingly thrust/crab walk around stage. I try to write pop songs but can’t really sing, mainly strum chords and occasionally bust out dinky improv freakout solos.

If your band wins the $10,000 prize what will you do with it?

This is another toughie, as we really enjoy DIY recording at home. However, we still haven’t put out any physical releases and are putting the touches on a recently recorded EP. We would prefer to put out releases on vinyl, which can be expensive so it would go a long way. We have a lot of material so I’d love to get a prolific work ethic and pump it out. If any money was left over I guess some Melbourne shows wouldn’t be out of the question?

PAT CHOW Ben Protasiewicz, vocals/guitar How would you describe your Big Splash experience to this point?

It’s been weird and cool. You get nervous playing to other bands’ fans who’ve come to see their favourite band win. It’s cool to play to all these new people who may not have come see us otherwise Have you discovered any bands that you particularly like?

Ice Age Sugar were really good at the heat at Mojos, they had some well written pop songs and a good drummer. I hadn’t seen Hideous Sun Demon before the semi, just heard recordings and their live show is awesome.

Did you enjoy being a Sgt Pepper’s-era Beatle for the photo shoot?

Yeah, I got to be George! Vince looked hell cute in the pink jacket. The matching red sunnies to my jacket were sick. I wish I could have kept them!

How have others described your music? How do you describe it?

People compare us to all kinds of bands from the ‘90s. We do take influence from a lot of bands from that era. I usually just say we play alternative rock.

If your band wins the $10,000 prize what will you do with it?

We’d put the 10k into touring and promoting this album we’re doing. It’d be sick.

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MUSIC

VIEWS

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INTERVIEWS

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STORIES

KAV TEMPERLEY Press To Play To celebrate the 10th anniversary of Eskimo Joe’s A Song Is A City album, vocalist Kav Temperley is on a national tour performing the release in its entirety. Catch him on Friday, August 29, at the Fly By Night; Saturday August 30, at Settlers Tavern, Margaret River; Friday, September 5, at Players Bar, Mandurah; Saturday, September 6, at the Prince Of Wales, Bunbury; Sunday, September 7, at Rumours, Albany and Friday, September 12, at Divers Tavern, Broome. JAMES NICOLI reports.

Back in 2004, Fremantle band Eskimo Joe released their second album, A Song Is A City. The album would go on to peak at number two on the ARIA album charts and receive a wave of national airplay with singles, From The Sea and Smoke.

Yet for all the fanfare and acclaim the record would go on to receive, there existed a story of both personal and musical ups and downs behind the scenes.

Now, 10 years after its release, founding member and chief songwriter Kav Temperley is hitting the road for a national tour, performing the entire record and telling the tales behind the songs.

“A Song is A City was the last thing that I did where I could be a bit more deeply personal. It was before everything with Eskimo Joe blew up. So I think I felt pretty comfortable telling a lot more stories and wearing my heart on my sleeve a little bit more. And I think by the time we got to Black Fingernails, Red Wine, the stories are still personal but I injected a bit more smoke and mirrors in there to get a bit of distance from it.”

“There is a full story line,” Temperley says of the creation of A Song Is A City. “There are full on highs and lows of the whole experience and it’s nice to be able to reflect on that now that there’s been years in between.”

Eskimo Joe’s future was far from certain prior to the release of A Song Is A City. Having released their debut album, Girl, three years prior and despite receiving a fair amount of support from the airwaves, the band had been dropped from their record label after a rather ugly dispute. Yet despite an uncertain future, the band decided to carry on regardless. It was a time when Western Australia and Fremantle in particular had begun to produce a number of highly regarded bands that were breaking nationally.

“We had this amazing jam room where all these bands like End Of Fashion and Little Birdy were coming out of,” remembers Temperley. “We were all jamming on each other’s songs and everyone was making demos and stuff like that. It was a really kind of purple patch period.”

For Eskimo Joe, that period would turn into the writing sessions for A Song Is A City. Eventually securing a new record deal with Festival Mushroom Records, Temperley, along with fellow band members, Stuart McLeod (guitar/vocals) and Joel Quartermain 10

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(drums/guitar) began to hit their stride creatively.

“As far as our songwriting skills go, we reached this really beautiful point that bands get to, where we started to get a bit of skill level in our song craft,” says Temperley. “You know, no one had really gone off and made lots of money or anything so we were all kind of just like, ‘Hell yeah, let’s just do it, this is amazing.’ So we were really in love with the idea of writing songs and it was starting to show. We basically were developing our own style a bit more for the first time.”

Ten years on, the upcoming tour will be the first time Temperley has performed the entire record from start to finish and without his fellow bandmates. In stripping the songs back and playing them acoustically, they will be performed much the same way as when they were first written.

“We wrote that record all on acoustic guitars, on pianos,” he reflects. “Like our thing was that it had to work on a guitar; like on one acoustic or a piano, otherwise it didn’t go on the record. Since then we’ve done songs in many different ways but it was just lovely to play an album from start to finish and in order. I’d never done that with A Song Is A City.”

Each track from the record tells a tale and the album as a whole captures a certain time and place. It’s a deeply personal record, yet Temperley won’t be holding back when it comes to what helped inspire and shape the songs.

“A Song is A City was the last thing that I did where I could be a bit more deeply personal,” he admits.

“It was before everything with Eskimo Joe blew up. So I think I felt pretty comfortable telling a lot more stories and wearing my heart on my sleeve a little bit more.

And I think by the time we got to Black Fingernails, Red Wine, the stories are still personal but I injected a bit more smoke and mirrors in there to get a bit of distance from it.

“That’s a lot of the kind of stories I’m telling,” he continues. “I’ll tell the background of the song, technically; like I heard this song, I woke up the next day and was like, ‘I want to write a song like that’. And then I tell the story about all the stuff that was going on for us and injecting that story into that structure.”

With the time that has passed since the release of A Song Is A City, the tour is also a chance for Temperley, as much as the audience, to reflect back on the songs from the record and the stories which helped define them.

“I almost feel like I’m kinda along for the ride as well,” he beams. “I get to be a fan of the album for the first time as well, I don’t have to over-think it. When you do a record you think about everything until your brain bleeds and you’re like, ‘Everything has to be right and perfect’. But this time I don’t have to; I just play it. I don’t have to think about any of that stuff. It’s just like pressing play on an album and just listening to it myself.”

MUSIC

HANSON Good Hooks All ‘Round Hanson perform at Metropolis Fremantle on Friday, August 15. JACQUIE CONGUES You might laugh at the memory, but it’s been more than 17 years since Hanson burst onto the ’90s pop scene and took over the world with the infectious single, MMMBop, from their breakthrough album, Middle Of Nowhere.

Since then, the three brothers from Tulsa, Oklahoma, have garnered an immense fanbase – and no, it’s not just screaming pre-teen girls – released seven further studio albums, and even launched their own beer company, appropriately named Mmmhops.

“It’s definitely full-bodied, high alcohol content pale ale,” laughs the eldest of the Hanson tribe, Isaac. “It has a lot of malt and has a nice hoppy mellow finish. We’re not sure whether we’re going to be able to bring it down to Australia or not, but we’re working on it.”

Hanson’s approaching foray Down Under comes off the back off their latest album, Anthem, a record heavily inspired by the energy of their live shows.

“It’s the kind of music that might scare away certain people,” Isaac jokes. “But luckily, we have a really great connection with our fan base. I think they understand the eclectic-ness of who we are. On our records, even on Anthem, there are a lot of variations from the beginning to the end, stylistically speaking. I think we’re never afraid to be who we are, no matter what that entails.”

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Being true to themselves has been an imperative factor in Hanson’s lengthy career. The fresh-faced youngsters exploded onto the scene in 1997, when Isaac was only 16 and his brothers Taylor and Zac were 14 and 11 respectively. Given their subsequent departure from the colossal limelight cast upon them, it would be easy to assume the group must’ve experienced the same falling off the rails that so many young people within the entertainment industries suffer. But they didn’t – according to Isaac, Hanson worked hard to ensure they didn’t become another washed-up pop star cliché.

“We’ve made a point to always take responsibility for what we’re doing,” he says. “I think we’ve been lucky that in the process, we kept our heads down and moved forward. Because the managers, the labels, the merchandise companies… they can go on to do other things, but forever and ever your name is on that thing you’re creating, and you’ve got to own it.

When they’re not touring the world, recording albums and brewing beer, Hanson invite fellow artists to join them in writers’ workshops: a week of creating, songwriting and recording. Since 2005, they have collaborated with a stream of big-name artists such as Ben Kweller, Jason Mraz and even Weird Al Yankovic. Some of the songs recorded on the musical retreat form an annual fan club EP, which contains music that is often left of centre compared to their other material. According to Isaac, the retreat helps the artists to stretch their musical muscles.

“The primary purpose of the event is to create, without preconceived notion, without concern if it’s the right song for a record,” he says. “We are songwriters first, we are music fans first and we very rarely say we can’t do something, at least on a creative level. A good hook is a good hook – we’re just not afraid to chase that down, and it’s a lot of fun to do that.”

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STORIES

THE EMPTY HEARTS

All Class

The Empty Hearts features an impressive line-up of musicians. Guitarist Elliot Easton tells SHANE PINNEGAR that the band’s debut LP was as much fun to make as it is to listen to.

The debut album from The Empty Hearts – the newest ‘supergroup’ on the block - might be the most fun you’ll have on CD this year, with nods to The Who, The Rolling Stones and The Faces.

“I think that’s the key to the whole thing,” the guitarist - a member of new wave band The Cars for many years, and also a veteran of Creedence Clearwater Revisited, as well as having four solo albums under his belt – says, “that we had so much fun making it, that it is fun to listen to, because I think that comes through in the music.

“We had a great time making it. It wasn’t a million overdubs or people recording their parts separately and stuff like that. It was the four of us just bashing away in a room. When you make a record and you have everybody playing in the room together, you get all these swirling overtones or the cymbals mixed with the guitars. The guitar leaks a little bit into the drum mic or the bass leaks into the guitar mic. It just creates this joyous noise! I don’t think that there’s any way that you can simulate that other than just having a bunch of good musicians playing together and playing off each other.”

The Empty Hearts – christened from Little Steven’s super-secret list of unused band names - also features Clem Burke, drummer with Blondie, Wally Palmar of The Romantics on vocals/rhythm guitar and Andy Babiuk of ‘80s garage fuzz revivalists, The Chesterfield Kings, on bass. In addition to elements of all those bands, The Empty Hearts’ sound is thick with homage for the bands of the ‘60s British Invasion (Faces keyboardist Ian McLagan also makes a few

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appearances) and the ‘70s wave of garage rock.

“I think that just comes down to each of us just playing the way we play,” says Easton, the architect of the guitar sound on The Cars hit singles Just What I Needed, Let’s Go, Shake It Up and Magic.

“If you hear the guitar in a Cars record, you’re hearing me. If you hear an Empty Hearts record, you’re hearing me. Theres some touchstones that you say, ‘I can recognise that a little bit from a Cars’ record’.

It’s just because that’s the way I play. It wasn’t really discussed or meant to be particularly a homage to anything more than what music we like.

“Yes, some of it might have a garage rock vibe,” he continues. “That’s for sure. When I listen to it, I hear things from, say, the Beatles White Album.

Like I Don’t Want Your Love always sounds to me like something that could go on The White Album.

Then, there’s a countryish song that sounds almost like a Dead Flowers-Stonesy kind of thing. There’s different elements.”

With such a pedigree of experience between the band members (they have nine US Top 10 hit singles between them) ranging through garage rock, punk and new wave, what comes through strongest on the record is their love of superpowered melodies. At its roots, The Empty Hearts is a classic pop rock album.

“I’ve always felt it doesn’t really matter the genre you’re talking about or what style of music,” Easton elaborates. “For me, it’s always come down to songs. You could make the best recording of a lousy song and nobody will care or you could make a so-so recording of a great song and you’ve got a chance.”

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THE DANDY WARHOLS 20/13 ANBERLIN The Dandy Warhols have spent the last 20 years traversing the world with effortless cool and a road case full of hook-filled indie rock classics. They’re playing the Astor Theatre on Thursday, August 21, and Friday, August 22 (sold-out). SHANE PINNEGAR gets the lowdown from guitarist, Peter Holmström.

Talking of the 20th anniversary of the band, Dandy Warhols guitarist, Peter Holmström doesn’t mince his words.

“It’s been an amazing, amazing thing. It’s really sort of surprised me that it has gone on this long and I still don’t see an end in sight, which makes me happy.”

It’s been a long, strange trip, with the band racking up nine studio albums, multiple laps of the world, movie appearances and a clutch of cult indie hits. The Dandys, as they are affectionately known by their fans, finally released their first ever live album at the start of this year, recorded on their 2013 tour for the 13 anniversary of their Thirteen Tales From Urban Bohemia album.

Thirteen Tales…, the band’s third album, was their breakthrough, and while it didn’t chart as highly as its follow-up Welcome To The Monkey House, it remains their most beloved record. Holmström has few answers as to why it remains such a favourite more than a dozen years later.

“I really don’t know,” he says, “I’m very happy that it did, and I wish we could figure out how to do it again, but I really think it was just the right time, right songs, right place. Courtney (Taylor-Taylor, singer & guitarist) was definitely writing songs about where he was in his life, and that’s seemed to connect with a lot of people at that time.

“It absolutely changed the band’s trajectory.

It sped us up to being able to - even without the supportive record label - have our own recording studio, and at least be able to keep making records without having to have huge budgets.”

Holmström says The Dandys will be premiering a couple of new songs on their Australian tour – great news to those waiting for a follow-up to 2012’s This Machine.

“There’s at least an album’s worth of songs that are slowly being put together into an album form,” the guitarist says. “We’re kind of doing it one song at a time, until we sort of feel like we got the right approach, and then we’ll finish everything up, hopefully quick, but you never know.

“We are going to be trying out a new song or two,” he continues, talking about the tour. “A lot of times when we come to Australia, we’re either starting a tour or we’ve had a break between where we’ve been in our touring cycle. At this point, we’re coming in very well rehearsed and that’s always good because then new things seem to happen, and the band gets excited about that, and we come up with more new things. It should be a really good show.”

Along with the ‘ultra-hip and cool’ tag that the band have always had, there’s a perception that they have all the grace in the world, that they would never be clumsy or awkward in social situations. Is it fair to burden them with that perception?

“Just because I envision all my musical heroes in that way, I’m glad,” Holmström admits, “but then having met a lot of my heroes, I’ve discovered that they’re humans, and some have disappointed... I’m glad there is that sort of image: that’s kind of what it’s about.

There has to be some of that fantasy to you, the ‘bigger than reality’ thing. To me, it’s a part of the whole thing.

I wanted my favourite bands to look just as amazing as they sounded, to be mysterious and cool, if possible. So, yes, I hope we’re achieving that.”

Era’s End After 12 incredible years, Anberlin have released their final album, Lowborn, as they prepare for their last Australian tour.

Rhythm guitarist Christian McAlhaney speaks with AARON BRYANS about his time with the band and what led to their farewell tour, which stops by Metropolis Fremantle on Wednesday, September 3, with special guests, The Getaway Plan.

When vocalist, Stephen Christian, and bassist, Deon Rexroat, became friends in high school, they were completely unaware of the international impact they would one day have.

Their musical journey officially kicked off in 2002, when they eventually joined forces with Joseph Milligan (guitar) to form Florida rock band, Anberlin.

Now, seven albums later and numerous tours under their belt, the group is putting down their instruments for their families as they look to break the endless cycles of touring.

“It’s different for me, I’m the only guy in the band who’s not married,” McAlhaney explains. “The guys who go on tour, I don’t know if people realise they’re gone sometimes 10 months of a year. There are different time zones; you might not even have cell phone service; the only way you can talk is over the internet. It’s really difficult, especially if you have families. It’s hard to be away all the time, and in this day and age if you want to be a band you have to be on the road all the time. It’s hard to find that balance.”

While the sudden announcement of the

band’s demise came as a shock to the masses of fans the group has gathered over their 12 year run; the group took advantage of a chance to walk away on a high, together as friends with their endless memories in the bank.

“I joined the band seven years ago,” McAlhaney says, “but Joey and Steven have played together 16 years in high school, so to be together still and still getting along and having toured the world, starting from a small town in Florida is an achievement for me. I’ve lived out my dreams, it’s what I’ve always wanted to do. The fact I’ve been able to do this for over a decade, it’s been a total blessing and I feel very lucky. And I’m going to keep playing music because it’s a wonderful part of my life.”

The band’s final release, Lowborn, has been the perfect conclusion to their journey, combining honest lyrics, in-your-face rock and slower, melodic harmonies in classic Anberlin style. Recorded hastily with separate producers to save costs, the process was unique, but effective.

“We were all in Atlanta when Nate was recording drums and then we did guitar and bass in Lakeland, Florida at a friend’s studio. Then Steven did vocals in Nashville with a few different producers and none of us were there for that. It wasn’t an ideal situation; it was just the way the recording process worked out. We were trying to do it cheap and quickly and we were self-producing. It was weird, but I think it turned out great, personally.”

With numerous side projects formally undertaken by the band members, the question on everyone’s mind is, will we see or hear music from Anberlin ever again?

“That answer will be different depending on who you’re asking,” McAlhaney reveals. “I know most of the guys want to stay in this industry in some capacity, but most of them don’t want to tour anymore.

I personally am going to keep playing music. I love this life and I feel very blessed to have done what I’ve done but I don’t feel like I’m finished yet so I’m going to keep plugging away. Everyone’s kind of free to do whatever they want; it’s not the be all, end all.”

THE NORDEENS, CIRCA 2003

THE NORDEENS What War’s Good For Elusive Perth trio, The Nordeens, will perform U2’s War album for the Newport Hotel’s Record Club this Thursday, August 7. There are more plans afoot though, as BOB GORDON reports.

The Nordeens were a fixture in the Perth music scene some 10 years ago. They were a band with an already fine pedigree; Team Jedi and Showbag! had both dissolved prior to the formation of this band that saw singer/guitarist Glenn Musto team with bassist, Matt Geary and drummer Ant Milne, to form this impressive trio.

They burned brightly, albeit too briefly but the sands of time have seen to it that a full album, some 11 years in the making, is soon to be released.

“I’ve had fairly mixed emotions to be honest,” says Matt Geary about the LP’s fruition. “It has been an annual pilgrimage for me to go to Melbourne and work on songs and recording for the last three or four years, so that part of the process has come to an end. But I think this represents an end in itself, just getting the thing finished.

“We will always be buddies and will continue to make music together, in whatever form that may be, but it feels like we’re putting something to bed.”

So why did the band stop playing in the first place?

“Geography,” Geary states simply. “Musto and Ant moved to Melbourne, so the band never really broke up. We just stopped playing live and continued to write and record when we could all be in the same place.”

There are, of course, many good memories from The Nordeens’ days of yore, though the band’s proudest achievement could well be the one it’s about to make.

“I think getting this record finished will be 12

a pretty proud moment,” Geary says. “We could have easily shelved the whole thing but instead worked on new material and got it together.

We got back together in 2007 to play a show at the Hydey - the old version - which is a lasting memory. Travelling to Sydney to kick off the recording of this album was a hoot. Hanging out with good friends and making music - doesn’t get much better than that.

The Nordeens are performing U2’s War album for the Newport Hotel Record Club this Thursday.

While not an obvious choice for the band, it’s certainly an interesting one.

“It is an unlikely choice for this band to do,” Geary states, “but it just so happened that it was a record that Ant had been listening to and really digging at the time the show was booked. I’ve been familiar with all of U2’s records for a while now - several friends are rabid fans - and I think we liked the fact that it was an odd choice.

“War was their last record before they went into the stratosphere and it still has the feel of ‘four guys playing in a room’. We’re certainly not a political band, but it seems pretty topical right now too.”

There’s more to come for The Nordeens, once their album is out. After all, they never really broke up.

“You bet. This Thursday we are gonna do a Nordeens ‘Best Of’ set after the U2 record, but the album shows will have all of the new material. There’ll be a WA run of shows, and possibly a Melbourne show.

It’ll depend on how energetic we’re all feeling.”

JUNGLE Anonymous A highlight of the recent Splendour In The Grass festival, English outfit, Jungle, have released their self-titled debut album.

MEG CRAWFORD reports.

Jungle are a supremely talented, soul groovy celebration of funk. Until quite recently, they were anonymous – known solely as a pair of mates recognised as ‘J’ and ‘T’.

Their music took centre stage, as did the prodigiously talented performers appearing in their mesmerising film clips. In fact, we still don’t know that much more about them on a personal level. J stands for Josh and T stands for Tom, but their strong preference is to talk about their music.

“Yeah, the whole buzz around anonymity shocked and surprised us,” J reflects. “It just naturally happened that way when we put the videos out.

People just assumed that we were the High Rollers (the extraordinary skaters appearing in the clip for The Heat), but we never said that.

“In Jungle, being ‘J’ removes the ego,” he continues. “It’s not about status or being a leader.

There is no lead singer. Anonymity became a byword for the band. It’s weird because in different parts of the world, they are more hung up on the anonymity, in other places it’s more about the sound.”

J is obtuse about what the pair were doing right before Jungle hit their straps. He is happy,

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however, to talk about how they met and the longevity of their friendship. “We were neighbours,” he reveals. “We didn’t live immediately next door to each other, but there was this fence in our neighbourhood running behind the houses and it was a congregating place for 10-year-olds. That’s where it started – not in a full production suite when we were 21. T had this guitar with three strings and we started talking about guitars, even though we didn’t know how to play them. Over time, the band became an excuse for us to spend more time together and hang out. It still is.”

J attributes their enduring friendship to a lack of ego. “We know what works for us and what doesn’t,” J continues, “and keeping ego out of the room is what works for us. Jungle is an escape from ego. It’s a place where we can go and create.

If you get defensive or angry – that’s ego. Once you identify that, you can just drop it. You don’t have to be consumed by it.”

On the topic of their success generally, J emphasises the importance of staying in the moment and gives food for thought.

“Everyone has that voice,” he assures. “The one that says, ‘What if this, what if that?’. It’s just fear – but the past and future don’t exist. There’s nothing to worry about in the now. It’s difficult to subdue that thought, when you’re saying to yourself, ‘No, I’m being stupid’, but if you let it take over, you will struggle.

“Creativity doesn’t happen when you are worried about, ‘What if people don’t like it?’ We’re not Zen Buddhists though – we’re always learning. You have to understand though – you need to eliminate the future and the past. Take a failed relationship – that doesn’t exist anymore. A bird doesn’t think about a failed relationship does it?”

NEW NOISE

For more album reviews head to xpressmag.com.au

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MILLIONS

ALVVAYS

Max Relax Stop Start (Release date: Friday, August 15)

Alvvays Polyvinyl Records/Popfrenzy Records When Alvvays describe themselves as two women, three men and a crate of C-86 cassettes there is no hiding what a listen to their debut album will sound like. The high school friends that make up Alvvays bring a type of naivety to their music that is unlikely to be by accident.

While the nine song self-titled release may be light on for surprises, it has no shortage of appeal.

Molly Rankin is the daughter of Canadian country singer John Rankin, yet very little of that upbringing seeps into the music of Alvvays. What is more evident is the fuzzed out tones of a bygone era and a healthy dose of melancholy. Rankin is sure to be the band’s talking point with her voice carrying just the right amount of yearning, particularly on irrepressible single, Archie, Marry Me. The band visited the studio of fellow lofi aficionado, Chad VanGaalen, capture the tunes on Alvvays. There will be many comparisons to the summery sounds of Best Coast, but Alvvays have far less sugar in their diet and more sublime fretwork thanks to Alec O’Hanley. The album is sweet to the ear from start to finish, yet still finds time to touch on topics such as drunkenness, defeat and death.

Alvvays follow a path that has been travelled by many with a passion for jangle and the indie heyday of the late eighties in their heart, its just that they do it far better than most o their warm debut.

Australian garage rock bands might be a dime a dozen, but Millions have managed to rise above the fold.

They’re romantics at heart, which changes what could be more of the same indie guitar noise that saturates our airwaves into something complex and unique.

On the back of two critically acclaimed EPs, Millions didn’t ride out the wave of anticipation as well as they might have, instead receding from the spotlight to the studio. But maybe there was method to it – Max Relax is a more mature offering than 2012’s Cruel. All of the signatures from their early days are here, including hectic guitar licks and psychedelic twists, but they’re crisper and stripped back for maximum impact.

On tracks such as B Chill they’ve slowed the rhythm down into waltzy slow jam, while Harder Than It Should Be falls somewhere between Tame Impala and Mac DeMarco. There are plenty of catchy riffs and a decent dash of pop appeal, but these occasionally fall into blander made-for-radio territory on tracks like Clementine.

It’s only in the details that Millions separate themselves from the standard indie rock fare, and you’ll be forgiven if you don’t get what the fuss is about. But if you pay attention, you might have found your new favourite guitar band.

EMILY MELLER

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LA ROUX Trouble In Paradise Polydor/Universal

PENNYWISE Yesterdays Epitaph Records Whether it was Zoli Teglas on vocals or the continuous growth of a legendary punk band, it was clear that 2012’s All Or Nothing was some of Pennywise’s most creative and layered work to date.

With singer, Jim Lindberg, back in town, the band may have seemingly taken a back step with their latest release, Yesterdays, a re-recorded compilation of older unreleased tracks that the band re-learnt from old demo tapes; returning to their signature ‘90s Southern California skate punk sound. However the tribute to fallen band mate, Jason Thirsk, proves to be a solid addition to any diehard Pennywise fans collection; reviving their classic sound within a smoother and stronger modern mix.

Their 11th studio album is full of fast, impactful punk, aggressive group yells and non-stop, energetic rhythm guitar. In a superb coincidence, the stronger tracks on the album, Slow Down and Thanksgiving, are both written by Thirsk himself and take the album on a slightly heavier and mosh-inducing spree. With Pennywise back to basics; time will tell what direction they choose to take next.

After finishing touring in 2010, Elly Jackson may as well have had her face on the side of a milk carton beneath the question ‘Have You Seen This Woman?’

A lot was going on behind the scenes following La Roux’s phenomenal eponymous 2009 debut LP, including a split with the unseen second half of the project, producer Ben Langmaid, as well as personal conflict and literally losing her voice. Not that you’d know this purely off the back of the musical side of Trouble In Paradise – the nine songs on here sound like the opposite of a gritty reboot; all sunshine, upbeat grooves and the occasional tropical vibe for good measure.

Perhaps it’s this contrast that allows for Jackson’s lyrical honesty and her often quite vulnerable vocals to shine through, full of sexual ambiguity, desperate pleas and moments of bleak despair laced with silver linings of hope. It takes a while for the whole thing to sink in, but it’s easily worth your effort.

Is there life after the hype dies down? Can second album syndrome be cured? Trouble In Paradise points to the affirmative on both counts. It’s not over just yet for La Roux – and we’re lucky for it.

DAVID JAMES YOUNG

AARON BRYANS

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THE MASTERSONS MANIC STREET PREACHERS Futurology Columbia / Sony The lead-up to Manic Street Preachers’ latest work, Futurology, came with a slew of dizzying announcements: sessions at Berlin’s world-famous Hansa studios, a variety of guest vocalists and the return of The Holy Bible producer, Alex Silva.

Now the results are in, all expectations have been shattered. Fact is, this album is far and away greater than the sum of a few attention-grabbing parts. Written during the same sessions that produced last year’s Rewind The Film, Futurology – instead of sounding like leftovers – is the Manics’ most monstrous and urgent record in years. The delivery on Europa Geht Durch Mich is icy and direct, aided by German film star, Nina Hoss, who swaps choruses and verses with James Dean Bradfield. Let’s Go To War, with its blend of Enolike cavernous/claustrophobic synths, is the sound of reawakened synopsis.

Much of Futurology was conceived as far back as 2007 on a European tour during which bassist/ songwriter Nicky Wire was on the verge of leaving the band. Over time these songs were developed into “13 good reasons to not give up”.

Futurology is one last look back on a forward march into the band’s real future, which is looking and sounding brighter than ever.

LEIGH SALTER

Good Luck Charm New West Records When Eleanor Whitmore and Chris Masterson stopped recording individually and joined forces as The Mastersons things really started to take shape.

The husband and wife team have found themselves as part of Steve Earle’s backing band and with Good Luck Charm they make a sophomore release that far exceeds expectations.

Whitmore takes the lead role on most songs with a rich voice that is flawless and soulful and is ably aided by Masterson who brings masterful harmonies.

When Masterson himself takes on the lead vocals the band offer up tunes such as Anywhere But Here that have a strong Jayhawks flavour.

There are no weak moments on Good Luck Charm with each tune being hummable in its own right and are expertly layered with pedal steel and the sublimely skilled Whitmore taking to her instrument of choice, the fiddle. All boxes are ticked with the heartbreak of It’s Not Like Me, the added muscle of If I Wanted To or the Liz Phair-like pop smarts of Easy By Your Side.

Good Luck Charm isn’t soulless mainstream country and neither is it cool kids cashing in on the Americana wagon. This is how country music should be played - with passion, a weight around the heart and bottle not too far away if all else fails. Being full of cracking tunes doesn’t hurt a bit either.

CHRIS HAVERCROFT WWW. XP RE SS MAG.COM. AU

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A R T S & C U LT U R E

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FILM

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Having come up on the same Melbourne streets as skate star brothers Tas and Ben Pappas, Australian documentary filmmaker Eddie Martin was in a perfect position to tell their story in his new movie, All This Mayhem - but it wasn’t easy.

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EVENTS

building. It did help; it definitely helped, there’s no doubt, in finding the archival footage because I knew some of the guys who had some of the key footage because they had the cameras back in the day. And also, making things in subcultures is hard because they’re not very friendly to outsiders, so I was fortunate in that sense because I had people who would vouch for me. People would be more willing to hand over archives or to be involved, because people want to see things done the right way, especially in tight knit communities like the skate community.”

Of course, dealing with pre-digital archival material presented its own challenges, both in sourcing the footage and in the practical difficulties of working with the old formats. “It was surprisingly hard, especially with some of the broadcast competition stuff. I thought that would have been easier to find, but it was quite buried. It wasn’t the big thing that it is now. It was a little bit more underground. The X-Games were just starting, so it was a little bit tougher to do. It’s also a little bit tougher to find tapes they might have in their garages on formats that don’t exist anymore - the old Hi-8s and all the old formats and that. We’d have to find old things that we could view it on or something like that. It was really quite a process.

“In the end we probably had around three to four hundred hours of footage, but we knew the story. It wasn’t so much finding the story, it was finding the moments or the elements to help tell that story.”

“I’ve always been attracted to stories about outsiders,” Eddie Martin tells us in his distinctive, laid back drawl. “I knew the brothers as kids - we were all locals down at the Prahran Skate Park. We kind of went our separate ways but, as you do, I sort of followed their story because they went on to do such amazing things.”

The two brothers he speaks of are Tas and Ben Pappas, who did do amazing things in the world of professional skateboarding, before their world came crashing down in maelstrom of drugs and violence. It’s a thorny story and one that certainly doesn’t always show its key players in the best light, but while a previous attempt to make a cinematic account foundered back in 2011 after the Pappas family condemned it, Martin enjoyed relative freedom of access.

“Me knowing some of the key players helped and we kind of rallied together to tell the story the right way with the real people. We knew you couldn’t tell the story without Tas because I knew this was a story about brotherhood. I hadn’t been in the scene for a while and there was a little bit of trust

TRAVIS JOHNSON

TAS PAPPAS, ALL THIS MAYHEM

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THE DOCTOR IS IN

WHERE THERE’S A WILL The former Will Stoker, now know professionally as W.J. Ferrier, returns to Perth with Sculpting The Void, a new collection of his impressionistic ink portraits.

Ferrier’s third solo exhibition opens at The Bird on Tuesday, August 12.

Sculpting The Void, W.J. Ferrier

WHERE THERE’S ANOTHER WIL Aussie comedy superstar Wil Anderson is winging his way Westward once more, bringing us his new show, Wiluminati. Eager fans can catch the star of the ABC’s Gruen franchise at the Perth Convention And Exhibition Centre on Friday, November 21, and Saturday, November 22 (tickets via ticketek.com.au) or at Kalgoorlie’s Goldfields Art Centre on Sunday, November 23 (tickets via goldfieldartscentre.com.au).

LAUGH AS WE KNOW IT This week at The Laugh Resort, catch 92.9’s Lukey Bolland on MC duties, along with the deadpan Matt Jan and 2014 Raw Comedy finalist Sam Cribb, plus in the top slot, rising star Tien Tran. It’s all happening this Wednesday, August 6, from 8pm. Tickets are available via trybooking.com.

The TARDIS sets down at the Perth Arena on January 31, 2015, when The Doctor Who Symphonic Spectacular returns with a brand new show. Hosted

by Fifth Doctor Peter Davidson, the show is a musical celebration of the long lived and often long winded sci-fi TV series, complete with a full complement Daleks, Cybermen and other creatures from show on stage with the West Australian Symphony Orchestra.

Tickets go on sale on Monday, August 18, from Ticketek.

GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY May The Farce Be With You

Doctor Who Symphonic Spectacular - Photo by Lucas Dawson

LIFE AS WE KNOW IT The School Of Life is coming to Perth. Founded by acclaimed author and philosopher Alain de Botton, the School aims to help people deal with the multifarious challenges of everyday modern life, tackling such subjects as How To Have Better Conversations, How To Find A Job You Love and How To Worry Less About Money. The Perth version of The School Of Life will be operating as a pop-up on William Street in Northbridge from Sunday, September 14, presumably because they don’t offer a class entitled How To Handle Perth’s Commercial Rental Nightmare In The Long Term. For more info, go to theschooloflife.com.au.

THE DICEMAN COMETH Andrew Dice Clay is coming our way! fresh from an acclaimed turn in, of all things, Woody Allen’s Blue Jasmine, the controversial comedian is heading for Australia for the first time ever for a string of standup dates. Perth fans can catch the Diceman at HBF Stadium on Friday, October 17. Ticket pre-sale starts on Monday, August 11, via Ticketmaster.

Directed by James Gunn Starring Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana, Dave Bautista, Bradley Cooper, Vin Diesel Marvel goes cosmic in this big, brash and wildly funny space opera that sees a human refugee from the late ‘80s, Jason Quill (Chris Pratt), team up with a bag of mixed alien nuts to stop a behaviourally rote but visually striking villain, Ronan The Accuser (Lee Pace) from employing a super-weapon to wreak to kind of large scale carnage that guys like that always seen keen on.

Reduced to its raw narrative bones, Guardians doesn’t sound like much, but its in the details, not the broad strokes, that the film sings.

Guardians Of The Galaxy is, to put it mildly, weird and wilfully so. Ageing comic nerds know how far out cosmic-level Marvel stuff can be, particularly the material hewn from the ‘70s. While the other big screen Marvel properties have had a certain cultural cache - everyone had at least some idea who Captain America is, for example - Guardians is a true obscurity, with a roster that boasts a cybernetically enhanced racoon and an anthropomorphic tree (voiced

by Bradley Cooper and Vin Diesel, respectively). It also leans more towards the comedy end of the action/

comedy equation; while the Marvel flicks have always had a healthy sense of humour, Guardians embraces the absurd. It’s hard to imagine Thor challenging an archvillain to a dance off; for Quill, it makes perfect sense.

We can thank former Troma trooper James Gunn for this, as well as whoever thought handing the director of Slither and Super a $170 million tentpole blockbuster. For all the wonderful oddities on display and the galaxy-spanning scope, Gunn keeps things human. His Guardians are all damaged goods, up to and including nominal square-jawed hero Quill, aka Star-Lord. Quill is an orphaned manchild adrift in the vast galaxy, holding onto the artefacts and attitudes of his childhood, a conceit that justifies not only the cheesy-cool soundtrack (Quill’s prized possession is a mixtape bequeathed to him by his dying mother) and the juvenilia of the genre (Quill calls himself Star-Lord - no one else does).

That emotional grounding is what sets the film head and shoulders above other recent cinematic spectacles - Gunn and his collaborators know that we need that connection to character to make the explosions and action matter. And make no mistake, Guardians is chock full of eye-popping, propulsive thrills and spills. Gunn comes from a low budget background, but he’s taken to the larger canvas like a duck to water, delivering glossy, glorious action beats that it’s hard not to cheer. It’s a seemingly impossible trick, making us care about the big, obvious tropes of the genre - the call to adventure, the family of choice, the ontological threat - even as the wise-ass characters work to undermine them, but Gunn pulls it off with admirable tonal dexterity. Guardians Of The Galaxy is the blockbuster of the year.

TRAVIS JOHNSON

FILM

HERCULES Hits More Than Myths Directed by Brett Ratner Starring Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, Ian McShane, Rufus Sewell, John Hurt, Joseph Fiennes, Peter Mullan Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson seems like a really nice guy who honestly loves what he does, so its easy to root for him to get a place in a film that rewards his boundless enthusiasm. He’s found a home in the Fast & Furious franchise, but his solo efforts have been less than impressive - remember Faster or Snitch? Now, at last, with Hercules, we get a film that, while not exactly groundbreaking, provides a rollicking framework within which Johnson can be the effortlessly charismatic manmountain he is.

Loosely based on the comic Hercules: The Thracian Wars written by the late Steve Moore (and Alan “no relation” Moore has a bone to pick with the producers on behalf of his deceased friend, if you care to Google) the film sees Hercules (Johnson) as leader of a band of mercenaries, using his legendary status as a psychological weapon against the brigands they’re hired to dispatch. Recruited by the Thracian Lord Cotys (John Hurt) to put down an incursion by the warlord Rheseus (Tobias Santelmann), Herc and his helpers soon find themselves befuddled, betrayed and fighting for their lives against all comers.

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This iteration of Hercules is less of a sword and sandals epic as a “guys on a mission movie” and Hercules’ mercenary band feel a lot like Yul Brynner and Steve McQueen’s gunfighters in The Magnificent Seven - Rufus Sewell’s Autolycus even has a similar character arc to Brad Dexter’s Harry Luck. This is actually one of the film’s big strengths; it never takes itself too seriously and is more concerned with providing a fun ride than with notions of historical or mythical fidelity or heavyhanded posturing.

It even has something interesting to say about the nature of myth, which puts it in territory explored by another Western, John Ford’s The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance. Hercules the man is a formidable warrior, no doubt, but it’s the story of Hercules the demigod and his 12 Labours that is the most potent weapon in his arsenal. However, this is still an over the top action blockbuster and you may find yourself wondering if, in a world where a man can judo flip a galloping horse, the distinction between mortal and immortal is really worth quibbling over.

A talented supporting cast who are clearly aware of the type of film they’ve signed on for keep things entertaining, with Ian McShane picking up MVP for his turn as the cynical seer, Amphiaraus and, whatever his limitations, director Brett Ratner knows both how to slap together an entertaining action sequence and how to make his leading man look aweinspiring. Hercules is really just damn good fun, and there’s nothing wrong with that.

TRAVIS JOHNSON

FILM

ALL THIS MAYHEM Skate Or Die Directed by Eddie Martin Starring Tas Pappas, Ben Pappas Films about skateboarding in particular and extreme or street sports in general are something of a cottage industry these days and you could be forgiven for thinking that they’re all much of a muchness - the great irony of any subculture is that the fine details that differentiate members from one another are indiscernible to tribal outsiders, and the same goes for that subculture’s art. All This Mayhem, however, stands out from the pack.

Directed by Eddie Martin, All This Mayhem occupies an interesting space between his first two films: Jisoe, his portrait of graffiti artist Justin Hughes, and Lionel, his account of the life of Indigenous boxer Lionel Rose. Martin’s latest is an account of the rise and fall of Melburnian skateboarding brothers Tas and Ben Pappas, who came to prominence in the scene in the ‘90s, when the commodification of skate culture was at its height. Rising from the street skating

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scene in Prahran, the two became global superstars, complete with a rivalry with Tony Hawk, before the relentless hedonism took its inevitable toll on the two self-described bogans., Martin mixes talking head interviews and an impressive amount of archival footage to tell the tale, with editor Chris King, who worked on both Senna and Exit Through The Gift Shop, welding the two together to form a relentless juggernaut of a story that moves from the dizzying highs of fame and fortune, to the horrific lows of addiction and violence with whipcrack speed.

For all the spectacle of the skateboarding scenes, it’s the inevitable downfall that resonates most strongly. In the final analysis, the film is a tragedy, tracing the paths of two guys who were given everything they could ever want except for the ability to consider the consequences of their actions.

Time and distance has given key interview subject Tas Pappas some perspective, and it is his remarkable candour and honesty that really make the film soar.

You may have seen skate culture docos before, and you’ve almost certainly seen rags-toriches-to-rags stories before, but All This Mayhem’s combination of the two is quite singular in its effect.

Not just a film for the subculture it depicts, this is a compelling portrait of lives lived in freefall, and well worth tracking down.

TRAVIS JOHNSON

FILM

LUCY In The Sky With Diamonds Directed by Luc Besson Starring Scarlett Johansson, Morgan Freeman This is a ludicrous movie. Love it, hate it, or fall somewhere in between, there is no denying it is ludicrous. The question instead becomes, is Lucy big, brash, and bold comic book fun once you abandon all sense of believability and just strap yourself in for the thrill ride?

Lucy (Scarlett Johansson) is unwittingly caught up as a mule for the drug lord Mr Jang (Min-Sik Choi). When a bag of a new synthetic product bursts in Lucy’s stomach, the drug unlocks the potential of her mind, allowing her to use an ever increasing percentage, rather than the mere 10% of the brain that most humans use. As her powers grow she seeks ways not only to get revenge, but to survive her rapid evolution. Cue crazy gunfights, car chases and Scarlett Johansson in God mode.

Luc Besson brings us a classic comic book movie, without the comic book. From its ridiculous premise (although seriously - is a radioactive spider or Kryptonian DNA a more believable origin story?), to its peppering the beginning sequence with intercut animal imagery, Lucy jettisons subtlety very early on. Instead it contents itself with going big and brings us a strange schlock-fest. The end result being something akin

to John Woo, 2001, The Matrix, and any superhero film being pulped in a blender and thrown up on the screen – every bit as uneven as it sounds. At its best it is problematically pulpy with a slick sense of style and rapid pacing, at its worst it is almost comically pretentious in its use of iconography.

Scarlett Johansson runs from hysterical to coldly calculating, as Lucy sheds her humanity during the course of her evolution. For the most part this means that Johansson can appear a little emotionally flat during the course of proceedings, but she does get a couple of moments to shine beyond the action beats. One sequence where she is on the phone to her mother recounting her earliest childhood memories is made both touching and simultaneously disturbing by her, as it becomes clear just how inhuman she truly has become. By contrast the other drawcard in the film, Morgan Freeman, is dealt a role that is mainly exposition . Freeman once again plays a character whose sole purpose is to explain the absurd pseudoscience behind this dose of transhumanism, identical to his role earlier this year in the box office bomb, Transcendence. It speaks much of the actor’s gravitas that even in these roles he continues to shine.

As serious as a cartoon, Lucy dazzles with rapid pacing and flashy sequences. Its issues come when it does invite the audience to take it seriously in its clumsy use of artistic flourishes or heavy-handed metaphor. As it never sits entirely comfortably with itself, it will be a film that divides audiences, but if you can allow yourself to just run with it’s gonzo sensibilities this could become a guilty pleasure.

DAVID O’CONNELL

Image by Kayla, mentored by Jessica Sorci

HOME IS WHERE MY HEART IS Youth In The Street For the past seven years, Home Is Where My Heart Is has teamed photographers with young people who have endured homelessness in order to help them tell their stories. We spoke with Ashlee Giblett of Propel Youth Arts WA about the project.

“Home Is Where My Heart Is is a unique photographic mentorship and exhibition program that partners emerging photographers with young people who have experienced homelessness,” Giblett explains. “The photographers work with the young people over a few sessions to teach them photography skills and also about how to tell a story and capture emotion through images. The outcome of the mentorship is a series of photographs that captures the young person’s interpretation of what home means to them. Their works are then available to purchase by visitors to the exhibition, with funds being directed into coordinating the project for the future.”

Over the course of its existence, the Home Is Where My Heart Is project has positively affected a huge number of lives. “We’ve estimated that over the past seven years there have been approximately 150 young people directly involved as either participants or photography mentors, and also hundreds more

young people who have been involved by visiting the exhibition, engaging in the activities or assisting with the program. On average we have five to 15 young people participate each year in the program and they are each partnered up with their own photographer.”

Young people are connected with the program through youth service providers. “YACWA reaches out to the providers to find young people who would be interested. Those wanting to be a part of the program are then put forward. Propel Youth Arts WA have an open call-out every year looking for young emerging photographers who want to be involved as mentors. The application process consists of a simple EOI form where photographers provide details about their skills and experience. We have an overwhelming number of photographers apply each year, however, unfortunately we are not always able to pair all of them up with a young person, but it is great to see there is a such a strong interest from them to be involved.”

Giblett is especially proud of the positive effect that the project has had on its young participants. “They walk away with a sense of pride, self-confidence and self-worth. Not only are they having the opportunity to express themselves, but they are building relationships, developing new skills, and engaging with their local community. Their faces are always filled with such joy and gratification when they see their images hanging on the walls at the exhibition.”

TRAVIS JOHNSON

The Home Is Where My Heart Is Exhibition 2014 is on at The Hive Creative Arts Space from August 7 17. Go to homeiswheremyheartis.org for full details.

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Curio Curiosa: Elements Art Gallery This exhibition of new works by Darwin based painter Bryan Bulley runs until August 10. Also on display is Heart-less, a mini solo exhibition by emerging Perth artist Serena Lumley. Go to elementsartgallery.com. au for more.

Every week we bring you the best in fashion, food, shopping and lifestyle.

Becomings: Spectrum Project Space An exhibition of works by ECU post-grad students from the School Of Communication And Arts. Artists include Jan Bathurst, Claire Bushby, Nicolle Desmarchellier, Aasiya Evans, Donna franklin, Emily Hornum, Deedee Noon, Kimberley Pace, Sarah Robinson, Heather Shaw, Caroline Staron, Steven Tapping and Jane Whelan. It runs from August 7 - August 22. Go to ecu.edu.au for further information.

Boundaries Of Beige: Fremantle Arts Centre Marzena Topka uses textiles such as office clothing and string in striking ways to investigate how organisational structures interact with our daily lives. It runs from August 8 - September 20. Go to fac.org.au for more.

Stay/Keep: Paper Mountain Curated by Melissa McGrath, this exhibition presents the book as an art object, with nine artists utilising physical books in their works. It runs from August 9 - 24. Go to papermountain.org.au for more.

EAT AT: STONES PIZZA

Sculpting The Void: The Bird W.J. Ferrier shares a new collection of works dredged deep from the abysses left in the wake of departed of loved ones. His third series of impressionist portraits present the shimmering, transient nature of memories examined. It runs from August 12 to September 7 at The Bird.

Award-winning pizza in the heart of North Perth from chef Brandon Farrell - what more do you want?

Stones Pizza

What I See When I Look At Sound: PICA An exhibition of sound works from artists Lyndon Blue, Lauren Brown, Matthew Gingold, Cat Hope and Kynan Tan, curated by Leigh Robb. It runs until August 31. Go to pica.org.au for more details.

Stay/Keep

VISUAL ARTS Inside My Outside: Little Creatures Brewing A collection of new works by Brenton See and Natalie Acton that views universal human experiences through the lens of the animal kingdom. It runs until October 14.

DRINK AT: THE FLYING SCOTSMAN It’s been around forever and sometimes we forget how great it really is, but from the live venue The Velvet Lounge to the more refined atmosphere of Defectors Bar to the familiar comforts of the main room, we just love the Scotto.

The Flying Scotsman

Marilyn Monroe - Exclusive Collection Of Original Photographs: Central Park Lobby Presented by Linton & Kay Galleries, this collection of almost 100 images spans 17 years of Marilyn Monroe’s life. The collection is on display until August 15.

Earth, Fire And Water: Kidogo Art House An exhibition of ceramics by Jonathon Hook and Stewart Scambler, as well as paintings by Catherine Gordon. It runs until August 17. go to kidogo.com. au for more info.

Placement: PS Art Space Long time local music supporter and poster art collector Nikolai Graham will be exhibiting some of his favourite poster designers. The opening night of this fascinating look at music history features performances from Craig Hallsworth and The Gutterville Splendour Six, hosted by Ross Chisholm.

It runs until August 9.

SHOP AT: OLLIE & SONS Get a sweet set of streetwear from this William Street shopfront. Owners Peter Francis and Chantal Leflohic have curated an impressive range of brands to damage your wallet even as they beautify your bod.

Ollie & Sons

GO TO: ECU OPEN DAY Edith Cowan University’s Mt Lawley Campus is holding their open day this Sunday, August 10. That includes WAAPA, so if you fancy a career in the spotlight, best get along.

ECU Open Day - Photo by Stephen Heath 18

TELSTRA PERTH FASHION FESTIVAL It’s that time of year once again. Crack open the bubbly, tease those tussles and break the bank; the 16th annual Telstra Perth Fashion Festival is coming back to town. Partnering up with Telstra to bring the hottest names in haute couture to our very own doorstep, the festival will showcase the glitz, glam and gloss of national and international designers at 46 events over six days, from Wednesday, September 17, until Monday, September 22. SHAUN COWE reports.

Sheedy. It runs until August 9. Go to barkinggecko. com.au for more information.

The Seagull: State Theatre Centre Anton Chekhov’s masterpiece comes to the Heath Ledger Theatre courtesy of Black Swan State Theatre Company and director Kate Cherry. It runs from August 9 - 31. Go to bsstc.com.au for details.

Concussion: The Blue Room Theatre A man is beaten so badly he suffers complete amnesia. He is cared for by a son he doesn’t remember and a doctor who may be his girlfriend.

Surreal, funny, violent and explicit, Concussion runs from August 12 - 30. Go to blueroom.org.au for tickets and session times.

FESTIVALS 2014 Perth Winter Arts Season This seasonal celebration of art and culture is back once again, showcasing a dazzling array of performance, visual arts, film, literature, fashion, food and more. It runs until August 31. Go to perthwinterarts.com.au to start planning your winter.

CinefestOZ Film Festival Running from August 20 - 24 in picturesque Busselton, Bunbury, Dunsborough and Margaret River, this prestigious festival combines over 200 public screenings of French and Australian films, plus industry guests, forums and panels, workshops and the $100,000 CinfestOz Film Prize. Go to cinefestoz. com.au for full details.

Obitus: Moana Project Space This exhibition by Thai-Australian artist Nathan Beard runs until August 9. Go to moana-ari.com for more info.

Afghanistan - Hidden Treasures From The National Museum Kabul: The Western Australian Museum Once thought lost or destroyed under the Talibasn regime, these 230+ pieces illustrate the complexity and variety of Afghani history. The exhibition runs until November 16 - go to museum.wa.gov.au for further information.

Richard Avedon People: The Art Gallery Of Western Australia This collection of images by the famed photographer Richard Avedon spans his career from 1949 to 2002 and includes portraits of such notable figures as Truman Capote, Elizabeth Taylor, Twiggy, Malcolm X and Bob Dylan. It runs until November 17. Go to artgallery. wa.gov.au for more information.

THEATRE/DANCE/ PERFORMANCE Jasper Jones: State Theatre Centre Barking Gecko Theatre Company presents a stage adaptation of Craig Silvey’s acclaimed novel, written for the stage by Kate Mulvany and directed by John For those lucky enough to snag one of the limited tickets, the opening night event held at Fashion Paramount, Beyond Imagination, will showcase the extensive French lace, elegant, ornate gowns, dazzling mesh tops and European influence of award-winning Australian designer Alvin Hernandez and his Ae’lkemi brand. Alongside Ae’lkemi will be opulent Indonesian designer Sebastian Gunawan and Dubai-based Filipino designer Michael Cinco.

Of course, the most significant news this year was the tragic death of Perth fashion designer, Ruth Tarvydas. In honour of her memory and celebration of her life, the festival will be holding two runways showcasing some of the most iconic gowns from her 40-year career at Ascot Racecourse. Held at 7pm, on Friday, September 19, the event will offer a peek at the flowing, sexy style of this kingpin of local fashion and will be an absolute, inspirational must-see for Tarvydas devotees. Remember to check out Ruth Tarvydas – A Celebration.

For those who opt to stick around until after the Tarvydas expo, Galvanised – Ultimate ShowStoppers will be following up. The event will show off big name designers, such as Rebecca Paterson’s punkinspired, counter-culture label, 33 Poets; glamorous, red carpet designer, Alex Perry; the old world, Eastern European influence of Kathryn Cizeika’s Empire Rose label; the bold and textural work of Manning Cartell and local new kid, Zhivago.

In more big news, gypsy queen Camilla Franks will be presenting her 2014 Spring collection, In The Name Of The Tribe, at the Fashion Paramount on Saturday, September 20. Known for her bright, vibrant palette and narrative inspiration for design technique – where each dress tells a story – this will be a great event for those fashionistas looking to channel their inner love child.

And if you’d like to check out some of these amazing designs but can’t fork out the big bucks, there will be a host of free events across the city. Forrest Place will be hosting Fashion Central, featuring daytime workshops, runway shows and sneak peeks at some of our hottest local designers and up-and-coming models. One of these great showcases will be Restyle Runway, on Friday,

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Allen Ginsberg And Peter Orlovsky, poets, New York, December 30, 1963 Photograph by Richard Avedon © The Richard Avedon Foundation

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

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

xpressmag.com.au

Perth Fashion Festival program launch.

Photos: Stefan Gosatti.

September 19, with some of our great local fashion bloggers working with op shop staff to show off some flair using second hand clothes.

Finishing up the festival will be Zhivago’s Equilibrium collection. The cult brand will be combining silhouettes with sex appeal at Fashion Paramount on Monday, Septermber 22, bringing the festival back to its roots of supporting local fashion.

If any of these events spark your interest, make sure you check out the festival program, as there are dozens more taking place over the week. Hit up telstraperthfashionfestival.com.au.

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Gabe Gleeson has had a charmed year as one half of Indian Summer.

After signing with electronic label gods, Sweat It Out, he and long-time collaborator, Chevy Long, have been featured by Splendour In The Grass, had tunes premiered by THUMP, and two national tours. They’re coming to Perth on Wednesday, August 27 for their whirlwind Shiner tour. The crazy workload isn’t anything new for these boys, as ZOE KILBOURN discovers.

Gabe Gleeson’s in good form, given he’s just returned from Indian Summer’s post-Splendour tour of NZ. “It was an exhausting trip, even though we were only there for one night,” he says, fairly chirpily. “The kids out there are so supportive. NZ was the first overseas trip for Chevy and me, so it’s really cool to have some support over there. They have a great radio station over there, George FM, which I suppose is their equivalent of Triple J - they’re really good at pushing electronic stuff from Australia, so they’ve given us quite a bit of love.”

Indian Summer have emerged at what may turn out to be a golden age for Australian bass music - alongside Sweat It Out mates like L D R U and Yahtzel, they’re making the kind of weird, wobbly electronica equally at home on iPods and festival stages.

“People like to call it ‘Australian sound’,” says Gabe. “I’m more comfortable with calling it Australian club music. I feel like what it comes down to is Australians filing in from UK house music and American hip hop and sort of mixing everything to make it our own. I’m definitely not uncomfortable with us being put into that sphere.

“What’s going on over here is really quite unique and special. It’s awesome to be able to play music festivals around the country and have kids receive what we do and automatically understand it. And it’s awesome to have this amazing fraternity of artists who are kind of all just great mates that we can kind of hang out with so frequently around the country at various events, it’s just super fun. Everyone’s amazing.”

As at home as Gabe feels in this particular wave of musicmakers, Indian Summer resist any real classification of their work - on soundcloud tracks reminiscent of trap, ragga, and UK garage, Indian Summer insist on the genre descriptor “weird” (occasionally accompanied by a shrugging man emoji).

“The singles we’ve put out over the last year have been all over the place stylewise, so I don’t think it’s really like that. There’s stuff like No Use which is 115, dancey, house and Pin Tweaks that is 110 BPM that’s a lot harder; Foreign Formula, which we like to think is super, super slowed-down disco. Stuff like 1.01 My Heart Drops which is 140 weird hip hop.

I don’t know if I would call what we do strictly hip hop or chilled out hip hop. I think that gives it a lot more credit than it deserves, I don’t think we’re that organised,” he says.

Continued on page 22.

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THE KITE STRING TANGLE In the midst of a monster touring schedule, including Groovin The Moo, Circo, Splendour In The Grass and two national tours, The Kite String Tangle is finally releasing his first EP. Vessel is out on Friday, August 8, and it’s a six-tracker featuring Given The Chance and monster single Arcadia. Producer Danny Harley makes synth-saturated, tropicana Australian sound, and he’s getting a hell of a lot of love nationally and internationally. You can catch The Kite String Tangle at Amplifier on Friday, August 22, or, if you can hold out, at November’s CoLab festival.

The Kite String Tangle

Continued from cover.

STEREOSONIC LINEUP RELEASED ...And it’s massive. Stereosonic has thumbed its nose at the Soundwave and Big Day Out debacles, expanding into a two-day, six-arena festival. With stage names like “HARD” and “FULL ON”, the festival is bound to irritate the Claremont Council more than a little. The lineup features festival-hoppers Calvin Harris, Tiesto, Diplo, Disclosure, DJ Snake, Skrillex, Steve Aoki, and Alesso, among a slew of other big names. You can see the entire list at www. stereosonic.com.au. Stereosonic will be held on Saturday, November 29 - Sunday, November 30 at the Claremont Council. Be warned: the Saturday session clashes with up-and-comer electronic music festival, CoLab, so choose wisely. Public presale is available from www.ticketmaster.com.au/stereosonic after Tuesday, August 5.

DJ Snake

GET LIL

COLAB

Hey! Yeah! What? Drink! Lil Jon might seem like a bit of a one-trick pony - he’s made a career shouting over the likes of LMFAO, DJ Snake, and The Yin Yang Twins as a kind of deranged demotivational speaker.

But the Don of Crunk has a few other talents hidden away, including EDM production and record spinning.

Off the back of his 3 million seller, Turn Down For What, Jon is bringing his DJ set to Australia. If you, like John, appreciate drinking, partying and yelling, you can catch his Perth show at Metro City on Sunday, October 26. Tickets on sale now from oztix.com.au.

Springing onto the festival from out of nowhere, CoLab has finally revealed itself: the CoLab website has been launched, and promises a boutique festival featuring good food, themed bars, decent drink prices ($6 beers!) and art installations. That, and a lineup including Hermitude, Midnight Juggernauts, and Aussie wavers The Jungle Giants, The Kite String Tangle, Sable and Indian Summer, among others. It’s an exciting project - one with tickets under $100 - but it clashes with the first day of Stereosonic.

Choose wisely. You can find out more about CoLab at colabfestival.com.au. Tickets are on sale now from ticketmaster.com.au.

Lil Jon

“All that comes down to Chevy and I not wanting to define what it is we really do. I mean, we really like to think of ourselves as making predominantly bass music, solid bass music for club kids, I guess. There’s really no rulebook. We love 808 sounds and we love weird synths. We’ve been really blessed recently to find some vocalists we really love working with. On our last single, the single we’re currently touring with, Shiner, we worked with Ginger from a band called Ginger And The Ghost. She’s got this weird awesome Kate Bush thing going on which we loved when we first started, we really wanted to work with her. What she ended up doing we’re still proud of.”

It’s unfair to call Indian Summer unorganised, though. These boys have a grueling work schedule - Gabe writes for Purple Sneakers and curates a digital radio show when he’s out of the studio. When they bring their act over west for the Shiner, they’ll be playing two gigs - Wednesday, August 27 at the Newport and Friday, August 29 at Ginger Nightclub. That isn’t the most hectic portion of the week, either.

“That week, we’re going to be playing a club in Perth on the Friday, and then leaving the club with our luggage, going to the airport at 3am, and playing a boat party the next day before driving to another gig in Sydney later in the evening,” says Gabe. “I guess we’re just used to that. Last New Years Eve we played three different festivals in three different states in 24 hours.

It’s just a case of after everything just going back to the hotel, closing the blinds, turning our phones off, turning the internet off and sleeping for a good 72 hours.”

Gabe explains that it’s down to his derringdo. “I’m really bad at saying no to things,” he says. “Even the smallest, most insignificant opportunities, I’m always eager to jump in and make the most of. That’s what’s made it - just doing it relemtlessly and repetitively and enjoying every minute of it.

“Before I left, I was studying graphic design, and I was in a band, and I worked two jobs, and I was

Djing five nights a week - I was doing way too much with myself. I’m kind of back to doing too much work with myself now - everything’s a bit in line. I write a music blog during the week, DJ with Chevy, make music and travel on the weekends, so it’s kind of like a big circle of life - each thing I do kind of shakes each other thing’s hand, if that makes sense.”

Oddly, Indian Summer was birthed out of a moment of calm. Chevy and Gabe have made music together since high school, but it was a come-down session in Morocco that gave him the clarity of mind to pursue music.

“We actually went there during Ramadan, and we weren’t aware of that. We just knew there were no bars to go out to - it was actually a really nice experience, being there for a couple of weeks completely sober and just spending the time seeing beautiful stuff around the country. It kind of cleared my head a bit in terms of coming back to Australia and figuring out what I wanted to do with myself.”

Indian Summer are back in town in November for mysterious boutique festival, CoLab. “Yeah, we’re really looking forward to that. I just saw the poster for that festival and it looks like a lot of fun. We just had a really vague date put into our calendar. I don’t know much about it, but we love playing in Perth - I feel like it’s our second home even though we haven’t been there in quite a while. Even in the really, really early days, we’ve found that Perth audiences have been so helpful and so accepting and so awesome to us.

“Dudes like Sable are blowing up at the moment and absolutely killing it - obviously Ta-Ku has been doing his thing for ages now and is still and amazing performer and DJ and producer. It’s great to see so many little guys from Perth popping up and doing amazing things.”

SHINER TOUR WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 27 @ NEWPORT HOTEL FRIDAY, AUGUST 29 @ GINGER NIGHTCLUB

WITH BANNGR GREG BANNAN DISCUSSES THE DOPEST NEW RELEASES

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Yo Majesty Club Action (Twine Bootleg) Free Download

Having started the year off with a bang with two EP releases (Absolute through Firepower Records and Killing Machine through SMOG), this young gun is worthy of the praise he has received. Twine’s genre-bending is showcased by Club Action, in which he slows the tempo to a booty shakin’ 110bpm and fires up some moombahton of the filthiest variety (think Major Lazer on Ketamine). Huge 808 kicks and crazy laser synth work (à la Alvin Risk) set the scene in the first drop, but Twine intertwines huge growls until he goes half time and brings some of his dubstep synths into the tune. Absolute stomper and a must download.

Document One Probe Genesis LP (Abducted Records)

Document One return from a short break between releases with a drumstep tune that proves that they haven’t lost their touch. Although drumstep reached its pinnacle in 2011, it’s great to see a popular artist push the sound again.

Commencing with some subtle drum breaks, Document One use huge supersaw chords and a wobbly lead to set the tone before a snappy snare prepares the listener for thw drop. What happens next is incredible, with impeccable synth work and flawless flow in sounds resulting in an aural onslaught that will lead any bassheads to dance like Wacky Waving Inflatable Arm-Waving Tubeman.

Diversa A.D.D. Ego Death EP (Bandcamp Release)

Most producers spend years perfecting their craft at one genre, but Diversa has shown with his Ego Death EP that whatever style he has a go at will turn out as a masterpiece.

A.D.D. draws upon the future bass sound artists such as Flume and Sable have been pushing, but takes it to a whole new level. The lead synth and his control of the sub bass are immaculate, as is this tune’s ambiguous off beat shuffle.

Word on the street is that Inspector Dubplate has signed Diversa to Inspected, so expect big things to come.

Decimal Bass Battle Station Past & Future EP (Playaz)

This tune has been doing the rounds of various DnB artists’ tour setlists for months, but it only just got released a few weeks back. I was ridiculously hyped for it.

Featuring on Annix’s EP but produced solely by Decimal Bass, Battle Station kicks off with some atmospheric crash hits and a spooky low bass pluck. Decimal Bass merges Star Wars samples as a kick roll builds and drops into a soul-corrupting synth that sounds like a hellhound barking into a ring modulator.

Audeka Business Box Business Box EP (Humanworkshop)

Although he’s never hit the big time in terms of exposure, any fans of glitch hop with neurofunk sound design would know about Audeka. Business Box starts with a groove that wouldn’t be out of place at your local jazz club, before a reese builds and drops into what can only be described as filtering madness. The mid-throttling bassline is mesmerizing and it’s impossible not to give into the urge to dance.

COLAB FESTIVAL PLAYING WITH THE BIG BOYS

CoLab headliners Hermitude.

CoLab popped up out of nowhere on the Triple J website last week. Now that the website is launched, it’s far easier to figure out what the Saturday, November 29 event at UWA is about - collaboration, small festival good vibes, and some of the biggest names in Australian dance music. ZOE KILBOURN chats to Mike Lloyd about his brainchild.

Mike’s been in the business of event management for a decade, “and this is the most excited I’ve been in eight years”. Held on the UWA Crawley campus, this little festival has already signed up Midnight Juggernauts, Hermitude, The Jungle Giants and Indian Summer, among others. But he’s taking on some big rivals - notably Stereosonic.

“It went from going round the table, saying, ‘Why don’t we want to go to big festvals anymore? We don’t want to pay over a hundred dollars for a ticket, we don’t want to pay 9 or 10 dollars for a beer, and for it to be served out of a production line where every bar looks the same. We want to get beer prices down to six dollars.

We don’t want to have it full of thousands of people who meet the singlet-wearing, steroid-pumping stereotype. We want a really good crowd of three or four thousand people who really appreciate the music.’ Food’s a big one as well.

Part of the day should be having some good food.

“The whole idea behind CoLab is a collaboration of the ideas of everyone who wants to be involved,” Mike says. “On purpose, we haven’t filled the whole program. We launched the festival last week,

and on Tuesday [July 30] we went down to UWA and talked to all the clubs - all in one room. We said, ‘This is a chance for you guys to do what you want for a festival. We’ve got the lineup, we’ve got the acts, we’ve booked the space - now let’s let it grow.’ It’s not just one promoter saying, ‘here it is.’” He’s excited for Electronic Music Appreciation Society DJs filling up a uni tavern lineup alongside major artists’ DJ sets, architecture and engineering students teaming up to create installations, student artists creating art on site.

Mike spent six years at UWA, but it’s not any old nostalgia that’s bringing him back. In 2002, he was president of the notorious ‘70s party club, Solid Gold. “I’m showing my age here, but this was in the late ‘90s, early ‘00s. We would put on a tav disco and sell out in a day.

We sold out a roller disco in twenty minutes. The Solid Gold ball was a thousand people, all you can drink. We had all the lines - Be There Or Bee Gee. Bester In Polyester.”

That skewy sense of fun is definitely present in the plans for the festival, as it was in his earlier event series for “23-35s”, Cuban Club. Themed bars keep cropping up in his event summaries.

“They’re not set in stone yet, because we want different people to come up wth different ideas,” says Mike of the bars. “We’ve come up with a few different ideas - having a science bar with science students in lab coats doing mixology. Having an American jock bar - students in sports gear, with the main beer probably being Emu Export. Not taking ourselves seriously at all, having fun with it. Nerd bars.

We have a winery coming in who want to set up a wine bar, where everyone knows their wine. Small bars are killing it right now, because it’s such a better experience.”

So why the secretive marketing? “The stealth approach is due to the fact we can’t afford to advertise.

But I think that’s one of those things - because it’s $80, that’s advertising enough in itself.”

Cooking With Caustic. Photo - Adam Scarf.

CAUSTIC Let’s Cook The Blue Mountains have a surprising slew of hip hop crews and producers, members of The Herd, Thundamentals and Hermitude among them. Katoomba boy Caustic has been a producer for nigh on 16 years, and his latest album with Obese Records, Cooking With Caustic, showcases the hidden production gems of regional NSW. “All the hip hop I used to listen to was made up of classic or golden samples, that made up the majority of the songs,” says Caustic, civilian name Tony.

“As times changed, making hip hop out of stuff like that wasn’t really viable cause of royalties, sampling laws, stuff like that. I went about putting together my own crew of musicians who can play the kind of samples I wanted to use to get that ‘60s and ‘70s sound.”

It’s similar to the originally recorded beats of Triple J darlings M-Phazes, Phrase, and The Herd - “Often produucers might start with a sample and eventually replay that music to get around sampling laws. A lot of musicians in my band have been called in to do work like that for other crews”, Tony explains.

Cooking With Caustic, his ten-piece band which includes turntablist DJ Cost and multiple vocalists, has a particularly interesting set up: while most young producers get started with GarageBand, Tony’s old enough and retro enough to have an entire analogue workstation.

“I keep it fairly simple - for the most part, I use the MPC-2500. I think the software was written in the ‘80s - it’s pretty ancient but it’s always worked

pretty well. I use a PC for most of my multitracking and editing, but a lot of stuff is made inside the MPC, old drum machines. All my computers are hooked up to an old analogue mixing desk, so most of it’s manually mixed. There’s a computer at the heart of it, but it’s all about sounding organic.

“I think I started building my studio when I first started making beats, using old and broken instruments - very modest bits and pieces I collected.

I’ve run it as a recording studio and I’ve done a fair bit of mixing for people. It’s gradually getting there as a business, too.”

Tony is keen to tour interstate, although it’s a matter of working out the logistics of moving so many musicians. “Our live set up’s based around the turntables and MPC, drums and percussion-type stuff,” he says. “It’s fairly easy to transport.”

Tony’s particularly lucky that he’s part of a hip hop community that, while firmly rooted in a past abandoned by the cities it started in for ruthlessly modern styles like trap and Jersey bounce, is about the old-school laying down of tracks. He met many of his collaborators working as a chef.

“My favourite hip hop producers are a crew called The Herbaliser from the UK. I guess our live set up is modeled on their set up - the multiple vocalists, the horns, the instrumental backbone. Massive Attack, NZ funk bands like Fat Freddies Drop and Sola Rose. As far as Australian music goes, we’re pretty into the crews from the mountains - Hermitude and Thundamentals.”

“There are effects, but my style is to keep no effects any more technological than the mid-‘70s, trying to keep it in the sound style. Nothing much more than a delay - it’s fairly old-fashioned. Occasionally there’ll be a few more synths, scratches or filters that are a little more modern feel, but most of the horns, drums and vocals keep fairly raw. There’s no autotuning. It’s all done on a multitrack tape machine.

“The musicianship and the sound was pretty spot on back then and it gradually declined a bit. The mixing and mastering style of those records - without it wanting to be too loud or forward-sounding. Bit of a quieter sound to let the bass and drums breathe rather than having the vocals really in-your-face.”

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Kate Miller-Heidke - Photo by Daniel Craig

THE HIDDEN SOUND Thursday, July 31, 2014 Secret Location We meet at a culvert between a carpark and a police station and get namechecked, stamped and directed while a cellist plays by lantern light. Cross the street, ushered up a stairwell that resonates with classical strings. There’s a violinist at the top, who acknowledges us with a nod as we pass by. More ushers, directing us ‘to the left and past the violinist.’ Intriguing.

Down deep passageways and out into what was once a department store shop floor. A sound system pumps alt-blues. Sparkly letters announce The Hidden Sound while mastermind Jarrad Seng has his photo taken with Fremantle Mayor Brad Pettit.

Fuck knows what’s going on.

Anticipation. There appears to be free bread and cheese platters by the makeshift bar (offering very reasonably priced beverages). Urban rustic - it’s gonna be a thing, hipsters. Drinks acquired. Anticipation.

A slight man approaches a table and starts to sing. And then beatbox. He has a looper and an FX unit. Eventually, the room is filled with pure vox-looped music that plays with melody, rap and drama.

It is perhaps the nature of an event where no one knows what’s happening - and especially what might happen next - that no one’s quite sure what to do or what level of engagement is appropriate.

He announces his name, Sam Perry, and explains his set-up. He’s an expressive performer, who uses his non-mic hand to express whatever sound he’s currently adding to the layers, whether it’s D ‘n’ B

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basslines or faux-operatic layers that end up sounding like synth pads.

In a relatively short period of time, Perry drew the audience in from across the venue’s huge empty space, creating one of the smallest-ever versions of Perth’s infamous ‘semi-circle of death’.

Perry bows out after just three or four tracks, while his looped voice continues to play in the background. “There might be something on later, who knows?”

What follows isn’t an intermission so much as building anticipation and uncertainty. Just as it risks becoming uncomfortable, we are ushered into a beautifully lit but intimate space.We have gone from being an uncertain group in a large empty space to a crowd in an ad-hoc super-lounge.

And we still don’t know what’s going on.

Jarrad Seng takes the stage and thanks everyone involved in putting together this night of mystery and wonder. A lot of people have put in time and effort.

And then he announces the night’s headliner-with-noname. Kate Miller-Heidke.

KMH is in town for a full band performance at the Astor the next night, but The Hidden Sound offers a stripped back arrangement of just KMH, acoustic guitar maestro Kier Nuttall and a violinist/vocalist.

She is amazing, playing highlighted tracks from her new album O Vertigo! and reaching right back with an absolutely cracking version of Words from her first full length LP Little Eve (2007), which she noted had provoked the following talk-back radio comment: “If I ever have to hear that song again, I’m going to scratch my own bowels out with a stick.”

The three musicians play about 10 songs to a rapt audience, glad to be there. This is a mystery night that has paid dividends. Don’t be afraid of the next one. Just go.

SABIAN WILDE

Timothy Nelson & The Infidels Photography by Rachael Barrett

TIMOTHY NELSON & THE INFIDELS Colab/The Avenues/Institut Polaire Rosemount Hotel Friday, August 1, 2014 This launch had already sold out well before the doors opened, so it’s not surprising there was an air of expectancy and excitement, as Timothy Nelson & The Infidels finally launched the Terror Terror, Hide It Hide album, in a presentation most befitting of something that was two years in the making.

It was bustling early on, even as Colab hit the stage not long after 8pm. A collaboration of local musicians who vary instruments, vocalists (Timothy Nelson performed a song, in effect supporting himself) and showcase freestyle lyrics with a three-piece horn section over the top, this was a larger, more general event for one their performances and it looks as though we’ll all be seeing more of them in future.

The Avenues reformed especially for this show, with a line-up of Cain Turnston and Andy Lawson sharing vocals/guitar with rhythm section Tom Power Craig and Nic Jonsson. There were some nerves running through their camp early in the evening, somewhat needlessly as it turned out, because the 40 minutes The Avenues spent on stage was nothing less

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than quality time. Pop smarts, riff-ready, heartstringtugging tunes were always the band’s forte and they summoned what they were renowned for quite assuredly. More of that then, thanks.

Institut Polaire left Perth and ended in Melbourne quite some years ago now. Samantha ‘Sammy Strawbags’ Wass pointed out at one stage that since the last time the band had played at the Rosemount there’d been ‘five babies and a marriage’. Like the reformed Avenues before them, Institut Polaire recalled that which made them so mesmerising back in the day, serious while catchy all at once. Having flown in from Melbourne, vocalist/ guitarist, Erik Hecht, was in fine voice, having come out of a self-imposed musical retirement almost as soon as he went into it. The musical reunion was only a part of it, as the band clearly enjoyed being up there as friends once again. Hot single, City Walls And Empires, came at the end of the set and again the years and the clouds just rolled away.

Then, the man of the moment. Or the band of the moment, as while his name adorns the frontage, there is a very real, collective sense about Timothy Nelson & The Infidels. The new album was celebrated in its entirety, with Solider storming off the blocks as a cracking opener, and songs such as Rush, the ever-popular single, Mary Lou and the T-Rex-meetsGeorge-Harrison gift that is Cocoa Jackson keeping an entranced crowd bloody happy indeed. Nelson commanded the stage amongst his impressive Infidel mob, like an Afro-Messiah, ending the evening with Born In The ‘90s, an orphan left off the new album, but a song that gets ‘em singing in the aisles.

Australia, your Afro is ready.

BOB GORDON

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Hideous Sun Demon

Junkadelic

THE BIG SPLASH SEMI FINAL

Tony Papa-Adams emanated so much emotional charge and sex appeal that at times it looked like the audience might not contain themselves. The music rolled on with heavy guitar solos and head mashing beats, breaking down into slow, sensual monologues that captivated everyone in the room.

With four solid acts all performing to their very best, Pat Chow had their work cut out for them, and without a moment to waste began their ‘90s style indie rock set, that was an exhibition of their impetuous musical skill. Merging the intense grit of the guitar textures and emotional vocals from Ben Protasiewicz, their casual stage presence suggested they possessed all the natural ability and experience required to make it through to the final round.

The judges didn’t take long to make their choice, so all it took was for the MC who throughout the night had entertained with his showbiz style of presenting, to announce the second place winner, Pat Chow, and the winner, Hideous Sun Demon. Perhaps the obvious choice, but a portion the audience did not approve of the decision and proceeded to whinge and boo and chant for Old Blood.As with all competitions there are winners and there are losers. The final gets decided on Saturday at the Bakery and should prove to be an event of epic proportions.

Junkadelic/Amani Consort/Hideous Sun Demon/Old Blood/Pat Chow Rosemount Hotel Saturday, August 2, 2014 The Big Splash Band Competition has for several months been gathering momentum and tonight saw the second round of semi-finalists taking their turn to impress the panel of prestigious judges who, with decades of industry experience between them, would surely be up to the job of picking the best two acts to proceed on to the grand final.

Taking the plunge first was Junkadelic, whose members looked funkier than a George Clinton P-Funk tea party, with their colourful costumes and synchronised dance moves. The upbeat funk influenced music filled the venue with solid grooving bass lines and an impressive brass section. Although it’s always tough being the first act to play, there were enough early arrivals enjoy this musical spectacle.

After a brief turn around, jazz/hip hop fusion band Amani Consort took their turn to impress the critical ears at the back of room with their take on this contemporary style. Aysha Amani’s soulful vocals emanated smooth and expressive tones and lead the

band confidently, while encouraging the dance floor to get moving, which they obliged without complaint.

Oozy keys rippled forth over solid jazz chords that encapsulated a dissonant synergy that contrasted well with the offbeat rhythms.

By now the room had filled up almost to capacity and the atmosphere was getting hot and excited for the next act, Hideous Sun Demon, whose named derives from a late ‘50s B-movie. Bleachblonde front man Andy Campbell displayed immense quantities of energy and candid prowess that had the audience transfixed. Their blend of garage rock imbued post punk, combined with pure raw guitar mayhem, was impressive to witness. The punters up front for the first time got a chance to let themselves go and mosh in appreciation of what surely could be a strong contender for the winning title.

Taking a slightly alternate direction in style, the blues rock influenced Old Blood looked ready to take on the competition head on. From the looks of the crowd who were eager to get as close up front as possible, it obvious this band brought a lot of supporting fans with them tonight. Vocalist

MICHAEL CAVES

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Pat Chow Photos by Michael Caves

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COSPLAY PARTY The Court Hotel Friday, August 1, 2014 A huge number of heroes and villains descended on The Court last Friday for the joint’s first ever Cosplay Party! Hannah Conda and co hit the stage throughout the night while DJs Timbee, Warwick and WasteLand kept the tunes turning over for the brightly coloured boys and girls.

Photos by EZ Photography

THE SPLATTER THAT MATTERS

THE MOST FETID MOUND AROUND

SplatterGunk is goin’ down at Mojos today, Wednesday, August 6, from 8pm. Dust, Black Stone From The Sun, Sprawl, Penance, and Deal Eyeball will be bringing the noise from 8pm. Entry is $5.

They used to be called Goat, but now they’re going

by Fetid Mound - maybe it’s an SEO thing. Catch them at The railway Hotel this Saturday, August 9, from 8pm, alongside Cavalier, Kaan and Penance.

Entry is $5.

Black Stone From The Sun

WHERE’S THE BEEF? Self-described thrash-cabaret quartet Burgers Of Beef are launching their new album, Athwart Hawse, at The Rosemount Hotel this Friday, August 8, with help from Glenn Musto and The JAC. Doors open at 8pm, entry is $10.

Fetid Mound

CATCH THE LATCH Get some ska in your audio diet this Wednesday, August 6, when Latch Key Kids play Four5Nine Bar along with Trip Hazard And The Rude Boys and Choking Stanley. Doors open at 8pm, entry is $5.

FOR WHOM THE BELL TOLLS Just plain awesome rock machine Emperors bring their Shooting From The Bell Tower tour to Amplifier this Saturday, August 8. Support on this momentous occasion comes from Pat Chow (who, at time of writing, seem to be competing in the Big Splash final on the same night!) Lionizer and Childsaint. Doors open at 8pm.

Emperors - Photo by Daniel Grant

BOX YOUR EARS The fine details of The Bakery’s far future might be a bit up in the air right now, but at this point in time it’s business as usual, which means lots of music, art and good times! Get down to the iconic venue this Friday, August 8, for The Bakery Box Social which sees recent stagemates of The 1975, Tired Lion, head a killer list of talent that includes Methyl Ethyl, The David Craft Band and Ghetto Crystals, plus a very special set of short and sharp solo performances by all three members of The Love Junkies, under the cumbersome moniker, Mitch, Robbie And Lewis From The Love Junkies Make Rent. Plus there’s DJ Beryl Streep, better known as Scarlett Stevens from Ghetto Crystals and San Cisco, from midnight. Entry is $10 from 8pm, or free with the password “Ahoy-hoy.” So yeah, free, we guess.

Tired Lion- Photo by Rachael Barrett

ROSEMOUNT HOTEL This Wednesday, August 6, sees Dream Rimmy, Catbrush, Rag N Bone, Golden String, Yokohomos and The Fruity Whites hitting the stage, while Thursday it’s hardcore courtesy of Trophy Eyes, One Last Thing, Lowlight and Friend Zone. Friday catch Jupiter Zeus, Dan Cribb And The Isolated, Project Redlight, 88 To Yesterday and Brufield, while Saturday The Television Addicts play the songs of The Victims with support from The Homicides, Helta Skelta and Legs Electric.

Trophy Eyes 26

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Moana - Photo by Rachael Barrett

MOANA Girl Talk

opinions and I think seeing us live is still the best way to really understand and appreciate what we’re about. Being our debut, we learnt a lot and are just buzzed to work on new stuff now and keep evolving.

Answered by Moana Lutton (vocals).

What made The Killer, My Girl stand out as a potential video subject?

It was the most visual song on the EP and therefore the most inspiring to translate to a film. The lyrics are all very visual and tell a story about specific characters, so the prospect of bringing those aspects to life was the most alluring. It’s also the most attitude-ridden song on the EP and we wanted to bring something powerful and bold to the world.

How was the video developed conceptually?

The song tells the tale itself; it’s a tormented love story about a killer woman who seduces you to blissful and wild love, only to rip your heart out and murder your soul. The atmosphere of the song is very dramatic and cinematic in a Tarantino or David Lynch kind of way. Our director Laure Bernard developed these initial ideas in a big kind of way and really brought it to life. It was an awesome collaboration.

What’s up next?

We’ve been writing heaps of new material and are hoping to do some shows over-east before the end of the year. Other than that just keep creating. More recording, more videos, more shows, more inspiration, more energy, more music.

Who is Moana?

Moana (pronounced mo-ah-na) means ‘ocean’ and much like the ocean we are a flexible entity. Moana is the band comprising of a predominantly three-piece line up (Javan Gorman, Lochy Hoffman and Moana Lutton) occasionally joined by other creatures on strings, flutes, saxophones and things. We’ve been kicking around as a band for about a year and a half and prior to that Moana was a very different solo thing based in Margaret River.

What’s your sound?

I think it’s a big mesh of sounds and influences. I guess the genre of ‘art-rock’ could sum it up, with blues and grunge undertones and an ever-present dark and mystical atmosphere. Someone once said that it’s like running through a darkly enchanted forest. Key influences vary from the darker side of The Doors, Leonard Cohen, PJ Harvey, Jeff Buckley, The Dead Weather.

How have you found the response to the recent EP, A Mouthful OF Birds?

All the feedback has been really positive! The reviews have all been really great and offer interesting insights. We are really happy with it, so that’s the main thing to remember amidst everyone’s different

Moana launch the video to The Killer, My Girl this Friday, August 8, at The bird with support from Puck, Old Blood and Golden String. Doors open at 8pm, entry is $5.

MOJOS BAR Friday, August 8, Hussle Hussle presents the lyrical mastermind Silvertongue, laidback chillguru Beckon, three piece jazz hip hop instrumental act Tale with special guests and DJ/Producer Henry Kissinger. Saturday, August 9, Fremantle rock act From The Dunes are releasing their second highly anticipated EP, Changing The Game, with special guests These Winter Nights and The Durongs.

Sunday, come down for a great assembly of artists including Justin Walshe, Odette Mercy, Eduardo Cossio Quartet and Michael D Lane.

From The Dunes

INDI BAR This Friday, August 8, local indie rock crew Arts Martial return to the Indi Bar with special guests Odlaw and Flowermouth! On Saturday, get a dose of roots rock with Matt Gresham and special guests, while Sunday sees Curtis McEntee launch his EP, Narcissus, with help from Riley Pearce, These Winter Nights and Logan Crawford.

YAYA’S Local rock outfit Vida Cain returns from their hiatus with a new guitarist in tow for a huge show on Friday, August 8, featuring the talents of Project: Bad, Approaching Opposite and The Sceptical Assassins. Then, finish off your week with the return of ARCADIA All-Nighter on Saturday; with some of Perth’s very best DJs spinning party starters all night it’s the perfect way to let loose and dance the week’s worth of troubles away!

As always don’t forget to hang around after the gig on Friday for ACE, where resident DJ Cookie spins your favourite party starters to help you dance all night long!

LO C AL & LAUNCHING

07/08

ONE LAST THING Back Stories EP Launch @ The Rosemount

08/08

MOANA The Killer, My Girl Video Launch @ The Bird

09/08

FROM THE DUNES Changing The Game EP Launch @ Mojos

10/08

CURTIS MCENTEE Narcissus EP Launch @ the Indi Bar

15/08

LET’S KILL UNCLE Self Titled EP Launch @ Amplifier

16/08

THE MONDAYS Groove EP Launch @ The Odd Fellow

21/08

OWEN RABBIT Police Car Single Launch @ The Bird

29/08

FACEGRINDER Unstable Mentality And Theoretical Convulsions Album Launch @ The Civic

30/08

REPTILLUMINATI Voodoo Cowboys Album Launch @ the Bird

06/09

KIMURA Uncaged EP Launch @ The Civic

19/09

JOSH JOHNSTONE Half A World Away EP Launch @ Indi Bar

20/09

THE PAINKILLERS Garage Sale Girl EP Launch @ Mojos WWW. XP RE SS MAG.COM. AU

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TOURS ILLY 16 Settlers Tavern, Margaret River 23 Leisure Inn Rockingham ROB SNARSKI 17 Mojos Bar LADY GAGA 20 Perth Arena KIDS IN GLASS HOUSES 21 Villa Nightclub THE DANDY WARHOLS 21 & 22 Astor Theatre KINGSWOOD 21 Prince Of Wales, Bunbury 22 Capitol TIM FREEDMAN 22 Ellington Jazz Club JAMES REYNE 22 Charles Hotel ULTRAGLOW 22 Metro City NORTHWEST PILBARA WEEKENDER 22 – 24 Port Hedland Turf Club AUGUST QUEEN + ADAM COURTNEY LOVE LAMBERT 13 Metro City 22 Perth Arena BOB DYLAN THE KITE STRING 13 - 15 Perth TANGLE Convention & 22 Amplifier Bar Exhibition Centre THE APE ft. TEX KATY STEELE PERKINS 13 & 17 Ellington 22 Astor Lounge Jazz Club 23 Mojos Bar BONJAH JAMES REYNE 14 Northshore 23 Astor Theatre Tavern THE ASTON 15 Indi Bar SHUFFLE 16 Amplifier Bar 23 Amplifier Bar 17 Dunsborough RUSSELL MORRIS Tavern 23 Regal Theatre ED KUEPPER MELODY POOL 14 Settlers Tavern, 23 X-Wray Café Margaret River 24 Settlers Tavern, 15 Fly By Night Margaret River HANSON 26 Ellington Jazz 15 Metropolis Club Fremantle KID INK PSEUDO ECHO 25 Villa Nightclub 15 Charles Hotel MAN IN BLACK: 16 Centurion Hotel THE JOHNNY CASH SPIDERBAIT STORY 15 Astor Theatre 26-31 Regal Theatre TINA ARENA KING BUZZO 15 Crown Theatre 26 Astor Lounge BODYJAR INDIAN SUMMER 15 Capitol 27 Newport Hotel INXS TRIBUTE 29 Mondo @ Ginger 15 Civic Hotel Nightclub RTRFM RADIOTHON GEORGE GARZONE 2014 28, 29, 30 Ellington 15 – 24 Jazz Club DAN SULTAN THE AMITY 16 Roebuck Hotel, AFFLICTION Broome 29 Red Hill BJÖRN AGAIN Auditorium 16 Crown Theatre KAV TEMPERLEY SEEKAE 30 Settlers Tavern, Margaret River 16 Villa Nightclub

THIS WEEK

NEUROSIS 6 Capitol I AM GIANT 7 Amplifier Bar PAUL GRABOWSKY 7, 8, 9 Ellington Jazz Club ROY ORBISON & DEL SHANNON TRIBUTE 7 Albany Entertainment Centre 9 Crown Theatre IAN MOSS 8 Charles Hotel SLEEPMAKESWAVES 8 Amplifier Bar CABLE SOUNDS ft.

PAUL KELLY 10 Cable Beach Amphitheatre MENTAL AS ANYTHING 11 Charles Hotel

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POP WILL EAT ITSELF 31 Rosemount Hotel THE OWLS 31 Indi Bar LA COKA NOSTRA 31 Villa Nightclub

SEPTEMBER DIEGO EL CIGALA 1 Regal Theatre ANBERLIN & THE GETAWAY PLAN 3 Metropolis Fremantle KANYE WEST 5 Perth Arena MINISTRY OF SOUND: SESSIONS 11 5 Villa Nightclub KAV TEMPERLEY 5 Players Bar, Mandurah 6 Prince Of Wales, Bunbury 7 Rumours, Albany 12 Divers Tavern, Broome MARINA PRIOR 5 Albany Entertainment Centre 6 Astor Theatre 7 Mandurah Performing Arts Centre HOWLING BELLS 6 Amplifier Bar THE WONDER YEARS 7 Amplifier Bar VELOCIRAPTOR 7 Newport Hotel SHARON JONES & THE DAP KINGS 8 & 9 Astor Theatre CANNIBAL CORPSE 9 Capitol PROTEST THE HERO 10 Amplifier Bar DOUG ANTHONY ALL STARS 9, 10 & 11 Regal Theatre LIOR 11 Albany Entertainment Centre ROBBIE WILLIAMS 11 & 12 Perth Arena BIFFY CLYRO 12 Metro City BAM BAM 12 Amplifier Bar CASEY DONOVAN 12 & 13 Ellington Jazz Club REECE MASTIN 12 Astor Theatre 13 The Lakes Theatre ONE DAY 13 Capitol UNCLE JED 13 YaYa’s 14 The Indi Bar GRACE KNIGHT 19 & 20 Ellington Jazz Club 360 19 Metro City (18+) 20 Astor Theatre (Licensed all ages) ANDY BULL 19 The Bakery 20 Rottofest STICKY FINGERS 19 Settlers Tavern, Margaret River ROTTOFEST 19 – 21 Rottnest Island GARETH LIDDIARD 20 Rosemount Hotel MEG MAC 20 Amplifier Bar JOE BONAMASSA 21 Perth Concert Hall GABRIEL IGLESIAS 23 Riverside Theatre

ANGUS & JULIA STONE 23 & 24 Perth Concert Hall ANDREA BOCELLI 24 Perth Arena INGRID MICHAELSON 24 Fly By Night Club BOY & BEAR 25 Albany Entertainment Centre 26 Bunbury Entertainment Centre 28 Fremantle Arts Centre DMA’S 25 Mojos Bar 26 Amplifier Bar COURTNEY BARNETT 26 Fly By Night KING GIZZARD & THE LIZARD WIZARD 26 The Bakery THE CAT EMPIRE 26 Fremantle Arts Centre 27 Metro City WAVE ROCK WEEKENDER 27 - 28 Wave Rock Caravan Park RISE OF BROTALITY TOUR ft. I KILLED THE PROM QUEEN, THE GHOST INSIDE, IN HEARTS WAKE 27 YMCA HQ 28 Capitol LISTEN OUT ft. FLUME, CHET FAKER, ZHU AND MORE 28 Ozone Reserve MIAMI HORROR 28 Newport Hotel

OCTOBER THE HIGH KINGS 1 Crown Theatre HANDS LIKE HOUSES 1 YMCA HQ 2 Amplifier Bar THE DIRE STRAITS EXPERIENCE 3 Perth Concert Hall VERUCA SALT 4 Rosemount Hotel RICK SPRINGFIELD 7 Crown Theatre JUSTIN TIMBERLAKE 8 & 9 Perth Arena SLAVES 8 Amplifier Bar THE TEA PARTY with SUPERJESUS 9 Crown Theatre DEAD KENNEDYS 11 Capitol THE SELECTER 14 Rosemount Hotel ALL DAY 15 YMCA HQ 16 Prince of Wales, Bunbury 17 Amplifier Bar SAY ANYTHING 15 Amplifier Bar COMEBACK KID 16 Amplifier Bar ALLDAY 16 Prince Of Wales, Bunbury TORCHE 17 Rosemount Hotel JOHNNY CASH THE CONCERT 17 Astor Theatre CHRISTINE ANU 17 & 18 Ellington Jazz Club ADAM BRAND 17 Centurion Hotel 18 Charles Hotel 19 The Ravenswood

MILEY CYRUS 23 Perth Arena BRAZOUKA 23 – 26 Regal Theatre BALL PARK MUSIC 24 Astor Theatre 25 Settlers Tavern, Margaret River LIL JON 26 Metro City THE ROLLING STONES 29 Perth Arena

GUILTY SIMPSON, AUGUST 7

WEEKLY

NOVEMBER THE ROLLING STONES 1 Perth Arena KATY PERRY 7 & 8 Perth Arena JOE SATRIANI 11 Astor Theatre YES 12 Crown Theatre KRISIUM 12 Amplifier Bar JOHN DIGWEED 14 The Stables Bar DUSKY 14 Ambar TORI AMOS 18 Perth Convention & Exhibition Centre JIMMY BARNES 22 Kings Park NICK CAVE SOLO TOUR 27 & 28 Fremantle Arts Centre BEN FOLDS & WASO 28 & 29 Perth Concert Hall COLAB FESTIVAL 29 UWA Oak Lawn

DECEMBER UB40 & BLUE KING BROWN 5 Red Hill Auditorium THY ART IS MURDER 17 YMCA HQ 18 Capitol

JANUARY 2015 SUZI QUATRO 28, 29 & 31 Regal Theatre

FEBRUARY 2015 PASSENGER 7 Red Hill Auditorium ROXETTE 14 Perth Arena THE EAGLES 18 & 19 Perth Arena ONE DIRECTION 20 Patersons Stadium PAUL SIMON & STING 21 & 22 Sir James Mitchell Park

MARCH 2015 FROM THE JAM 5 Capitol KYLIE MINOGUE 14 Perth Arena

MAY 2015 RICKY MARTIN 8 Perth Arena

JUNE 2015 5 SECONDS OF SUMMER 29 Perth Arena

MENTAL AS ANYTHING, AUGUST 11

WEDNESDAY 6/08

THE ALBION HOTEL Quiz Night AMPLIFIER BAR Academy vs. Harlem Wednesdays THE BIRD Shake A Tail Feather DJ Lady Carla BRASS MONKEY Sugar Blue Burlesque DJ James Ess THE BROWN FOX Open DJ Night CAPITOL Neurosis Drowning Horse CAPTAIN STIRLING Lokie Shaw THE CARINE Open Mic Night Shaun Street CHARLES HOTEL Funky Bunch Trivia CITRO BAR Seasons Of Perth Ben Merito CLANCYS CANNING BRIDGE Ewan Buckley Buddy Phoenix CLUB RED SEA Cheek THE COURT Wicked Wednesdays ELLINGTON JAZZ CLUB Priscilla Gardner Quintet FLYRITE Northbridge Nightly Now GOLD BAR Famous THE GOOD SHEPHERD Thinkfar GROOVE BAR (CROWN) 5 Shots HULA BULA BAR Island Nite INDI BAR Erbium The Lunettes Duo Radio In Motion LLAMA BAR Akuna Club LANEWAY LOUNGE Adam Hall & The Velvet Playboys THE LUCKY SHAG Howie Morgan METRO FREO C5 Next Gen MOJOS BAR

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Dust Sprawl Black Stone From The Sun Vin THE MOON CAFE Going Solo ft.

D-Jeong Louis Inglis MUSTANG BAR Backpacker & Student Blue Gene NEWPORT HOTEL Newport Wednesdays Student Night 459 ROSEMOUNT HOTEL The Latch Key Kids Trip Hazard & The Rude Boys Choking Stanley ROSEMOUNT HOTEL Adultbaby ft.

Dream Rimmy Catbrush Rag N Bone Golden String Yokohomos Fruity Whites ROSEMOUNT HOTEL (BEER GARDEN) DJ Anton Maz ROSIE O’GRADY’S NORTHBRIDGE Laugh Resort Comedy Open Mic Night With Dave Fyffe SETTLERS TAVERN Margaret River Primary School Battle Of The Bands SHAPE BAR Milk SOVEREIGN ARMS FIVEO SWINGING PIG Open Mic Night Greg Carter UNIVERSAL BAR Virtual Insanity VILLAGE BAR Village People Wednesdays YAYA’S 88 To Yesterday House Arrest At The Space Jam The Right Way Up THURSDAY 7/08

ALBANY ENTERTAINMENT CENTRE Roy Orbison & Del Shannon Tribute AMPLIFIER BAR I Am Giant

THE BIRD The Tommyhawks Knight Eloise Ashton BRASS MONKEY Rhythm Bound Karaoke BRIGHTON Siren Song Enterprises BROOKLANDS TAVERN Celebrations Karaoke CAPTAIN STIRLING Trivia Night THE CAUSEWAY BAR Xport Thursdays THE CLAREMONT HOTEL Institution Thursdays ft.

DJ Pup DJ Tahni CONNECTIONS NIGHTCLUB Bingay Hosted By Hannah Conda DEVILLES PAD Rock n’ Roll Karaoke DUNSBOROUGH TAVERN Open Mic Night Kris Buckle ELLINGTON JAZZ CLUB Morgan Bain GRAND CENTRAL PARK Nathan Gaunt GROOVE BAR (CROWN) Hi-NRG HULA BULA BAR Hi-Fi Lounge INDI BAR Open Mic Night KALAMUNDA PERFORMING ARTS CENTRE Comedy Gold - The Best of the Adelaide Fringe Chris Franklin Granny Flaps Georgie Carrol Big Al LAKERS TAVERN Howie Morgan LANEWAY LOUNGE Jessie Gordon LOST SOCIETY The Collective LUCKY SHAG James Wilson MARKET CITY TAVERN Maria Dunn Rob and Luke Jaylee Lefty Wade McLeod

SLEEPMAKESWAVES, AUGUST 8

Dynamic Quadro Drawn In The Dark Robbie Beecroft Chris Alder MOJOS BAR Guilty Simpson Katalyst Marksman Lloyd Mei Saraswati Raaghe Ismail MUSTANG BAR Villain The Midnight Mules DJ James MacArthur NEWPORT HOTEL The Newport Record Club OCEAN ONE BAR Turin’s Open Mic Night THE ODDFELLOW Bloody Dange ft.

The Floors Chu Aborted Tortoise THE PADDO Dove PEEL ALE HOUSE Open Mic Chris Kinna 459 ROSEMOUNT HOTEL The Fat Shan Band Comp Heat #3 Noah Skape Emilie Flynn Radio In Motion The Hounds Bad China Dry Dry River ROSEMOUNT HOTEL Trophy Eyes We Can Breathe In Space Lowlight THE SAINT Thursday Music Quiz SETTLERS TAVERN Open Mic Night with Claire Warnock SETTLER’S TAVERN Comedy @ Settlers Greg Fleet Garry Who UNIVERSAL BAR Off The Record YAYA’S Vida Cain Project: Bad Approaching FRIDAY 8/08

AMBAR Jesse Slayter AMPLIFIER BAR Sleepmakeswaves Breaking Orbit THE AVIARY Paradise Paul NDORSE

BAILEY BAR Hi-NRG THE BAKERY Bakery Box Social #1 ft.

Tired Lion David Craft Band Methyl Ehtel Ghetto Crystals Mitch, Robbie, Lewis DJs THE BALMORAL Troy Nababan Duo BAR ORIENT Raglan Road BEAT NIGHTCLUB (UPSTAIRS) STEREO Dan Peters The Cold Acre Colour Control The Shops BEAT NIGHTCLUB (DOWNSTAIRS) PLAY BELGIAN BEER CAFÉ Ella & Scott THE BELMONT Light Street BEST DROP TAVERN Tandem THE BIRD Moana Puck Old Blood Golden String THE BRIGHTON DJ Miss Chief Frenzy CAPITOL Capitol Fridays Roger Smart CAPITOL (UPSTAIRS) I Love ‘80s & ‘90s Darren Tucker THE CAUSEWAY 243 Fridays CHARLES HOTEL Ian Moss CHASE BAR & BISTRO Choppa CITRO BAR Jeanie Proude CIVIC HOTEL Blizard Implicity CLANCYS CANNING BRIDGE DJ Boogie CLANCY’S CITY BEACH Angus Diggs Trio CRUISING YACHT CLUB Baby Piranhas DEVILLE’S PAD Rockin’ A Go Go Fridays DUNSBOROUGH TAVERN Cuddles EAST 150 BAR Jamie Powers EDZ SPORTZ BAR 2 Tenors

Deadline Monday 5pm. X-Press Guide is a service to advertisers listing all entertainment events.

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

TOURS • LIVE • DANCE

BOOM! BAP! POW!, AUGUST 9

ELLINGTON JAZZ CLUB Paul Grabowsky Sextet Eddie Masson EMPIRE BAR Howie Morgan EVE NIGHTCLUB Recharge Fridays FLYRITE Sam Perry THE GATE Chris Gibbs GEISHA BAR Trancemit 17 – Black Plastic Techno Sessions Troy Puff James A GINGER NIGHTCLUB Mondo Dance Party GOLD BAR Fox Friday’s THE GOOD SHEPHERD Throwback GOSNELLS HOTEL The Gypsy Minions THE GREENWOOD Justin Cortorillo THE HERDSMAN The Blackbirds HULA BULA BAR Shakin’ It HYDE PARK HOTEL (COURTYARD) Dean Anderson INDI BAR Arts Martial Odlaw Flowermouth INDIAN OCEAN BREW CO. Ben Merito KALAMUNDA HOTEL One Trick Phonies LAKERS TAVERN Grizzly LANGFORD BAR & BISTRO The Mustangs LIBRARY Dorcia

MOANA, AUGUST 9

LLAMA BAR Honey LEISURE INN DJ Peta THE LUCKY SHAG DJ Richie G MALT Nu Disco Hip Hop M ON THE POINT Retrofit MAHOGANY INN Sophie Jane METRO CITY Myon & Shane 54 Marlo METRO FREO C5 Frat House Fridays MINT Club Retro MOJOS BAR Silvertongue Tale Henry Kissinger MULLALOO BEACH HOTEL Jam Jar Friday’s Ladies Night MUSTANG BAR Adam Hall & The Velvet Playboys Flash Nat & The Action Men MY PLACE Karaoke NEWPORT HOTEL FLUKE Fridays THE ODD FELLOW Basement Boogaloo PADDY MAGUIRES Cherry Lips PARAMOUNT Paramount Party Crew PARKER DJ Karl Blue DJ Skoob PEEL ALE HOUSE Siren Song Enterprises PIRATE BAR Adrian Wilsonm PORT KENNEDY TAVERN Everlong PUBLIC HOUSE Neil Viney QUARIE BAR & BISTRO Stackjammer Duo

FEATURED GIG

SIGMA

DRUMSOUND & BASSLINE SMITH SPECTREM SPILLAGE MAKER VILLA SATURDAY, AUGUST 9

MS54, AUGUST 8

THE QUEENS Jon Ee DJ Reuben ROLEYSTONE COUNTRY CLUB Leah Grant ROSEMOUNT HOTEL Cat Haven Fundraiser Jupiter Zeus Dan Cribb & The Isolated Project Redlight 88 to Yesterday Brufield 459 ROSEMOUNT Burgers of Beef The JAC Glenn Musto SAIL & ANCHOR Howie Morgan Duo THE SAINT Britty SETTLER’S TAVERN JUICE ft.

Strangelove THE SHED Crush DJ Glenn SOVEREIGN ARMS Thank God It’s…

Funky Lounge Fridays DJ Az-T THE SWAN HOTEL (LOUNGE) The Convicts SWINGING PIG Greg Carter TOUCAN CLUB Tydi UNIVERSAL BAR Nightmoves VILLA NIGHTCLUB AC Slater Mercer VERNON ARMS TAVERN Greg Carter THE VIC Nathan Gaunt YAYA’S Vida Cain Project: Bad Approaching Opposite ACE Fridays DJ Pup DJ Double Dee YMCA HQ Trophy Eyes One Last Thing

ASTOR LOUNGE Joel Barker Slums Logan Crawford THE AVENUE Lokie Shaw THE AVIARY Zel NDORSE BAR ORIENT Saturday Night Fever THE BAKERY The Big Splash Grand Final Dream Rimmy Hideous Sun Demon Kitchen People Pat Chow THE BALMORAL The Wire Birds BAR ORIENT The Reggae Club 7th Anniversary BAYSWATER HOTEL Acoustic Saturdays BEAT NIGHTCLUB (UPSTAIRS) CANVAS BEAT NIGHTCLUB (DOWNSTAIRS) Big Kidz by Request THE BIRD Lower Spectrum Leon Osborn, Mei Saraswati Craig McElhinney BOAB TAVERN James Wilson THE BOAT Gary Fowlie BRASS MONKEY DJ Peta & Grizzly THE BRIGHTON Squinty CAPITOL (UPSTAIRS) Cream Of The ‘80s DJ Roger Smart THE CARINE Adam James CIVIC HOTEL Ragdoll Hailmary This Other Eden CLANCY’S CANNING BRIDGE Ray & Natalie Mae THE CLAREMONT HOTEL Antics Tim from Tim & Jean CROWN THEATRE Roy Orbison & Del Shannon Tribute

SATURDAY 9/08

THE CRUISING YACHT CLUB Gee Whiz DEVILLES PAD Black Magic Disco DUNSBOROUGH TAVERN Sophie Jane Duo

AMBAR Japan 4 AMPLIFIER BAR Emperors Pat Chow Lionizer Childsaint

CATBRUSH, AUGUST 6

ELLINGTON JAZZ CLUB Paul Grabowsky Sextet Ruby and the remedy ENTICE @ FLAWLESS Ladies Night FLAWLESS LQ Saturdays FLYRITE Father THE GATE Greg Carter GEISHA BAR Element ft.

Chef HouseHed James Smith El Dario THE GENEROUS SQUIRE Defanutly GOLD BAR Pure Gold GOOD SHEPHERD Vibe Merchants Culture Sax Cee Dubble Mandem Mitch Frodo Huffle Pelajik Dellity Professor Mowbray GOSNELLS HOTEL Third Gear THE GREENWOOD Supernova GROOVE BAR & LOUNGE (CROWN) Decoy HULA BULA BAR Sailor Saturdays HYDE PARK HOTEL Chris Gibbs Band INDI BAR Matt Gresham KALAMUNDA HOTEL Celebrations Karaoke LANEWAY LOUNGE Retrofit Alcatraz LOST SOCIETY Chalk M ON THE POINT Rhythm 22 MERRIWA TAVERN Celebrations Karaoke METRO CITY Metro Saturdays METRO FREO Metropolis Saturdays METRO FREO C5 I Love ‘80s & ‘90s

MOJOS BAR From The Dunes These Winter Nights The Durongs MONKEY BAR & LOUNGE Dan Cribb & the Isolated MUSTANG BAR The WalTones Milhouse NORTHSHORE TAVERN Howie Morgan Project OCTAGON THEATRE Lisa Moore THE ODD FELLOW Boom! Bap! Pow! Axe Girl THE PADDO Cheeky Monkeys PARAMOUNT Felix PARKER Parker Anniversary Drifter Troy Division Paul Scott ACEBASIK Lukas Wimmler Jackness Axen Wasteland Not So Hot Simon Paiker PEEL ALE HOUSE Siren & Assassin PORT KENNEDY TAVERN Stu McKay THE QUEENS Jon Ee 3manuel RAILWAY HOTEL Fetid Mound Cavalier Kaan Penance ROSEMOUNT HOTEL The Television Addicts The Homicides Helta Skelta Legs Electric SAIL AND ANCHOR Organ Grinders THE SAINT Crackers SETTLERS TAVERN Tony Lane Electric SWAN HOTEL (BASEMENT) Icy Dice THE SHED HUGE DJ Andyy SOVEREIGN ARMS Countdown Saturday Britty SPRINGS TAVERN Joppy

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JIMMY EDGAR, AUGUST 10

SWALLOW BAR Razor Jack SWINGING PIG Frenzy TOUCAN CLUB Vice UNIVERSAL BAR Soul Corporation VELVET LOUNGE Lucid Dreaming Records James A Darren J Fielding Natalie Daws Jonny Lommerzheim VILLA NIGHTCLUB Sigma Drumsound & Bassline Smith Spectrem Spillage Maker WINTERSUN HOTEL Ian Moss YAYA’S DJs Jordan Double Dee Cookie ARCADIA! SUNDAY 10/08

BAILEY BAR & BISTRO Gary Fowlie THE BALMORAL Andrew Winton THE BELMONT Justin Cortorillo BENTLEY HOTEL Jeanie Proude THE BIRD Slam Poetry Heat 2 THE BRIGHTON James Wilson BROKEN HILL HOTEL Glenn Musto BROOKLANDS TAVERN Frankie G CABLE BEACH AMPHITHEATRE Cable Sounds Paul Kelly THE CARINE Dean Anderson THE CAUSEWAY Acoustic Sunday CHASE BAR & BISTRO Jonny Dempsey CITRO BAR Adrian Wilson CIVIC HOTEL Troy Nababan CLANCYS CITY BEACH Sunday Brekky Sesh ft.

The Limelights Jazz Trio CLAREMONT HOTEL Sunday Driver

CLUB BAYVIEW Lokie Shaw COMO HOTEL Two Frets Down DUNSBOROUGH TAVERN Kris Buckle ELLINGTON JAZZ CLUB MFG FLINDERZ HILLARYS Treva Jalla THE GATE Chris Gibbs THE GREENWOOD Glen Davies HULA BULA BAR Tiki Time Sundays INDI BAR Curtis McEntee Riley Pearce These Winter Nights Logan Crawford INDIAN OCEAN BREW CO Retriofit KALAMUNDA HOTEL The Joshua Trio LAKERS TAVERN Wesley Goodlet Jamboree Scouts THE LUCKY SHAG DJ Richie G MOJOS BAR Justin Walshe duo Odette Mercy Eduardo Cossio Quartet Michael D Lane M ON THE POINT Nathan Gaunt MULLALOO BEACH HOTEL Sunday Sesh NEWPORT HOTEL Dan Cribb & the Isolated THE PADDO Superseeds PEEL ALE HOUSE Thierryno PORT KENNEDY TAVERN Greg Carter QUARIE BAR & BISTRO The Gypsy Minions THE QUEENS FIVEO Sam Spencer THE ROSE & CROWN HOTEL Blackbirds ROSEMOUNT HOTEL (BEER GARDEN) The Get Down ft.

DJ Charlie Bucket DJ John Safari Klean Kicks THE SAINT Sunday Funday

TELEVISION ADDICTS, AUGUST 9

SETTLERS TAVERN Sunday Session on the Verandah John Read THE SHED The Healys Renograde SOUTH ST. ALEHOUSE Open Mic Night SWALLOW BAR Sunday Sessions Voudou Zazou SWANBROOK WINERY Jacob Diamond Riley Pearce Dee Muru SWINGING PIG Siren & Assassin UNIVERSAL BAR Retrofit VERNON ARMS TAVERN Kevin Curran WANNEROO TAVERN Adam James THE WINDSOR Acoustic Aly MONDAY 11/08

BRASS MONKEY Monday Madness Student & Industry Night CHARLES HOTEL Mental As Anything MOJOS BAR Wide Open Mic PARKER Manic Mondays ROSEMOUNT HOTEL Comedy Trivia YAYA’S Big Tommo’s Open Mic Variety Night TUESDAY12/08

THE BIRD Scultping The Void Exhibiton Launch Luke Dux And Will Stoker

BRASS MONKEY Open Mic Night Shaun Street CHARLES HOTEL Perth Blues Club Empire Blues Connie Kris David Capper The Brett Muhlhan Blues Band CONSERVATORY ROOFTOP BAR Rooftop Comedy ELLINGTON JAZZ CLUB Anea Duratovic Quintet GROOVE BAR (CROWN) Jack & Jill LANEWAY LOUNGE Open Mic Night Josh Terlick LOBBY LOUNGE (CROWN) Hans Fiance LUCKY SHAG Leighton Keepa MERRIWA TAVERN Celebrations Karaoke MOJOS BAR Galloping Foxleys Bryan Rice Dalton MUSTANG BAR Danzaloca Salsa Night OCEAN ONE BAR Overgrowth Open Mic Night THE PADDO Quiz Meisters 459 ROSEMOUNT HOTEL Bex & Turin’s Wide Open Mic SWINGING PIG Siren Song Enterprises YAYA’S Dirtmouth, Sly Withers Eb Oreo Ballet For Boys Indecision

FEATURED GIG

LOWER SPECTRUM LEON OSBORN, MEI SARASWATI CRAIG MCELHINNEY THE BIRD FRIDAY, AUGUST 8

29

NEWS

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INTERVIEWS

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REVIEWS

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LIVE

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EVENTS

DELICIOUS @ ROCKET ROOM

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MUSIC GEAR & TECHNOLOGY

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CLASSIFIEDS

Very few of us have access to an acoustically treated studio in which to do our audio recording, and vocal work is especially difficult in non-optimal situations. There are a variety of techniques and myths you can use to minimize the reflection and hot spots of a room.

You can do a great deal to improve room acoustics by filling it with soft things. I know it looks super cool to have pyramid foam all over the walls, but it’s expensive, difficult to apply, and the cheaper stuff is actually still quite reflective.

Your best bet is to hang heavy curtains all over the walls, put carpet on the floor, and then to put a small amount of pyramid foam on the ceiling.

Even easier than that, is to make sure your monitors are optimally positioned. Make sure the monitors are raised to be exactly at ear height, pointing towards your comfortable seated position. The monitors should be the same distance apart from each other as they are from your head, so they form an equilateral triangle.

If possible, put them on speaker stands, as when they’re sitting on the desk, they resonate with your desk to put peaks and troughs in your spectrum curve.

As far as microphones are concerned, one in particular stands out. The Rode Procaster is a dynamic microphone, with recording quality on par with most mid range condensers. This means you can get a professional audio quality recording, but it will only pick up sound that is near to the microphone, not all the other junk that’s in the room, and helps to minimize echo and reverberation.

If you already have a condenser microphone, and

MUSOS WANTED OPEN MIC NIGHT every Thursday night at Indi Bar. Email Trojan_johnmusic@yahoo. com.au for spot. Laneway Lounge Open Mic every Tuesday night. If you’re keen for a spot text Josh on 0430313577 OPEN MIC NIGHT Solo acoustic open mic Thursdays at Ocean One Bar. Scarborough.

Call or text Brett on 0447 597 179.

ROCHELLE O’REILLY & THE FEEL GOODS seek new Bassist for Orig/Cover Band.

Must have exp & R&B Flow. 0438345354 Rochelle PRODUCTION SERVICES CD & DVD MANUFACTURE Check out our latest CD & DVD specials online at www.procopy.com.au 9375 3902 MATRIX PRODUCTIONS AUSTRALIA Lighting, staging, sound systems, smoke machines, night club FX, intelligent lighting, strobes & mirror balls, crowd barriers, video projectors. 9371 1551

RECORDING MIXING MASTERING P RO DUC I N G Fre m a n t l e l o c at i o n .

Call Pete Kitchen Cooked Records.

Ph 0407 363 764 / 9336 3764 R E V O LV E R S O U N D S T U D I O Ph 9272 7505. www.revolverstudio.com.au S O N GW R I T E R S - BA N DS ! G re at Productions! London Producer, awesome studio. Call Jerry on 0405 653 338 www.jerichomusic.com.au REHEARSAL STUDIOS AAA VHS REHEARSAL ROOMS Great facilities, great vibe & great price!!!

Unit 5 /16 Peel Road, O’Connor. Phone 9418 5815 or 0413 732 885 BIGBEAT SOUND STUDIO Clean rooms, all new PA systems, air-con and good parking . Willetton Ph: 0425 698 117.

PLATINUM SOUND ROOMS Professional rehearsal rooms, airconditioned, quality PAs mob 0418 944 722 STREAM STUDIO’S 89 Stirling St, Perth. Mobile: 0403 152 009 info@streamrehearsal.com.au

Rode Procaster

SM Pro Audio Mic Thing

STUDIO TREATMENT Getting The Most Out Of Awkward Acoustics

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RECORDING STUDIOS ALAN DAWSON’s WITZEND RECORDING STUDIO Prof quality albums or demos, large live room, experienced engineer, analog to digital transfers, mastering..Alan 0407 989 128 or Jeremy 0430638178 www.witzendstudios.com ANALOG MASTERING VINTAGE TAPE, TUBES & TRANSFORMERS with the latest state of the art digital converters. Clients include: Melody’s Echo Chamber, Pond, Gossling, Knife Party, Felicity Groom, The Floors, Jeff Martin & The Panics.

World class facility, World class results. www.poonshead.com. 9339 4791 ANDY’S STUDIO International multi award winning songwriter / producer. No band required. Broadcast quality. A songwriter’s paradise. Ph 9364 3178 GOLDDUST Production Mixing, recording and composition. Leederville $80 p/h.

0408 097 407

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want to help isolate it from the room, take a look at a pop filter and isolation panel. My preference is the Mic Thing by SM Pro Audio. Very nice all in one unit including a tripod stand, and it has adjustable sides, so you can swing it open for group harmonies, or close it up for solo work.

Finally, if you’re still having problems with resonant frequencies, put some acoustic mats under your monitors. A set of Vicoustic mats will only set you back about $30 - $50, and can do wonders to cancelling strange buzzing or standing waves.

TULLY JAGOE

VANDA & YOUNG SONGWRITING COMPETITION The Vanda & Young Songwriting Competition is now open with $50,000 up for grabs for this year’s winning entry. Well known as a career kickstarter for previous winners, Megan Washington, Kimbra and The Preatures; the competition is judged by a panel of industry professionals with a $10,000 runner up prize and $5,000 third place prize also available.

Entries close on Monday, September 22; for more information visit apraamcos.com.au/ vandayoungsongcomp.

TUITION ***GUITAR LESSONS*** The Guitar Institute. New Studio New Times Avail.

Online bookings. Beg to prof, all styles.

Tutors WWC clearance. Cliff Lynton Guitar Institute. Mt Lawley 9342 3484/ www.clifflynton.com BASS GUITAR LESSONS AVAILABLE by WAAPA tutor. A practicle approach to learning. .All styles.Years of experience.

Tony Gibbs 9470 6131

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