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THE MUSIC • 9TH OCTOBER 2013 • 3
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6 • THE MUSIC • 9TH OCTOBER 2013
australian tour 2013
with special guests husky & twin forks
saturday 14 december sidney myer music bowl ticketmaster.com.au or 136 100 | all ages
tickets selling fast! new album ‘the hurry and the harm’ available now cityandcolour.com chuggentertainment.com
THE MUSIC • 9TH OCTOBER 2013 • 7
themusic 9TH OCTOBER 2013
#009
BOB’S BURGERS
INSIDE FEATURES
Melbourne Festival Fuck Buttons Cartoons
- SARAH REID ON RUNNING WITH BULLS (P66)
The Handsome Family My Fiction Bushwalking
feature
Katchafire Sleigh Bells Devin Townsend Project Grouplove McKisko Cosmo Jarvis Icona Pop The Cinematic Orchestra Kathy Griffin Ian Jorgensen
REVIEWS
Album: Clowns Live: The Cult Arts: Fringe Festival Games: Legend Of Dungeon
THE GUIDE Cover: Audego Local News Gig Guide Eat: Peanut Butter Drink: Iced Coffee
TRAVEL “THE FIRST BULL PACK PASSES ME BY SO CLOSE I COULD HAVE TOUCHED THEM, BUT I’M TOO BUSY SCREAMING.”
“WHAT’S FASCINATING ABOUT THE SHOW IS ITS COMPLETE LACK OF MORALS (IT’S AWESOMELY DISGUSTING).”
- STEVE BELL ON CARTOONS (P28)
STREAM MELBOURNE PSYCHEDELIC SHOEGAZE BAND FLYYING COLOURS’ NEW EP. LISTEN AT THEMUSIC.COM.AU.
ALL THE NEWS AND RESULTS FROM THIS WEEK’S CARLTON DRY INDEPENDENT MUSIC AWARDS. HEAD TO THEMUSIC.COM.AU.
FIVE REASONS WHY DANCING WITH THE STARS WILL MAKE YOU SAD. ONLY AT THEMUSIC.COM.AU.
Travel: Pamplona The End: Sinead O’Connor’s Beefs
feature “WE’VE WRITTEN WHEN WE’VE REALLY NEEDED TO, WHEN THERE’S BEEN SOMETHING IN OUR BODIES ACHING TO COME OUT.” - CAROLINE HJELT OF ICONA POP (P40)
PIC BY ANNA WARR
review 8 • THE MUSIC • 9TH OCTOBER 2013
“THE OBSERVATORY WILL OBSERVE MUNTERS NAVIGATING THEIR OWN INTERGALACTIC PATHS TONIGHT.” - BRYGET CHRISFIELD AND GUIDO FARNELL REVIEW LISTEN OUT FESTIVAL (P53)
AUSTRALIA’S HOME OF LIVE MUSIC SINCE 1878
PRESALE TIX FROM ESPY.COM.AU
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Dead City Ruins, Virtue. From 9pm.
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THE DOORS SHOW
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Red X, Jack Stirling. From 9pm.
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Secrets Of The Venus Horses. Doors 8pm.
SMOKE STACK RHINO
ALBUM SHOWCASE
MY LEFT BOOT, MY DYNAMITE
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SUNDAY FROM 5PM - FREE!
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DALE RYDER BAND
PHIL PARA & BAND
Plus Dj Ms. Butt. From 5.30pm.
SYDONIA, ENGINE, GAY PARIS
BAD BOYS BATUCADA
BROTHERS GRIM, KING OF THE NORTH
THE MUSIC • 9TH OCTOBER 2013 • 9
CREDITS
PUBLISHER Street Press Australia Pty Ltd GROUP MANAGING EDITOR Andrew Mast EDITOR Bryget Chrisfield ARTS AND CULTURE EDITOR Cassandra Fumi EDITORIAL ASSISTANT Stephanie Liew MUSO EDITOR Michael Smith GIG GUIDE Justine Lynch vic.giguide@themusic.com.au SENIOR CONTRIBUTOR Jeff Jenkins CONTRIBUTORS Aleksia Barron, Atticus Bastow, Steve Bell, Luke Carter, Anthony Carew, Oliver Coleman, Rebecca Cook, Adam Curley, Cyclone, Guy Davis, Dan Condon, Simon Eales, Guido Farnell, Sam Fell, Tim Finney, Bob Baker Fish, Cameron Grace, Tom Hawking, Andrew Hazel, Brendan Hitchens, Jeff Jenkins, Kate Kingsmill, Baz McAlister, Samson McDougall, Tony McMahon, Fred Negro, Matt O’Neill, Josh Ramselaar, Paul Ransom, Dylan Stewart, Stephanie Tell, Izzy Tolhurst, Nic Toupee, Dominique Wall, Glenn Waller, Matthew Ziccone SENIOR PHOTOGRAPHER Kane Hibberd PHOTOGRAPHERS Andrew Briscoe, Holly Engelhardt, Jay Hynes, Lou Lou Nutt
THIS WEEK THINGS TO DO THIS WEEK • 9 OCTOBER - 15 OCTOBER 2013
save
wow
NATIONAL SALES MANAGER Brett Dayman ADVERTISING DEPT Leigh Treweek, Tim Wessling sales@themusic.com.au ART DIRECTOR Nicholas Hopkins ART DEPT Eamon Stewart, Brendon Wellwood, Julian De Bono
Imagine what would happen if everyone who attended the 2010 Save Live Australian Music (SLAM) rally (estimates being as high as 50,000 heads) turned up to fill Bourke Street once more, this time to save Palace Theatre! We don’t need another 30-story hotel/complex, so you know what you’re gonna do on 12 Oct at 12pm? Assemble on the steps of Parliament House. Head to Facebook.com/savethepalacemelb for full details.
We were mourning the impending conclusion of So You Think You Can Dance (US, Season Ten) last week when, all of a sudden, a YouTube clip featuring the raddest sixyear-old dancer on the planet hit our inboxes. Terra from the UK looks like Tinky Winky (the purple Teletubby) in her purple trakkies, but man can she bust a move with maximum swag!
vic.art@themusic.com.au ADMIN & ACCOUNTS Loretta Zoppolone Shelley Neergaard Jarrod Kendall Leanne Simpson accounts@themusic.com.au DISTRO Anita D’Angelo distro@themusic.com.au SUBSCRIPTIONS store.themusic.com.au CONTACT US Tel 03 9421 4499 Fax 03 9421 1011 info@themusic.com.au www.themusic.com.au 584 Nicholson St, Fitzroy North 3068 Locked Bag 2001, Clifton Hill VIC 3068
MELBOURNE
Melbourne Fringe is over for another year. On 5 Oct the winners in the category awards were announced as This Is Why We Can’t Have Nice Things in cabaret and …We Should Quit in circus. Isabel Angus and Rachel Davis’s show EDGE! won best comedy. TRTH + FNTSY won best dance. City Of Shadows won best music. Best Performance and The Tiki Tour Ready Award went to the two-hander They Saw A Thylacine (pictured).
awards
lol
Watch Tina Fey parody Girls. It’s a memorable Saturday Night Live promo; the cast nail the voices of Hannah, Jessa, Marnie and Shoshanna, and it’s really impressive. Girls is one of those TV shows that has been so heavily lauded and criticised in equal measures that it’s ripe for parody. It’s almost like stealing from an unattended servo, it’s so easy. Fey’s hilarious take is to introduce a new cast member, Berta from Albania, to give the girls some much-needed perspective.
toy
sting
And here we were thinking that jellyfish didn’t bring much to the table. They’re regular environmental activists! Tonnes of the wobbly critters managed to shut down the Oskarshamn Nuclear Power Plant in Sweden after becoming clogged in the pipes, and excitedly, marine biologists reckon the occurrence could happen more frequently in the future. Mother nature taking the power back.
Ever wondered what Aussie hip hop stars like Seth Sentry and Drapht would look like as fiveinch tall bobble heads? Well, now you can totally find out thanks to Hip Hop Heads, who are shrinking down some of our country’s finest lyrical gymnasts so that they can ride in our cars and watch over our work desks. Nod your head, yo! $29.95 plus postage from hiphopheads.com.au.
watch
For your daily dose of lady-inspiration, watch Julia Gillard killing it in conversation with Anne Summers. The woman packed out the Sydney Opera House and wore a sparkly cardigan the whole time. You can check out the entire forty minutes on the ABC website. She speaks candidly about being a female prime minister and about how it kinda hurts to be dumped by your party. It’s a good time for it – she’s not yet irrelevant, and you’re still feeling nostalgic about her and not adjusting well to seeing Tony’s mug on the evening news. THE MUSIC • 9TH OCTOBER 2013 • 11
national news news@themusic.com.au
IGGY STARS IN THE QUICK AND THE CANCELLED
As quick as it was announced last week it was pulled from our clutches. The Iggy Azalea sideshows that were meant to happen around her Beyonce dates on 25 Oct, Trak Live Lounge, Melbourne; 27 Oct, Arena, Brisbane; and 2 Nov, Metro Theatre, Sydney have all been cancelled. A statement on the matter reads: “Iggy’s management apologise for confusion caused relating to the Australian sideshows and take full responsibility for the miscommunications.” Shall we put this on the growing pile of hip hop show stuff-ups? Hmmm.
PUNCH DRUNK LOVE NEUTRAL MILK HOTEL
LAY OUT THE WELCOME MAT
It’s with great joy and plenty of relief that we can tell you Harvest casualties Neutral Milk Hotel (pictured) will still be performing Down Under for the very first time. But it gets better! The US cult indie group will be joined by the forever smooth M. Ward and fuzz-rock kings Superchunk. With the two supports both releasing cracking records this year and the headline act keen to make up for lost time, this tour will surely be remembered long after the final riffs have rung out. The American triple threat will happen at The Tivoli, Brisbane, 12 Nov; Enmore Theatre, Sydney, 14 Nov; and Forum Theatre, Melbourne, 15 Nov. Tickets on sale this Friday.
Eager young indie types Lime Cordiale have put the finishing touches on their stumbling fun EP, Falling Up The Stairs, and will bring their quirky lyrics and brass flourishes to The Toff In Town, Melbourne, 2 Nov; Alhambra Lounge, Brisbane, 7 Nov; Solbar, Maroochydore, 8 Nov; The Northern, Byron Bay, 9 Nov; Transit Bar, Canberra, 14 Nov; Oxford Art Factory, Sydney, 15 Nov; and Cambridge Hotel Front Bar, Newcastle, 16 Nov.
CHEMICAL IMBALANCE
When We Are Scientists plug in, it’s hard to work out just what you’re supposed to do. The trio lock into grooves that are designed for dancing, but the volume that weighs down on you is more typical of a full throttle metal concert. It’s bouncy, loud and impossibly fun and if you haven’t seen the New York-based group do their thing on stage then don’t miss your chance. Touring their latest Business Casual EP, you can see We Are Scientists on one of the following dates: The Zoo, Brisbane, 22 Jan; Factory Theatre, 24 Jan; Corner Hotel, Melbourne, 25 Jan; and Amplifier, Perth, 26 Jan.
THE GREAT SCOT
Sickest Cunt Out There – that’s what Kerser is proclaiming himself to be. But behind all the hilarity of that statement is plenty of belief and some serious freestyle chops to boot. The MC’s new album S.C.O.T. will be hitting shelves on 25 Oct, so you’ll have plenty of time to get well versed in the verses before Kerser performs in 2014. Dates are as follows: Cambridge Hotel, Newcastle, 1 Feb (two shows: all ages/18+); The Hi-Fi, Sydney, 8 Feb (all ages); The Hi-Fi, Melbourne, 15 Feb (two shows: under 18/18+); The Hi-Fi, Brisbane, 22 Feb (two shows: under 18/18+); and Metro City, Perth, 1 Mar.
PUT THE FAYGO ON ICE
If you understand that headline, then you probably already know what we’re about to tell you; Insane Clown Posse’s horror circus is coming to town. The infamous American hip hop act will be looking to recruit more Aussies into their juggalo family, so don the face paint and unleash your inner hatchet man when Violent J and Shaggy 2 Dope rock the mike with special international guests Boondox and Big Hoodoo. The tour hits The Hi-Fi, Brisbane, 5 Dec; The Hi-Fi, Melbourne, 6 Dec; The Hi-Fi, Sydney, 7 Dec; and Metropolis, Fremantle, 8 Dec.
“JUST READ A BUNCH OF SUICIDE NOTES (NICKELBACK SHEET MUSIC)” PADDLE POP LION INTO SELF HARM? [@MEGANAMRAM] THINKS SO. 12 • THE MUSIC • 9TH OCTOBER 2013
KATE MILLER-HEIDKE
RIGHT BEHIND HER
Proving her unwavering popularity in Australia, Kate Miller-Heidke has just smashed records with the crowdfunding campaign for her fourth record (and first as an independent artist), O Vertigo!. Achieving the funding target in a mere three days, the quirky Queensland songwriter will be sure to repay fans’ faith in her artistic pursuits with a series of colourful and captivating live shows happening next year. She will play York Theatre, Seymour Centre, Sydney, 12 Mar; Athenaeum Theatre, Melbourne, 18 Mar; Quarry Amphitheatre, Perth, 21 and 22 Mar; and The Tivoli, Brisbane, 5 Apr. Tickets for all dates go on sale this Thursday.
national news news@themusic.com.au JIMMY CARR
SNEAKER AUCTION
STEP TO IT
Warner Music Australia is back to reinforce the goodwill generated last October by running charity auction In Their Shoes again during Cancer Awareness Month. The project sees musicians penning their own designs for a pair of plain white Chuck Taylors using nothing more than a few coloured fabric markers, with artists submitting creative kicks including The Black Keys, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Skrillex and Bon Iver. After the initiative raised more than $120,000 for the National Breast Cancer Foundation last year, the auction will be hosted on eBay again in 2013, going live on 24 Oct at 6pm before bidding closes on 29 Oct. You can get a sneaker peek of the designs at intheirshoes.com.au, or head along to The Standard, Sydney on 27 Oct from 7pm where all 70 designs will be exhibited.
BLEEDING THROUGH
Celebrating thirty years of black metal power, seminal Scandinavian overlords Mayhem will swoop down on the Aussie east coast early next year. Church burnings, murder, prison sentences – any of these scandals would’ve been enough to derail a weaker band. But Mayhem continue to stand tall, and will treat the fans to a viewing in the flesh, playing The Hi-Fi, Melbourne, 10 Jan; Factory Theatre, Sydney, 11 Jan; and The Hi-Fi, Brisbane, 12 Jan.
CAVE
JOKE TECHNICIAN
Landing in Australia for the very first time, celebrated British comic Jimmy Carr will showcase his champagne wit and slick wordplay with a few nights of capital city hilarity early next year. During the last decade Carr has become a regular personality on English stage, screen and radio, and with his new show Gagging Order he takes things to places both welcome and vulgar, but always with his unmistakable charm. Smash your moral compass and catch ol’ James at Hamer Hall, Melbourne, 15 Jan; Concert Hall, Perth, 19 Jan; City Hall, Brisbane, 22 Jan; and Sydney Opera House, 28 Jan. Tickets are on sale this Thursday.
THE BEST OF THE BUNCH
The nominees in the running for the Channel [V] Oz Artist 2013 have just been announced, with the final 50 consisting of a great mix of old and young, loud and soft, lads and ladies. Just a few of the artists up for the annual award include, Parkway Drive, The Preatures, RÜFÜS, Flume, Alison Wonderland and Tame Impala, with voting open now at vmusic.com.au. Tune in to The Riff on 23 Nov at 10.30am to find out who made the final four, with the winner announced 7 Dec.
“GOOD THING I HAVE AN INFINITE AMOUNT OF PAIN TO TAP INTO” MORRISSEY IS CALLING [@WOLFPUPY], HE WANTS HIS VIBE BACK.
GOT AN INKLING FOR THIS? TRANCE ROCK
For the very first time, you’ll be able to witness the wide-reaching psych style of Cave live on Australian stages, with the Chicagoans making a summer stop in our parts. Expect your mind to be twisted when the quartet perform at The Zoo, Brisbane, 4 Dec; Annandale Hotel, Sydney, 5 Dec; Kelvin Club, Melbourne, 6 Dec; and as part of Slanted and Enchanted, Astor Theatre, Perth, 7 Dec.
American R&B superstar Jason Derulo has made his intentions clear, saying last week that he wants to permanently relocate to Australia and start his family. And what better way to make some new pals than take his shows to arena stages across the country? The Tattoos album tour will touch down at Rod Laver Arena, Melbourne, 26 Apr; Royal Theatre, Canberra, 29 Apr; Newcastle Entertainment Centre, 1 May; Brisbane Entertainment Centre, 3 May; Sydney Entertainment Centre, 5 May; and Perth Arena, 10 May. Get your tickets this Friday.
FIRST ARIAS UP FOR GRABS
Just a week out from the official ARIA nominations event, the nominees for the ARIA Fine Arts and Artisan Awards have been announced. These include best jazz, world, classical and soundtrack release, as well as producer and engineer of the year and best cover art, with some of the individuals in the running including Harley Flume Streten, Kevin Parker [Tame Impala], Luke Steele and Nick Littlemore [Empire Of The Sun], David Bridie, Nick Cave and Warren Ellis and Renee Geyer. These awards will be presented at the Art Gallery of New South Wales, 15 Oct, along with the announcement of the full list of artist nominees for 2013. THE MUSIC • 9TH OCTOBER 2013 • 13
local news vic.news@themusic.com.au ARCHIE ROACH
FOY VANCE
FOYBLES BEST OF
The diversity of Victoria’s contemporary music scene will be celebrated next week with the inaugural Age Music Victoria Genre Awards. Eleven expert panels spent the last six weeks debating the best music across 11 genres. Stalwarts including Archie Roach (nominated for both Best Folk Roots album and Best Indigenous Act), Russell Morris, Shane Howard and Allan Brown Trio are rubbing shoulders with younger acts such as Hiatus Kaiyote, Client Liason and Yung Warriors. You can vote for your favourite music at theage.com.au/agemusicvictoriaawards from 11 Oct to 15 Nov, before the awards are presented at Billboard on 20 Nov.
SECRET SWAY
Found Some Secret is the first single from Amaya Laucirica’s latest album, Sway. Musically, the track is an exercise in restraint and subtlety which nevertheless carries with it a degree of weight and majesty. Sweet yet dark, soft yet strong, Found Some Secret is the perfect introduction to the sonic landscape that awaits on Sway. You can watch Laucirica play her tunes live at The Toff In Town on 30 Oct.
MEET THE PRESS
HAVE SOME HART
Award-winning queen of comedy Miranda Hart comes to our shores for intimate warm-up shows ahead of her 2014 major arena UK tour. Hart started out doing ten years of stand-up before making TV appearances and breaking out with her 2009 sitcom Miranda. She performs a show at the Athenaeum Theatre on 10 Feb.
RIGHT ON TIME
World’s End Press’ self-titled debut album is expansive, ambitious and darkly anthemic. Intimate ballads nestle between uplifting house driven bangers; glassy-eyed 5am club excursions push up against elegant pop songs. They take their tunes on the road, performing at Corner Hotel on 6 Dec as well as Meredith Music Festival on 13 Dec.
Vampire Weekend have announced a couple of Falls sideshows. With their third album Modern Vampires Of The City climbing to number one on the ARIA chart and their headline performance in Sydney early this year selling out swiftly, tickets for their January shows with special guests Gang Of Youths are sure to fly fast. Catch Vampire Weekend at an all-ages gig at Festival Hall on 6 Jan.
BUILDING UP
WE HEART DARREN
Gearing up for the 2014 release of their fifth album, Melbourne mavericks of modern pop Architecture In Helsinki will be hitting the road, stopping by at the Corner Hotel on 29 Nov with guests Chela and Banoffee. The first taste of the album, the infectious In The Future, has been setting radios alight.
Suave Melbourne art star Darren Sylvester announces launch dates for his acclaimed second album Off By Heart. He’ll perform at the rather swanky exclusive private club the Kelvin Club on 8 Nov. Off By Heart is available now, and also comes in a limited edition deluxe version that includes a set of postcards and a custom-made tote bag. Get in quick if you’re a fan.
“STILL NOT SURE WHY THE CEILING CAN’T HOLD US.” RAP MUSIC DOESN’T HAVE TO MAKE SENSE [@SOFIFII] – DUH. 14 • THE MUSIC • 9TH OCTOBER 2013
Ireland’s Foy Vance takes cues from the likes of Otis Redding and Nina Simone with palpable similarities to his Irish compatriot Van Morrison. Foy’s songs spark cognitive chaos, filled with beats and lyrics teemed with uninhibited emotion, pulled from the deepest depths of his psyche. His sound bridges genres from British folk to American blues. See him supporting The Handsome Family at The Hi-Fi on 12 Oct.
DISARMING ART
Melbourne’s most diverse and talented musicians will play instruments forged from weapons for an upcoming program at the National Gallery of Victoria as part of Melbourne Festival. Disarm is Mexican artist Pedro Reyes’s response to global civilian warfare. Musicins include: members of the Australian Art Orchestra (12, 13 Oct), BOLT Ensemble (20 Oct) and Make It Up Club (27 Oct). Pedro Reyes also presents a free talk about his creations on 13 Oct at 2pm.
BLINK
BLINK, DON’T MISS IT
Ian ‘Blink’ Jorgensen (A Low Hum, NZ) is the latest international guest speaker to be announced for Melbourne’s Face The Music contemporary music conference in a series of exciting workshops and keynotes co-presented with Melbourne Music Week. Blink will host a presentation on how Australian artists can pull off a no-budget world tour, make thousands of fans and have the time of their lives. Presented by The Music, Face The Music is held at the Arts Centre on 15 and 16 Nov.
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WEDNESDAY 13 FRI 1 NOV
WHO IS ZOE? WINTER YORK DASH
MONDAY 14 OCTOBER
FUNKTOBERFEST
ARTHUR PENN & THE FUNKY TEN KINGSTON CROWN CROOKS & QUEENS $10 JUGS OF CARLTON
THE AGE MUSIC VICTORIA AWARDS WED 20 NOV
TUESDAY 15 OCTOBER
RESIDENCY
PURPLE TUSKS THE SEVEN UPS BELLA & THE MELLOWS
COMING UP TIX AVAILABLE THRU MOSHTIX:
ARTHUR PENN & THE FUNKY TEN (MONDAYS IN OCTOBER) PURPLE TUSKS (TUESDAYS IN OCTOBER) GRANDSTANDS (WEDNESDAYS IN OCTOBER) THE DEAD HEIR - SINGLE LAUNCH (OCT 17) FUNKOARS (OCT 19) ELLIOT SMITH TRIBUTE (OCT 20) ROCK FOR CATCHMENT FT. BARBARION (OCT 26) CIRCLES – ALBUM LAUNCH (NOV 9) JERICCO – ALBUM TOUR (NOV 10) DANCE GAVIN DANCE – USA (NOV 15) HUNDREDTH – USA (NOV 22) DAUGHTERS – USA (JAN 17)
CHIC AND NILE RODGERS FRI 13 DEC
DARK TRANQUILITY THU 27 MAR
THE MUSIC • 9TH OCTOBER 2013 • 15
local news vic.news@themusic.com.au
MIDDLE TRANSLATION
EL VEZ
Best known as guitarist and songwriter for Powderfinger, Darren Middleton has just released his debut solo album, Translations. Middleton takes the record on tour, stopping by The Toff In Town on 23 Nov.
BEAUTIFUL COLOURS
Paul Greene & The Other Colours have released their new single Beautiful Delusion, which is lifted from the band’s forthcoming album. See the band play at Northcote Social Club on 21 Nov with Simon Meli & The Widowbirds and Baha Tacos, Rye on 22 Nov with Rosie Burgess.
SPLIT RELEASE
All Tomorrow’s Parties has announced that their forthcoming Release The Bats show, due to take place in Altona on 26 Oct and featuring headliners The Breeders and Marquee Moon, is moving venues to the Palais Theatre (as Main Stage) and Prince Bandroom (as Second Stage) in St Kilda. THE BOMBAY ROYALE
KING’S DOWN UNDER, KINDA
Playing in Australia for the first time in ten years is El Vez, the most famous Elvis tribute act in the world (dubbed ‘the Mexican Elvis’). On his God Save The King 25th Anniversary tour El Vez will be playing a full set, comprising his best of songs from some of his 20-plus releases. He will be backed by a full band, including mamacitas with the moves, the Elvettes. See him at The LuWow on 31 Oct for the Mondo Macabro Halloween Show and again on 1 Nov. Presented by The Music.
“WHY DOES ANYONE GIVE A FUCK ABOUT THE FUCKING MERCURY... APHEX NEVER NOMINATED, M PEOPLE WON IT. FUCK OFF.” YOU GUESSED IT: [@FOURTET] DIDN’T GET A NOD IN 2013.
SUNDAY SOCIALS
MMW
There’s more and more to be excited about at Melbourne Music Week (15 to 24 Nov). Some of the highlights include the return of the Live Music Safari, featuring more than 40 local artists including The Sweethearts, Zanzibar Chanel and The Bombay Royale. Free performances from Kon (USA), Grand Salvo, DJ Geezy and more providing an awesome backdrop to a relaxed lunchbreak in the MMW People’s Garden. Electronic AV artists Naysayer & Gilsun morph and mash sound with the moving image in their NGTV project at ACMI. And Chk Chk Chk’s Justin van der Volgen supports Hieroglyphic Being at The Residence on 16 Nov. 16 • THE MUSIC • 9TH OCTOBER 2013
St Kilda venues Captain Baxter, Republica and Encore are to host Sunday Social Club @ SKV, from 6 Oct to April 2014. The lineup features Jeff Shepherd, Kylie Auldist, Cookin’ On 3 Burners, Jason Hera (Electric Empire), Nick Karaservidis (Melbourne Soul Collective), Samuel Boon (Saskwatch), and more. Details at stkildavenues.com.au.
CRYSTAL CAVE
As well as playing Falls and Southbound this summer, Crystal Fighters perform their first ever headline shows in Australia next January. They bring tunes from their new album Cave Rave to the Corner Hotel on 6 Jan.
NOT SUBSTANDARD
Six hundred applicants for the The Substation Contemporary Art Prize have been whittled down to 50 artists who will have their work displayed in The Substation’s 2013 exhibition. On 18 Oct the winners will be announced.
YEAH BOY
Hip hop pioneers Public Enemy have been named as the first act on the 2014 Golden Plains Music Festival. Flavor Flav, Chuck D and co were last here for the 2012 Groovin’ The Moo festival and were as charismatic and energetic as ever so undoubtedly Aussie fans will eagerly welcome them back to our shores next March. The festival will take place from 8 to 10 Mar at the Supernatural Amphitheatre in Meredith.
TURN OVER A NEW LE1F Back by popular demand, Le1f is returning to Australia for Meredith Music Festival. After the release of his new Tree House mixtape, this big-buzz rapper from NYC brings his Tree House Party Tour down under, also playing at Grouse Party’s 6th Birthday on 6 Dec at Roxanne Parlour with DJ/producer Mess Kid (USA) and local supports Brothers Hand Mirror, DJ Fletch, DJ Melodee Maker and the Larnach-Jones Bros.
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festival
OUR GUIDE TO THE 2013 MELBOURNE FESTIVAL The Rabble Photos by Kane Hibberd.
OUR FESTIVAL PICKS
THE POLYPHONIC SPREE Fresh from performing their rapturously received The Rocky Horror Show set at Splendour In The Grass, The Polyphonic Spree spoil us with a return visit within the one year, this time performing three intimate shows. Tim DeLaughter plus 14-piece band is a spiritual thing. And for these Australian-exclusive shows congregations get to see them in Melbourne Festival’s 500-capacity, custom-built pop-up performance space. Amen to that. 20 to 22 Oct, Foxtel Festival Hub (ticketed)
MINSK, 2011: A REPLY TO KATHY ACKER This work by the Belarus Free Theatre is a response to Kathy Acker (If you haven’t read Blood And Guts In High School do yourself a literary favour). Belarus Free Theatre was formed in 2005 and Belarus performances are always free and often held in private apartments. The Guardian said of Minsk 2011 “Hard hitting, essential and furious, a show that explored the psyche of living in Europe’s last dictatorship.” One of the founders of BFT Natalia Kaliada will give a talk at the festival hub about theatre, politics and home on 23 Oct. 24 to 27 Oct, Arts Centre, Fairfax Studio (ticketed)
6000 MILES AWAY: SYLVIE GUILLEM Even if you’re no danceophile, Sylvie Guillem will make you gasp. In an industry that favours the young, she’s still performing aged 48 and you will never see extension, a natural arch or hyper-extended jeté quite like that of this exquisite French ballerina. 6000 Miles Away also sees Guillem collaborating with the crème de la crème of the world’s contemporary choreographers: William Forsythe, Jirí Kylián and Mats Ek. 26 and 27 Oct, Her Majesty’s Theatre (ticketed)
FUCK BUTTONS This London-based duo creates the kind of music that makes you feel as if the punch has been spiked with ayahuasca. Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds recruited them for the inaugural ATP festival at Mt Buller in 2009 and Fuck Buttons sound all gnarled and twisted like Aphex Twin. Music to lose the plot to that will keep you distracted for days afterwards. 25 Oct, Foxtel Festival Hub (ticketed) 20 • THE MUSIC • 9TH OCTOBER 2013
ECLIPSE: AMADOU & MARIAM
MAKING MODELS: THE COLLABORATIVE ART OF WENDY EWALD
Grammy award-winning African musical duo Amadou and Mariam present Eclipse, which will be performed outside of Europe for the first time as part of Melbourne Festival. The Malian husband-andwife duo, who have been blind since childhood, are also known for their collaborations with Damon Albarn, TV On The Radio and Santigold. Warning: most of this performance takes place in total darkness. And apparently there’s an olfactory element.
In last years Melbourne festival we were the first state in Australia to see Gregory Crewdson’s Brief Encounters. This year, American photographer Wendy Ewlad is coming to our trammed city with Making Models: The Collabroative Art Of Wendy Ewald, an extensive photographic survey that spans forty years. Ewlad work with children taking images; uses the camera as an educational tool.
23 to 25 Oct, Melbourne Recital Centre (ticketed)
LIVING ARCHITECTURES An architect would sit at the bottom carriage of Sydney trains to gain this rare foot heavy view of the world. This is a series of films by Ila Bêka and Louise Lemoine on modern architecture. From the view of the people who maintain them every day. Filmmakers Bêka and Lemoine who will also hold a talk at RMIT Design Hub on 15 Oct. 12 and 13 Oct, Capitol Theatre (free)
12 Oct to 10 Nov, Centre For Contemporary Photography (free)
LIFE AND TIMES EPISODES 1-4 The way to see this one is the marathon ten-hour performance on 26 Oct (it comes with dinner). This is USA company The Nature Theater of Oklahoma’s verbatim work. Based on a phone covo with Kristin Worrall who was asked “Can you tell me your life story?” This piece of epic theatre is in the same vain as Robert Lepages’ Lipsynch (9 hours)and Ivo Van Hoves’ Roman Tragedies (6 hours). This ongoing project will eventually be 24 hours. Nature Theater of Oklahoma directors Kelly Copper and Pavol Liska’s will give a free talk 24 Oct at the Festival Hub. 22 to 26 Oct, Arts Centre, Playhouse (ticketed)
ROOM OF REGRET Local theatre company The Rabble wowed us at The Malthouse last year with Orlando and with their Neon show earlier this year Story Of O. The Rabble’s aesthetic is always at the forefront of their works. Room Of Regret, a new take on Oscar Wilde’s The Picture of Dorian Gray, is no expectation. They have built a fricken labyrinthine network of corridors to be doused in gold petals – enough said. Emma Valente (director) will give a free talk with Daniel Schlusser on independent theatre making in Melbourne at the festival hub on 15 Oct. 21 Oct to 3 Nov, Theatre Works (ticketed) CLOCKWISE FROM TOP RIGHT: THE POLYPHONIC SPREE; MINSK, 2011: A REPLY TO KATHY ACKER; LIVING ARCHITECTURES; 6000 MILES AWAY: SYLVIE GUILLEM; LIFE AND TIMES EPISODES 1-4
ROOM WITH A VIEW The Rabble’s Emma Valente talks to Stephanie Liew about recontextualising The Picture Of Dorian Gray in new work Room Of Regret and dealing with people walking out of their previous play.
C
ombining performance, art, design and experience within a purpose-built structure comprising ten rooms, Room Of Regret sounds like no adaptation of Oscar Wilde’s The Picture Of Dorian Gray you’ve seen before. “We were really curious to combine the experience you get in a gallery with the experience you get in a theatre,” explains Emma Valente, the show’s director and one half of The Rabble alongside Kate Davis. “The piece starts with everyone sitting down, as you would for a theatre piece, and ends up with people being able to walk around the installation and see things for themselves.” Such an unusual audience space understandably comes with its own set of challenges: “One of the primary prerequisites of being a director is that you can see and hear everything that performers are offering. Within this structure, you can’t do that. I guess that’s good as well – I’m really getting to understand the nature of the structure and how an audience would feel in there. That’s absolutely one of the most challenging things… but also one of the most rewarding.”
The Rabble’s decision to adapt Wilde’s novel was in part based on seeing within it themes and questions that still ring true in the present day. “It’s written in the late 1800s but speaks very loudly to a kind of contemporary context in terms of how you replicate your own image and how you present yourself in public versus how you are in private,” elaborates Valente. “I’m also interested in the idea of what role can art play in contemporary society: can it be influential, can it change people’s minds, can it shift society in any way?”
With an aim to give voice to ideas that until recently were very much on the fringes, The Rabble are no strangers to challenging their audiences. Their adaptation of Pauline Reage’s erotic novel Story Of O was critically acclaimed but also shocked people into walking out of the play. “A lot of people said to me, ‘It’s amazing that you’re provoking people to walk out; that’s a win’ but the actual practical reality of people walking out of your show... is not excellent. Once people were really informed about what they were coming to see, there was a lot less of that.”
theatre
Despite such reactions, this kind of evocative, avant-garde theatre is undoubtedly becoming more embraced in recent times. Having started on the edges of the community to now being presented in venues such as Malthouse, MTC and soon Sydney’s Belvoir, Valente has noticed the shift. “People have started seeing the currency in independent work and a different multitude of voices have started being represented in those companies, which just wasn’t the case ten years ago – not even five years ago. I feel like we’re a little bit in the right place at the right time because as our company’s been able to make work on that scale and of that quality, suddenly the producing houses are just starting to produce that kind of work.” WHAT: Room Of Regret WHEN & WHERE: 21 Oct to 3 Nov, Theatre Works
THE MUSIC • 9TH OCTOBER 2013 • 21
dance
WE STARTED A FIRE It only takes a struck match to bring down an empire; so what do you get when you light fires on stage? For Stephanie Lake and Robin Fox the answer borders on chaos, as Paul Ransom discovers when he investigates the spark that led to A Small Prometheus.
W
hen Prometheus stole fire and gave it to humanity he could not have known what it would lead to; especially not the bit about Zeus turning him into a lump of rock and having his liver pecked out by vultures. Shame for Prometheus. Great news for us. We got fire and great mythology in one fell swoop. The rich metaphoric quality and inherent danger of the flame has inspired many an artist, and in this case choreographer Stephanie Lake and sound artist Robin Fox have come together to use the idea of
the spark to create A Small Prometheus for the Melbourne Festival. As Fox explains, “For us the interest in fire came from an interest in ignition – the point at which something combusts and catches fire. I think that works both from a sound and a choreographic point of view.” With five dancers and four kinetic fire sculptures, the work brings together unpredictable movement and sonic elements, with the dancers and onstage objects interacting in ways that flirt with the boundaries of structure and chaos. Indeed, as it is cosmically, so it is thematically.
theatre
“There’s also this idea of the transference from stable to chaotic systems,” Fox says. “So it’s not fire but what comes from fire.” For a choreographer, the idea of chaos borders on existential. Stephanie Lake is no different: “I like crafted movement. I like the invention and the control of movement; but the thing about this piece is we’re going into slightly more chaotic situations, where things are structured but there are all sorts of chance elements.” Conceived as a work that was as much music as dance, A Small Prometheus flirts with chaos yet remains, unlike fire, highly ordered. According to Lake, the piece is “timed to the second and most of it is intricately choreographed but the interesting thing is those tipping points, those transitions between things that are completely fluid.” As part of his complex, intricate sound production, Fox recorded matches being struck. “I’m always interested in really high fidelity recordings of really mundane things,” he reveals. “Taking the idea of the struck match, I put a bunch of really expensive microphones next to it in a controlled environment and got right into the essence of what that sound is. The burning of the matchstick has this amazing bottom end, almost a groaning sound.” In essence the Promethean myth is about unintended, unforeseen consequence, and for Stephanie Lake this idea maps well with the organic nature of contemporary dance. “Hopefully that’s what’s coming through in the choreography,” she concludes, “because it travels through so many different states and ways of interacting.” Much like a flame after the match has been struck.
WHAT: A Small Prometheus WHEN & WHERE: 15 to 20 Oct, Arts House
NO OUTCOME Nicola Gunn’s new experiential show In Spite Of Myself will have your mind spinning from how meta it is. Simon Eales wraps his head around it.
P
erformance artist Nicola Gunn has been working in residence at the Arts Centre since July. At the upcoming Melbourne Festival, she presents a show that is a kind of a product of that development, although the very notion of producing some sort of finished product is highly problematic in her eyes. The show, In Spite Of Myself, is essentially a “fictional retrospective exhibition” of a performance artist named Nicola Gunn, along with a lecture about Nicola Gunn’s work. It’s experiential. It’s not autobiographical, but sort of is. In Spite Of Myself is ‘meta’. Working in the Arts Centre, Gunn and her artist collective, Sans Hotel, found offering a response to the institutionalisation of contemporary art an integral piece of the show’s fabric. “We can’t help but have the politics of the Arts Centre, and the politics of art making, and the politics of arts organisations influence our work, because it’s been so influential in our process. And I always tend to be more interested in the process of art making, and less focused on the outcome.” For Gunn, this focus on what it means to create art within the structure of societal influence and oppression involves a range of interrelated preoccupations. “It started as almost a joke, really, about mythologizing the artist and so on, and what makes the artist. Is it the work? Is it the media hype surrounding the artist?” The question of art’s economic viability feeds straight into this joke:
22 • THE MUSIC • 9TH OCTOBER 2013
“I think the work that I make, one day, will be a financially viable pursuit for somebody, a producer. But I’m not a celebrity, and I make solo work as an independent artist. So [the Arts Centre] are taking a huge risk.” Gunn got the gig when Simon Abrahams was still involved as the Arts Centre’s Program Manager. She is also supported by various other arts funding bodies. Nevertheless, there is still the pressure to pop a product out from her ‘process’. “To have this development money and not have an outcome is probably just something they couldn’t fathom. I don’t know, really.” Raising
these kinds of unsolved riddles forms and informs In Spite Of Myself. There even seems to be a provocative valorization of institutional schedules and structure. “I think that if I didn’t set these kinds of extreme deadlines then I wouldn’t get anything done… I work in a slow, methodical process, creating, writing, directing and performing the work. They’re separate phases,” she says. In this kind of performance art, where the subject is the process, and the audience is the subject, as well as the audience, Gunn sometimes worries: “Maybe my show is only for people who work in the arts industry! But then I don’t think that. This kind of shit happens in any industry. It’s just office politics.”
WHAT: In Spite Of Myself WHEN & WHERE: 9 to 13 Oct, Arts Centre, Fairfax Studio
THE MUSIC • 9TH OCTOBER 2013 • 23
theatre
ARTISTIC DEFIANCE Theatre-maker Daniel Schlusser explains to Oliver Coleman why his new work M + M is more interested in the responses to The Master And Margarita rather than its story.
W
hen describing his rehearsal room Daniel Schlusser mentions that “from an outsider’s perspective it could seem quite cultish or baffling”. A first time viewer of Schlusser’s work might feel similarly when watching his finished creations: a lot of activity occurs onstage – performers move about in a surprisingly untheatrical manner focused on the minutia of seemingly pedestrian tasks. You get the impression that the actors are just being themselves. Slowly, the show works its way into your consciousness.
theatre
Everything is astutely crafted but wholly alive. The performers, each working within their own score, play a precise part within the collective arrangement. M + M, which utilises the Soviet era novel The Master And Margarita by Mikhail Bulgakov – as well as the circumstances under which it was written – as a leaping off point for Schlusser’s experimentation is showing at Theatre Works as part of Melbourne Festival. “I think you won’t come out of it on an academic level knowing what life was like under Stalin or what the historical conditions of Bulgakov were, but experientially
you may have been taken through something that actually tapped the real dark comedy and tragedy of that.” Many theatrical adaptations of The Master And Margarita exist but Schlusser got much more interested in the experiences of the novel’s author: “It was written as a kind of act of artistic defiance by an author living under a Stalinist regime. So we’ve taken that observation, that it is a candle being kept alive at a very grim time and extrapolated that out. We’re not telling the story of the book. We’re more interested in our own responses to it.” These responses point towards the contemporary iconography of art activists working in Russia today – Pussy Riot being the most prominent example. Schlusser has said on a previous occasion that to be a theatre-maker is “to be a stubborn brute howling in the desert. To choose to be a theatre maker is to define oneself as a cultural pervert, loitering on the fringes of masochism, far from the metropolis of relevance”. Theatre is the art form that is routinely said to be in its death throes – devoid of significance in the digital age. Maybe this is true; Schlusser is one of the country’s most esteemed theatre directors yet most Australians would likely not know his name. But he persists in his experimentation, in his provocations to our psyche hurled from afar. So what can art provide in dire circumstances? Schlusser searches for answers in his source material: “The comfort of art. That comfort in a religious sense, it gives succour; it’s the last thing you can destroy in an individual no matter how institutionalised or depraved or deprived you make them – the way that the imagination flickers on. It’s a very romantic idea.” WHAT: M + M WHEN & WHERE: 8 to 16 Oct, Theatre Works
TROUBLED TEENS Coming back Down Under to perform the last two parts of their “trilogy” Ontroerend Goe sure know how to titillate. Danny Delahunty speaks to Artistic Director Alexander Devriendt.
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elgian theatre company Ontroerend Goed have a strong reputation for explosive work that transgresses country borders and the two shows that they’re bringing to this year’s Melbourne International Arts Festival are definitely set to explode our fine city. In Teenage Riot, the first of these two amazing works, director Alexander Devriendt takes us on a candid journey into the minds of teenagers, giving us a true and honest account of youth via the playing out of anarchic, violent and sometimes cruel games. The play dives headfirst into the question: is it still possible for a teenager to rebel? The show is an intermedia explosion made and performed by young people. It is a big ‘fuck you’ letter to the world around them – a critique of the global society they’re set to inherit and an explosion of frustration and anger towards the generations that came before. If you saw Ontroerend Goed’s 2009 piece Once And For All We’re Gonna Tell You Who We Are So Shut Up And Listen then you’ll have a sense of the themes, but the kids are a bit older this time and their voices are much, much louder. Compare and contrast this to the All That Is Wrong, the final instalment in this ever so slightly misnomered “trilogy” of plays. Misnomered, because although the three plays are thematically linked, each of them communicates
24 • THE MUSIC • 9TH OCTOBER 2013
differently and there’s no narrative link. “It’s not The Godfather,” Alexander says, “it’s a trilogy with a meaningful connection, but they’re separate plays. We haven’t ever been able to perform the trilogy at the same time because the kids from Once And For All grew up and created All That Is Wrong.” Which is what this final show is all about really – growing up and being kicked out of the teenager club. One of the kids from Once And For All is on the precipice of becoming an adult – at 18 years old, Anna Jakoba Ryckewaert is struggling to find out who she is. A real, present and unpretentious comingof-age tale happening right before our eyes, this piece is quiet and
poignant to balance out the vigour and chaos that is Teenage Riot. Koba is joined on stage by Zach Hatch, a young American man who first saw the troupe perform in LA and was so impressed that he literally followed the company throughout the US and then just turned up in Ontroerend Goed’s hometown of Ghent for their next show. He was so touched by the piece that he stalked the troupe halfway across the world to join in with their loud and proud voice of independent youth, and is now a part of their work. It’s proof that if you really want something bad enough then you will achieve it... and a good place to start ticking off life achievements definitely seems to be this year’s Melbourne International Arts Festival. Who knows... maybe you’ll end up in Ghent. WHAT: Teenage Riot and All That Is Wrong WHEN & WHERE: 15 to 18 Oct, Arts Centre, Fairfax Studio and 19 to 20 Oct, Arts Centre, Fairfax Studio
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design
BOTTLE IT UP
do
Giuliano Ferla gets a lesson on theatrical design at the Foxtel Melbourne Festival Hub Launch, courtesy of Bluebottle director Ben Cobham.
I
am on my way to the Foxtel Melbourne Festival Hub Launch at Federation Square. I am heading there to interview Ben Cobham, the director of Bluebottle, which is the company hired to build this year’s festival hub. I arrive at the door and I see a bunch of corporate performance artists standing around trying to look goofy. I get a complimentary coffee and keep myself occupied. I watch the performers. I hate them. You know, once upon a time I did something like this. I did it and then I stopped, because it was just too embarrassing. One of the performers comes up to me on his hands and knees with a ball in his mouth. Playing at being a dog, he wants me to play fetch. He, like the others, is dressed in purple and yellow complementary colours, emphasising wackiness. They all have straps around their heads that peg metal hooks into the corner of their mouths, forcing their lips back into a smile. The guy with the ball in his mouth is now rubbing his head against my leg, but I do not want to play fetch. I bend down so I can get close to his ear. “Fuck off,” I whisper to him. I don’t really do that – I just think about it. I’m annoyed at the unpleasantness of this whole thing and how degrading it is for them. But I’m
“[The different parts of the building] fitted together, we rented the land and put the house on it and when the lease ended we packed it up and took it away. That’s how it started.” Bluebottle are applying the same principles in the design of the Melbourne Festival Hub. “In a way, this is the moment we’re up to, using the same premise, using that same pre-engineered kit of parts that we can carry and put up. But this one’s kind of like on steroids. It’s a very big venue.” Talking to Cobham is inspiring, especially
not a jerk. So I listen to the speeches being made, I drink some lemonade, and then it’s my turn to interview Ben Cobham. And Ben, dressed like a boho Marcel Marceau, turns this morning around for me. It’s only occasionally that you get to talk to someone who is passionate about their craft, who knows what they serve, and who is very articulate in expressing it. He speaks about his philosophy: “I do have a very strong belief that theatres, the foyers and the auditorium are so amazing that it makes it really hard for performers… We know that at the end of the day it is our job to make the people standing onstage look good, and they’re why people come. We don’t want to upstage them. Our work is about trying to hold a fairly tight line, and always allowing there to be more.” For the Hub, he and the team at Bluebottle have come up with a space and building that is informed by theatrical design. “We’re theatre people. Bluebottle is made up of theatre people, and we’ve been working for about ten years on the idea of using theatrical sensibilities and moving them into other contexts.” The Hub will be a structure based on pragmatism, simplicity and manoeuvrability. He talks about getting inspiration from one of his previous projects, The Impossible House, which was a house designed and engineered upon the concept of the theatrical bump in. He, his partner and his newborn child rented a block of land in South Melbourne and built it.
considering my shirtiness at the performers. He has a real little gem about approaching work: “You can try to be the boss of something, or you can let it be the boss and listen to what it’s asking for, and if you are listening the right things will happen. It might sound a little bit hippie but we’re not. We’re actually really pragmatic, but we like that process.” I like him. The Foxtel Melbourne Festival Hub is going to be a place where people can hang out between shows and lounge about. It’s also host to a whole lot of music and cabaret, including The Polyphonic Spree, Prince Rama, Cody Chestnutt and Husky. Check the guide for the full season.
26 • THE MUSIC • 9TH OCTOBER 2013
engage ARTISTS IN CONVERSATION
AT THE HUB
A lunchtime event that is more than just grabbing a sanga, hear from a selection of artists from this year’s festival – from the artistic directors of Ontroerend Goed, Alexander Devriendt and Anna Jakoba Ryckewaert to Michael Kantor and Tom E . Lewis to ballerina Sylvie Guillem. 13 to 25 Oct, Foxtel Festival Hub. watch ÓLAFUR ARNALDS This Icelandic multi-instrumentalist has toured with fellow countrymen Sigur Rós and presents wistful, harmonious, orchestral masterpieces to make you swoon and then gallivant off in search of some snow for snow angel-making. 12 and 13 Oct, Foxtel Festival Hub.
party WERK This is the Australian premiere of this performance art club Werk from Dublin’s ThisIsPopBaby. Let’s bring the art- form back to the party! This is a one off happening, so be sure to get to the hub early. 26 Oct, Foxtel Festival Hub. dance FLIGHT FACILITIES The Sydney DJ duo is set to perform the Decades series of online DJ mixtapes for the first time anywhere, ever. Yes, you can expect them to dress as pilots so be sure to dress up yourself! There will be prizes for best fancy dress each night. 18 and 19 Oct, Foxtel Festival Hub. eat TOMMY COLLINS Last year we got tipsy off ice-cream at the hub and this year we defs won’t go hungry. The Tommy Collins Group is managing the catering duties of the site. Think housemade sweets, beef brisket baguettes and killer lattes from the specially-designed pop-up cafe.
JOURNEY AGENTS
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Fuck Buttons have no idea why anyone (other than themselves) listens to their music. They also “don’t have an interest in travelling”, Andrew Hung informs Anthony Carew.
“T
o be honest, I don’t have an interest in travelling at all,” admits Andy Hung, one half of the English electro-noise duo Fuck Buttons. “So, the touring lifestyle has been an interesting development in my life.” Hung is on the line from Rome, about to depart for Bologna. It’s a sunkissed autumnal day in Italy and, given the band – Hung and Benjamin John Power – spent the previous day visiting the leaning tower of Pisa, it sounds like a blessed life; especially when you’re in the middle of a Melburnian downpour. So how can Hung have no interest in travelling? “There’s a lot of things I want to do at home!” Hung laughs. “We’re both very creative people; we want to be making things all the time. And you can’t really do that when you’re travelling. Without wanting to sound like a hippy: there’s as much exploration you can do internally as there is to do externally.” Across three LPs – 2008’s Street Horrrsing, 2009’s Tarot Sport and 2013’s Slow Focus – Fuck Buttons have staged explorations in sound. Their mix of throbbing electronics, post-rock guitar arcs and tribal percussion is steeped in the peaks of dance-party DJ sets while maintaining a genuinely psychedelic bent; like the sound of Black Dice’s Beaches & Canyons turned into a glittering sonic spaceship, which the band are out to pilot into the unknown. “What’s fun about music is that it takes you on a journey without you having to plan and intellectualise that,” Hung says. “When you’re making something, a good sign is when you start surprising yourselves. The time in which you’re doing something that feels a bit dangerous to you, that’s what you strive for; I think any artist can empathise with that. You want to feel like you’re exploring, otherwise you’re just going through the motions.” Part of the intuitive, exploratory nature of Fuck Buttons’ music comes from its instrumental nature, which lends it an interpretive quality that makes it perfect for film placements and/or Olympic opening ceremonies. Stuart Braithwaite of Mogwai – whose band shares plenty
“IT’S ABOUT COMMUNICATION. EVEN IF THAT MAKES IT SOUND LIKE WE’RE IN A RELATIONSHIP.” of musical similarities with Fuck Buttons and played an integral role in their early years – infamously declared that Mogwai songs, for all their hilarious titles, were essentially about nothing. Are Fuck Buttons’ songs, y’know, about anything? “Not really. But kind of. There’s certain imagery that it conjures for us, and it’s exciting for us to have that, but in terms of, like, themes or stories or narrative, there’s none of that,” says Hung. So what kind of imagery does it conjure for them? “No!” Hung yelps, defiantly. “Not saying! We’ve been hesitant to talk about that at all. Not because we’re secretive, but because that’s part of the fun about the music. We wouldn’t want to rob any listeners of that joy of getting their own imagery from whatever they’re listening to. Once, this guy on one of our YouTube videos, can’t remember which song it was, said it was like lying on a lake of ice, watching shooting stars. That’s a pretty incredible image.” Courting the visions of listeners is, however,
low on the list of Fuck Buttons’ priorities. Hung and Power – who met at art school in Bristol, in 2004, and began playing soon after – worked with their intuitive approach, not setting out with any intent in mind. Street Horrsing was written, Hung recounts, entirely for themselves; a work of home recording that they never expected the world to hear. When it ended up being released on the ATP label, hailed as Best New Music by Pitchfork, and thus attracting blogosphere hype, they could’ve looked to cater to their newfound audience; one much larger than an experimental, instrumental, end-of-the-world-sounding noise act could’ve ever expected to by playing to. Instead, they made Tarot Sport and Slow Focus with the same insularity; shutting out the rest of the world and inhabiting their own realm. “We write it for ourselves, always, without any regard for how anyone else will perceive it,” says Hung. “We think it’s amazing that anyone else listens to our music at all, but we have no idea why they do. Because it’s just the two of us, we’re only really trying to satisfy each other. By reading each other’s expression, when we’re writing or jamming music, [we] can tell when something’s going right. When we’re playing for ‘that’ face, we’re playing for each other; and it goes back and forth between us as a dialogue. I can’t say that we don’t write for an audience, because we’re writing for each other.” Are Fuck Buttons, inhabiting this insular love-in, like a married couple? “We’re more like siblings!” Hung reckons. Squabbling siblings? “No, because we’re not kids,” he considers. “We’ve got to become brothers, but as adults; so our dynamic is more to do with having our own space and respecting that, having our own boundaries and understanding that. It’s about communication. Even if that makes it sound like we’re in a relationship.”
WHEN & WHERE: 25 Oct, Foxtel Festival Hub; 26 Oct, Release The Bats, The Prince and Palais Theatre THE MUSIC • 9TH OCTOBER 2013 • 27
tv
NEW AGE OF ANIMATED ANARCHY It’s not news that cartoons aren’t just for kids anymore, but animated TV shows aimed at adults are pushing the boundaries more than ever, writes Steve Bell.
“WHAT’S FASCINATING ABOUT THE SHOW IS ITS COMPLETE LACK OF MORALS.”
O
nce upon a time animated cartoons were considered the domain of children or the young at heart, the pervading recollections of most being older family-friendly fare such as The Flintstones and The Jetsons, or more ubiquitous and mildly subversive recent series such as The Simpsons, South Park and Futurama. But boy, how things have changed in recent times. New animated series Brickleberry began airing recently in Australia on cable for the first time, and one only had to survey the opening scene of the first episode to see how much things had changed: it began scanning a vast vista of an arc-load of wild animals having kinky sex, culminating with a blood-spattered park ranger beating a bear to death with a shovel. The jury may be out on whether Brickleberry is actually any good – many pundits bemoan its puerility and similarity to Family Guy – but what’s fascinating about the show is its complete lack of morals (it’s awesomely disgusting), which makes one realise just how much the boundaries of taste have shifted in the animation world in the last couple of decades. 28 • THE MUSIC • 9TH OCTOBER 2013
Of course, controversy in animation is nothing new (we should note at this juncture that we’re focusing primarily on US titles, even though 90 per cent of all animation is from Japan). It’s hard to believe in hindsight that The Simpsons was initially deemed to be cutting-edge because of Bart’s mildly rebellious streak – Bart T-shirts were banned at schools, because his penchant for back-chatting his folks and espousing the values of underachievement made him a bad role model – and that South Park once seemed thrilling due to its willingness to tackle taboos such as racism and sexuality (although to be fair they’ve continued ramping it up, and their depiction of Muhammad a few years ago earned the writers credible death threats). Even Beavis & Butthead were considered a threat by many moralists in their day, and while Family Guy has a hack at just about every line there is to cross, its scattergun nature means that they rarely push any one thing too far. Obviously a lot of early animation now seems crass by today’s standards – episodes of old faithfuls such as Betty Boop (Making Stars (1935)), Popeye (You’re A Sap Mr Jap (1942)) and about a dozen Bugs Bunny featurettes all
seem completely racist in hindsight, although that’s more a reflection of the prevailing morality of yesteryear rather than any overt intention to push society’s buttons. You could continue ad infinitum in this regard; the whole premise of Speedy Gonzalez, for instance, was the racial stereotyping of Mexicans as drunk and lazy, to the point that it was taken off the air altogether in the ‘90s, and has recently returned with a disclaimer: “The cartoons that you are about to see are products of their time. They may depict some of the ethnic and racial prejudices that were commonplace in American society. These depictions were wrong then and they are wrong now.” Yet while the old faves such as The Simpsons are far from redundant, it’s the new breed of animation which has really started to push the envelope, perhaps fuelled by a perceived lack of enforcement of decency standards in the United States by the Federal Communications Commission, which has allowed competing TV networks to run rampant with their programming. Here’s just a handful of the main offenders (if you take offence at such things):
ARCHER
THE BOONDOCKS
METALOCALYPSE
FX (2010-present)
Adult Swim (2005-present)
Adult Swim (2006-present)
Possibly the raunchiest of the animated shows, based upon the oedipal issues of the titular suave and self-centred spy, and his cohorts at the spy agency ISIS which is run by his mother. Surprisingly highbrow – contains references to Tolkien, Melville and Chekhov – but also groin-grabbingly lowbrow.
Razor sharp race relations satire involving the African-American Freeman family moving to a whitebread suburb of Chicago. Features Uncle Ruckus – the incredibly racist, black, white supremacist – and won a Peabody for a particularly daring episode about Martin Luther King Jr. Uses the N-word more than Django Unchained.
Follows death metal band Dethklok, incredibly popular (the planet’s seventh largest economy) despite their somewhat naff music (which features prominently) and proclivity for killing their fans. Everything they touch turns to shit, and the humour is indelibly black. Beloved by metal fans for obvious reasons.
AXE COP
ADVENTURE TIME
SUPERJAIL!
Fox (2013-present)
Cartoon Network (2010-present)
Adult Swim (2008-present)
A vengeful cop wields an axe to mete out his peculiar form of justice. Incredibly surreal and random – possibly because co-created by a 5-year-old – as evinced by episodes such as Zombie Island... In Space in which Hitler forces a captive scientist to create a zombie army. Absurd and illogical, wears thin after a while.
A weird, surreal romp ostensibly aimed at kids but far more popular amongst adults (Matt Groening is an avowed fan, and Tyler The Creator namechecked it in Yonkers). Beyond trippy – one episode features bears holding a rave in a giant’s stomach – and Henry Rollins voices a rainbowcoloured unicorn. Pretty much enough said...
Based in a psychedelic prison located in a volcano, which is itself housed in an even larger volcano. Abstract characters and plots, and graphic violence is the order of the day, often showed in horrific detail with massive body counts par for the course. Definitely not for the faint of heart.
BOB’S BURGERS
HIGH SCHOOL USA!
UGLY AMERICANS
Fox (2011-present)
Fox (2013-present)
Comedy Central (2010-2012)
The Belchers run a restaurant, and their escapades contain plenty of toilet humour, smut and innuendo, tied together by a strange sense of familial ethics. Dry and deadpan, although critics have decried it as “vulgar” and “crass”– perhaps because its subject matters include child molestation, jock itch and transsexual hookers.
Purposely drawn like the comic books of yore, these kids’ behaviour is more akin to Porky’s than the gang from Riverdale High. Quite literate, with the anodyne characters grounded in reality – eating disorders, bullying, neurosis, sex hang-ups, sexting – with a bleak undertone which verges on depressing.
Revolves around Mark Lilly, a social worker in an alternate reality NYC inhabited by humans and all manners of monsters. Mark’s roommate became a zombie to pick up a chick with an undead fetish, and his girlfriend/boss is a succubus. Visually spectacular with droll, offbeat humour. THE MUSIC • 9TH OCTOBER 2013 • 29
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ANIMAL MAGNETISM The Handsome Family are heading back down to Australia to share their affinity with critters of all shapes and sizes. Chief lyricist Rennie Sparks tells Steve Bell about her ongoing obsession with the animal kingdom.
T
he gothic-tinged folk and country of Albuquerque, New Mexico-based husband-and-wife duo The Handsome Family has long been based around the vivid imagination of lyricist/bassist Rennie Sparks – she crafts the words while husband Brett (guitar/keys) offers the baroque music and his emotive baritone – and on the pair’s tenth album, Wilderness, she’s cut loose with a collection of songs based upon various members of the animal realm. The collection relates the travails of frogs in streams, octopi in caves, spiders in nooks and crannies and wildebeests on the plains, but the common thread is that all of the songs find nature intertwining with humanity; sometimes overtly and sometimes covertly, each offering contains an inter-special convergence of some description. “We can never really know what it feels like to be any other creature; we can only imagine from a human perspective what it would be like,” Sparks smiles. “No matter what, we’re always going to be subjective so why pretend otherwise? I think there’s a language that we can talk to ourselves with that’s sort of like a dream language full of animals, and it seems like we all speak this language even though we don’t really know that we speak it until we encounter it. It’s odd, we’re all born with these ideas about certain animals – things that are scary and things that are beautiful. It’s a good thing.” This penchant for mining inspiration from the dream state is prevalent not just in Wilderness but also throughout much of The Handsome Family’s oeuvre to date. “Yeah, I guess I don’t want to write about things that we can just talk about. What’s the point? If we’re able to talk about it then we’ll be done with it, so I want our songs to be about something that can’t easily be talked about but which seems to live inside a song. I want reality to be a little different, so when you hear a song it can change the world you live in while you’re listening to the song. It should be like an altered state, so the rules are different.” Sparks is a prolific wordsmith, having made many forays into other disciplines involving the written word – poetry and prose in particular. How does songwriting compare to these counterparts? “I think writing lyrics is a different 30 • THE MUSIC • 9TH OCTOBER 2013
kind of writing, because lyrics are meant to be sung and words on a page are meant to be silent,” she muses. “When I’m writing lyrics I’m always conscious that it needs to be words than can be sung, and words that will sound good aloud. Like I really wanted to write a song about
I should sing this one’, but he’s got the bigger voice – he can sing higher than me and lower than me; he can sing circles around me – and his voice has a certain authority, which makes it easy for me. I believe it more than I believe my own voice. And I really like to sing harmonies with him. I think that singing harmonies is just a beautiful experience so I’m really happy that I get to join in and then go away and then join in again. I always say that when you sing harmonies with someone you love it’s a very special thing – it’s a nice gift to have. If you love somebody you should try to sing in harmony with them at least once, you won’t regret it.”
“IF YOU LOVE SOMEBODY YOU SHOULD TRY TO SING IN HARMONY WITH THEM AT LEAST ONCE” jellyfish, but it’s just not a word that sounds good sung, so I had to pass on that – I wrote an essay on them instead. There’s something about jellyfish that just doesn’t resonate when you say it out loud – we need a better name for that creature.” Does she imagine Brett’s deep voice specifically singing the words during this part of the creative process? “Yeah, I do,” Sparks admits. “Every once in a while there’s one where I say, ‘I think
The Handsome Family’s now been an ongoing creative concern for over two decades, apparently due to their eschewing the usual clichés of rock’n’roll excess. “We’re mystified; this is a hard business to stay in for a long period of time, and we have some really wonderful, faithful fans who stick with us and seem to be continually interested in what we’re doing and I’m really thankful for that,” Sparks gushes. “It’s great to get up every day and do what you love, so we’re really fortunate. It’s certainly not a great time for musicians, they’re all struggling, but we keep our overheads low – we don’t spend a lot of money on cocaine or prostitutes, so that really helps keep the budget in line.” WHAT: Wilderness (Carrot Top/Spunk) WHEN & WHERE: 12 Oct, The Hi-Fi
THE MUSIC • 9TH OCTOBER 2013 • 31
music
DEPTH PERCEPTIONS Following the release of My Fiction’s 2010 debut album, the fun-loving rockers were selected to play MUSEXPO in Los Angeles. Lead guitarist James Laubscher tells Jazmine O’Sullivan how this time in the weird and wonderful States channelled into their latest record, Shallow Highs.
“I
t’s a different world [in the USA],” Laubscher muses. “We were walking around and we looked like a god damn band; you know, long hair, skinny jeans, boots, the works!” With so much to see and do in the USA, it’s no wonder a large portion of Shallow Highs was influenced by their time over there. “The album has been made in a collaborative storytelling kind of way – we’ve had a whole lot of experiences since the success of the last album, going overseas included,
so we just picked a bunch of stories from that experience and moulded them into this one album.” The guys were clearly doing something right as they walked down those foreign streets, as their songs were quickly picked up by and featured on popular television shows Gossip Girl and Awkward. “As soon as we were on [those shows] we had so many calls from people telling me that they’d heard our song on TV. People have even posted comments on our Youtube videos saying, ‘I hate
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to admit this, but I heard this on Gossip Girl while my girlfriend was watching it’, and it’s just like, ‘Sure buddy...sure’,” Laubscher laughs. “All we need to do now is land a song on Game Of Thrones, then we’ll have made it. We just need to write a medieval symphony or something like that!” While the guys experienced great success overseas, Laubscher says he and the band are glad to be back in Australia, and are particularly excited for their local album launch at The Zoo. “There’s no bullshit with [The Zoo],” he enthuses. “With this launch we want to make it is as big and elaborate as we can, so the guys from The Zoo are putting us into contact with lighting and sound guys to make sure it’s something a little more special. We’ll be trying to make this show very sleek and professional.” Having successfully launched their latest single Young Again a few weeks back, Laubscher is confident of fan’s response to the rest of Shallow Highs. “[At the single launch I noticed] we’ve picked up a couple of crazy fans!” he smiles. “Every time we finish a song they’ll be up and cheering. I don’t know if they like us or were just taking the piss, but they pull out all these different dance moves; one guy busted out some breakdancing last time! It’s cool seeing that sort of reaction. I still haven’t looked out into the crowd as we’re playing these new songs and seen someone giving me stink eye, so I reckon everyone’s been digging the new stuff so far.” WHAT: Shallow Highs (Sugar Rush) WHEN & WHERE: 12 Oct, Gertrude’s Brown Couch
BORDER CONTROL Bushwalking assembles musicians from Songs (Sydney), Fabulous Diamonds and Kes. Samson McDougall quizzes Nisa Venerosa about the tyranny of distance and worm tea.
F
uck t-shirts. Bushwalking have worm tea for band merchandise. Seriously. “It’s really good for your plants, I recommend it highly,” says drummer and Fabulous Diamond Nisa Venerosa. The concept, she says, was guitarist Karl ‘Kes Band’ Scullin’s and is based on the band using their food scraps from rehearsals as fertiliser. Innovative, kooky and distinct? Sure. These are also three words that you can apply to the band’s music. It may come as a bit of a surprise that Bushwalking’s second album has just dropped. Their first, First Time, was released on Josh Fauver’s label Army Of Bad Luck and didn’t get a lot of attention in Australia outside of a small number of community radio stations. “At the time we weren’t really doing anything and we weren’t really playing that much,” she says. “We were just like ‘yup’, and [Army Of Bad Luck] put it out and we never even really thought about whether it’d be released in Australia. Guy [Blackman] and Ben [O’Connor, of Chapter Music] came to our launch of that album, but I don’t think they were really that aware of us prior to that album being released.” The three members, completed by Ela Stiles of Sydney band Songs, found one another through a solo project of Stiles’, which morphed into the band Bushwalking. The interstate collaboration would always suffer the 32 • THE MUSIC • 9TH OCTOBER 2013
pitfalls of long-distance relationships – limited quality jamming and rehearsal time – but the three have been making it work. “We don’t get a lot of chances to jam so if we play a show or something Ela will come down for like a week and we’ll try to get as much done as we can during that time,” Venerosa says. “So [considering] the amount of time we’ve actually had together, it’s pretty surprising how much we’ve done, ‘cause y’know we don’t really jam on a weekly basis, which would be awesome. It’s kind of really difficult the way we’re doing it but it’s worked so far, I guess.” No Enter marks the first true expression of the
band in a shared writing sense. “It’s kind of like a jigsaw puzzle,” is how Venerosa describes the formation of their songs. It’s a gloomier affair than the debut, and this is even reflected in the beautiful artwork of Jess Lucas. “The first record is a bit more hopeful and the eye is a bit brighter or something,” says Venerosa. “The second eye is a bit more depressed and the second record seems a little bit more depressed, so it’s kind of appropriate.” Given the established nature of the constituent parts, you’ll recognise certain elements of each member’s regular bands. The coolest thing about No Enter is the way the band haven’t shied away from this at all. One of the most exciting prospects is that Bushwalking do bring traces of Songs, Fabulous Diamonds and Kes to the table, yet they use the merging of these sonic spheres to explore new ground. WHAT: No Enter (Chapter Music) WHEN & WHERE: Oct 12, The Curtin
FAMILY FIRST
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From humble origins on New Zealand’s North Island a little more than a decade ago to transTasman reggae heavyweights today, Katchafire have been held together by, more than anything, their familial bonds. Frontman Logan Bell gets nostalgic with Mitch Knox.
“Q
uality time is pretty few and far between these days,” Logan Bell laments. Currently enjoying some downtime with his family before he and his Katchafire bandmates – drummer brother Jordan, guitarist father Grenville and five other friends close enough to be called family in a wholly different sense – embark on a lengthy tour in support of their retrospective, The Best So Far, it seems a bittersweet irony that, soon, the singer will be exchanging one nuclear unit for another. On the plus side, his departure is for an ambitious and potentially rewarding reason. “Katchafire’s been together for ten years-plus now, and we’ve got four studio albums and a lot of remix albums and limited editions, but a lot of places in the world haven’t seen Katchafire, and one of the big markets is Europe, and Asia,” Bell explains of the ulterior motives behind releasing The Best So Far. “So we thought we’d put together a ‘best of ’ so far.” BUT the song selection process for the retrospective was a tense one, though once again the band’s close ties made swift conflict resolution possible. “We’ve had different songwriters on the last two albums, so we would just lock ourselves in a big room and just had it out, man,” Bell laughs. “Well, not had it out… well, it was like that, really, but verbally. It was quite a hard process, coming to 21 tracks, but we got there in the end.”
Some tracks were natural inclusions, such as 2003’s Get Away and Giddy Up, from their debut release, when the band were doing just fine at earning themselves a reputation as one of New Zealand’s hardest-working bands. “The early days, man – we worked like madmen. I think we laid down a template for a lot of the bands in New Zealand, and the mould to follow, I guess. Every week had a gig somewhere, at least one, and for those first five years of the 2000s, we were just running around New Zealand just lapping it up, mate.”
Mid-career songs such as Frisk Me Down (2005) and Working (2007), in contrast, bring Bell to another place entirely: “We were just leaving our record label; they taught us a few hard
other three songwriters – Jordan, Haani [Totorewa] and Leon [Davey] – jumped in, pitching into the songwriting process, adding songs to the repertoire. We made a template up that we’re following today: we’re all writing and still very excited. It still feels like we’ve got a lot of miles left in the ticker.” He’s not wrong; this tour is far from their first this year, having already taken in Europe and the US from April to July, and they’re currently working
“THOSE FIRST FIVE YEARS OF THE 2000S, WE WERE JUST RUNNING AROUND NEW ZEALAND JUST LAPPING IT UP, MATE.”
and fast lessons from the first two albums. So it was still all very fresh and new, the industry, going out on our own, doing the next two albums independently was exciting and scary at the same time, but we knew we had the ability to write great songs still. We just took it on, took the bull by the horns and pushed on. That’s when the
on their hotly awaited fifth full-length album and they’re appreciative of what they’ve got. “We still pinch ourselves every day,” Bell admits. “To be able to do what we love in life as a job… success and making money is just a bonus. But I guess the thing we’ve learnt along the way is I think definitely having the family vibe has helped....You’d rather go through good times and bad times with family. It’s a lot more special, the bond, you know?” WHAT: The Best So Far (Lion House/MGM) WHEN & WHERE: 19 Oct, The Hi-Fi THE MUSIC • 9TH OCTOBER 2013 • 33
“This record’s just coming out, so I don’t want to be obnoxious and start talking about the next one, but I’ve been thinking about it obsessively… I couldn’t make Reign Of Terror again, and I wouldn’t want to and I couldn’t make Bitter Rivals again. I’ve been writing and recording since we left the studio and it already feels different. Everything to me has a certain freshness at all times; I don’t get bored very easily. I’ve lived on the same block for three years but I usually see something different every time I go outside.” With three records in as many years, they’ve managed to land an impressive amount of their songs on movies, TV shows and ads. So if you haven’t made a conscious effort to follow Sleigh Bells, you’ve probably heard one of their tunes around the place. Most recently their song Rill, Rill, off 2011’s Treats, was used in the iPhone 5 commercial. The voice portraying Miller’s ever-evolving lyrics and driving the sound of the band is the other half of Sleigh Bells, vocalist Alexis Krauss.
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On other records, Miller did almost everything, but Krauss lifted her game for album number three. “In the past I was doing a lot of the melody work, but with this record I gave her instrumentals and lyrics and let her do whatever she wanted. I was very hands off and it’s not that I was inhibiting before, but she wasn’t ready to take such a large role and she stepped into it perfectly this time. I was sort of blown away because she works very quickly and always has a tonne of great ideas; she compliments me perfectly and vice versa.
THE GLOVES ARE OFF The pop-infused sound of Sleigh Bells’ new record may give the impression guitarist Derek Miller has somewhat mellowed out since 2012’s Reign Of Terror, but as Daniel Cribb finds out, the guitarist is in the midst of an emotional and physical battle.
W
hen you think of escaping from work, there’s usually a secluded beach or luxurious hotel suite in the mix. Most find sipping on margaritas on a remote island beachfront relaxing, but for Sleigh Bells’ Derek Miller, waking up at the crack of dawn for a tireless workout is about as cathartic as it gets. “I’ve been training to box, so I box every morning for an hour,” Miller begins. “I’m not a tough guy, I don’t go around beating people up, but it’s just a really good way to get in shape and learn a skill. It’s certainly not the worst thing you can know how to do. It’s not a Hemingway thing, it’s just getting in shape and you will not go out the night before if you’re going to box the next morning; you just won’t do it, it’s hell,” he laughs. It’s 9pm in Brooklyn when the exhausted guitarist answers his phone and, if his newfound passion for boxing wasn’t the first subject for conversation, such exhaustion would have been a little surprising, considering the band has been on somewhat of a break since February – their longest time away from the stage since forming in 2008. The again, Miller’s quick to reinforce his non-stop take on music. “I don’t do anything outside of the band; it’s not a hobby to me, I love it to death. I really, really, really love it, so even though I just called it a break, we’ve been in the studio the entire time. If we try to take a break this is usually what I end up thinking about. I know first hand just how fragile life is; it can just be taken from you senselessly in the blink of an eye. You know, you’re walking your dog and get hit by a bus. I know that happens, I’ve had an experience like that and I don’t believe in wasting time, so while I can, I make these records.” “I’m literally living my dream; you could give me every dollar in the world and I’d still do Sleigh Bells the way I do it now. I don’t really like taking vacations. I can’t go
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sit on a beach somewhere because I’ll start working on the band – it’s my life and I’m lucky to be able to do it. I don’t take it for granted.” It was losing his father in a motorcycle accident in June of 2009 that triggered such a proactive approach to music. Like a diary entry, each song Miller pens reflects a specific moment in time. Usually the feel of the song reflects the emotions brewing within whilst he was writing it and 2012’s Reign Of Terror had a deep-seeded darkness to it – even the title fortified such themes. “By the end of Reign Of Terror it was clear to me that I wasn’t in a very good place,” he tells. “It’s very dark and it’s very heavy and so halfway through this record it was so obvious to me, at least to my ears, that I was coming from a much better place and a totally different headspace and I was just so thrilled.
“HALFWAY THROUGH THIS RECORD IT WAS SO OBVIOUS TO ME, AT LEAST TO MY EARS, THAT I WAS COMING FROM A MUCH BETTER PLACE AND A TOTALLY DIFFERENT HEADSPACE AND I WAS JUST SO THRILLED.” “The abstract, ‘magical’ part of the band, it’s specific to two people and can never be the same with anyone else. She was so excited to finally be fully invested in the band and have it be her band as much as is my band, so I think she came to love it as much as I do and I think that made the record stronger and I feel like it’s there in the music, you can hear it…for me, it’s the record I’m most excited about because it’s our first true collaboration. She’s infinity better at singing and writing melodies and I can’t wait to do more; I feel like we’re just getting started.” WHAT: Bitter Rivals (Liberator)
CREATIVE CONTROL Canada’s musical mad scientist Devin Townsend formerly channelled his seething rage into some of extreme metal’s most deranged fare. Nowadays, he enjoys trip hop, sips coffee and aims for a decent night’s sleep before indulging creative whims, Brendan Crabb learns.
“D
ude, I’m such a train-wreck for the most part, as an artist. As a person I think I’m pretty good, but as an artist, I’m so all over the place that it takes a pretty casual culture to be able to stomach it,” vocalist/guitarist/keyboardist/producer Devin Townsend says while examining Australia remaining among his strongest markets. “A lot of the more stoic cultures look at what I do and say, ‘Just stick to one thing, you fucking arsehole’. And I’m like, ‘But that’s not my trip’. I think with Australia, they’re just, ‘Oh, you’re gonna go do that now? Alright, cool. I don’t like it, but I’m glad you’re doing it’,” he laughs.
Stagnation certainly isn’t part of his ethos. During a two-decade career trajectory begun via Steve Vai’s Sex & Religion LP, the rubber-faced Canadian has rarely remained on one musical path for too long. Even after now-defunct extreme metal project Strapping Young Lad’s sonic maelstrom became more successful and acclaimed, Townsend issued regular solo releases. They were zany, heavy, progressive and deeply melodic; oftentimes all of the above. He’s since expanded further – Devin Townsend Project’s recent quadrilogy (in addition to latest effort Epicloud) particularly exhibiting a songwriter seeking to explore the breadth of his capabilities. Despite having unleashed the ambitious fouralbum series, prepared a new live album/Blu-ray and participated in a charity single also featuring Serj Tankian and Emperor’s Ihsahn, unsurprisingly ‘HevyDevy’ continues to multi-task. There’s the sequel to 2007’s wacky conceptual piece Ziltoid The Omniscient, and subsequent radio show “hosted” by the titular character. Ghost 2 is “kinda done”, but not currently a priority, and the Obviouser endeavour is in the pipeline. At the time of our conversation he’s concluding new record Casualties Of Cool, suggesting it’s “more in line with the person that I am at this age than anything I’ve done… A faction of people [are] going to think it’s hippie bullshit.” Taking into account his ongoing prolific output, Townsend must be somewhat accustomed to existing in a sleep-deprived state. “Yeah, it’s not for lack of trying. I think as I get a little older – I’m not old yet, but as I get a little older – 40, it’s pretty much par for the course. I fall asleep at ten o’clock at night, wake up at two in the morning and I’m fucked. I used to be able to combat it years ago by just drinking a bottle
of wine before bed, but because that’s not really happening anymore, you just end up twiddling your thumbs and thinking about your world falling apart until 5am. Then you get up, have a cup of coffee and things are okay.” Having so many ideas rattling about upstairs ought to be a burden, though. “I’ve got a pretty streamlined creative process. It’s well within mine and certainly most artists’ grasps to be able to turn that tap off if they need to. And I do. If I’ve got an idea that I think is really good, I’ve been doing this long enough to know whether or not it’s an idea that can wait, or an idea that I have to actualise right away. If it’s something I have to actualise, damn straight, I get up and do it. But if it’s something that can wait, I just make a note, then forget about it. I can’t allow anything in my life to control me. I can’t, and I don’t.” Regaining said control also led to further key self-discoveries. “I realised a lot of the artistic process seems to be rooted in loving the drama, loving the turmoil and the ups and downs of feeling you’re tortured and all this shit. But I think you’re
tortured if you want to be. For me, there’s a time and a place to say, ‘Okay, right now you can torture yourself. Right now you can turn yourself in knots with this idea and freak the fuck out’. But as soon as your alarm rings, stop it,” he laughs. “It’s time to go for a bike ride. “I’ve managed to find ways in my own mind and own world to compartmentalise these artistic things that at one point, really controlled me. A great deal of me being able to control them now is just that I’m not on any substances. I take melatonin every now and then to try and get some sleep, but other than that, it’s pretty clean living. So it’s a whole learning curve, and if there’s anything I’ve learned, and specifically now that I’ve gone through this, and I see other artists that can’t control that shit, I just think to myself, ‘Oh, grow the fuck up’. I’m not trying to put myself on a pedestal, but I do know there’s a bunch of people that still slap the back of their hand
“YOU JUST END UP TWIDDLING YOUR THUMBS AND THINKING ABOUT YOUR WORLD FALLING APART UNTIL 5AM.” against their forehead at the drama, the woe and the cursed nature of artistic sensibilities. I’m going, ‘Yeah, that’s good, take off your fedora before you slap your head next time, because it looks expensive’,” he chuckles. “For me, it’s really important to find a place to put what constitutes artistic motivation, versus what constitutes being a functional human being.” A by-product of this healthier work-life balance is acknowledging the unhinged brutality which once helped define him isn’t a wholly accurate representation anymore. Folding SYL after believing it had descended into self-parody was a major indicator. “Not on my radar anymore,” he emphasises when asked whether extreme metal factors into his listening habits. “When I play with bands, for example, I see Meshuggah, and I’m like, ‘Oh, they’re the best’. We toured with Gojira and I’m like, ‘They’re fucking amazing’. But I don’t listen to it, I’ve got no interest. Maybe I’ll listen to it once or twice just to be reminded… The new Jon Hopkins record is just brilliant. I like trip hop. But in terms of actively seeking out the newest and the heaviest, it just gives me a headache, man.” WHEN & WHERE: 13 Oct, Palace Theatre
music
music
DISCOVERING TRUST Grouplove aren’t ready to be beautiful just yet. Frontman Christian Zucconi tells Ben Preece that the party anthems are just too much fun.
L
A-based Grouplove’s 2011 debut Never Trust A Happy Song was an exercise with results that simply could not have been predicted by the five friends, with singles Colours, Tongue Tied and Itchin’ On A Photograph all going nuts and helping the band forge a path onto the international touring circuit. And they haven’t stopped. In fact, no time was taken between finishing touring plans for their debut and actually leaping right into the studio to record their anticipated follow-up Spreading Rumours. Singer Christian Zucconi says he insisted on the quick turnaround as to not lose the band’s momentum. “We became such a strong live act with all the touring for so long, we didn’t want to leave that fire that we’d built up over the last couple of years touring,” he explains. “So we got off the road, took a week off around Christmas and then moved into this house – the studio – in the Hollywood Hills and began setting up and just went for it. We wanted to capture that energy from our shows, record everything live which was pretty great – it’s the best way to capture it.” The spontaneous vibe Zucconi describes is certainly present across the album’s 13 songs. From the wackedout, Nirvana-esque pop of Borderlines And Aliens to the infectious first single Ways To Go, the band’s dynamic has shifted a lot since they came together to record their first full-length. “Before the first record, we had played like ten shows as a band and did everything piece by piece. We weren’t that familiar with each other yet because things moved so fast in the beginning when we met. This record is different – we trusted each other and knew where each of us was coming from musically, and we were just so much closer as friends and musicians that it’s much more collaborative. You can hear the difference, I think, for sure.” The spontaneity continued while the five-piece toured, with the band penning most of Spreading Rumours on the road. “We wrote [it over] like two years and then maybe 30 or 40 per cent of the record was written in the studio. Some of the songs just came, as they do, when we were just hanging out at the house. Like Sit Still – me and Hannah [Hooper – vocals/keys] wrote that at the house just hanging out and Ways To Go was me,
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Ryan [Rabin – drums] and Hannah, we came up with that one night at the studio; it just came when Ryan started playing a riff. It was like, here’s a song that didn’t exist five minutes ago and now has a place in the world. A lot of it was also written on the road, not really performed as
them with the band for like an hour or two and it’d be real spontaneous and it’d be like, ‘Yo we got it now let’s put it down to tape’. It was really fun and on the fly.” The focus for the band is on maintaining the wackedout party aesthetic already created. But there was no such mission statement going into the studio; Spreading Rumours truly runs the gamut and somehow all falls together. “We recorded like 24 songs, but when we were choosing which ones to go on the record, we went with the strong, up-kind of songs because that’s the stuff we want to play live for the next three to four years. We had a lot of beautiful, slow stuff but
“HERE’S A SONG THAT DIDN’T EXIST FIVE MINUTES AGO AND NOW HAS A PLACE IN THE WORLD.” a band though – we’d be familiar with the song and play it at soundcheck but never played them in front of an audience. A song like Raspberry, we actually wrote that in Australia last time we were there. School Boy was written in Sydney right by the Opera House where we were filming some TV show there, and it was two riffs like they already existed and knew the scope of the song. When we got into the studio, we’d just rehearse
we want to keep the bangers going and bring that energy that we’re known for right now. We don’t want to divert too far from that bombastic energy.” Already on tour in the States, all roads will eventually lead to Australia, a country that has welcomed Grouplove with open arms since the beginning. “We’re so excited to be playing Big Day Out, can’t believe it,” Zucconi exclaims. “We’re excited to be coming back to Australia, there’s lots of cool bands on that bill. You guys have been there since the beginning, our EP came out over there first before it did [in America] – there’s definitely a soft spot for you guys, we’re lucky to have you in our corner.” WHAT: Spreading Rumours (Warner) WHEN & WHERE: 24 Jan, Big Day Out, Flemington Racecourse
THE MUSIC • 9TH OCTOBER 2013 • 37
music
MAXIMO EXIMO Latin for ‘release’ or ‘unleash’, Eximo is a fitting title for McKisko’s second record built from stolen moments over the past three years. Helen Franzmann, the woman behind the moniker, details the techniques of her striking style to Tyler McLoughlan ahead of a national tour.
F
ive months pregnant with her first child when she toured stunning 2009 debut Glorio, Helen Franzmann – aka Brisbane artist McKisko – jokes that she’s given birth to three children since: two baby boys and her sophomore album Eximo. “I record more things on my phone than I used to,” she says of her creative schedule since Glorio. “I go to the place that used to be [Red Hill performance space] The
Hangar one night a week so I can just sit with music there. It’s cool. If I think about the way that I wrote my first album, I took a lot of time – I’d play the beginning of a song and then I might like it and just continue to play that for the entire day so it locked in and became something, whereas now I will record it on my phone when I catch it and I have to wait until the night that I have [for music] to go and finish it, so that’s a really different process for me; it’s a bit hard sometimes.” An album that captures the beauty of those
music
inspired moments enlarged by late night explorations, Eximo is stamped with Franzmann’s sparse construction style yet layered with oodles of raw charm, not least her effortlessly clear and haunting vocal. It’s a record that reveals and rewards with repeat listens; it’s not an easy, packaged-for-radio effort – it feels like art. “[It’s] got a bit more going on sonically,” Franzmann admits. “On Glorio the songs were simpler and there was more of a folk element; I was just playing them and [producer] Jamie [Trevaskis] was just catching them. This album’s more produced; we’ve spent more time [bringing in] different sounds and thought about the layers more.” Crediting her engineer, producer and drummer Kurt Read as a crucial element to the album’s sound, the pair are touring the nation as a multiinstrumental duo. As Franzmann prepares to watch the character of Eximo develop and grow in a live setting, she’s excited to be bringing her other significant creations along for the ride, too. “We’re all going in a van and we’re away all of October – it’s gonna be good!” she giggles, contemplating the logistics of taking her family on the road. “[The format will be] Kurt on drums and me on keys and guitar and he’ll play a bit of guitar, and he’s got a marxophone too – a great old folk instrument. And then there’s a lot of other little things like melodica and glock coming in as well... I’m pretty happy with our set-up at the moment; it feels really perfect for this album.” WHAT: Eximo (El Niño El Niño Records) WHEN & WHERE: 17 Oct, The Toff In Town
THE PERPETUAL ARTIST Cosmo Jarvis is a man of many talents, who likes to do what he wants, when he wants. Ahead of his Australian tour supporting his latest EP, Jarvis gives Jazmine O’Sullivan a bit of insight into his busy lifestyle.
W
e catch Cosmo Jarvis on a bit of a bad day over in South England. He’s been having a rough time trying to get some recording done for his forthcoming album. “I can’t really record vocals in my house because the walls are so thin. I bumped into my neighbour on a bus the other day and he said he could hear me sometimes!” He chuckles. “So now I go up to my mother’s house during the day; it’s only a short walk, but it’s all uphill, and I’ve injured my ankle recently so it was pretty difficult to get there. I take all my bits with me because it’s all pretty portable, but as I’m sitting in the room I realise that I’ve forgotten my headphone jack converter, so I can’t listen to the audio! And my mum is coming home soon and I can’t record while she’s here, so it’s been a bit of a nightmare.” Jarvis does however have his latest EP, They Don’t Build Hearts, recorded, produced and for release the end of September. Reflecting on the title track, Jarvis explains, “It’s just about love and how some people are really dependent on it, but then it also looks into how these emotional attachments can lead to a person’s demise. The chorus also refers to how it was really different back in the ‘30s. I mean, I don’t know for sure because I wasn’t there, but from watching movies it seems like men and women spoke a lot differently to each other than they do today.”
38 • THE MUSIC • 9TH OCTOBER 2013
Following track, 9999, has more of an aggressive tone to it. “I hate it when you’re in the supermarket and they round up the price to make it look prettier, so it becomes 9999. They must just assume everyone’s really stupid. So the song’s about that.” With his previous songs Gay Pirates and Love This reaching great heights with Australian audiences, Jarvis admits he is keen to head back to Australia for another tour. “I do OK in London, but it’s always difficult touring. It’s usually just the guest list that makes it look like a great show; in general the turnout in Australia is better and the shows are more lively.”
With tours, record releases and various short films not enough to keep Jarvis busy, he reveals he’s now trying to break into the acting industry, whilst also working on his second feature film as director and producer. “[The film I’m working on] is about these bands who are trying to be acoustic songwriters. They’re really trendy, writing songs that have already been written, and they really care about the fashion and the hair and all that; then there’s the other side, these metal bands who bust their arse, but their scene is a lot harder to break into. Ultimately, it’s about learning what’s important to you.” WHAT: They Don’t Build Hearts (iTunes) WHEN & WHERE: 15 Oct, Northcote Social Club; 16 Oct, The Workers Club; 18 Oct, Karova Lounge, Ballarat; 19 Oct, The Bridge Hotel, Castlemaine
THE MUSIC • 9TH OCTOBER 2013 • 39
music
THEY LOVE IT
Caroline Hjelt, one half of Swedish sensation Icona Pop, tells Anthony Carew that releasing their debut album is “like letting the world read your diary”.
“T
his past year’s just been crazy, I can hardly believe half the things we’ve gone through,” says Caroline Hjelt. The 25-year-old is one half of Swedish pop duo Icona Pop, whose past year has pretty much centred entirely around their bona fide hit single I Love It. It went multi-platinum in Australia, Canada and the US. When it wasn’t on sale in the UK, a bunch of covers dented the lower rungs of the UK charts, and it spawned 15 official remixes. It’s soundtracked countless commercials, been publicly loved by everyone from Taylor Swift to Nicole Kidman, been performed in Glee and parodied on Sesame Street, and danced to by a coked-out Lena Dunham in Girls. First released in May
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2012, yet only hitting number one in the UK in July 2013, it’s been everywhere for a yearand-a-half: if you bought a pair of jeans or went to a house party, you heard it. “We noticed it when we first started playing it live,” recounts Hjelt – who splits the duo with Aino Jawo. “After it came out, anytime we’d perform it we’d see how crazy the crowd would go. Then it started ending up on all these blogs, and we knew that something was going on with it. It’s so crazy that it’s still going. We put out the song in Sweden almost a year-and-a-half ago, and yet people are still playing it on the radio, it’s still everywhere on television, it’s still being played at parties.”
Now, finally, comes the release of Icona Pop’s debut album, This Is... Icona Pop. Hjelt sees it as the culmination of her existence (“all I ever wanted to do was make music; it’s been my whole life”), the destination from a journey that began when, at eight years old, a neighbour invited her into a basement studio and helped record the first song she ever wrote (“in Swedish, the lyrics translated as Leave Me Alone; those were basically all the lyrics”). Hjelt and Aino first met at a party in February of 2009, bonding over mutual heartbreak and musical obsession. They started recording the next day, taking their first steps toward global domination with no such ambition. “We’ve always just wanted to make good pop music,” Hjelt offers. “We want it to be smart, and thoughtful, and to make people feel; and to put our own feelings into it. We weren’t just in the studio for four months, setting out to pursue just one idea. We’ve been, essentially, working on this album for five years, since we first met each other. The album is like a lot snapshots of thoughts and feelings that we’ve had, situations that we’ve been through. We’ve been writing on it from self-experience: going to different parts of the world, ups-and-downs, being heartbroken and breaking hearts. Writing on the road has been like writing a diary: we haven’t been in the studio, being like, ‘Let’s write a party song!’ or, ‘Let’s try and make something like blah-blah-blah...’ We’ve written when we’ve really needed to, when there’s been something in our bodies aching to come out. “If you think of an album as like a diary, then when you release it it’s like letting the world read your diary. But as much as it’s scary, it’s also exciting and gratifying.” WHAT: This Is… Icona Pop (Warner)
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THE MUSIC • 9TH OCTOBER 2013 • 41
music
THE ART OF NOISE After graduating with a degree in fine art, Jason Swinscoe chose music via The Cinematic Orchestra. “I have always used visual cues and conceptual ideas to construct music,” he tells Guido Farnell.
O
ne of the many delights of this year’s editions of the Melbourne and Graphic festivals, The Cinematic Orchestra have been soundtracking our lives with their sumptuous scores for imaginary films for many years. The outfit, which was brought together by Jason Swinscoe in the late ‘90s, will team up with local orchestras Philharmonia Australia and the Sydney International Orchestra respectively. “The orchestrations are much more elaborate than what you might be used to hearing on record,” Swinscoe says. “The albums usually only featured a quartet, which was sometimes multitracked to achieve a bigger effect. Hearing an orchestra which has 24 strings in addition to woodwind, brass and a harp player transforms the music and gives it much bigger sonics that are simply a pleasure to listen to.” In putting these shows together, Swinscoe has teamed up with the Heritage Orchestra’s Jules Buckley, who wrote a lot of the orchestrations. “I have worked with Jules since the Live At The Albert Hall show,” Swinscoe enthuses. “Jules understands the music and even though he is classically trained he understands the vibe of jazz and street music. It can be daunting working with an orchestra, because so many people are involved in making the music. I do enjoy a loose and free approach to making music, but many composers and conductors who score for film tend to be more rigid in their thinking. I find the process a lot easier when I have a good relationship with the conductor and we are on exactly the same page.” As Swinscoe talks, it becomes obvious that he is driven by a desire to use the orchestra as an instrument and adopt a more experimental approach to making music. “Well just adding an orchestra to your music is kind of boring and I genuinely want to do something more interesting and experimental,” he stresses. “At the moment I really like Johnny Greenwood’s work. His approach is quite academic but the sonics and what he gets out of the players end up sounding quite experimental. It really comes through on his soundtrack for The Master.” Over the years, Swinscoe and The Cinematic Orchestra have evolved from being a sample-based
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outfit celebrating jazz and soundtrack music from the ‘60s on their debut album Motion to subsequently move across a multitude of styles with each successive album. What ties it all together are the atmospherics of the music and the image that it intends to create in the listener’s mind’s eye.
component. The influence of my art school training was immediately apparent in the music. I have never been keen on recording three-minute songs. I was more interested in recording mini-soundtracks where the first section was like an opening scene, section two is like the body of a story and the third part is the final reveal where a story is completed. I have always used visual cues and conceptual ideas to construct music.” Once the choice was made to pursue music, Swinscoe turned his hand to composing sonic art. “Sampling was the beginning for me and I had to work through and write out of it,” he reflects.
“I HAVE NEVER BEEN KEEN ON RECORDING THREE-MINUTE SONGS.” Unsurprisingly, Swinscoe’s fascination with sound and vision can be traced back to his university days. “I went to art school and studied fine art,” he confirms. “I studied visual art and did a lot of photography and made a lot of short films. I stopped painting and was drawn to working in more 3D spaces. In my spare time I was in a band. When I graduated I forced myself to choose between music or visual arts. It wasn’t until I started recording Motion that I realised the music had a very strong visual
“I kind of was like studying music while composing and producing those records. It was learning through making mistakes, but I learnt a lot very quickly. I was always having arguments with people in the band who would tell me that something I’d written didn’t work according to western music theory when it in fact sounded and felt right to my ears. Sometimes those mistakes lead you to discover something amazing, which sounds magical even though it may not seem to be such a great idea.” Currently in the studio working on a new album that should be completed by the end of the year, Swinscoe cautions that the shows in Australia will not preview any new tracks: “The new album is very electronic and will need to be presented very differently when it’s played live. I don’t think it will lend itself to this grand, orchestral approach.” WHEN & WHERE: 11 Oct, Melbourne Festival, Hamer Hall
THE MUSIC • 9TH OCTOBER 2013 • 43
comedy
RIFFIN’ WITH GRIFFIN American comedian Kathy Griffin twitterstalks and takes the piss out of Simon Eales, also divulging the research process for her TV show and dropping some advice from Tarantino.
I
have an interview crush on brash, brassy, bombshell American comedian Kathy Griffin. A preinterview YouTube browse sets up the romance. Her PR staff then charm me into a dumb stupor on the phone. Once I’m finally chatting to her, Griffin knocks me down with her big opening line. “Take it or leave it. Fifteen minutes, you got me, what do you want, Simon?!” Words splutter incoherently before I manage to get out the reply that I’m sitting at my bedroom window, topless, looking out over a construction
music
yard... What the fuck is wrong with me?
Griffin – who in the last five years has won two Emmys for her TV show, Kathy Griffin: My Life On The D-List, been nominated for Grammys, and had a New York Times best-selling book – throws anything savage, celebrity, or current into her ever-changing stand-up show. “It’s just me being offensive for two hours,” she says. “We’ve got a lot to talk about. There’s Miley Cyrus and her rubber panties. There’s my 93-yearold alcoholic mother, Maggie. I can go through the whole international shit-storm that is the Kardashians. Then I’ll go through the Minogues, one by one. If I can stalk you, Simon, I can stalk Kylie Minogue.”
She replies, “Well, I am too; it’s weird you would say that. I am also topless looking over a construction yard. You’re very, very handsome in your picture, Simon. I have your Twitter here in front of me.”
Griffin gets her scoops from hard research conducted by “the team Griffin research and development department,” she says, which basically means she hits up every possible pop-culture premiere, award ceremony, birthday party and bar mitzvah, and then shares every speck of dirt with her audience.
In characteristic style, Griffin then launches into a tirade about how few followers I have, how many she has, and about the fact that being a Twitter skeptic – as I am – doesn’t excuse me from not following Cher or Kirsty Alley, “because they tweet every one of their thoughts, and it’s hilarious.”
“They will not even say, ‘Go away’,” she says. “They just take their two fingers and make a cross sign, as if I’m a witch like Stevie Nicks.”
With such pursuits in mind, you would imagine Griffin to be short of dance partners because she’s pissed off all the potential.
None of this fazes her though. “When it comes to my act, as my good friend Quentin Tarantino said – if I can just drop a name – ‘Your act is your act, they can take it or leave it’. It’s essential not to apologise because this is what we do. We just take the piss!”
WHAT: An Evening With Kathy Griffin WHEN & WHERE: 17 Oct, Palais Theatre
FACE THE FACTS Ahead of his guest speaking spot at Face The Music, Ian “Blink” Jorgensen – founder of Camp A Low Hum and Square Wave festivals – reminds Andy Hazel that success involves hard work.
N
ew Zealand music mogul Ian Jorgensen, better known as Blink, is, as ever, full of ideas. The man responsible for the legendary Camp A Low Hum festival, November’s five-city Square Wave Festival and manager of Wellington’s latest venue Puppies, is always happy to share advice. “I think I’m just confident in my ability to take on anything. I’m also a bit of dick,” he says casually. “I’ve had my fails like everyone else, but I’m always willing to take on a massive risk, and New Zealand is a small place. The benefit of being here is that it’s easy to reach out to everybody; you only need to make an impact in four cities... The problem with New Zealand is that it’s easy to get to the top and once you’re there, there’s nowhere to go. With my festival [Camp A Low Hum] it’s as big as it can get, which makes you think, ‘Right, now what can I do with this?’” Having taken his can-do attitude around the world, Jorgensen collated his experiences in the book DIY Touring The World. “Part of the reason I wrote the book is because every time someone wanted to know anything...So I put out a book that featured everything I knew about touring. Since I’d toured overseas, I put out another book that had everything
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I know about touring the world... The same piece of advice I tell everyone, and what everyone at this conference will be talking about, is this: people underestimate how hard they have to work on any project. When I booked my first tour, I wouldn’t start the day until I’d emailed at least 20 venues. I did that every day for six weeks... Setting little goals before you relax achieves a lot. And another thing: People never think big enough. With [his new festival] Square Wave, it’s the first year I’m doing it: I’m kicking it off
straight away in five cities with 70 artists. If you’re doing the work anyway you may as well make it big.” Despite his efforts, there are sad facts that enthusiasm can’t overcome. “If anything, the music scene is dying in New Zealand,’ he says, “and it’s not because people are downloading music – it’s because they’re downloading TV! That’s my competition. It’s Breaking Bad, Mad Men, Game Of Thrones and these amazing TV shows. That’s why people stay at home and everyone I know does this!...[But] if it weren’t my job, I’d be home watching TV too. Fuck Game of Thrones!” WHAT: Face The Music WHEN & WHERE: 15 and 16 Nov, Arts Centre
You know when you hear a song that’s the perfect soundtrack for whatever you’re doing? I love when that happens. It makes an ordinary moment feel so...extraordinary. That’s why wherever we go,
our music
goes with us.
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reviews
ALBUM OF THE WEEK
This week: Hold your breath through Gravity, spend a lot of time dying in Volgarr The Viking and Pearl Jam show no signs of slowing down with their new album.
TRACK LISTING
SCOTT & CHARLENE’S WEDDING Any Port In A Storm Bedroom Suck Scott & Charlene’s Wedding is the brainchild of frontman and songwriter Craig Dermody, who recently upped stumps from Melbourne for the mean streets of New York. His second album Any Port In A Storm continues the form of 2010 debut Para Vista Social Club, in that the slightly shambolic music has oodles of charm (slightly more polished but still defiantly lo-fi), but what really brings home the bacon is Dermody’s Jonathan Richman-like lyrical innocence, which manifests in this stream of emotionally direct, life-analysing vignettes.
★★★★½
Ruminations on the vicissitudes of life abound, Dermody seemingly intent on making sense of the curveballs that modern society sometimes throws up. There’s a number of unlucky in love songs (Wild Heart, Spring St, Clock Out And Leave) and some fish out of water tales about his new life in the Big Apple (Fakin NYC, Lesbian Wife), and we get a temporal hint about Dermody’s inspiration in 1993 (“I ain’t done much changing in what I love since 1993”) given that the album’s slacker vibe is totally in sync with laidback early ‘90s fare such as Pavement or The Lemonheads.
1. Junk Shop
7. Downtown
2. Lesbian Wife
8. Spring St
Yet despite all of these melancholy-tinged ruminations there’s a wry sense of humour and acceptance pervading everything, and when Dermody sings, “When you’ve got nothing left you’ve still got rock’n’roll” (Jackie Boy) you just know that everything’s going to work out just fine. Top-notch indie rock.
3. 1993
9. Gammy Leg
Steve Bell
4. Fakin’ NYC
10. Charlie’s In The Gutter
5. Clock Out And Leave
11. Wild Heart
6. Jackie Boy THE MUSIC • 9TH OCTOBER 2013 • 47
album reviews
LOON LAKE
STONEFIELD
Caroline
Wunderkind/Illusive
It’s about time Loon Lake released their debut LP. After bouncing around the indie music scene for nearly three years and releasing two stellar EPs, they’ve finally put together enough electric riffs and catchy break-up songs for a long-player. Produced by Steven Schram (San Cisco, Little Red) and drummer Nick Nolan, Gloamer has its fair share of accessible pop tunes, such as City Lights and On Fire. Yet the record successfully manages to do more than catch the eye of those interested in glitter-tinted choruses and other such shiny things.
The Macedon Ranges outside of Melbourne isn’t meant to be like this. It’s meant to be about relaxing towns full of hipsters, day spas and gourmet produce markets. Instead, it’s proved the unlikely birthplace for one serious rock’n’roll act in Stonefield. Cynics may roll their eyes at a family act emerging Kings Of Leon-style out of a small Victorian country town to play Glastonbury. But there’s no denying these four Findlay sisters have some quality rock chops and some serious momentum behind them, their self-titled debut coming in the wake of a Foo Fighters support and news they are touring with Fleetwood Mac later this year.
Gloamer
The boys from rural Victoria will be the first to admit that tracks like 2012 hit Cherry Lips don’t take a lot of mental strain to write. But then there are songs like middle track Bones, which draws out a sense of melancholic hopelessness, and Love Gets Done, which will invigorate eardrums with its epic guitar solo. It Was Only
Stonef ield
★★★½ Love, a revamp of one of the band’s first songs, Good Times, adds synthesisers and decent production values to a great break-up song. Finale Goodbye Forever is unlike anything we’ve previously heard from the Nolan brothers and co., as lead singer Sam Nolan gives his best Stephen Malkmus impersonation on a lo-fi track filled with longing and regret. Interspersed with guitar solos and synth-heavy backings, Gloamer demonstrates an inclination towards something beyond the blend of garage-pop Loon Lake are accustomed to brewing, and the results are sweet. Ash Goldberg
Produced by Ian Davenport (Radiohead, Band Of Skulls), the sound quality on this release is light years better than most debut efforts. Powered by Amy’s snarling voice and
PEARL JAM
YUCK
Universal
Caroline
As one of modern rock’s most robust and indefatigable bands, Pearl Jam has time and again produced quality music through more than their share of adversity. With a sound and style that seems to divide most people right down the middle, either loving or hating them, they’ve managed over 20 years of live performances with a mostly original lineup, and what is soon to be 11 studio albums (Lost Dogs totally counts) – the latest of which is the über-cool Lightning Bolt.
Following the recent departure of frontman Daniel Blumberg, this trio leave little time in asserting a fresh approach on their sophomore album. This release is a far cry from the grinding, garage aesthetic of their debut. Instead, from instrumental opener Sunrise In Maple Shade, this album predominantly evokes a bright, sunny and textured sound. Less reliant on dynamics and instead favouring gradual builds, they even experiment with instruments such as bells and horns to fully embrace their janglier shoegaze sound.
Lightning Bolt
This latest release is one of substance, variation and, most importantly, huge noise. Those with their ears to the ground will have heard the singles Mind Your Manners and Sirens, both of which are great; the former, a return to form, the latter, a brilliantly crafted ballad with the insight and wisdom that frontman Eddie Vedder seems to have always had. Further listening will reveal more gems – brilliant opener Getaway, a full-band rendition of Sleeping By Myself – which fans will recognise 48 • THE MUSIC • 9TH OCTOBER 2013
★★★½ Hannah’s big riffs, the band tear through openers C’mon and Love You Deserve before adding a gospel choir to ripping first single Put Your Curse On Me. These girls certainly know their way around a distortion pedal, but they have to be careful of their straight rockers being a little formulaic as tracks like To The Mountains and House Of The Lonely amble along and only really take off when the band gets creative in the bridges. It’s when they are creative from the start in the slower Diggin’ My Way Out and the rocking album highlight Baby Blue that we see just how good Stonefield can be. Paul Barbieri
Glow & Behold
★★★★½ from Vedder’s solo work, giving them a whole new concept to sink their teeth into – and the tasty styling of Infallible provides an anthemic quality to the album. From the aforementioned track’s unexpected and classic chord progression, to the epic reverb-ridden soundtrack of Pendulum, to the mournful, heartfelt and lachrymose Future Days, Lightning Bolt covers all bases, maintaining a singular voice, yet exploring a multitude of sounds simultaneously. While their albums are starting to look formulaic, the band manages to find new ways to impress and inspire. True to their nature, Pearl Jam just aren’t slowing down. Lukas Murphy
The wavering tremolo of Rebirth is especially reminiscent of My Bloody Valentine, its chords sliding in and out to create a sense of uneasy cohesion. However the melody-driven, energetic single Middle Sea is undoubtedly the gem of this collection, in which the band strike a delicate balance between the lo-fi punk of their earlier work and the heavy, shoegaze haziness that this album strives
★★★½ towards. Moments of peacefulness and serenity are also achieved at times, as in Somewhere, a twinkling example of melancholic, meandering headphones music. Mirroring the opener, Twilight In Maple Shade (Chinese Cymbals) is a pulsating instrumental track, which perhaps should have closed the album in place of the syrupy Glow & Behold – a rather soft, inoffensive song that sounds more like a B-side tacked on the end at the last minute. Though this album is a noticeable regression in terms of edge, Yuck again display real potential to create waves in the alt.rock scene, with hopefully a true breakout album still on the cards. Stephanie Tell
album reviews
★★★½
★★★★
CLOWNS
CULTS
I’m Not Right
Static
Poison City
Sony
Excuse me sir, but I think your face has melted to the speaker. You’ve been listening to Clowns again, haven’t you? Fast, frenetic and fun, I’m Not Right is the debut album from these Melbourne lads, and it brings you all the hellfire attitude and lyrical accuracy of The Bronx at their best. With song titles like Grave Junkie, Eat A Gun, Jesus on Acid and Oh Fuck, My Face, you get a pretty good idea that this is not an album to listen to with your mum. Best enjoyed at ear-splitting level – or live, if you have the chance.
The dichotomy of Manhattan duo Cults really comes to the fore in this second LP, with delicate vocalist Madeline Follin surrounded by waves of ominous dream and indie pop from cohort axeman Brian Oblivion. Their offering is fascinatingly atmospheric and, at times, unsettling. So Far has bite, the sweet vocal from the frontwoman seems almost sadistic and leads its roaring synth. Similarly, the brash rock of I Can Hardly Make You Mine is effectively contrasted with Follin’s innocence. If you’re expecting extreme diversity from track to track, you’ll be disappointed. Cults have a formula, and this time it’s infectious.
Dylan Stewart
Mat Lee
★★★½
DAN LE SAC VS SCROOBIUS PIP
SLEIGH BELLS
Repent Replenish Repeat
Liberator
Sunday Best/[PIAS] Australia This duo continue to astound. dan le sac can claim to be one of the better beatmakers ever. He delivers stadium sized crunch but still finds majesty in the miniscule. Scroobius Pip’s whole style, on the other hand, is a rejection of any aesthetic. He’s bad. In his better moments he’s so-bad-he’s-notquite-so-bad. Repent Replenish Repeat is the pair’s apogee. On Stunner, le sac creates a monster only for Pip’s delivery to be overslow and repetitive. Gold Teeth is a lecture on consumerism from a man with a sleeve tattoo. Come for the beats. If you stay? Well, you’ll be staying for the beats, too.
TRIVIUM
Ilp Warp/Inertia
Bitter Rivals A combination of bratty rap, sweet melodies and grrrrl aggression, the vocals of Alexis Krauss are disarmingly cute, with an almost siren quality. You’re being lured in for the kill, but it’s worth it. Derek Edward Miller’s guitars still offer plenty of fuzzed out, speaker-killing crunch, with a new edge of polished pop that works. The opening, title track is a standout with its poppy guitar jangle before launching into that familiar, overblown Sleigh Bells sound. While Sing Like A Wire is a glorious mess of bubble gum vocals, ‘80s house synth and Marshall stack guitars that somehow never crumbles under its own weight. Pete Laurie
James d’Apice
★★★½
★★★½
KWES
★★★★
★★½
★★
NYPC
Vengeance Falls
MACHINE TRANSLATIONS
NYPC
Roadrunner/Warner
The Bright Door
Cooking Vinyl
Kwes has largely existed behind the scenes producing material for artists as diverse as Speech Debelle, Micachu and The xx. Now he steps into the spotlight with a debut album that rolls out the blueprint for his unique sound. As it turns out Kwes is a crooning romantic and his icy cool and clear vocals sensitively deal heartfelt lyrics with plenty of emotion. Under the vocals are darkly experimental electronic textures and that brutal UK bass which gives this record plenty of bottom end. A pop record that comes completely out of left-field, Kwes gives us a complete original.
Trivium’s last album In Waves was a sprawling, highly ambitious effort. It was a lot to take in, yet it lost its way – which is where Vengeance Falls takes a different path. With only ten tracks of unending and brutal rifferama, this is the band’s most cohesive work. Gone are the ‘80s metal clichés of soaring melodic choruses, with frontman Matt Heafy and co. bringing a rhythmic post-hardcore sound with less guitar gymnastics and a refocused energy on keeping things dirty and heavy. With this release, Trivium have further cemented their position in metal’s monarchy.
Spunk
This London outfit used to go by New Young Pony Club, but like everything else in pop culture these days (in which they’re firmly entrenched, artistically) brevity has taken priority. As well as losing members (they’re a duo now) and most of their name, they’ve lost their edge. Shouty, angular dance punk has given way to sugary synth pop arrangements, and there’s not much demanding your attention. Terrible metaphors clog up their lyrics and the production is flat and uninspired.
Guido Farnell
James Dawson
Matt MacMaster
J Walker’s Machine Translations has been quiet for some time. His eighth album, The Bright Door, is a restless one reflecting distraction, and the stubborn effort to record it regardless bears rich melancholic fruit. Walker’s natural inclination toward blushing folk rock pushes against subtle metallic instrumentation and atonal shapes that haunt the edges. Dissatisfaction hovers over the record like a pregnant storm cloud. Repeated sounds using different versions of the same instrument litter the record, and many of the songs involve long loops. Walker’s drive to find something results in a hypnotic and fascinating listen.
By track four, Now I’m Your Gun, patience runs thin and a tough slog remains. Weaksauce. Matt MacMaster THE MUSIC • 9TH OCTOBER 2013 • 49
singles/ep reviews
★★½
★★½
★★★½
BASTIAN’S HAPPY FLIGHT
DLINKWNT
EVAN & THE BRAVE
Make It So
Island
Hindsight
Heart/Works
KP Records
Independent
Chapter Music
Independent
Sunny, lo-fi, fuzzy, jangly tune that’s set apart by bright ‘60s harmonies and a poppy disposition.
Sour Grapes
This shimmering, retro offering rehashes the cheesiest genres of eras bygone. It incorporates funk grooves with ‘70s disco, ‘80s dream-pop in the vein of Wham and swanky ‘90s R&B, all wrapped up in glossy, contemporary production. But unless you desperately want a nostalgia trip, this release isn’t for you. Electro-pop song Vodka Ginger begins ominously, but oddly transforms into the best track on the EP, channelling a futuristic Tron aesthetic while its robotic vocals coldly deliver rhyming commands. For the most part, however, this offering has style in spades but little substance.
Sultry double bass on opener Master Class precedes an odd concoction of genres; split via Nick Johnson’s catchy, distinctly Aussie rapping style and Aimee McClintock’s swanky, soul voice, which she uses for some screeching vocal gymnastics. This offering revives that mid noughties trend of combining funky horns with hip hop, as in Kanye’s Touch The Sky. Although the EP does improve in subtlety with each track, and every musician in this outfit clearly possesses an abundance of skill, the combined effect is too polished; too extravagant, while forgoing – ironically – much in the way of soul.
Elevating opener Rescuer incorporates soaring male harmonies with off-kilter drums and electro beats, plus a sprinkle of horns, smoothly integrating experimental and traditional elements into one track. Later songs rely on more customary, dreamy folk pop with hints of electronica, driven by frontman Dan Mifsud’s high, lyrical voice. Something Starts is a stand-out: its sultry, brooding drum roll-driven verses transition into high-energy, rock-pop choruses in a way that’s catchy and rewarding. Although this keenly produced offering has saccharine moments, these are overcome by the EP’s textured, genre-spanning approach.
Shock
Stephanie Tell
Stephanie Tell
Stephanie Tell
THE STEVENS
DIZZEE RASCAL FT WILL.I.AM Something Really Bad Liberator Music/Dirtee Stank Soulless rapping, disjointed sections and chorus: “I love it when the good girls act so bad,” – can we move past this? It’s boring.
CAULFIELD Balances shrieked verse vocals with a melodic chorus. An electro intro makes way for heavy riffage and killer breakdowns, with moments of gentle clarity.
THE MORNING NIGHT
★★★★
Valentine Walking Horse/MGM A sleepy western-sounding song, Valentine’s sluggish tempo means its lyrics lose the emotional mark they potentially could’ve made.
PARQUET COURTS
ROOSEVELT
Not Built To Last
Tally All The Things You Broke
Elliot
Vitamin Records
A drum beat that could be directly lifted from one of their previous numbers and a chorus that sounds like a back-up plan. Seems like they’re out of ideas. Stephanie Liew
Stephanie Tell
Colour Blind Independent Sun City inject the overdone tropical dance sound with some sophistication, sparing instrumentation and synth layering, making it fresh.
BLOC PARTY French Exit Frenchkiss/[PIAS]
50 • THE MUSIC • 9TH OCTOBER 2013
★★★★
JORDIE LANE This long-standing singersongwriter’s new offering exudes professionalism and versatility, shifting between a slow, meandering mood (sometimes carefree, pining at others) and more upbeat country ballads. Uplifting opener Here She Comes pairs a steady rhythm with clacking percussion, over which a boy-girl duet harmonise and croon in their country twang. Lane’s powerful, wavering, folksteeped voice continues in Dead Of Light – a sprawling, expressive folk tune. The next few songs lean towards more traditional country with their acoustic guitar and gentle, longing tones in which lyrics are clichéd. He plays 9 Nov at Thornbury Theatre.
SUN CITY
★★★½
Create Control
Greco-Roman/Future Classic
This frenetic, stripped-back offering channels ‘80s punk, combining Danzig-inspired vocals with the upbeat tempo of Ramones, later even mirroring The Clash’s funk influences. Scrappy track Descend (The Way) demonstrates a treble-heavy brand of noise rock perfectly suited to a dingy rock’n’roll pub. Though the first half of this EP doesn’t stray far enough from a classic punk template, later songs offer more in the way of experimentation to great effect. The grinding Fall On Yr Face flaunts a rockabilly aesthetic while jerky He’s Seeing Paths employs unusual, mechanistic undertones.
This Cologne producer’s debut EP is light-hearted without being frivolous, its warm synth tones driving bright spots of melody among its watery phaser beams and rhythmic drum patterns. The first two tracks seep echoing vocals into cinematic, dreamy soundscapes, the first of which has added disco flavour. Rather than peaking, these tracks ebb and flow in a chilled, oceanic fashion. Closer/title track Elliot has a dream-pop flavour, with more prominent vocals and restrained instrumentation. Though its deeper bassline lends itself to a more accessible, club vibe, the three tracks on this electronic release prove equal in quality.
Stephanie Tell
Stephanie Tell
Coming of age theatre from an award-winning Belgian company, featuring a riotous soundtrack from Fuck Buttons, Foals, Lightning Bolt and Lil Wayne.
THEATRE
Ontroerend Goed Kopergietery / Drum Theatre, Plymouth / Richard Jordan Productions Ltd
Teenage Riot 15 – 18 Oct Arts Centre Melbourne, Fairfax Studio
BOOK NOW melbournefestival.com.au Supported by
THE MUSIC • 9TH OCTOBER 2013 • 51
52 • THE MUSIC • 9TH OCTOBER 2013
live reviews
LISTEN OUT
Observatory Precinct, Botanical Gardens 5 Oct A dude sporting flip flops on the tram with an extra little toe on his right foot reminds us why we usually take great care to avoid catching public transport. Following bass throbs up a grassy incline, we watch in horror as some disrespectful wenches take a group squat next to the Shrine Of Remembrance en route to the festival site: The Observatory will observe munters navigating their own intergalactic paths tonight. If Listen Out is our summer festival fashion forecast, the male uniform channels Daniel
as he pulls a respectably large crowd, eager to pull shapes and take advantage of the space on the floor before the place packs out. He’s released an EP that’s getting plenty of attention from international DJs on the festival circuit and Motez seems like one to watch. John Talabot redistributes some punters away from Rüfüs and it’s pleasant dancing conditions around 909 Stage: room to move with a view (The Shrine). Talabot’s set gets off to a slow and quirky start before blossoming into a luscious explosion of restrained Balearic house, which showcases the revelatory brilliance of his debut album fIN. Who would have thought incorporating slasher-flick screams with beats could be so irresistible? There’s
JOHN TALABOT @ LISTEN OUT. PIC: ANNA WARR
Merriweather: skinny jeans, t-shirt, cut-off denim jacket and beanie. Just inside the entrance on 909 Stage, Andee Frost – who you can hardly hear anyway due to the wind-assisted sound bleed from Rüfüs – DJs before a handful of revellers. Over on Atari Stage, Rüfüs perform a victorious set of glorious, airy dance music that transports our souls into the galaxy. Their debut album Atlas was probably composed with outdoor festival bookings in mind and drummer/percussionist Jon George supplies a hella funky rhythmic backbone. Back on 909 Stage, Motez, South Australian (by way of Baghdad), gets the party started early by rocking the CDJs with a tasty selection of mid-tempo house and garage tunes. The rubbery bump of his grooves prove irresistible
two of them up there: “We are John Talabot.” Would the real John Talabot please stand up? Talabot teams up with Madrid’s Pional with the duo managing sequences alongside live keys, percussion and their own vocals. Tunes such as Destiny and El Oeste bring the crowd to life as they hit joyous, feel-good notes. The cloud formations overhead are nature’s light show, although the fact that John Talabot even have a light show for this 4.15pm timeslot suggests they weren’t expecting to play a pre-sunset set. An early and obvious highlight at today’s party in the park. 6.01pm: We are advised there were delays with the arrival of some of AlunaGeorge’s equipment, but reassured that it’s “all arrived” now so there shouldn’t be too long a wait (their scheduled start time
was 5.45pm). Motez returns to the wheels of steel and tries to appease us with Moguai & Tocadisco’s Freak, but many hightail it over to the other stage for some Classixx. The money seems to be on these Californian producers as hundreds of eager fans jostle in front of Atari Stage. As the sun sets, the duo prove to be crowd pleasers as they kickstart the set with their smooth as silk remix of Phoenix’s Lisztomania ahead of the minimal funk of All You’re Waiting For. The crowd works up a sweat when Classixx irresistibly ask: Do You Like Bass? The answer coming from the flailing arms and legs is a resounding ‘yes’. The smell of smuggled-in Smirnoff fills the air and finally AlunaGeorge hit the
Just Blaze spins an eclectic set of beats that comes with a serving of mainstream cheese that feels a little greasy on the palate. Miguel Campbell rules Atari Stage. He has “Money” printed on his shirt, which just about says it all, really. A nearby punter enthuses, “I didn’t realise people still played music like this!” Mega-long set, though. The ‘types’ in attendance today wear face paint/glitter and rudely yell “Oi!” to get the attention of their crew. While waiting to be served at the VIP bar, we spy Disclosure being interviewed by a small-scale film crew through a gap in the fence. They look about 12, but what they’ve achieved to date, career-wise, is awe-inspiring. An English dude before us orders three
ALUNAGEORGE @ LISTEN OUT. PIC: ANNA WARR
909 Stage half an hour behind schedule. Props to the dude wearing a marijuana-print shirt for continuing to smoke his blunt despite two security guards popping up in the vicinity with noses poised. On Aluna Francis, a nearby bloke says it best: “She’s hot as!” Discussions abound about Azealia Banks lasting a mere 90 seconds onstage, never to return, after a full can of beer was piffed her way. The disappointment of Ms Banks’ ‘performance’ leads us to forage amongst the caravans of fast food for sustenance. The sound bleed for anyone who wants to eat proves unbearable. Returning to the 909 Stage, American hip hop producer Just Blaze is in the middle of an epic party-starting set that has the crowd eating out of his hands. Throwing together EDM, dubstep and a pinch of hip hop,
ciders and four beers, drains all of the ciders and then walks off with beers stacked two apiece in each hand. The bar staff look on, wide eyed and slack jawed. Bringing down the festivities on 909 Stage, Hudson Mohawke and Lunice come together as TNGHT and catch us in their trap with a darkly futuristic set that mixes angsty dupstep with hip hop. Their deep bass shudders with such intensity it feels as if robots from the future will invade at any moment. After all the super-slick and ultra-smooth disco delights we’ve been sipping on all day, their set starts to feel like a nasty rash that’s longing for an itch. Due to previous delays, 909 Stage is still in session come Disclosure o’clock, but the festival climaxes when the spotlight is directed their way. The much-hyped brothers THE MUSIC • 9TH OCTOBER 2013 • 53
live reviews Lawrence proudly fly the UK funky flag with their house and garage grooves. They’ve only been making music together for a couple of years and kick off with F Is For You (aka the “crush” song) then When A Fire Starts To Burn, with punters mimicking the sample from Eric Thomas’ sermon in surround sound. Unlike Vanessa Williams, Disclosure clearly don’t intend to save the best for last. It’s a great starting point from which these polite and rather understated lads give their ironically titled debut album Settle one helluva ferocious workout. Youngest brother Howard (19) is on bass and live vocal duty, which is refreshing given the amount of laptop wizards, who are so boring visually, that we must endure these days. Aluna Francis lights
already as local prog rockers Toehider proceed to hammer out their virtuoso-metal piss taking. Singer Michael Mills opts to look like some sort of Friar Tuck from the future tonight, with a plastic cape tied up with rope and bald pate strapped with blinking GoPro camera. There’s no real need for any of this malarkey as the band are tight and rip it up on all fronts. At one point Mills lets everyone in on the fact that his voice isn’t at all half shabby, climbing octaves as he spreads his cape wide, looking ready to rocket off into the heavens. By set’s end there are more than a few dazed and converted Toehider fans in attendance. Unfortunately suffering from a vocal-heavy mix, Brisbane’s Caligula’s Horse power on
DISCLOSURE @ LISTEN OUT. PIC: ANNA WARR
up the stage when she helps bring down the set with White Noise. Latch takes us there. Amazingly, as with Disclosure’s recorded output, the finger snaps in their live performance sound as crispy as a refrigerated iceberg lettuce. Bryget Chrisfield and Guido Farnell
TWELVE FOOT NINJA, CALIGULA’S HORSE, TOEHIDER Corner Hotel 4 Oct Lovers of heavy music are getting to sample from a headbanger’s buffet at the Corner tonight. The floor is peppered with people 54 • THE MUSIC • 9TH OCTOBER 2013
blending effortlessly until the bottom end kicks everyone in the room in their bottom end. Vocalist Kin Etik finger bangs the air with confidence, fully engaging with the audience and putting on a veritable frontman clinic. Clarion from the Smoke Bomb EP has the pit bouncing before an acoustic version of Liberation simmers the crowd down. Mother Sky’s eerie guitar intro drops the hammer and once again the crowd falls in line, spazzing out. The band’s encore includes Dark Passenger and War, two balltearers performed with precision that leaves the dripping audience confirmed Twelve Foot Ninja fans who are smugly satisfied with their Saturday night. Glenn Waller
DISCLOSURE @ LISTEN OUT. PIC: ANNA WARR
through, churning out tracks such as the rousing Colossus taken from their Moments From Ephemeral City LP. Not your typical band to feature extended lead breaks, Caligula’s Horse are an interesting amalgam of styles, with dynamics that afford band guru Sam Vallen the opportunity to give his fingers a good stretching over the neck of his spiffy Ibanez guitar. Theirs is very ambitious music to pull off live and these guys deserve a respectful tip of the hat for being able to do just that. The room is pumping with punters now and Twelve Foot Ninja reward the audience with a fuck-yeah explosion in the form of Kingdom. All decked out in black, the band are tight as hell, owning the stage and loving it. Second track Vanguard is everything live that it is on CD, hard rock with dub
of Billboard as if to watch an art installation at a gallery. A huge moon fills the projection screen behind the stage. Clouds and facial expressions flit past its surface as a continuous eerie hum pierces the room. Everyone is strangely hushed and stationary for a music gig from one of progressive rock’s luminaries. The Porcupine Tree founder and frontman is here to promote his third solo album The Raven That Refused To Sing (And Other Stories). His diminutive wiry frame takes the stage last alongside diversely skilled bandmates, many of whom reprise their roles from the previous album tour, Grace For Drowning. “I know that One Direction is in town, and I thank you for having such discernible taste,” he jokes after the opener.
TWELVE FOOT NINJA @ CORNER HOTEL. PIC: GLENN WALLER
STEVEN WILSON Billboard The Venue 2 Oct Attending a Steven Wilson performance is akin to viewing a piece of ethereal artwork in flux, its shape and motions unpredictable and riveting. Many of his tracks start out inviting and sensuous, unfurling sylph-like with sparse notes plucked on a keyboard, guitar or flute, then suddenly bursting forth and ensnaring hapless audiences in a ferocious assault of the senses, leaving them astounded and dazed. The show opens with a halfhour-long ‘film’ in lieu of support acts. Brooding men in suits and piercings, youths in hoodies and unaffected teens file silently down below to the cool sanctum
TWELVE FOOT NINJA PIC: GLENN
There are haunting gems in tracks such as Luminol, Drive Home and The Raven That Refused To Sing. With each track characteristically running between seven and 15 minutes in duration, and awash with feverish crescendos of unadulterated passion onstage, it is sometimes difficult to know where one ends and the next begins. But Wilson exults in the avalanche of soundscapes that effortlessly segue and bridge gulfs between jazz, ‘80s pop, rock’n’roll, punk and heavy metal. The Watchmaker and The Pin Drop roundly reinforce this album as one of Wilson’s more gothic offerings, with the dark subject matter of murder, loss, grief and supernatural vengeance at the heart of each narrative. He is one hell of a storyteller. “One of my favourite topics is serial killers,” he relishes, before
live reviews unleashing Raider II, a song about the infamous Denis Rader, accompanied by eerie, squirmy visuals in the style of The Blair Witch Project. To lighten the mood, he performs Harmony Korine – named after his friend and Spring Breakers director because it is similarly “twisted but poetic”. Thanks to the four-channel surround, the sound quality is remarkably sharp and clear. The system enables the isolation and directional control of individual instruments for maximum effect, producing crisp layers of sound rather than a cacophony. Indeed, the best way to appreciate Wilson’s recordings is with surround sound, or better yet, live. Ching Pei Khoo
A @ CORNER HOTEL. N WALLER
front of the swelling crowd. The ultra-busy Brisbane fourpiece casually shower the room with their dreamy pop tunes featuring sugary melodies and effortless harmonies. It’s likely that Major Leagues will feature on many a summer playlist, with recent release Endless Drain an obvious pick for sunny, carefree days. Given that The Holidays have been off the live music scene for quite some time, instead choosing to dedicate their time to working on a new album set for 2014 release, it’s quite remarkable to see how many people show up to see the band return with new material up their sleeves. They take to the stage, each with such varying physical appearances that they all look as though they
TWELVE FOOT NINJA @ CORNER HOTEL. PIC: GLENN WALLER
THE HOLIDAYS, MAJOR LEAGUES, CONTRAST
Northcote Social Club 3 Oct One of the features of this venue is its dark corners, which, unfortunately for Contrast, means that the small crowd who have come along early to catch their set look miniscule in numbers because of their preference for the dimmed areas of the room. Regardless, the barely-visible early birds get to enjoy some ‘90s-inspired, indie-pop rock to warm them up for the evening. Major Leagues take a couple of songs to find momentum in
he isn’t joking. The song, which is nearly double the length of their other tunes, displays the true capabilities of a band who are just as natural at writing hooky pop songs as they are at creating progressive masterpieces such as this one. If tonight is anything to go by, The Holidays’ fanbase is about to explode. Jacqueline Flynn
PIKELET, THE ANCIENTS, KANE IKIN The Curtin 5 Oct Minimal lighting combines well with the sounds emanating from the PA as Kane Ikin sets
PIKELET @ THE CURTIN. PIC: GLENN WALLER
belong in separate bands. The guys seemingly pick up where they left off only a couple of years ago, with much acclaim surrounding Post Paradise, their release at the time. Of course, most of us in the room remember Broken Bones, but the sense of nostalgia doesn’t appear to outweigh the enthusiasm for the Sydney outfit’s new material. In fact, when singer Simon Jones confides that a live show may not be the best forum in which to hear new music, one friendly heckler reassuringly shouts that it’s “the best place”. And it does seem to be received with open arms (and ears). The first single off their upcoming album Voices Drifting is perfectly complemented by another song, All Time High: a feel-good tune with hit written all over it. When Jones tells us it’s time “to take it up a notch”,
to work creating dark sonic textures in support of Pikelet’s CD launch tonight. Ikin casts a humble figure as he manipulates gear positioned on green milk crates, layering and looping audio to hypnotic effect. More people slowly make their way in as The Ancients take to the stage to perform their brand of dreamy, swirling indie rock. Playing tracks from forthcoming release Night Bus, the quintet write songs drenched in jangling guitars while a keyboard adds to the dynamic. With heads down and guitars slung up to the armpits, The Ancients look and act as shy and reserved as their music would suggest, self-effacingly doing their songs justice in a live setting. Choosing tonight to launch new album Calluses, Pikelet are in full band mode as a four-piece
with bass, synth and drums adding depth to Evelyn Morris’s melancholy pop numbers. Projections showcases Morris’s soaring, heavily delayed vocals, which bounce around the room and are soaked up by audience members who eagerly observe. Keyboard stabs bring in Fleeting, a tapestry of synth and stop-start bass, with sparing drums letting the track breathe until its stirring fadeout. Pressure Cooker is droning and haunting, its sombreness breaking up the set nicely. Pikelet are clearly playing to the converted tonight, as each track receives rapturous applause upon completion. After a cacophonous intro, bass guitar ushers in Friends, Morris’s keys and Shags Chamberlain’s synth piled on thick throughout. An impromptu rap courtesy of Chamberlain
PIKELET @ THE CURTIN. PIC: GLENN WALLER
(that won’t be putting Eminem out of work any time soon) gets the crowd laughing before the band kicks on with latest album opener, Electric Gate. Morris pours her heart into singing each song, never hesitating when a track calls for her to belt it out. Tackling both keyboard and vocal responsibilities limits her movement, but Chamberlain isn’t bound by the same shackles while attacking his synth – a striking combination of hair and limbs. Taking a moment to thank John Lee (Lost Animal, Mountains In The Sky) for his help in the recording of Calluses, Morris is all smiles as the band continues with Forward Motion. An extended drumming intro brings with it a beefed-up live version of Combo, its crescendo concluding a successful CD launch. Glenn Waller THE MUSIC • 9TH OCTOBER 2013 • 55
arts reviews
GRAVITY
PATRICK Film
Delima Shanti
In cinemas
In cinemas 17 Oct
Gravity is more a technical marvel than it is any other aspect of it being a film. Director Alfonso Cuaron, known for his love and aptitude for long, elegant, impossible takes, here ramps that up to infinity, crafting some of the most balletic and beautiful action sequences ever put to screen. Your stomach drops watching this stuff. You ripple with adrenaline and excitement in your seat. You hold your breath, again and again. It’s such a unique and powerful film because it’s such a precise visual achievement – an overwhelmingly exact and staggeringly complex choreography of terrible, majestic destruction. That its marooned astronauts are just stuck above the earth’s atmosphere – exquisitely milked here for all its singular, astounding beauty – adds a kind of profound and smothering loneliness to their
Patrick, a remake of the 1978 Ozploitation horror flick by the same name, has been transformed from a Hitchcockstyle thriller into a blood and gore affair. The remake is faithful to the tale of Patrick, a supposedly brain-dead patient who takes a liking to a kind nurse and proceeds to take over the hospital using telekinesis. Yet scrapping the subtly creepy direction in Richard Franklin’s 1978 original, new director Mark Hartley takes liberal cues from slasher films and Gothic horrors – shrouding the settings in mist, thunder and lightning.
THE TRAGEDY OF LUCRECE
Film
GRAVITY
situation. Just outside of human existence, we’re reminded, there is a swallowing, impartial blackness. Gravity resubmits to the cinematic discourse the sheer immensity of space, and also its terrible inhospitality. There’s just so much to gush about in this film. Its score, for one, is terrific. Because there’s no sound in space, the music has to be the looming groans of giant, expensive shapes hitting each other; of vast things catapulting off into space; of the recurring, dead-eyed threat of a fastorbiting debris field. Go see it already. Gravity is too immense to do justice with words. Samuel Hobson 56 • THE MUSIC • 9TH OCTOBER 2013
an entertaining, wonderfully pulpy piece of mayhem.
Leading lady Sharni Vinson – who is proving to be Australia’s newest horror darling, having been in the 2011 shark thriller Bait and recent home invasion horror You’re Next – plays nurse Kathy Jacquard as a feisty heroine. Meanwhile, Rachel Griffiths’ icy Matron Cassidy is
Theatre
Richmond Library Theatrette (finished) The Tragedy Of Lucrece is a take on Shakespeare’s poem, The Rape Of Lucrece, and is a study of loyalties and power, both in terms of matrimony and social hierarchy. Set in ancient Rome, what starts out as playful banter between friends dissolves into something far darker. Prince Tarquin and his comrade Collantine gently mock each other over wifely fidelity, Collantine confidently asserting that his wife Lucrece would never waver in that department. Winning a wager, Collantine gloats, much to the chagrin of Prince Tarquin, who makes it his mission to exact revenge for such an insubordinate slight.
HUNTER SMITH: APPRENTICE HETROSEXUAL
suitably deadpan and gloomy. The film makes no pretenses of being a subtle horror. Almost every scene is jam-packed with jumpy sound effects, and right from the beginning shots are framed perfectly for macabre weirdos to come jumping at poor Nurse Kathy. But in a film that already has all the makings of an exploitation classic – a mad doctor, crazy science experiments and pretty nurses dying horribly – audiences will have suspended any disbelief mere minutes into the film.
Dialogue is expertly penned by Enzo Condello, and Brenda Addie’s direction of the sixstrong cast is rock solid. The Tragedy Of Lucrece is confronting, thought provoking theatre.
Sure, it’s corny, and it’s certainly no Wolf Creek, but it’s hard to believe Hartley intended Patrick to be anything other than
Inserting humour into the implausibilities of changing one’s sexual identity seems like a tricky task but Hunter Smith
Glenn Waller
HUNTER SMITH: APPRENTICE HETEROSEXUAL Comedy
The Tuxedo Cat (finished)
delves into it head on. This stand-up comedy gig reminisces about childhood memories and illustrates his adult attempts to become the ideal heterosexual male. If you are after slightly inappropriate jokes and anecdotal tales of opponents trying to convert him, it is a great laugh. His delivery is a relaxed, with a colloquial style, as if he’s inviting you into a friendly yarn after a couple of wines or two. Smith shows great potential and brings fresh stories to the comedic scene. Georgia Sampson
ASORÉ: A SERIES OF RARE EVENTS Circus
Gasworks (finished) Combining 1920s costume and music complemented by foot juggling and hula hooping, this show demonstrates the great skills that both these girls share,
ASORE
and the acts are interjected with statements about the interconnectedness of life. There is significance to including an audio interview with a woman who became a part of the circus in the ‘20s by accidental means but unfortunately its presence is rather jarring and prevents the flow from feeling entirely natural. Yet the performed feats are what draws your attention, and the importance of creating your own style is reiterated when they reel off some circus performers’ frequently asked questions. Overall a commendable effort and with slight audio alterations this show could go far. Georgia Sampson
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muso
STUDIO CREDITS
ISLAND SONGS Taking time out after years of album/tour/ album/tour, Travis took to the task of writing and recording their seventh album as if it was their first. Andy Dunlop talks to Michael Smith about it.
PRODUCERS: Fran Healy & Michael Ilbert
STUDIOS: Ocean Sound Recordings, Gilke, Norway; Hansa Tonstudio, Berlin
MIXING ENGINEER: Michael Ilbert
MASTERING: Tom Coyne @ Sterling Sound, New York City
ARTWORK: Fran Healy
I
t’s five years since Glasgow four-piece Travis – singerguitarist Fran Healy, bassist Dougie Payne, guitarist (and now pianist) Andy Dunlop and drummer Neil Primrose – released their last album, 2008’s Ode To J Smith, in which time they amicably parted company with their label, Independiente, and relaunched their own Red Telephone Box label via Kobalt Label Services. Healy and Dunlop released a live acoustic album and, in 2010, Healy released his first solo album, Wreckorder. Reconvening in 2011, Travis got stuck into some international touring but also started work on a new album, Where You Stand, released in August, coproduced by Healy with audio and mixing engineer Michael Ilbert (The Hives, Taylor Swift, The Cardigans). “It was one of those things,” Dunlop suggests when asked about the choice of Ilbert. “I think any producer’s always a risk really ‘cause it’s one extra person in the studio. We’ve known each other so long it’s always gonna be a risk getting anyone in that won’t upset the personalities in that way. We were very lucky with Michael – it worked brilliantly. Fran knew him beforehand obviously, but I think it wasn’t until the first day we settled… ‘cause we were on an island in Norway as well – it’s not as if we can change anything,” he chuckles. “Everything was set in stone once you were there really. We tried to record the album in sequence as much as possible, so the first day we set to and started Mother and it just all fell into place.”
TRAVIS CO PRODUCER MICHAEL ILBERT
58 • THE MUSIC • 9TH OCTOBER 2013
The studio, Ocean Sound Recordings, is situated in Giske, on Norway’s northern coast,
which features an excellent acoustically treated 70 square metre live room and a Neve VR60 Legend Console in the control room. “Finding the studio was kind of a weird thing. Fran had played the year before at this little free festival they have on the island every year and they’d told him there was a studio there, and usually when people tell you that you imagine a shed with a microphone in it! So they took him to the studio, but the deal-breaker was the desk in the studio – they said it was the desk that [Radiohead’s] OK Computer was recorded on – they’d bought it from a studio in London. Well, if OK Computer was recorded there, then so was [Travis’ second album] The Man Who, ‘cause it was the same desk and [producer] Nigel [Godrich] used to like working on that desk [in RAK Studios] in Mayfair in London. So we were reunited with the desk we recorded The Man Who on.
“I THINK ANY PRODUCER’S ALWAYS A RISK REALLY ‘CAUSE IT’S ONE EXTRA PERSON IN THE STUDIO.” “Michael was really good in the sense that he comes from a slightly different angle, pretty much from the pop world, and we wanted to see if we could meet somewhere in the middle.” The Norway sessions took two weeks, and then the action all moved to the infamous Hansa Tonstudio, at Köthener Straße, behind Potsdamer Platz in Berlin, where David Bowie recorded his ‘Berlin Trilogy’ of albums – Low, Heroes and Lodger – and Nick Cave and Iggy Pop have also recorded. The former Hansa mixing room is now Ilbert’s headquarters and houses his collection of vintage gear, which includes pairs of Spectrasonics 610 and Decca limiters, and custom-built copies of the classic EMI limiter. “Originally we were only going in to do some B-side for iTunes and things, and we just went in with a bunch of songs we had kicking about left over from the sessions and, luckily, two of them came out brilliant and we thought, ‘Oh well, they’re good enough to be on the record.’ I mean, Hansa, for musicians, is somewhere between a museum and a toy shop really. You’re aware of the incredible history of this place, and then Michael would pull out an amp and say, ‘This is the guitar amp from [Iggy Pop’s] Lust For Life,’ or, ‘This is the keyboard from Low,’ so we were like kids in a sweet shop!” Where You Stand by Travis is out now.
classies FILM & STAGE OTHER FIREWORKS, PYRO & SPECIAL FX Explosive Entertainment Specialists. 1800069007 www. blasopyrotechnics.com.au iFlogID: 23026
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SOUNDPARK REHEARSALS Great Rehearsal rooms in Northcote. Daytime $50. Nightime from $60 Storage Available, Car Parking, Gear for Hire, Comfortable Friendly Atmosphere. Daytime 12pm till 6pm, Night 6pm till 11pm. Phone Andrew 0425 706 382 iFlogID: 22044
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60 • THE MUSIC • 9TH OCTOBER 2013
the guide
AUDEGO
Photo Cesar Rodrigues Answered by: Big Fella How did you get together? Paso did a remix for one of my solo tracks back in the day, we worked well together so we started making tracks. Sum up your musical sound in four words? Velvety vocals, broken beats. If you could support any band in the world – past or present – who would it be? Mr Bungle. You’re being sent into space, no iPod, you can bring one album – what would it be? The Dictionary Of Soul by Otis Redding. Greatest rock’n’roll moment of your career to date? There was this one gig, let’s just say it involved chamomile tea and manuka honey. Actually, we are pretty un-rock’n’roll, but we sound good on a big system. Why should people come and see your band? Dancing, midi controllers, a microphone – need I say more? Yeah? How about killer abstract projections made by Jean Poole (Gotye’s tour VJ). When and where for your next gig? 10 Oct, The Toff In Town. Website link for more info? Facebook.com/Audegomusic
eat
drink
travel
fashion
opinion
eat
WARNING: MAY CONTAIN NUTS With a full set of pearly whites and an EpiPen handy, Dylan Stewart discovers the versatility of peanut butter.
I
t was the 1890s, and the people of St. Louis, Missouri, loved their peanuts. The problem was that, thanks to poor dental hygiene, many of St. Louis’ fine residents found themselves without teeth and unable to enjoy the taste of those fine, bitesized morsels without the pain of a toothache. According to the non-profit Southern Peanut Growers Association of America – and their great website peanutbutterlovers.com – the story goes that a local physician saw a way around this problem. He ground peanuts into a paste and packaged it for his tooth-deprived patients to rub on their exposed gums in the comfort of their own homes. Now, while the concept of peanut-based spread stretches back millennia – it’s thought the Incas combined peanut paste with cocoa some 3,000 years ago – it took the savvy mind of John Kellogg (yep, the Corn Flakes guy) to patent it for the masses in 1895. Throughout the 20th century, peanut butter became a staple on breakfast tables worldwide, hugely popular not only in Australia and the USA, but also throughout Europe and Asia. Smooth or crunchy (usually depending on what your mum used to buy), by the time you got to grade three, chances are you knew how great peanut butter was; spread onto piping hot toast or into the groove of a crispy celery stalk. But the times, they are a-changing, and the domain of peanut butter is shifting, too. On one hand, peanut allergies have become far more widespread (no pun intended), meaning that teachers, gym workers and first-aid attendants are trained to use the EpiPen to prevent anaphylactic shock, and well intentioned parents have to think twice before sending their kids off to school with that PB sandwich or Picnic. On the other hand, though, peanut butter is seeing a renaissance of sorts. In restaurants around Australia, peanut butter – house-made or storebought – is inching into the menu, adding both variety and indulgence into a diner’s experience.
62 • THE MUSIC • 9TH OCTOBER 2013
STRANGE SPREADS SQUEEZE BACON
Why waste time preparing bacon when all you want is its sizzling flavour? Jump straight to tubey liquid bacon to avoid conventional hassles.
MARSHMALLOW FLUFF
This American spread is a more convenient way to exacerbate tooth decay and achieve sugar highs. Comes in flavours like vanilla, raspberry and strawberry.
BEER SPREAD
With Australia’s multicultural population bringing with it competing cuisines, over the past few decades the prevalence of South-east Asian restaurants has expanded from capital cities, through regional centres and into rural towns. The obvious item is the humble satay sauce, which blends peanut butter (preferably crunchy) with fresh red chili, lemon juice, garlic and a touch of brown sugar. Whether as a coating for mouthful-sized pieces of skewered meat or simply as a dipping sauce, there’s no chance of any fingers remaining dry when satay sauce is around. And from the other side of the world, come the American-inspired peanut butter-based desserts. A recent phenomenon is the decadent – and potentially life span-shortening – peanut butter cheesecake. Black Toro, the Mexican restaurant in Glen Waverley in Melbourne’s south-east, has inspired reviews from bloggers and journalists alike about its deconstructed peanut butter cheesecake, and the Elvis-inspired banana and peanut butter cheesecake at the new Betty’s Espresso in South Brisbane seems almost too good to be true. The salty flavour of peanut butter finding its way into dessert is not strictly reserved to cheesecake, though. Soft peanut butter biscuits and hard peanut brittle have been hiding away in Tupperware containers in grandmas’ pantries for decades, always on a shelf that’s just discoverable by intrepid young hands. And peanut butter ice cream, from Ben & Jerry’s Clusterfluff flavour to the scoop you’d find in the Peanut Butter and Jelly Sandwich at The Dip, works in summertime and winter alike. Milkshakes, brownies, cookies, caramel – the list goes on. After further investigation, though most PB recipes are relatively easy to whip up at home. And goddamn it’s delicious. On the surface it doesn’t really stand out, but with a hint of creativity it can become the ultimate spread – whether you’ve got teeth or not.
In Italy, a chocolatier and a brewery got together to make spreadable beer, Birra Spalmabile, available in two flavours: Omid dark ale and Greta blonde ale.
CLAM SPREAD
There’s something about northern North America that breeds a need for the salty taste of the sea to be infused in everything. Yuk
DURIAN JAM
The durian is world-renowned for its awful stench; in some areas it is illegal to carry the open fruit on public transport. Yet some people can’t get enough of it, and apparently you can purchase it in jam form.
eat/drink
FOOD IS ART
FOOD TRIPPIN’ EATING AROUND THE USA WITH SOFIE MUCENIEKAS AND LLOYD HONEYBROOK
CHICAGO TO CLEVELAND.
Before heading out on the road to Cleveland we made a stop at ¡Bang! Bang Pie Company for some pick-me-up pie action. We sure had our work cut out for us with this spread - the freshest OJ, coffee, biscuit with various delicious butters’n’jams, biscuit and gravy (so dense!) and two slices of absurdly good pie (the most intense chocolate pie ever, I literally only had two bites and @lloydhoneybrook struggled through the rest, and a slice of strawberryrhubarb honey fig pie). #brutal #biscuitsarescones
CHECKOUT
ENVIRONMENTAL TOOTHBRUSH Ditch the plastic, it isn’t that fantastic. Brush your teeth with this eco-friendly bamboo handled brush that won’t get mixed up with your housemates and is Australian designed. Cost: $3.18 (you can get at most health food shops)
BAR PROFILE
SWALLOW BAR Answered by: Zoe Roy Address: 198 Whatley Crescent, Maylands Briefly describe the design/atmosphere of the bar? Embracing the historic fabric of the building, our design is influenced by our love of everything art deco, and the bars and bistros of Paris. We tracked down some train booths out of a train that ran in northern Australia from 1916-1930. These are a central feature in our front bar – then a long jarrah bar with pressed tin, vintage light fittings and 1920s inspired artworks to complete the room. Swallow Bar is a very intimate and nostalgic space. Does the bar have a music component? Sunday Sessions at Swallow Bar – live bands every week: gypsy jazz, traditional jazz trios, rockabilly and honky tonk blues. Fabulous network of local DJs – mostly soul and funk, 1950s and ‘60s nostalgia, jazz and blues. What drinks are you serving? Do you have a specialty? We have one beer tap which rotates as we wish... currently Two Birds Golden Ale. Great offering of local and European wines, as well as a building cellar list. Plenty of interesting beers and ciders by the bottle. Cocktails: mostly the classics, sometimes with a bit of a twist.
Does the bar offer food? If so what style and what’s your specialty? Both the owners are chefs so we definitely have a strong food focus! The bar menu is quite French-inspired: small and medium plates for grazing or sharing. The Swallow Daily is a main dish which changes each day, but is always seasonal and driven by using the best local produce.
“I WILL NOT EAT OYSTERS. I WANT MY FOOD DEAD. NOT SICK. NOT WOUNDED. DEAD.” WOODY ALLEN
Briefly describe the crowd that frequents your bar? We are a neighbourhood bar with a strong local/ regular component. Our demographic is a diverse mix of ages, cultures and backgrounds. I guess the common thread being they are drawn to our intimate space, the nostalgic tunes, and enjoy the European culture of eating and drinking. Who’s cooking and pouring and what makes them special? Swallow Bar is owned and run by Zoe Roy and Meredith Bastian. Meredith manages the bar, and Zoe is the chef. We have a great team supporting us who are fabulous pourers, mixers and shakers! Anything out of the ordinary on the horizon? Wine dinner with Ben Gould from Blind Corner & Two Brother wines on 30 Oct: a food and wine matching extravaganza! Website: swallowbar.com.au THE MUSIC • 9TH OCTOBER 2013 • 63
drink
FROM THE FRIDGE
ICE COLD, BABY
Sometimes when you’re in a rush and the café lines are too long, you just have to make do and dash into a 7-Eleven for your iced coffee. Here is our pick of the best five cold coffeeflavoured, milkbased beverages.
FARMER’S UNION
The idea of downingg hot milk on a scorchin scorching summer’s day seems b bl but b t for f many off us coffee ff is i a necessity. Luckily, our baristas unbearable, are providing suitable cold options. Simon Eales susses it out.
H
uddling on a polished wood bench, wrapped in a scarf, while listening to the comforting hiss of a steaming wand while sipping a mocha, macchiato, or short black would make any crèma connoisseur purr. If, that is, the weather’s chill, right? Surely this August hermit skips down the road for a slurpee once the thermostat’s up? Nup. Caffeine, the most benevolent of addictives, is a comely mistress and entirely irresistible. Forty degrees? Don’t care! Triple-shot flat white stat, mate. But, is an iced coffee any real alternative? To find an answer, I took a little pilgrimage ‘round a couple of Melbourne’s top coffee spots and spoke to those who know. Iced coffee, until recently, has been mostly served in a tall glass with lots of milk, sugar and ice-cream. Now as we, like, grow up and seek to take our caffeine hits sans sugar coma, top cafes are pouring focus into perfectly extracted beans served chilled without the frills. For Mark Jacobson, former owner of Collective in Melbourne suburb Camberwell and current barista of Fitzroy’s Doomsday, the move towards no bullshit cold coffee is a welcome one. “A lot of people now are doing iced lattes, which are just two shots of espresso, cold milk and ice. And that’s what people actually want. They don’t want the sugar and most of the time they don’t want the ice-cream, not once they’re past 16 years old!” Up at St Ali North in Carlton North, they serve three types of iced coffee. One, a little old school, the Cappuccino Con Fredo, is a double espresso with milk, blended with ice. They also have an iced latte and then – the piece I’m after – their Chilled Daily Brew: filter coffee from their Fetco batch brewer, chilled and served for $5 a glass. It looks like sewage water but tastes delicious, and comes without distractions: no ice, cream or straws. With a pep in my step I head city-side to chic suit hotspot Patricia, where co-owner Pip Heath tells
64 • THE MUSIC • 9TH OCTOBER 2013
me about the difference between cold drip, cold brew and cold filter. Cold drip is brewed slowly (over 4-12 hours) using special scientific-looking equipment that drips cold water through the coffee. With cold brew, the coffee is extracted sitting in cold water, and is then filtered out. Cold filter, the preferred method at Patricia, is “basically pourover coffee, which we’re hot extracting the same way as all of our other filtered coffee,” Heath says. “Then we chill it in an airtight container, serve it in a hip flask, and you pour it yourself over a big cube of ice.” It’s their big cold coffee seller. Because coffee for filters has been lighter roasted than coffee for espresso, chilling it “changes the way the filter coffee tastes,” Heath says. “[Filter coffee’s] got a fair bit more acidity. But when you chill it, it mellows out that acidity and becomes a little more on the spectrum of those classic coffee flavours: nutty, chocolatey, also a bit of scotchy booziness.” He reckons that in summer cold coffee sales can make up 40% of orders. In response, they’re throwing up a few extra options. “We’re thinking of giving ‘Clouds Mountains’ a bit more of a push.” This bizarre drink, Heath tells me, was “invented as a joke and now people actually order it. We get a scoop of ice-cream and put it in a cup. We then get a canelé [a small, delicious, French baked treat], put it on top and extract the double espresso over that.’ I now have the choice between sweet ice-creamy fun and smooth, scotchy finesse. Strap me up to the colddrip drip and pour me over a croissant, I’m a cold coffee convert. Until I remember something Jacobson told me back at Doomsday. “Even in hot weather, people want hot coffee. In India, they drink hot tea as one of the best ways to keep cool. When you ingest a hot drink it makes your skin feel like it’s colder outside. It’s a really old way of keeping cool.” Confliction swamps my caffeine-drowned brain… But, for now, I just chock it up as a win-win and have a little lie down.
Trusted, reliable and Australian-made – in South Australia, to be precise. Can’t go wrong with that white and teal packaging.
BIG M
Will take you back to the days of writing lunch orders on brown paper bags and feeling older than your 11 years sipping the ‘grown up drink’ through a straw.
THE TERRITORY’S OWN PAUL’S ICED COFFEE
Basically a dressedup variant of Paul’s milk, so images of Pat Rafter spring to mind, as do other ad campaigns with him in his underwear.
OAK
For when you’re neither particularly hungry nor thirsty but a weird combination of both and you want to kill that feeling dead. Obviously.
DARE
According to the ads, this is one for commitmentphobes. Proper coffee too serious? Opt for some that comes in a plastic bottle.
ARE YOU READY TO STAND OUT? Each and every night, Protective Services Officers help keep our train stations safe for Victorian travellers. If you’re smart, fit and have excellent communication skills, Victoria Police wants to hear from you. To find out more, visit us at policecareer.vic.gov.au/pso or call 132 001. And get ready to stand out.
PROTECTIVE SERVICES OFFICERS. NOW RECRUITING. policecareer.vic.gov.au/pso F•S•A/VP0050
THE MUSIC • 9TH OCTOBER 2013 • 65
travel
BY THE HORNS Sarah Reid triple knots triple-knots her sandshoes for a different kind of summer festival – one that involves bulls.
EUROPEAN FESTIVALS CHEESE ROLLING Cooper’s Hill, Gloucestershire, UK, (May)
The simple pleasure of rolling down a hill. Rolling down a hill with a giant wheel of cheese.
KATTENSTOET
Ypres, Belgium, (May) A festival celebrating cats enough said.
LA TOMATINA
Valencia, Spain, (August) Throw mushy fruit at strangers in this redder than red fiesta.
I
’ve done a lot of stupid shit overseas. But running with the bulls really takes the cake. I hadn’t given it much thought until a mate suggested we get involved this summer, and by the time the bastard had chickened out I’d already booked my flight. Direct from Ibiza, no less. When in Spain, and all that.
The first bull pack passes me by so close I could have touched them, but I’m too busy screaming. The second group are upon me in seconds, and I flatten myself against a wall of bodies as they fly by. Everyone around me stops for a moment in stunned silence. Then I remember it’s not over yet and force my jelly legs to run.
Immortalised in Ernest Hemingway’s classic 1926 novel The Sun Also Rises, Pamplona’s San Fermin festival draws over one million punters each year. Dating back to the 14th century, the highlight of the event is the bull runs, which kick off at 8am each day from 7-14 July.
Jogging through the stadium gates will go down as one of the biggest adrenalin rushes of my life. But that was still just the beginning. For the next half hour, six angry young bulls would be released into the arena one by one. And if you climb out of the arena before the end, you’re considered a coward. I was lucky, but plenty of others weren’t. With more than 200 injuries every year, most travel insurers won’t cover you for running with the bulls. The event has claimed 15 lives since 1924, with the most recent death that of a 27-year-old Spaniard, in 2009. This year, a 23-year-old Aussie was gored so badly she was lucky to escape with her life.
I bunk down in the nearby city of San Sebastian, as Pamplona is an apocalyptic mess at this time of the year. Dressed in traditional whites and a red bandana, I rise at dawn on the fourth day of the festival to join a bus-load of shit-scared backpackers bound for Pamps. Or maybe that’s just me, as it turns out less than half of them had mustered the balls to run. Stepping off the bus, the smell of piss and sangriastained vomit chunks assault my nostrils. Pamplona parties hard during San Fermin, and the bars are only just beginning to close. Walking the length of the cobbled course to orientate myself, I’m interested to find it’s less than a kilometre long. But it only takes the bulls around three minutes to charge through to the stadium, so if you want to keep up with them (and secure ultimate bragging rights), you have to start running from Dead Man’s Corner, about midway on the course. It’s a delicate science – starting too far towards the end of the course and beating the bulls into the ring is a massive faux pas. At 6.30am event staff begin to erect the wooden barricades that corridor the course. Ninety minutes later and the starting rocket goes off, signalling the release of the first six bulls. I turn to run, but it’s more a process of stumbling through a sea of human carnage than anything resembling a sprint. This is the catalyst of most injuries – people keep their eyes on the bulls rather than what’s in front of them, trip up and get trampled. 66 • THE MUSIC • 9TH OCTOBER 2013
The bulls have it worse. Every night of the festival six beasts from the morning’s run are killed during a series of bullfights. If you haven’t had the misfortune of witnessing the brutal sport, it’s a pretty awful way to die. In light of these animal rights issues along with the continuing dangers of the event to festival-goers, there’s more talk every year about whether Pamplona’s bull run has had its day. While I can’t see the festival breaking tradition anytime soon, there’s no doubt that the face of it is changing. The day following my run, I returned to Pamplona to watch the spectacle from the arena. Taking my seat amid a group of local teens, all coked to their eyeballs, I was surprised to learn that they had no intention of ever doing the run as their forefathers have for centuries. “It’s so dangerous,” one girl shrugs. “We just want to party.” While I don’t know if I’d run again, I’m proud of myself for getting ‘er done. It’s fun to spend a day watching from the sidelines, but nothing beats the thrill of being in the thick of it.
IL PALIO DI SIENA Siena, Italy ( July 2 and August 16)
An epic horse race between the districts of the city. Held inside Siena’s central square, Piazza del Campo.
THE MUSIC • 9TH OCTOBER 2013 • 67
fashion
FLOWERING THROUGH Decorations, symbols, gifts, garnishes... Flowers are multipurpose things. William Miller ponders their many uses.
STRAYA’S FLORA Australian flowers keep really well as they are used to our climate. Invest in a bunch or pick some off the side of the road for long-lasting floral enjoyment.
GOLDEN WATTLE (ALL OVER)
WARATAH (NSW)
A
nd so the winter thaws and we emerge from the cold, rolling around in the grass, soaking the sun with our skin and flowers – like the girls whose heads they adorn – come out to play. The ultimate symbol of spring, flowers work in tandem with the sun to remind us that there is in fact life at the end of cold, cloud-filled winter. Jasmine fills the air of suburban streets, and magnolias, whose lineage goes back to that of before the bee, cover front yards with a light purple hue. But aside from being the symbol of spring, flowers have another role as an emblem that accompanies us in every stage of life. We gift them for anything: from celebrations and grievances to ‘I’m sorry I said the wrong thing, baby’. My girlfriend’s bedroom is filled with flowers. It’s a bittersweet irony; we pull this living thing out of the earth and then temporarily keep it alive, tormenting it in water-filled prison. It kind of makes sense, though. Beauty is a thing of symbolic nature, so if it’s in the ground and ready to be plucked out, why not? The whole killing flowers and then using them as symbols thing started way back when robes were the garment of choice. Back then they were used to appease the gods. Now they are used to appease significant others. Over the next few hundred years flowers came into their own and by the Renaissance they were seen as emblems of beauty taking on their role as decoration. But they haven’t always been only revered for their beauty. The 1600s saw a period of time where tulips were seen as one of the most valuable commodities the Netherlands had to offer. The brief period aptly named ‘tulip mania’ is thought to have been the first economic bubble. At the time, a single bulb of the Semper Augustus, a white tulip with blood red flares across its petals, could fetch a price in equivalence to four acres of land. Considering the rate at which I’m buying flowers to fix my wrongdoings in the eyes of my better half, I feel considerably lucky that we are currently not in 17th century Holland. Nice pants they wore, though. 68 • THE MUSIC • 9TH OCTOBER 2013
The times have certainly changed. Today you can’t walk into any café without the hefty scent of spring joining you at the table or a native arrangement headed by a banksia finding its place somewhere around you. It makes sense. Who isn’t happy with a little bit of colour joining them for lunch? Some flowers are even finding their way into the meals, with cafes adding floral edibles into the mix, like alyssum – a tasty little thing that wouldn’t look out of place in a spring posy, but instead finds itself as the key ingredient to a couple of dishes, tasting like mustard and making for an interesting looking meal. Giving flowers, while simple in theory, can end up as difficult as a hayfever-ridden day. Roses, tulips and orchids are the safe bet, but to hell with safe bets. You need something that says, ‘my emotions are different; look how well I can pick out plants’. Australian natives fit the bill: subdued greens, highlighted with magenta and yellow. Natives are a nice way to say, ‘I care about you, my choice in flowers is a little quirky and I care about Australian plants’. That said, florists are confusing places. Full of unfamiliar smells, new colours and what for some (most of us) is overpriced greenery. Fear not, there is another option – the garden down the street. Yeah, you know the one. The one where pomegranates hang just over the fence line, teasing you with their swollen fruit. Flowers you didn’t even know existed line the path. The kind of garden you wish you grew up in, where grandma would sit on the porch in summer pouring never-ending cordial and the sprinkler was for dancing under, not watering. As tempting as that garden filled with flowers sounds, don’t go down there trying to steal flowers. We aren’t supposed to condone that. But if there is one hanging just over the fence and there is a person you think should have a flower, well then, who are we to stop you? Careful though, an old lady might see you from the porch and her cordial sounds like yelling at you for desecrating her beautiful garden. Heathen.
STURT’S DESERT ROSE (NT)
COOKTOWN ORCHID (QLD)
PINK HEATH (VIC)
RED AND GREEN KANGAROO PAW (WA)
BANDS THE INDUSTRY THE LOCALS THE BLOG RES THE DJS THE GIGS THE PRODUCERS THE REMIXES THE ARTISTS THE FESTIVALS THE GRO LBUMS THE TOURS THEMUSIC.COM.AU THE FA THE INDUSTRY THE LOCALS THE BLOGS THE E S THE GIGS THE PRODUCERS THE CLUBS THE TISTS THE FESTIVALS THE GROUPIES THE ALBU THE FANS THE BANDS THE INDUSTRY THE LOC S THE ENCORES THE DJS THE GIGS THE PROD LUBS THE REMIXES THE ARTISTS THE FESTIVA PIES THE ALBUMS THE TOURS THE FANS THE
THE MUSIC • 9TH OCTOBER 2013 • 69
the guide vic.live@themusic.com.au
FRONTLASH
LIVE THIS WEEK
BEATS IN SPACE
Deltron 3030 – What Is This Loneliness? ft Damon Albarn & Casual. Shades of Spaghetti Western, church bells, fresh beats, Casual’s nonchalant rhymes and Albarn at his beseeching best. Yeah-yah!
STRINGS OF LIFE Andre Rieu’s CD signing at Eastland. Can we please have the day off work this Thursday to go have a looksee at The King Of Waltz and his blue-rinse groupies? Nan’s Christmas pressie. Tick.
MIAOW MIAOW Texts From My Dog was awesome. As is Texts From My Cat (eg “Come home. You forgot to open the blinds for me… I’m going to squish through the blinds and if I get stuck, it will be all your fault.”)
SIREN SONG
LITTLE YARRA
Mega-harmony quartet Strine Singers (pictured) are a groundswell of brooding guitars, soaring harmonies, and accomplished songwriting. This double brother-sister outfit begin their weekly residency at the Spotted Mallard on 9 Oct.
Having had international success with Little River Band, Glenn Shorrock (pictured) is being inducted into the ARIA Hall of Fame solo and as part of the band. He plays at the Caravan Music Club on 11 Oct and the Yarraville Club on 12 Oct.
TASTE OF SHERRY
COSMIC CYCLE
This year Sherry Rich appeared on RocKwiz, released album Western Sun with Ashley Naylor (as The Grapes) and toured the US promoting her own album Dakota Avenue. Catch Sherry Rich on 13 Oct at the Drunken Poet from 4pm.
Miles Cosmo’s sound combines ambient electronica, glitchy sound art, synth pop chillwave and prog-rock. On 13 Oct he launches Beteo Pod at Loop, joined by Juxtapose and Syncretia.
BLUE HEAVEN
CRAZY CREEK
An up-and-coming nine-piece reggae-dub-soul-pop group hailing from the Blue Mountains but now Melbourne-based, Kooyeh (pictured) are launching their new album Soul Cleansing at the Evelyn on 10 Oct.
Five-piece Loon Lake (pictured) recently released their single Carolina. To celebrate the release of their awesome debut album Gloamer from which it was lifted, they’re headlining a show at Howler (Brunswick) on 11 Oct.
OLD WORLDS
BIGGER BONES
Known for his house production and remixes, Nile Delta will celebrate the release of his Aztec EP with a late night rave at Boney on 11 Oct. The night will also feature sets from Cut Copy DJs, Otologic, World’s End Press DJs and Francis Chang.
After rapidly booking five support slots throughout spring just a month after formation, Melbourne six-piece Hambone & The Prospectors have their debut headline at Yah Yah’s on 10 Oct. They’ll be joined by The Ivory Elephant and The Groves.
RED FOO
BACKLASH PITY THE FOO
Red Foo’s Let’s Get Ridiculous. You ticked that goal off your list long ago, baby!
I’M WALKIN’ HERE! The timing of the green man crossing St Kilda Road at Southbank Boulevard means it takes two sets of lights to cross the road! No bloody good.
EYE SORE Here’s an idea: eye drops that you spray on the outside of your closed eyelid. What the!?
THIS WEEK’S RELEASES… STONEFIELD Stonefield Illusive SCOTT & CHARLENE’S WEDDING Any Port In A Storm Bedroom Suck JONATHAN WILSON Fanfare Bella Union/[PIAS] Australia CULTS Static Sony
70 • THE MUSIC • 9TH OCTOBER 2013
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LIVE THIS WEEK
ALBUM FOCUS
BABY FACED BLUES
GANGS OF GIRLS
WOLF MAIL
Whatever led Karl S Williams (pictured) to the blues – perverting him into a guitar-slinging, banjo-wielding freak with a penchant for heavenly salvation – has him playing at the Reverence Hotel (Footscray) on 10 Oct.
Storming the garage scene with fuzzy guitars and deadly surf rhythms, The Reprobettes (pictured) mix smooth, sexy vocals with wailing banshee screams. They play the Retreat Hotel on 11 Oct with support from Villenettes.
Album title: Above The Influence
CHILLY TROTTING
NORTHERN SUMMER
Mature, laidback, and silky smooth, single Arms marks the arrival of a more developed and refined Cold Hiker. To celebrate this release, they’ll be playing every Wednesday during October at the Grace Darling. On 9 Oct The Trotskies will support.
On the back of their debut album launch in August, July Days return to Ding Dong Lounge on 12 Oct to win over more fans with their hook-driven rock’n’roll. They’ll be joined by ‘60s throwback The Sand Dollars and the soulful songs of Maeflower.
FLYING CAT-FISH
SMALL FRUIT
Getting their culture fix with a year stint in Europe, Deep Sea Arcade return to Oz with new track Black Cat, and talk of a forthcoming record for an early 2014 release. They hit the Corner Hotel on 12 Oct.
One of the rawest live hip hop outfits in Melbourne, Big Words (pictured) are known to sample elements of funk, jazz, blues, reggae and more into their heavily textured sound. They play the Retreat Hotel (Brunswick) on 10 Oct.
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GIVEAWAY FEARLESS NADIA Fearless Nadia was one of the brightest lights of 1930s and ‘40s Bombay cinema, making more than 50 films until retiring at 60. In celebrating Indian Cinema and the Bollywood superstar, Ben Walsh will front 12-strong coalition of Australian and Indian musicians to perform an energetic original score for her most well known film Diamond Queen (1940), featuring the sounds of the tabla, shenai, sarangi, dholak and harmonium combined with the trumpet, drums, violin, clarinet, and accompanied by dancer Shruti Ghosh. We have four double passes to give away for the show, part of Melbourne Festival, on 13 Oct. Check the Inpress Facebook page to enter.
Where did the title of your new album come from? We play blues-oriented music and some “blues societies” don’t always consider us blues musicians, as it seems to be “out of the box” blues to them. The idea was to disregard that influence. How many releases do you have now? Six to date. How long did it take to write/ record? The entire process took about six months. The idea was to take the new songs and perform them on tour. Then we went into the studio. Was anything in particular inspiring you during the making? Our objectives were to try to nail the rawness and live feel we get onstage. What’s your favourite song on it? I would say that depends on the day. Right now I’ll have to say Undone. Will you do anything differently next time? Writing a new album is the result of accumulated experiences. When and where is your launch/next gig? 10 Oct, Northcote Social Club. 11 Oct, The Bridge Hotel, Castlemaine. 12 Oct, Musicman Megastore, Bendigo. Website link for more info? wolf-mail.com
THE MUSIC • 9TH OCTOBER 2013 • 71
the guide vic.live@themusic.com.au
LIVE THIS WEEK
ALBUM FOCUS
THE ROYAL JELLIES
NOCTURNAL ATTACK
Answered by: Raphael Hammond Album title: Burrows St. Poolside Where did the title of your new album come from? The place where I spent writing in summer of 2012-2013, and a love affair with tradjazz and dixieland music. How many releases do you have now? Two! The latest release, Burrows St. Poolside, and our debut EP called The Royal Jelly Dixieland Band. How long did it take to write/record? Some of the songs are four-five years old; most were written about a year ago. Pre-production and recording took about four weeks in total.
GURRUMUL GIVEAWAY For the first in a three-year series of special Melbourne Festival concerts at the Sidney Myer Music Bowl, Gurrumul presents an enchanting show under the stars. Backed by the Philharmonia Australia, he performs new works of simplicity and power, as filmed narration by the musician’s fellow clan members tells the stories of his people, his family and his home. We have two double passes to give away for the show on 12 Oct. Check the Inpress Facebook page to enter.
Was anything in particular inspiring you during the making? Yes! Marty Brown who produced the album was wonderful. Whenever one’s self confidence was a little shaky, he always had a solution. Generally the answers to problems involved tequila. What’s your favourite song on it? Until I Fall. It was an outside chance in making it on... But I’m so glad it did. Bittersweet. Will you do anything differently next time? Spend more time in pre-production. Especially nailing down those slippery horn parts. (And making sure everyone is in the same room at the same time also helps.) When and where is your launch/next gig? 10 Oct, Bridge Hotel, Castlemaine and 20 Oct, Northcote Social Club. Website link for more info? theroyaljellies.com
72 • THE MUSIC • 9TH OCTOBER 2013
THE RITE OF SPRING/ PETRUSHKA
Having released their acclaimed debut album The Wolves earlier this year, Brighter Later (pictured) bring their dreamy aesthetic to the Northcote Social Club on 13 Oct in full eight-piece splendour, with support from Brite Fight and Simon Bailey (Pony Face).
TRACKING TREATS
REPEATED DIALOGUE
Eerie, hypnotic trio Bushwalking have announced a Melbourne launch for their second album No Enter, which just came out on Chapter Music. They play at the John Curtin Bandroom on 12 Oct with Kangaroo Skull and Free Choice Duo.
Currently on a national tour to launch his third album, one of Australia’s most respected rappers, Mantra hits the Evelyn Hotel on 11 Oct. With its emotional narratives, unpredictable twists and amazing cast, Telling Scenes plays out like a great movie.
RESCUING FETE
FLY-HOOKS
After a 12-month break, local indie outfit Who is Zoe? (pictured) are getting together at the Evelyn Hotel on 13 Oct. They’ll be raising money for Destiny Rescue, an organisation committed to rescuing children from slavery.
Guitarist from the legendary Skyhooks, Bob ‘Bongo’ Starkie (pictured) will play material including a set of hits from the Hooks at the Flying Saucer Club on 11 Oct. With Laura Davidson on vocals and James Black (Rockwiz) on guitar and synth.
GIVEAWAY Melbourne Festival pays tribute to Stravinsky’s The Rite Of Spring with this visceral interpretation, conceived by Irish choreographer Michael Keegan-Dolan. KeeganDolan’s work masterfully conveys the power and mystery of a score that so notoriously shocked a generation. The evening segues from the animalism of The Rite Of Spring into an ethereal reimagining of Petrushka, in which only echoes of Stravinsky’s parable remain. We have four double passes to give away for the show on 12 Oct. Check the Inpress Facebook page to enter.
OTHER DIMENSIONS Having recently dropped their spanking new single In A Million Places At Once, explosive duo Tales In Space (pictured) head to The Espy on 12 Oct. Supports come from Lamarama, Red X and Jack Stirling.
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the guide vic.live@themusic.com.au
LIVE THIS WEEK
ALBUM FOCUS
POLAR BEARS
CIRCLES
If jazz and pop had a lovechild, got divorced, remarried funk and soul, and then all raised said lovechild together, Animaux (pictured) would be the end result. They launch their new single Alaska at the Workers Club on 11 Oct with Velma Grove and Ghost Orkid.
INAPPROPRIATE THERAPY
LETTER MIGRATION
Recordings that demonstrate the full versatility of their sonic cosmology, the third album from Zombie Psychologist ranges from heartbreaking love songs to hallucinogenic dreamscapes. They play The Tote on 10 Oct with The Clits and Zone Out.
Canadian-born Wolf Mail grew up on Elmore James and John Lee Hooker records. Having built an international fan base over the past 20 years, he’ll launch his new album at the Northcote Social Club on 10 Oct. James Southwell supports.
Answered by: Dave Hunter Album title: Infinitas Where did the title of your new album come from? It links to the lyrical themes on the album. These themes revolve around personal discovery, life experience and the journey we take to ultimately learn who we are. How many releases do you have now? We have two releases: The Compass EP and Eye Embedded single. Infinitas is released worldwide on 14 Oct.
BRIEF ENCOUNTER GIVEAWAY
HEAVENLY CHIMES
LADY BUGS
Along with his band, Eden Mulholland (pictured) launches his new record Feed The Beast to the John Curtin Bandroom on 11 Oct, before heading to New York the next day. Supports come from Lucian Blomkamp and Brisbane’s Belltalk.
Adelaide’s primordial-punk trio, Big Richard Insect, arrive in Melbourne to release their caveman-inspired debut through Major Crimes Records. They play at the Gasometer Hotel on 11 Oct with Ratsak, The Kremlings and Wife Eyes.
STOUT ROYALS Held over two venues, The Tote and the Bendigo Hotel (Collingwood) on Oct 12, Brewtality is a celebration of Australia’s finest metal, rock and beer. The line-up includes King Parrot (pictured)and much more.
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Created by the award-winning Cornwall-based Kneehigh Theatre, this adaptation of the classic 1945 film Brief Encounter tells the tale of a sudden romance that sparks, keenly and unexpectedly, in an unremarkable British railway tea room. Weaving blackand-white film and featuring dance, original music and a bevy of Coward’s best loved songs, Brief Encounter bolsters Kneehigh’s reputation as one of the UK’s most innovative theatre companies. We have two double passes to give away for the show, part of Melbourne Festival, on 10 Oct. Check the Inpress Facebook page to enter.
How long did it take to write/ record? We spent the best part of two years writing and recording Infinitas. Our guitarist Ted Furuhashi recorded, mixed and mastered the album in his home studio in Melbourne. Was anything in particular inspiring you during the making? It was funny how the theme and concept wrote itself. Ideas and opportunities kept presenting themselves to us about halfway through the process and everything was really falling into place. It was very exciting. What’s your favourite song on it? That’s a tough one. I’d have to say Ground Shift, just because it’s so fun to play live. Will you do anything differently next time? I don’t think so... If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. When and where is your launch/next gig? We’re touring Europe with The Dillinger Escape Plan in Sep/Oct. When we return we have an Australian Tour through Nov/Dec. We play 8 Nov at the Evelyn Hotel. Website link for more info? circlesband.com THE MUSIC • 9TH OCTOBER 2013 • 73
opinion
OG FLAVAS
ADAMANTIUM WOLF
WAKE THE DEAD
URBAN AND R&B NEWS WITH CYCLONE
METAL, HARDCORE AND PUNK WITH LOCHLAN WATT
HARDCORE AND PUNK WITH SARAH PETCHELL
It’s tough being an eccentric artiste in urban music, especially as a female. Janelle Monáe, a singer/rapper/musician/producer, has held on, but what of her British counterpart V V Brown? Last month she dropped Samson & Delilah, the follow-up to 2009’s neo-rockabilly Travelling Like The Light, but, despite strong reviews, it’s floundered. Back to Monáe: The Electric Lady is among the season’s ‘event’ albums. It’s been forever coming: Monáe, mentored by OutKast’s Big Boi yet signed to Diddy’s Bad Boy Records, presented her psy-fi debut The ArchAndroid in 2010. The tuxedo buff has since shamelessly maintained her profile with corporate branding – she’s even a CoverGirl “spokeswoman”. For The Electric Lady, Monáe continues to foster her Afrofuturistic android alter ego Cindi Mayweather, but any narrative is convoluted and the concept undeveloped and distracting. The interludes and ‘suites’ are unnecessary. However, Monáe has refined her dazzling musical eclecticism. On the album’s first half, she commits to retro funk, as exemplified by the Erykah Badu-graced single QUEEN. Monáe then indulges her love of old musicals. Still, there are bursts of rock guitar throughout. And Dorothy Dandridge Eyes is ‘80s reggae. Monáe’s also joined by elite guests, including R&B rebel Solange (the title track). Givin’ Em What They Love with Prince is predictably showy – imagine Alicia Keys channelling Nona Hendryx. Way cooler is the smooth duet Primetime with Miguel. ogflavas@themusic.com.au
JANELLE MONAE 74 • THE MUSIC • 9TH OCTOBER 2013
Earlier this week, Alternative Press ran a feature called Punk’s Not Dead. Really. It stemmed from One Direction appropriating the Ramones logo, everyone bastardising the four bars of Black Flag and the ‘punk’ outfits worn by celebrities at the opening of an art show in New York; they all signified that punk had lost its meaning. PALM MEET A LOCAL
This week’s Adamantium Wolf is coming from a modest rental homestead in Tarragindi, south Brisbane, affectionately known as Valhalla House. It has a garage that’s been built in with makeshift soundproofing, is kitted out with a basic backline and PA, and it has played host to dozens of hardcore, punk and metal shows over the last year. This place is the essence of DIY, and tonight Palm from Japan and A Secret Death will play here with locals Marathon and Shortlife (who live here and run things). This is the third diary entry about a tour I’ve handled for the first two mentioned bands. We’ve visited every state and territory over the last few weeks, and it’s all finally coming to an end. We’ve seen just as many sights as we have venues, and while everyone is ready to die of exhaustion, it’s been quite positive. Samuel Bufalino, drummer of A Secret Death, last night compared the tour to “the hottest and most amazing and fun girl you’ve ever met – totally fucked and insane”. I’m happy with that. Following on from where we left off in Mildura, we headed to Bendigo for the sleepiest show of the tour so far. I guess metal and hardcore aren’t exactly raging in said town, but after a total of six hours we got the hell out and made our way to Melbourne for a much larger festival show. This was a great night – both rooms at The Reverence were packed out by 8pm, with all the bands delivering killer sets. You can almost always rely on Melbourne for good shows, and that statement rang true when we returned
the week after for another massive Tuesday night show. The morning after the first Melbourne show was rough. I fumbled around and the Palm tour party missed our 10am flight to Hobart; $150 and six hours later we were finally on our way. The ticket sales weren’t massive, so I was kind of concerned. We had the same Melbourne line-up from the night before – Rolo Tomassi (UK), Palm, A Secret Death and Totally Unicorn – a few less local acts, and ticket prices $5 cheaper than Melbourne. People still complained about the $35 ticket, and many punters turned away at the door. Four bands crossing the Tasman Sea isn’t cheap, but sustainable touring doesn’t seem to be a concept many Tasmanians understand. There was still enough people partying hard for things to be insanely fun, but I don’t Tasmanians should ever complain about tours skipping over them again. What’s interesting is the response to the show we organised for Palm the next day. With five local bands, all playing for free and a $5 cover charge/note donation, we nearly cracked 80 payers with just 24 hours of organisation, 18 hours of promotion and a last minute Facebook push. What does that really say about promotion and show organisation in the modern age, or Tasmania for that matter? The audience is there, but for whatever reason they aren’t prepared to pay similar prices to the rest of the country… After tonight we have Rockhampton and Cairns to bring it all to a close. Grab next week’s issue to see how it goes!
Despite the arguments against the decline of punk the article posed, it got me thinking: is punk really dead? And I think one of the arguments it did pose is particularly pertinent: the context of punk always changes. Basically, what once was punk may no longer be punk. Take Green Day or Blink-182 for example. Nimrod and Dude Ranch came out when I was 13 and for me both those albums were gateway albums into a world that no one I knew was interested in, and while punk and hardcore kids may scoff and say, ‘They’re not punk albums!’, to a 13-year-old who had never heard anything like it, it was my introduction to a world that I still find myself in 15 years later. It’s also a matter of personal context and experience. Green Day and Blink-182 were punk as fuck to 13-year-old me, because I had no one to introduce me to Gorilla Biscuits, Rancid or Sex Pistols. That all came later. Green Day and Blink-182’s descent into mediocrity mean they are no longer a part of my world, but I think H2O put it best when they told everyone, “Don’t forget your roots.” wakethedead@themusic.com.au
GREEN DAY
opinion
GOOD TIMING A COMICS GUIDE TO COMEDY WITH KIRSTEN LAW
JAMES ADOMIAN
The Melbourne Fringe wrapped up last week, but because – at the time of writing – the Fringe Awards have not yet happened, I’m bumping my Fringe opinions (“fringepinions”) to next column. Right now, there’s something else I need to talk about quite urgently. Breaking Bad is gone, but every bag of meth has a (silvery?) blue crystal-crumb lining, because AMC – the US cable network that brought us Walt and Jesse – are doing very good things for very good comedians. The network’s, ahem, breaking news last week was that their affiliated IFC network has signed a deal with the just-launched TV arm of Scott Aukerman and Jeff Ullrich’s Earwolf podcast network. The first TV show we’ll be seeing from the team behind Comedy Bang Bang!* and #CBBTV is The Embassy, co-created by Aukerman and pick of the international acts at MICF 2013, James Adomian. I may get in trouble for saying this, but I think Adomian’s character work is the best on CBB – even better than Paul F Tompkins’. His list of alter egos includes Richard Branson, American Apparel founder Dov Charney and an incredibly bitter rendition of actor Paul Giamatti. Will we see Earwolf producing a TV version of Karl Chandler and Tommy Dassalo’s The Little Dum-Dum Club, which came second in the Earwolf podcast challenge of 2011? I have no way of knowing. But what I do know is that Earwolf are calling for TV pitches. From anyone, anywhere. Maybe even from YOU! *Well documented in this column as my favourite podcast of all time.
NEW YORK CONVERSATION
DANCE MOVES
TALES FROM THE BIG APPLE WITH TOM HAWKING
NEW CURRENTS WITH TIM FINNEY
If you’ve never lived in the US, it’s hard to appreciate how deeply woven race is into both the fabric of US society, and in the fundamental problems of that society. Issues of class become conflated with those of race, and racism then reinforces class divides, creating a sort of self-perpetuating downward spiral of underprivilege that’s uniquely American and incredibly difficult to unpick. It’s a subject that’s never far from the surface of cultural discourse here, and it’s been a particularly sensitive subject because of two of the biggest pop cultural stories of the last few weeks: Miley Cyrus and her twerktastic VMAs performance, and Kanye West getting upset at comedian/ late night show host Jimmy Kimmel’s satire of West’s recent interview with the BBC. In both cases, race has been at the heart of the key question over which people have been arguing: was Cyrus’s “appropriation” of black culture racist? And was Kimmel’s depiction of West informed by racial contempt. What’s been notable about a whole lot of this discourse is that it’s still white people setting the parameters of the debate: people who aren’t oppressed telling people who are oppressed how they should feel about their oppression. The Cyrus debate, in particular, has been characterised by a pretty comprehensive silence from the people of colour that it concerns – most notably Cyrus’s back-up dancers, who are a) black and b) apparently also her friends. I say “apparently” because to date, no one has bothered to ask any of the dancers how they actually felt about being part of the performance – instead, commentators just decided
to speak for them. In arguing that the women were “props”, as several writers have done, you suggest that they’re fools who exist only to be exploited, and have no say in what they do. There’s an argument to be made that this is just as racist as anything Cyrus did, no? Similarly, no one has paid any regard to the fact that the rappers and producers with whom she’s been working seem to genuinely like her and enjoy working with her. Again, they’re deprived of agency, portrayed as saps who Cyrus has roped in to give her street cred as if were just kinda sitting around waiting to bathe in the glory of her reflected whiteness. Conversely, the hive mind seems to have decided that Kimmel’s depiction of West, wherein he literally put the rapper’s words into the mouth of children, thus explicitly infantilising West and suggesting that the complaints he aired in his BBC interview were childish and stupid. When West fired back on Twitter, he was largely depicted as an overly sensitive egomaniace. This may or may not be true, but it doesn’t change the fact that there was something thoroughly offensive about the way Kimmel chose to portray him, something that the media in general here has chosen not to acknowledge. And again, the ridiculing of his response has ultimately served to deny him a voice. (In this case, literally: he eventually deleted his tweets.) This is the most pernicious aspect of this manifestation of racism – it frames any debate on the terms of those who have always historically been in control. It makes for a discussion that embraces comfortable orthodoxies rather than challenging them.
KANYE WEST
KELELA
Heaps of people have bailed me up in the past over my failure to get super-enthused about the swathe of producers clustered around the UK’s Night Slugs label. I’ve chalked this up to a certain bias on my part. If you could sum up the grooveaesthetic of Night Slugs and related labels like Kingdom’s Fade 2 Mind, it would be one of dancefloor challenge, stripmining urban dance from around the world for groove matrices that present counter-intuitive rhythmic puzzles for dancers to unlock with their feet. However, I really enjoy Kelela’s debut album Cut 4 Me, released on Kingdom’s Fade 2 Mind label. Kelela is a singer rather than producer, and she wafts her rather wispy songs across beatscapes supplied by a roll call of scene heroes. An actual R&B album from this tribe is something of a holy grail given how much its participants lionise the works of Aaliyah, Electrik Red and others, but Cut 4 Me doesn’t really work as an R&B album per se. The songs are too limpid to connect in and of themselves. Rather, they provide a melodic narrative logic around which are woven some of the most rococo, intricate arrangements that this scene has produced. On Enemy (produced by Nguzunguzu) and the title track (produced by Kingdom), Kelela’s strident, sweetened vocals are caged within hyperdetailed rhythmic constructions reminiscent of grime. The single Bank Head (another Kingdom production) is a luxuriant clapper featuring the most intoxicating kickdrum rolls since Janet Jackson’s 1997 classic, Empty. You can probably dance to parts of Cut 4 Me if you try, but mostly it’s too slow and fussy for that. THE MUSIC • 9TH OCTOBER 2013 • 75
opinion
HOWZAT! ROCK LIVES! BY JEFF JENKINS There are not many rock stars left. A friend sent us an email last week: “I am looking at the ARIA singles chart and I can’t see any rock bands… is rock’n’roll dead?” Coincidentally, her email arrived when Howzat! was listening to the new Kings Of The Sun album. Rock lives! The album title says it all: Rock Til Ya Die. Clifford Hoad is a rock star. Old school. When Howzat! and RRR’s Neil Rogers interviewed Cliff recently, he greeted us by singing part of a new song, Reach For The Bottle: “Nighttime comes and I’m ready to rock/Daytime comes and I’m sleepin’/Who or what’s at the end of the road/I don’t care ’cause I’m peaking!” Kings Of The Sun released their self-titled debut 25 years ago this month. They should have conquered the world. Howzat! loved ’em. Earlier this year, we heard that drummer Cliff was making another Kings album – without his brother Jeff, who was the band’s singer. We were dubious. But Rock Til Ya Die is the year’s greatest rock’n’roll
76 • THE MUSIC • 9TH OCTOBER 2013
surprise – Cliff has delivered. The Kings are dead, long live the Kings! “Journey has just begun”, he sings in the opening cut, Fire On The Mountain, “Fire burning in your soul”. “I felt that I had to continue and I couldn’t wait around for anybody,” Cliff explains. “[ Jeff ] has got his family now and he’s putting his heart and soul into that. I’m sure he’ll get back into music, but I couldn’t wait – I was in a desperate state to play again. Therefore, I had to find a singer and who better than myself?” Cliff admits it was an audacious move, “and a lot of people doubted me.” But the riffs are huge, the rhythm section swings, and all the songs are epic and dynamic (check ’em out at kingsofthesunband.com). “I’m just so happy that someone still loves the classic Aussie rock sound,” Cliff smiles when we reveal how much we love the record. Indeed, if you dig rock’n’roll, you’ll dig this album. It’s as simple as that. As Cliff declares in Rockpile: “The rock came back today.”
KINGS OF THE SUN
WAGONS JUNIOR
Melbourne’s music scene has a powerful new singer. Congratulations to Henry Wagons and Melvis Crawford – proud new parents of daughter Casper.
FAMILY FIRST
Paul Andrews is the singer in Howzat!’s favourite Sydney band, Lazy Susan. They’re on hiatus,
but Paul has a new project, Family Fold. Their first release is a delightful duet with Sarah Humphreys, New Friends, which is available as a free download at familyfold.bandcamp.com.
HOT LINE
“Help me be the best I can be, because I’m worried how you’ll remember me” – Nick Batterham, Help Me Do Right This Time.
“Live At The Lomond” THU 10TH
RMIT FUNDRAISER FEATURING : HARMANIAX, FRANKIE ANDREWS, MANDY & STRAY HENS ETC
FRI 11TH
GREG CHAMPION & THE USEFUL MEMBERS OF SOCIETY
SAT 12TH
SAM LINTON-SMITH BAND
SUN 13
TH
ALI PENNEY & THE MONEYMAKERS (NSW)
SUN 13
TH
KEN MAHER & TONY HARGREAVESZ
8.30PM
9:30PM
(Practical pop)
9:30PM
(Chunky soul grooves)
5:30PM
(Honky-tonkin’ blues)
9:00PM
(Acoustic roots)
TUE 14TH 8:00PM
IRISH SESSION (Celtic fiddlin’ & diddlin’)
ALL GIGS FREE ~ EXCELLENT RESTAURANT AND BAR MEALS
Wed 9. 7pm - SeenSound A Short visual/music works.
Thurs 10. 7.30pm - Lana III: Life imitates ARTPOP $5 Fri 11. 9pm - ShellDown Hip Hop | RnB | Electro | House DJs Bumaye, DJ Sam, Lotus FREE ENTRY
Sat 12. 10pm - Hologram City Nightwork | Luis C L | Kid Miltan Visuals by Jean Poole FREE ENTRY
Sun 13. 3pm - MilesCosmo Beteo Pod album launch MilesCosmo, Juxtapose & Syncretia FREE ENTRY
Mon 14. 7pm -The Cinekink Film Festival $15/ 10 on the door Tues 15. 7pm -Comfortable Shorts $9 on the door
THE MUSIC • 9TH OCTOBER 2013 • 77
the guide vic.gigguide@themusic.com.au The Aoede Project + Neoncity + New Manic Spree + Josh Cashman: The Espy (Basement), St Kilda
THE MUSIC PRESENTS Horrorshow: Oct 17 Karova Lounge (Ballarat); 18 Wool Exchange (Geelong); 27 Star Bar Bendigo; 28 Saloon Bar Traralgon; 29 Ding Dong Lounge Yo La Tengo: Oct 18 Hamer Hall Archie Roach: Oct 18, 19 Arts Centre Playhouse
Bonjah: Nov 2 Ding Dong Lounge
Andy Bull: Oct 20 Northcote Social Club Wolf & Cub: Oct 24 Northcote Social Club
The Barons Of Tang: Nov 8 Corner Hotel
New Empire: Oct 24 The Toff In Town
Face The Music Conference: Nov 15, 16 Arts Centre
Active Child: Oct 26 Melbourne Recital Centre
Patrick James: Nov 22 Northcote Social Club
The Cribs: Oct 26 Ding Dong Lounge
Pond: Dec 19 Corner Hotel
El Vez: Oct 31, Nov 1 The LuWow Boy & Bear: Nov 1 Wool Exchange (Geelong); 2, 3 Forum Theatre Nancy Vandal: Nov 2 Reverence Hotel
Nose Blood Catharsis + Nerves + The River of Heaven + Soil and Ash: The Gasometer Hotel (Upstairs), Collingwood
Violent Soho: Nov 4 Corner Hotel Jordie Lane: Nov 7 Beav’s Bar Geelong; 8 Theatre Royal Castlemaine; 9 Thornbury Theatre; 10 Caravan Music Club Oakleigh
Katchafire: Oct 19 The Hi-Fi
Agender + Shaking Hell + Nun Of The Tongues: The Gasometer Hotel, Collingwood
Dan Sultan: Nov 2 Thornbury Theatre; 9 Theatre Royal Castlemaine
Solange: Jan 7 The Prince Half Moon Run: Jan 18 Karova Lounge Ballarat; 19 Corner Hotel Future Music Festival: Mar 9 Flemington Racecourse Billy Bragg: Mar 13 Palais Theatre
GIG OF THE WEEK ADALITA: OCT 11 BARWON CLUB (GEELONG); 12 KAROVA LOUNGE (BALLARAT); 13 CORNER HOTEL
WED 09
Julien Wilson ‘B For Chicken’ Quartet + Guests: 303, Northcote Songrider’s Club+Various: Baha Tacos, Rye Hideous Towns + The Melbourne Emos + Crepes + Breves: Bar Open, Fitzroy Me First And The Gimme Gimmes + The Bennies + Burgworth: Barwon Club, South Geelong Open Mic+Various: Bonnie & Clydes Cafe & Cocktail Bar, Thornbury Campfire Sessions feat. Sweet Jean Duo: Caravan Music Club (7pm), Oakleigh The Love Bombs + The Redcoats + Boom! Bap! Pow! + Red X: Cherry Bar, Melbourne Don Hillman’s Secret Beach: Clifton Hill Hotel, Clifton Hill
Simply Acoustic+Various: Wesley Anne, Northcote Mike Noga: Yarra Hotel, Abbotsford
THU 10
Kickin The B at 303 feat. The Jackson 4: 303, Northcote Baboon Rebus + The EscargoGos: Bar Open, Fitzroy The All Seeing Hand + Mesa Cosa + Duck Duck Chop: Boney, Melbourne Kylie Auldist + The Glenroy All-Stars: Cherry Bar, Melbourne Mordialloc Jazz Orchestra + Peter Foley: Dizzy’s Jazz Club, Richmond Kill TV: Elsternwick Hotel, Elsternwick Nice Boy Thorn + Guests: Empress Hotel, Fitzroy North
Dizzy’s Big Band + Peter Hearne: Dizzy’s Jazz Club, Richmond
Kooyeh + Up Up Away + Echo Drama: Evelyn Hotel, Fitzroy
Denial Demonic + Brian O’Dwyer & Kerrie Farn + Admin Bldg feat. Cleaning Lady + Shane Van Der Akker: Empress Hotel, Fitzroy North
T.I. + Akon + Guests: Festival Hall, West Melbourne Big Seal and the Slipper Few + Catch Release: Great Britain Hotel, Richmond
Bring Me The Horizon + Of Mice & Men + Crossfaith: Festival Hall, West Melbourne
Phantom Hitmen: Laundry Bar (11pm), Fitzroy
Cold Hiker + The Trotskies: Grace Darling Hotel, Collingwood Independent Music Awards feat. Archie Roach + Violent Soho + Big Scary + Rufus + Saskwatch + Seth Sentry: Revolt, Melbourne Roots of Music feat. Passerine + Big Creature: Revolver Upstairs, Prahran The Nymphs + Strine Singers: Spotted Mallard, Brunswick Secret Good Times Club (Open Mic)+Various: Tago Mago, Thornbury Open Mic+Various: The Brunswick Hotel, Brunswick Wine, Whiskey, Women feat. Reenay + Lani Stanistreet: The Drunken Poet, Melbourne Collage with Natural Bull Logic + Kingston + Younger Dryas: The Espy (Lounge Bar), St Kilda Sean Simmons (The Spoils): The Standard Hotel, Fitzroy Tomas Strode & The Tour Guides + Aluka + Amy Alex: The Toff In Town, Melbourne
The Harmaniax + Frankie Andrews + Mandy & Stray Hens: Lomond Hotel, Brunswick East Wolf Mail + James Southwell Band: Northcote Social Club, Northcote Juan Alban + Los Pelicans: Northcote Social Club (1.30pm), Northcote Karl S Williams + Rowan Roebig: Reverence Hotel, Footscray Melbourne Fresh Industry Showcase+Various: Revolver Upstairs, Prahran Chinese Handcuffs + Touching The Bees + Opal Ghost: Tago Mago, Thornbury The Royal Jellies: The Bridge Hotel, Castlemaine The Glare + LoPan + Monkey Lunch + The Mean Old Frisco Blues Band: The Brunswick Hotel, Brunswick A Tribute to Seamus Heaney with Tony Curtis (poet) + Emlyn Johnson + Davy Simony: The Drunken Poet, Melbourne
The Charambas + Fishers Of Men: Thornbury Theatre, Thornbury
1000S OF GIGS AT YOUR FINGERTIPS. FOR MORE HEAD TO THEMUSIC.COM.AU 78 • THE MUSIC • 9TH OCTOBER 2013
Audego + Friendships + Sui Zhen + Leaks: The Toff In Town, Melbourne Good Evening with Principal Blackman: The Toff In Town (Carriage Room / 7pm), Melbourne Zombie Psychologist + The Clits + Zone Out: The Tote, Collingwood Oh Pep! + The Bluebottles + Grizzly Jim Lawrie: The Workers Club, Fitzroy Anna’s Go-Go Academy: Victoria Hotel, Brunswick Normie Rowe: Wellers, Kangaroo Ground Suzanne Kinsella: Wesley Anne (Front Bar ), Northcote Amy Winehouse Tribute Show+Various: Wesley Anne (Band Room), Northcote Hambone & The Prospectors + The Ivory Elephant + The Groves: Yah Yah’s, Fitzroy Gallie: Yarra Hotel, Abbotsford
FRI 11
Charlie Officer + Sans + MisSstA + Cash The Madmen: 303, Northcote Jam Roots: Baha Tacos, Rye Sol Haus & The Spokesmen: Bar Open, Fitzroy Adalita + Laura Jean: Barwon Club, South Geelong Glenn Shorrock: Caravan Music Club, Oakleigh Chris Wilson: Cherry Bar (5.30pm), Melbourne Dark Arts + Paradise: Cherry Bar, Melbourne Chi Fridays+Various DJs: Chi Lounge, Melbourne Sticky Fingers + Lyall Moloney + Bootleg Rascal: Corner Hotel, Richmond The Ape: Ding Dong Lounge, Melbourne Nichaud Fitzgibbon + The Joe Ruberto Trio: Dizzy’s Jazz Club, Richmond Kooyeh: Elsternwick Hotel, Elsternwick Taste Of Indie feat. Storyhorse + Waterline + Kill TV: Empress Hotel, Fitzroy North Mantra + Guests: Evelyn Hotel, Fitzroy Adrian Whitehead: Famous Blue Raincoat, South Kingsville Jack Jack Jack + El Moth + Nahuatl Jaguar: First Floor, Fitzroy Loon Lake + Special Guests : Howler, Brunswick Clowns: Karova Lounge, Ballarat
THU 10TH
Thursday Acoustic VAN WALKER & Guests From 8.30 pm SAT 12TH
CORAL LEE and THE SILVER SCREAM Two Sets from 5.00 pm SUN 13TH
BACKWOOD CREATURES Seriously Rockin’ From 5 to 7 pm TUE 15TH
Tuesdays With Jimmy JIMMY STEWART (Clinkerfield/Miserable Little Bastards) Acoustic From 8.30 pm
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THE GLARE
WITH GUESTS LOPAN, MONKEY LUNCH, THE MEAN OLD FRISCO BLUES BAND FRIDAY THE 11TH OF OCTOBER - 9:30PM
THE UNDERHANDED
WITH GUESTS CHILD, HORSE HUNTER, OFFICER FRIENDLY SATURDAY THE 12TH OF OCTOBER - 8PM
SORDID ORDEAL
FUNDRAISING SHOW WITH GUESTS DIAMONDS OF NEPTUNE, DELUSIONS OF GRANDEUR, HYPERDRONES, POISON FISH SUNDAY THE 13TH OF OCTOBER - 7PM
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WITH GUESTS THE REPROBETTES, EWE EWE MONDAY THE 14TH OF OCTOBER - 8PM
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THE MUSIC • 9TH OCTOBER 2013 • 79
the guide vic.gigguide@themusic.com.au Greg Champion And The Useful Members Of Society: Lomond Hotel, Brunswick East The David Liebe Hart Band + The Stiffys + Ten Thousand Free Men & Their Families + Mandek Penha + I Am Duckeye: Northcote Social Club, Northcote Grim Fandango + Apart From This + Ceres: Old Bar, Fitzroy The Reprobettes + The Villenettes: Retreat Hotel, Brunswick Let’s End Cancer Fundraiser with +Small Town Fiasco + The Electric I + As a Rival + Falconio: Reverence Hotel (Band Room), Footscray
SAT 12
Opression + RDzJB + Man City Sirens: 303, Northcote Sticky Fingers + Bootleg Rascal: Baha Tacos, Rye Horns Of Leroy + The Alligators: Bar Open, Fitzroy The Sons of May + Buddha In A Chocolate Box + more: Barley Corn Hotel, Collingwood Lizanne Richards + Officer Parrot + Yeo: Bella Union, Carlton South The Three Kings + Chris Russell’s Chicken Walk: Caravan Music Club, Oakleigh
The Deep End + Darcee Fox + Black Mayday: Revolver Upstairs, Prahran
Wolfpack + The Ramshackle Army + The Worst + Dixon Cider: Cherry Bar, Melbourne
Andrea Marr Band: Spotted Mallard, Brunswick
Deep Sea Arcade + Hey Geronimo + Lurch & Chief: Corner Hotel, Richmond
Ghosts On The Highway + The Dyson Wyatt Polyamorous Tryst + Guests: Tago Mago, Thornbury Wolf Mail: The Bridge Hotel, Castlemaine The Underhanded + Child + Horse Hunter: The Brunswick Hotel, Brunswick Eden Mulholland + Lucian Blomkamp + Belltalk: The Curtin, Carlton Traditional Irish Music Session with Dan Bourke & Friends: The Drunken Poet (6pm), Melbourne Shaky Stills: The Drunken Poet (8.30pm), Melbourne The Butterfly Effect + Sleep Parade + Teal: The Espy (Gershwin Room), St Kilda Kings of the North + My Left Boot + My Dynamite + Hailmary + Diamond Deb + Dan Attard: The Espy (Lounge Bar), St Kilda Big Richard Insect + Ratsak + The Kremlings + Wife Eyes: The Gasometer Hotel (Upstairs), Collingwood The Golden Awesome + Glacier + Contrast: The Gasometer Hotel, Collingwood Victor Essiet: The Hi-Fi, Melbourne Baby Machine + Dead River + The General: The Public Bar, North Melbourne Echidna Love Train: The Thornbury Local, Thornbury Waco Social Club + Ash Wednesday + Noir: The Tote, Collingwood The Poly’s: The Vineyard, St Kilda The Perch Creek Family Jugband + Fraser A. Gorman & Big Harvest + Bob Harrow: Theatre Royal, Castlemaine The Rusty Datsuns + Lily & King + Bart Thrupp: Wesley Anne, Northcote Two Headed Dog + Stomp Box + Pony Girl & The Outsiders + Contangent + Tequila Mockingbird: Yah Yah’s, Fitzroy Terry McCarthy Special: Yarra Hotel, Abbotsford
Tamara Kuldin + Roger Clark Quartet: Dizzy’s Jazz Club, Richmond Oxfest +Various: Empress Hotel (4pm), Fitzroy North Eleventh He Reaches London: Evelyn Hotel, Fitzroy My Fiction: Gertrudes Brown Couch, Fitzroy Theatre Burlesque+Various: GH Hotel, St Kilda Millar Jukes & The Bandits + Henry Joseph & The Victorys + Krista Polvere: Grace Darling Hotel, Collingwood The Kujo Kings + The Quarters: Great Britain Hotel, Richmond The Rusty Datsuns: Grind ‘n’ Groove Bar, Healesville Adalita + Laura Jean: Karova Lounge, Ballarat Sam Linton-Smith Band: Lomond Hotel, Brunswick East Waco Social Club + Jack On Fire + Gamma Rays: Lyrebird Lounge, Ripponlea The Perch Creek Family Jugband + Quarry Mountain Dead Rats: Meeniyan Town Hall, Meeniyan Wolf Mail: Musicman Megastore, Bendigo Howlin’ Steam Train + Jackson Firebird + The Owls: Northcote Social Club, Northcote Naked Bodies + Ninety Nine + Delicate Little Necks: Old Bar, Fitzroy The Great American Jazz Pianists+Various: Paris Cat Jazz Club, Melbourne Shannon Bourne: Rainbow Hotel, Fitzroy Grim Fandango + Hoodlum Shouts + Lincoln Le Fevre + Freak Wave: Reverence Hotel (Band Room), Footscray The Groves + Contagent + The Underhanded + A Gazillion Angry Mexicans: Reverence Hotel (Front Bar ), Footscray Vida Cain + Empra + The Elliotts + The Ugly Kings: Revolver Upstairs, Prahran Duncan Gibson & The Hangovers: Shamrock Hotel, Kyneton
A Day By The Green # 11 feat. +Kim Salmon & The Surrealists + Bitter Sweet Kicks + Devil Rock 4 + The Living Eyes + Cold Harbour + Kim Volkman & The Whisky Priests + Los Dominados + Long Holiday: St Kilda Bowling Club (3.30pm), St Kilda The Dufranes + Someone Else’s Weddng Band + Big Sista: Tago Mago, Thornbury Temperance Saturdays+Marcus Knight + DJ Xander James: Temperance Hotel, South Yarra Brewtality!+Various: The Bendigo, Collingwood The Factory + Smoke Screen + Sonic Milf Castle: The Bridge Hotel, Castlemaine Sordid Ordeal + Diamonds Of Neptune + Delusions of Grandeur + Hyperdrones + Poison Fish: The Brunswick Hotel, Brunswick Alana Conway: The Capital, Bendigo Performing Arts Centre, Bendigo
SUN 13
Jazz Vocal Sessions+Various: 303 (2pm), Northcote Ladders To The Moon +Various: 303, Northcote Matt Kelly With Strings: Bar Open, Fitzroy
Southern Lightning + DJ Max Crawdaddy: Cherry Bar (3pm), Melbourne
Zulu Flow + Special Guests : The Workers Club, Fitzroy
The Naysayers + Busy Kingdom + Cider Tree Kids: Cherry Bar, Melbourne Adalita + Laura Jean: Corner Hotel, Richmond Edward Guglielmino + Richard Cuthbert + Darling James: Empress Hotel, Fitzroy North Who Is Zoe? + Winter York + Dash: Evelyn Hotel, Fitzroy Vincs & Wakeling: Famous Blue Raincoat (3pm), South Kingsville
Bushwalking + Guests: The Curtin, Carlton
Jan Preston: Frankston Arts Centre, Frankston
Slim Dime + The Prairie Kings: The Drunken Poet, Melbourne
Ali Penney & The Money Makers : Lomond Hotel (5.30pm), Brunswick East
Nun Of The Tongues + Claws & Organs + Shit Sex + Kapow! Kraken: The Espy (Basement), St Kilda Lowlakes + The Townhouses + Lucian Blomkamp + DJ Slymewave (Big Scary): The Gasometer Hotel, Collingwood Jukai Forest + Jack Barclay + The Zonks + Octopus Ride: The Gasometer Hotel (Upstairs), Collingwood The Handsome Family + Foy Vance + Justin Tebbutt: The Hi-Fi, Melbourne Inedia + The Loveless + The Brooklyn Hookers + Tarek: The Public Bar, North Melbourne Kristin Mitzi: The Thornbury Local, Thornbury Jae Laffer + Georgia Fair + Karl Smith: The Toff In Town, Melbourne Brewtality! feat. +King Parrot + Dreadnaught + Scar The Surface + Desecrator + Bronson + more: The Tote, Collingwood Kooyeh: The Westernport Hotel, San Remo All We Need + I Am The Riot + Summer Blood + Hug Therapist: The Workers Club, Fitzroy The Luau Cowboys: Victoria Hotel (4.30pm), Brunswick Glory B: Wesley Anne (Front Bar ), Northcote The Workinghorse Irons + Road Ratz + Where’s Grover? + The Villenettes: Yah Yah’s, Fitzroy Arty Del Rio: Yarra Hotel, Abbotsford Glenn Shorrock: Yarraville Club, Yarraville
Hume Festival of Music feat. +Kate Ceberano: Village Green, Sunbury Allysha Joy: Wesley Anne (Band Room), Northcote Jemma & The Wise Young Ambitious Men: Yarra Hotel, Abbotsford
MON 14
By Cheryl + Refraction Trio: 303, Northcote
Amorphis: Billboard The Venue, Melbourne Ibimbo+Lady Noir + Kiti: Bimbo Deluxe, Fitzroy Cherry Jam: Cherry Bar, Melbourne
Ken Maher & Tony Hargreaves: Lomond Hotel (9pm), Brunswick East
Arthur Penn & The Funky Ten + Kingston Crown + Crooks & Queens: Evelyn Hotel, Fitzroy
Miles Cosmo + Juxtpose + Syncretia: Loop, Melbourne
Irish Session: Lomond Hotel, Brunswick East
D. Rogers + Special Guests : Northcote Social Club (1.30pm), Northcote
Let’s Get Funny At The Brunny+Various: The Brunswick Hotel, Brunswick
Brighter Later + Brite Flight + Simon Bailey: Northcote Social Club, Northcote
The Black Molls: The Prince (Public Bar), St Kilda
Devin Townsend Project + Special Guests : Palace Theatre, Melbourne Jules Boult & The Redeemers: Rainbow Hotel (4pm), Fitzroy Lincoln Le Fevre + Clancye Milne + Liam Daly: Reverence Hotel (Front Bar ), Footscray The Pardoners: Royal Oak Hotel (4pm), Fitzroy North The Harmaniax: Spotted Mallard, Brunswick Holy Mackerel feat. Steve Hoy + Ross Hannaford + Mitch Cairns + Scotty Martin: Tago Mago, Thornbury The Villenettes + The Reprobettes + Ewe Ewe: The Brunswick Hotel, Brunswick Veludo + The Hiding + The Divine Fluxus + Heloise: The Curtin, Carlton Sherry Rich + Rick Plant: The Drunken Poet (4pm), Melbourne Aine Tyrrell: The Drunken Poet (6.30pm), Melbourne Dale Ryder Band + Bad Boys Batucada + Ms Butt: The Espy (Lounge Bar), St Kilda Reincarnation + Sick Machine + Caged Grave + Impact Zone: The Gasometer Hotel (2pm), Collingwood Fiendish Fowl + davis + Dusty Spring Clean & The Pops: The Gasometer Hotel (Upstairs), Collingwood
1000S OF GIGS AT YOUR FINGERTIPS. FOR MORE HEAD TO THEMUSIC.COM.AU 80 • THE MUSIC • 9TH OCTOBER 2013
Now Hear This ‘The Unexpected’ hosted by+Melanie Tait: The Toff In Town (3pm), Melbourne Tristan Bird + M. Antonio + Sime Nugent Band: The Toff In Town, Melbourne
Lucky 7’s After Party+Various: Ferdydurke, Melbourne
Absolutely Live - The Doors Show + Whole Lotta Zep + The Slight Returns: The Espy (Gershwin Room), St Kilda
Sophie Rose + Kate Walker + Nathan Davis: The Thornbury Local (5pm), Thornbury
The Ape: Caravan Music Club, Oakleigh
John Patrick & The Keepers: The Cornish Arms, Brunswick
Tales In Space + Lamarama + Red X + Jack Stirling: The Espy (Lounge Bar), St Kilda
The Bakersfield Glee Club: The Standard Hotel, Fitzroy
Stella Angelico + Shores: The Toff In Town, Melbourne
TUE 15
Low Fly Incline: Cherry Bar, Melbourne Big Band Theory with David Farrel: Dizzy’s Jazz Club, Richmond
Open Mic Night+Various: Empress Hotel, Fitzroy North Freeza’s Rocktober with Aural Window: Ev’s Youth Centre, Croydon Smith Street Soul Train+Various: Grace Darling Hotel, Collingwood Cosmo Jarvis + Lime Cordiale: Northcote Social Club, Northcote Bastion + Glacier + The Ahwls: The Brunswick Hotel, Brunswick EMS Stage Band: The Curtin, Carlton Open Mic Night with Nicolette Forte + Friends: The Prince (Public Bar), St Kilda Mischievous Thom + The Kite Machine: The Toff In Town, Melbourne Fluid Learning: Wesley Anne (Band Room), Northcote
The Songs They Sang The Concert A MUSICAL NARRATIVE OF THE VILNA GHETTO.
-Õ `>ÞÊÓäÊ"VÌ LiÀÊÓä£ÎÊUÊÓ« South Melbourne Town Hall Bank Street, South Melbourne This concert will feature songs from the Vilna Ghetto, Lithuania during the Holocaust, arranged by Australian composer Joseph Giovinazzo. Deborah Kayser ( SOPRANO) Michael Kieran Harvey (PIANO) Alister Barker (CELLO) Elizabeth Sellars ( VIOLIN) The Songs They Sang CD will be launched by Moshe Lang, renowned family psychotherapist. Tickets: $25/$20 (concession) Visit: www.trybooking.com/62879 Enquiries: 0405 164 298
The Film 94 MINS, DOCUMENTARY, AUSTRALIA
The Songs They Sang tells the story of solace and refl ection through music, under the hardship of the Vilna Ghetto, Lithuania during the Holocaust. It explores the resilience of the Jewish people who created art in the face of the most horrific persecutions.
LIMITED SEASON. For details contact:
Classic Cinemas 9 Gordon Street, Elsternwick Box Office: 9524 7900 Visit: www.thesongstheysang.com Enquiries: 0405 164 298
THE MUSIC • 9TH OCTOBER 2013 • 81
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SINEAD O’CONNOR BEEFS CATHOLIC CHURCH THE BEEF
In 1992 O’Connor tore up a photo of (then) Pope John Paul II during a live broadcast of hit US show Saturday Night Live.
PROS It got everyone talking about O’Connor.
CONS It got everyone avoiding O’Connor.
WHO WON? JPII has long gone, O’Connor is still raging.
AND THEN… She invaded a live TV discussion about the Church in 1995 and recently described the role of the Pope as “anti-Christian”.
JOE PESCI THE BEEF
He appeared on SNL a week after O’Connor with a patchedup copy of the photo O’Connor had shredded on camera.
PROS Pesci proved adept at photo restoration.
CONS Pesci revealed his ugly side, saying: “If it was my show, I woulda gave her such a smack.”
WHO WON? Pesci was last seen in a Snickers commercial.
AND THEN… Madonna sided with Pesci and a Bob Dylan tribute concert audience booed, but Kris Kristofferson came to her defence.
MILEY CYRUS THE BEEF
Post-tween singer says her Wrecking Ball clip was inspired by O’Connor. O’Connor says Cyrus is pimping herself.
PROS
More like ‘prose’. O’Connor’s open letter to Cyrus was a thoughtful piece about modern pop culture.
CONS
Collective brain strain as everyone tries to remember the time O’Connor swung naked on a wrecking ball.
WHO WON?
Maybe O’Connor if she follows through her threat of suing Cyrus for her post-letter tweet attack.
AND THEN…
Amanda Palmer sided with Cyrus. Soundwave’s AJ Maddah sided with O’Connor. 82 • THE MUSIC • 9TH OCTOBER 2013