The Music (Sydney) Issue #140

H I G H A S A K I T E

W H Y Y O U N E E D N O R W E G I A N

I N D I E M U S I C I N Y O U R L I F E

THE SOUND ISSUE: HOW TO MAKE IT AND APPRECIATE IT

Sydney / Free / Incorporating

25.05.16

Music / Arts / Lifestyle / Culture

Issue

140

2 • THE MUSIC • 25TH MAY 2016

THE MUSIC 25TH MAY 2016 • 3

2 7. 0 5 . 2 0 1 6

C A M P E C H O


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Coming soon:Friday 17/6- Karnivool

Saturday 18/6 - FunkoarsSunday 26/6 - Jon Stevens

Friday 5/7 - Angels + Mi SexFriday 12/7 - Absolutely 80’s

Saturday 10/8 - 1927 + Pseudo Echo

Thursday 2nd June @ 8pmI98fm PresentsJosh Pyke

Waves

Friday 27th of May @ 9pm

Big Way OutSports Bar

Saturday 11th june @ 7pmWaveFM PresentsGanggajang + Spy vs Spy

+ Urban GuerillasWAVES

Sunday 29th of May @ 3pm

Steve Edmonds Band

Sports Bar

Sunday 12th June @ 7pmI98fm Presents

Ash GrunwaldWaves

EXPERIMENTAL DRUM’N’BASS WARM UP, HI SHOCK, BIZ E, MARK N, MOOKIE, MING DE

WINTER WARM UP AT VALVEINDIE SHOW FEAT: “BUBBLEBOY” SUPPORTED BY “BALKO”, “THE GUM DROPS”, “COSMIC FLANDERS”, “THE VALLEYS” AND MANY MORE

GENERATIONS MEDIA AND ENTERTAINMENT PRESENTS:HAMRO-FESTFEAT: “COSMIC VIBE” SUPPORTED BY “CHRONIC”, “CHILLAUM”, “THE STAIRS”

UNWRAPPED PR AND LOADED ENTERTAINMENT PRESENTS:“LYCANTHROPE”CORE SHOW SUPPORTED BY “DOUBLE CHAMBER”, “PATH OF VICTORY”, “THE CHAOTIC BORDERLINE”, “BLACK RHENO”

UNBROKEN AU PRESENTS:“UNDERMINER”CORE SHOW SUPPORTED BY: “ABSOLUTION”, “OF DIVINITY”, “BOARDWALKS”, “BELOW ARCADIA”, “PILLAGER”

NEVER MIND THE BOLLOCKS PRESENTS:ANOTHER NIGHT OF BOLLOCKSWITH: GEOFF THE CHEF -

FRI 27TH 8PM

BASEMENT

FRI 27TH 9PM

STREET LEVEL

SAT 28TH 8PM

BASEMENT

SUN 29TH 5PM

BASEMENT

THU 26TH 8PM

BASEMENT

COMING UPThu 2 June: 8pm Basement: “Furious Monk”, Rock Show supported by “Hawkmoth”, “Buffalo Trio” and guests; Fri 3 June: 8pm Basement: High Tide Sound System presents: Cool ~ Tide ~ 2, Vapourwave, Cloud Rap, Future Funk feat: Cyberpunk Ibis, Yul, Daisy, Lumino, Chad Tha Don (from Murder Is Not A Crime) and many more; Sat 4 June: 12pm Basement: Lesser Records presents: “Cakewalk” Cassette release with support from “L.E.D.”, “Uncle Axel” and many

more; 8pm Basement: Lost Souls Bookings presents: “Batfoot!”, Punk Rock Show with support from “Nerdlinger”, “Laura Palmer”, “Steel City Allstars”, “Thrash Bears”; 12am Basement: Boogie Night afterparty; 9pm Street Level:

Deaf To All But Metal presents: Monthly Clubnight, June edition, Quiz Em All, feat: Heavy Metal Trivia, guest DJ’s and much more; Sun 5 June: 4pm Basement: Melbourne Or Bust, Rock Show with “Fossicks” supported by: “Deadliners”,

“Maximon”, “Shnand”

www.thebasement.com.au

The Home of Live Music Since 1973SATURDAY 8 JUNE

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WED 25

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THE GREAT GIG IN THE SKYA PINK FLOYD CELEBRATION

THE GREAT GIG IN THE SKYA PINK FLOYD CELEBRATION

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SAT 28

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THE SPIN DRIFTERS W/ FELICITY URQUHART, GEORGEWASHINGMACHINE, STUIE FRENCH, MICHEL ROSE, CLARE O’MEARA, + MORE

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DON’T MISS

THE MONDAY JAMMON30

MAY

MusicMusic / Arts / Lifestyle / Culture

PublisherStreet Press Australia Pty Ltd

Group Managing EditorAndrew Mast

National Editor – MagazinesMark Neilsen

Arts EditorHannah Story

Gig Guide EditorJustine [email protected]

Contributing EditorBryget Chrisfield

Editorial AssistantsBrynn Davies, Sam Wall

ContributorsAdam Wilding, Andrew McDonald, Anthony Carew, Brendan Crabb, Brendan Telford, Cameron Cooper, Cameron Warner, Carley Hall, Cate Summers, Chris Familton, Chris Maric, Christopher H James, Cyclone, Daniel Cribb, Danielle O’Donohue, Dave Drayton, Deborah Jackson, Dylan Stewart, Eliza Berlage, Guido Farnell, Guy Davis, Hattie O’Donnell, James d’Apice, Jonty Czuchwicki, Kassia Aksenov, Liz Giuffre, Mac McNaughton, Mark Beresford, Mark Hebblewhite, Matt MacMaster, Mitch Knox, Neil Griffiths, Paul Ransom, Mick Radojkovic, Peter Laurie, Rip Nicholson, Roshan Clerke, Ross Clelland, Sam Murphy, Samuel J Fell, Sarah Braybrooke, Sarah Petchell, Sean Maroney, Sebastian Skeet, Sevana Ohandjanian, Simon Eales, Steve Bell, Tanya Bonnie Rae, Tim Finney, Tom Hersey, Tyler McLoughlan, Uppy Chatterjee, Xavier Rubetzki Noonan

PhotographersAngela Padovan, Cole Bennetts, Clare Hawley, Jared Leibowitz, Josh Groom, Kane Hibberd, Leila Maulen, Pete Dovgan, Peter Sharp, Rohan Anderson

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Credits

Love My Country

Country’s golden girl Imogen Clark is ready to go with her new album, Love &

Lovely Lies. The 21-year-old will serenade audiences all around Aus over her eight-

date tour throughout July and August.

Rising From The Ash

American metal trio Black Tusk are heading to Australia and New Zealand for the first

time ever in August this year. They’ll be showcasing their 2014 release Pillars Of Ash

in memory of late bassist Jonathan Athon.

May The Force

After a dangerous seizure in 2013, Abbe May is making a triumphant return with a new album, Bitchcraft. Along with the release of first single, Are We Flirting?, May will celebrate the new album with a national tour this July.

Black Tusk

Abbe May

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c / Arts /Music / Arts / Lifestyle / Culture


Heartbreak CalAmity

Australian hardcore rockers Amity Affliction will head on an east coast tour this August to celebrate the release of their fifth studio album, This Could Be Heartbreak. The tour

features support from Trophy Eyes, with the album out that same month.

Cold Calling

Coldplay will bring their 2015 album A Head Full Of Dreams to Aus later this year. Having kicked off their world tour in South America earlier this year, the UK alt-pop legends will hit the country in early December.

The amount that Sia donated to the animal charity of a Survivor’s

contestant’s choice when she crashed the stage at

the show’s fi nale.

Coldplay

Imogen Clark

Amity Affl ication

$50,000

Music /



Say Thank You To Your Aunty

Following a busy run at every comedy festival under the sun Melburnian comedy troupe Aunty Donna have announced they’re far from finished, with a massive national tour announced for next month.

Hellephant

Victorian loop odyssey DD Dumbo will tour the country in July, following a string of

shows throughout the UK and Europe. Armed with latest offering, Satan, the soloist will hit

Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane.

Surrender To Funnies

Writer, comedian and creator of the podcast and TV show Comedy Bang! Bang! Scott Aukerman has announced his first live tour of the show will be coming to Australia this August.

DD Dumbo

Scott Aukerman

Aunty Donna

Arts / Lif

The percentage increase in APRA AMCOS writer

members receiving royalties according to the organisation’s most recent

quarterly distribution.

28



Lash

esRuby Skippers

New Zealand producer Tiki Taane is about to make his way to Aus with his biggest tour of the country yet. Playing a total of 14 dates around the nation, the Kiwi musician will promote his new single, No Place Like Home, all throughout October and November

Cub On Mess Me Up

Brisbane’s Cub Sport have dropped a creepy, ingeniously

edited music video for their new single, Come On

Mess Me Up, ahead of a massive three months of

global touring that will reach Australia in August.

The Letter Sea

Brisbane alt-rockers Dead Letter Circus will head out on tour again this August, with the band promising one dollar from every ticket sale of the 11 dates going to conservationist not-for-profit organisation Sea Shepherd Australia.

Tiki Taane

Dead Letter Circus

Cub Sport

Candace Payne in Chewbacca mask. Pic via Facebook.

Backlash

Frontlash

The Trump Card

We obviously have our own election to worry about, but reports of polls in the US now placing Donald Trump on an equal footing with Hillary Clinton as the next US President are just plain scary.

A Holo Feeling

Thankfully it looks like the intended Whitney Houston hologram performance and rumoured tour might not happen. It should have had a beginning and ending with Tupac as the novelty and wow factor had dissipated.

Nick Menza

Vale to the former Megadeth drummer who died suddenly after collapsing on stage. That drum intro to Rust In Peace…. Polaris is still a cracker to this day.

Sia

We love that Sia loves Survivor so much she in the audience for the finale, and also that she donated to a nominated charity of one of the contestants.

Kane Hibberd

We don’t always toot our own horns but when we do it’s for good reason – the snap The Music contributor got from the ceiling of Melbourne’s Forum Theatre at Violent Soho’s gig was amazing.

Candace Payne

She’s the woman whose video of buying and putting on a Chewbacca mask went viral. We laughed with her infectious laugh too.

Arts / Li



For a regular hit ofnews sign up to ourdaily newsletter at theMusic.com.au

Cast Off Tomorrow

Folk-rock artist Tim Wheatley has dropped the third single, 78 Benz, from his 2015-released album Cast Of Yesterday, and

announced he’ll be performing two headline shows in Australia next month.

Art Of Music

Art Of Music has revealed that Bernard Fanning and Stan Yarramunua will play their June event, as well as the featured works, such as Orleans Stomp (The Cruel Sea) painted by Michael Muir and Fool (Sarah Blasko) by Joan Ross.

Bunch Of Savages

Come this June Cash Savage & The Last Drinks will be releasing their third full-length album One Of Us, as well as returning to the road with their explosive live show for a four-date national tour.

Fox Trotsky

Exhibition

Start Living In A Fantasy World, the new exhibition by

Mike “Fox” Foxall, the lowbrow artist

whose work has been synonymous

with the Sydney underground for

decades, is taking place 27 & 28 May.

Tim Wheatley

An Exhibition By Fox

Michael Muir - Orleans Stomp

Cash Savage

ifestyle ReleasesCatfish & The Bottlemen

The RideIsland/Caroline

FlumeSkin

Future Classic

Kristin KontrolX-CommunicateSub Pop/Inertia

PUPThe Dream Is OverSideOneDummy/

Cooking Vinyl

This Week’sReleases



Axis Of Jobrani

Founding member of the Axis Of Evil musical comedy group Maz

Jobrani has announced he will be returning to Australia this

July for two headline shows in Melbourne and Sydney.

BL Beach Burgers

It has been announced that Beach Road Hotel and BL Burgers are combining forces to create a new location: BL Burgers Beach Road. Opening night is 25 May, just in time for International Burger Day Sunday.

BL Burgers

Maz Jobrani

Sydney has THREE major book events on this week. Twitter might break, and there could be a run on notepads.

#cbca2016@isobelmarmion Sydney’s lit fiends have been living large - you’d think they’d share it around a little.


“I think this record is something I’m really proud of. I’m proud of the songs I wrote that I was afraid that I wasn’t going to manage to - songs that could be this electronic - and I’m just really happy about that. And also very proud that we work together this well and, yeah! Found common ground where we wanted to be in.” Highasakite wound up with a surplus of material to consider for Camp Echo and Havik elaborates, “There were a lot of songs that we didn’t use and that we left behind. Some were because of the time - we didn’t have enough time to finish it. We just had at least 20 songs that we went through and then we just had to pick out songs that would be complementary to each other; like, if two songs are a bit too similar in kind of the mood, then they will kill each other. So we just have to [pick] songs that are in the same kind of world, but not the completely same mood where they will kill each other, do you know what I mean? I never abandon songs; I just have to use them in some way.”

Havik compares her songwriting approach for Highasakite’s latest album with that of its predecessor, which featured the oh-so-catchy Since Last Wednesday (yep, you do

Faint barking. “I’m sorry, there is this dog in the upstairs apartment,” Highasakite’s vocalist/songwriter Ingrid

Helene Havik muses from her Oslo lodgings. “It’s really upset. It’s a puppy.” Havik then explains the lonely pup has been barking for “one hour... I just feel really bad for the dog.”

Highasakite have spent the best part of the last few years touring off the back of the release of their stunning second album, Silent Treatment, so it’s just as well Havik doesn’t have any pets. “They wouldn’t think of me as their owner,” she agrees. At the time of our chat, Highasakite just completed a “promo round” (their new album Camp Echo is ready to drop), which took them to “London and Berlin”, and so Havik has understandably spent the last couple of days “sleeping and working out”.

Havik had already heard one of her own songs on the radio even before Highasakite took flight. “We hadn’t really started the band

quite yet,” she remembers. “It was just me and Trond [Bersu], the drummer, that had made this demo. We had to put it into some kind of website where you can be picked up by the channel and then, like, you’re the week’s ‘Untouched’.” On when this demo first received radioplay, Havik estimates, “I think it was maybe Christmas 2010 or something, I don’t really remember. Yes, we were in Prague and we were trying to get a Norwegian radio to listen to our song being played for the first time.”

She met Bersu at Trondheim Jazz Conservatory and Havik shares, “I hated that school”. To Havik, there was way too much “improvising without any purpose” on the curriculum. “I just didn’t get anything out of it,” she laments. “I did my singing exam, but there were a few subjects that I didn’t complete and I’m not going to, either.” When asked whether any of her former teachers have reached out to compliment her on how well she’s doing with Highasakite, Havik answers immediately, “No”. So would she be interested to know what they think? “No, I don’t care.”

Highasakite is now a five-piece ensemble and, when asked how long ago it was that this incarnation first graced the stage, Havik hesitates, “I think that was in 2012 [European] summer, yeah! We played at a festival on the east coast and then the day after that we played - all five of us - at the Oya Festival, which is really huge, like, the biggest festival in Norway. So it was an exciting time.” Havik describes her country of origin as a “festival country”: “It’s at least a hundred festivals.”

Pondering her proudest achievements with Highasakite to date, Havik points out,

F I N D I N GC O M M O N G R O U N D

Now that Highasakite “know each other very well”, singer/songwriter Ingrid Helene Havik tells Bryget Chrisfield she’s proud they’ve “found common ground” with their new electronic sound.

If two songs are a bit too similar in kind of the mood, then they will kill each other.

Music


What: Camp Echo (Caroline)

lyrics, I just used a poem by Emily Dickinson,” she shares. “So it took a really long time before I started writing my own songs, because I didn’t really realise that I could and, if I tried, it was so awkward.” When asked what the turning point was, Havik offers, “Um, I just did it, I think. And also there was this teacher that helped us.” We’re talking about Havik’s previous musical studies, before she went to “the jazz academy”, and she praises this “really good teacher”: “[It] was like, ‘You have to write a song and then we are gonna play it,’ and that was my first song. And then I think it turned out really nice and then I just started thinking like, ‘Okay! Maybe I can write something’.”

Her mother is a singing teacher and Havik reminisces, “She just sang a lot with me, like, gave me a microphone and just sang along with Mariah Carey.” When told that seems way too advanced for a beginner, Havik counters, “Yeah, well, it didn’t really matter if I didn’t sing that good, because she would be like, ‘Oh, you’re so good!’ So it didn’t really matter because I was, like, four.” Fast forward a few years and Havik describes her bedroom walls in the family home: “I had posters all over the wall. I had [posters] of the Hanson brothers and Spice Girls and All Saints, yeah! That was, like, the time when I just had all the posters that I could get on the wall [laughs].”

know, it; the one that goes, “He would ne-ver do graffiti...”). While putting Silent Treatment together, Havik recalls the band “weren’t very comfortable”. “We didn’t know each other that well and my ideas weren’t really clear enough and, yeah! It was just very weird.” Constant touring is a surefire way of getting acquainted. “Yeah, we know each other very well,” she acknowledges of inner-band relations these days. “It’s definitely helpful.” As a result, while working on Camp Echo, Havik observes, “The ideas were a bit more clear from the beginning”.

“With the Silent Treatment album, I had a piano [while] writing the whole album and with this one I was more interested in, like, using our synthesiser players in the band; we have two keyboard players in the band and I really wanted to use it to its full extent. And also Trond, the drummer, has started programming drums the last few years so that was really cool to use as well. And so I made [songs] on Logic and tried to find, like, cool synth sounds.

“We didn’t collaborate any more on this album than the previous one. I write the songs and the lyrics, and then we all arrange them together, just like on the previous record.” Even so, according to Havik, songcraft is “kind of just reaching in the dark sometimes”. Would Havik describe herself as a perfectionist? “I wouldn’t say that, no. I’m not a perfectionist at all, no. I like to leave things a bit raw, but yeah! At the same time I just know when I can’t do it better and so I’m not like this very picky person.”

Havik wrote her first song when she was “19 or something”. “It wasn’t with my own

D R O W N E D I N S O U N DAlthough Highasakite lead singer/composer Ingrid Helene Havik took pole dancing classes to prepare for the Someone Who’ll Get It video shoot, a body double was still required for some of the more difficult tricks. In the video, Havik (or body double) basically pole dances inside a clear cube - with edges illuminated by fluorescent tubes - while ‘oil’ pours from holes in her skin, gradually filling the transparent cube until she becomes completely submerged in the icky substance. We’ve just got to add that as Havik’s upturned face disappears from view, her mouth is slightly open. “It was gross,” Havic stresses. So how many days did the shoot go for? “It was for seven days,” she recalls, stressing that some of the scenes were “really difficult things to shoot”, specifically “doing the pole dancing and, like, the whole thing with the pool of the oil - coming out of it”. So part of the premise was Havik suffering for her art then? “Yeah, it was,” Havik chuckles. Well it was worth it, ‘cause the results are spectacular.

Released early this year, Someone Who’ll Get It is the first single from Highasakite’s third album Camp Echo. And if you haven’t yet seen aforementioned music video, we recommend you do so sharpish.


came back from doing a string of underplays in America where we were playing to shoebox rooms. It was great to do that again where you’re jumping into each other on stage and tripping over each other.”

Indeed, the lads have ‘blown up’ since the release The Balcony in 2014 and Bond says it can be overwhelming at times. “We went out on that six-date UK tour and we put out four new songs. After we took two months off, there was already that little bit of nervousness of ‘we’re getting back into it now, what if people don’t go as crazy any more’. We were playing Soundcheck third in the set and literally the first guitar chord hit and we were able to step back from the mic and [the crowd] did pretty much the entire song before we started.

“It was just the nerves before playing a new track and then it’s like ‘right, ok, this is going to be good’. We were putting the lyrics from new tracks on our website and people had no idea of the songs but they’d seen the lyrics. We noticed that people in the first few rows were going and learning the lyrics to the tracks but with no melody to put them to.”

The Ride, the band’s second record, was produced by David Sardy (Oasis, Red Hot Chili Peppers), to the delight of the lads. “Sardy is responsible for making these sounds that we’ve grown up listening to and would recognise — like that certain acoustic guitar sound,” he says. “He worked with Dandy Warhols on that Thirteen Tales [From Urban Bohemia] album, which, for me, some of the guitar sounds on that record are absolutely incredible. It was just lovely to have that security and absolute faith in him that... There was next to no argument making this record because we were coming from exactly the same place. It was just a really easy, fun album to make.”

But as for LA, where the album was recorded, the boys didn’t have much interest. “As a musician, there’s nothing you want outside of Dave Sardy’s house,” he says. “From the moment you walk in, you’ve got intricate guitars, pianos, the dreaded synths — no I love synths,” he laughs. “Just every instrument under the sun that you can imagine in different rooms. You can go in to each room and mess about and if you don’t want to do that then there’s a balcony area in the middle where you can just sit around and play each other music. There’s a big balcony in the studio and we were trying to get Sardy to let us build a zip-line down to the swimming pool, but he was having none of that.”

Although the band is booked out on tour up until September, Bond is certain they’ll be back down-under soon. “I’m not actually sure of anything beyond September but I’d imagine end of the year we’d be coming to Australia and Japan,” he says. “I don’t know of any specific dates but I know that we’ll be there and I know that we’re all dying to get back over because we truly, truly love the place. After we came to do The Kooks support dates we did, we got to play some of them beautiful, big amphitheatres with them guys and we just really fell in love with the place. It just feels like a holiday touring over there.”

What:The Ride (Island/Caroline)

“Honestly, it took less than a day probably of getting off the road from our UK tour to ringing each other and going ‘is anybody bothered

about this time off? We need to get going again’,” Bond says down the line from London, reminiscing about the band’s “forced holiday” last December after wrapping up their UK tour. “We went gradually insane from having a bit too much time on our hands. Management was saying ‘you need this because in a year’s time you’ll be going around and going why didn’t you let us have that time off?’... We all found something to do — I went to Japan —

but honestly we were raring to get going again.”With their debut record The Balcony capturing the

public’s attention and having just taken out a Brit Award for ‘British Breakthrough Act’, the four piece are excited about getting out on the road again this year to share their new record with fans. “We’re all really at a relaxed and excited place at the minute,” Bond continues. Having already done a short UK tour this year, the band have bought in some new crew members, new equipment and changed their live sound ahead of their big touring schedule, which takes them through until September. “It was only six dates but it was six of the best dates we’ve ever done,” he says of the tour.

“It’s left us all at a really comfortable place to go and do what we need to go out and do this year. We just

Sleep When You’re DeadBritpop rockers Catfish & The Bottlemen are back with their highly anticipated second record The Ride. Annabel Maclean finds out from guitarist Johnny ‘Bondy’ Bond that the band suck at taking time off.

We all found something to do — I went to Japan — but honestly we were raring to

get going again.

Music


not about being a glamorous persona, it’s about letting people see who I am. It’s not like something I think about, it’s not about keeping people out, it’s about letting people in, that’s what I do,” Von Teese continues.

She’s firmly committed to making adventurous art (“The moment that you’re pleasing everyone is the moment that you’re an epic failure in whatever it is you’re trying to do ... if you’re doing something that everyone likes then there’s no risk and there’s no glory”), but also happy exploring other modes. A recent online joy for fans between shows was her cameo for the Funny Or Die website in the short How To Be Sexy With Dita Von Teese. Serving as the outlet’s resident “professional sexy coach”, she is wonderfully straight-faced while doing otherwise unsexy things (think filing a tax return and wearing a Bluetooth headset).

“They approached me for a project and I said ‘Of course I’d love to do something for Funny Or Die.’ So they pitched the idea,” she explains. “Personally I didn’t think it was that funny, but people seemed to like it,” she adds slyly. Is doing taxes in heals and a garter a regular occurrence for her, then? While she’s been happy to reveal her beauty secrets in other places (including the book Your Beauty Mark: The Ultimate Guide To Eccentric Glamour), it’s probably safe to assume there won’t be an accounting section in the new show.

What:Burlesque: Strip, Strip, Hooray!When & Where:4 & 5 Jun, Big Top; 28 Jun, Enmore Theatre

Dita Von Teese is the face, body and soul of the modern glamour movement. That’s not to say that she’s not inspired by older forms (clearly she is),

but her approach to burlesque as a performance and art form draws new types of audiences to the form.

“My audience has definitely shifted. When I started out it was predominantly male, at the beginning in the ‘90s. And I had a lot of people who were fans of the corsetry and who had a sense of that highly stylised version of femininity. But over time I’ve noticed that the audience is shifting, and the fans of my show are people who are inspired by having a different type of role model,”

she explains during a rare stint at home before her next set of shows.”The late ‘90s and early 2000s is when I noticed the changes. And now the audience is made up largely of women and their partners, a very diverse audience who embrace difference and glamour and a lot of colourful people who come through who want to dress up and be different and get a lot of pleasure out of being who they want to be.”

Von Teese’s new show, Burlesque: Strip, Strip, Hooray!, continues to play with the form and her position as a performer, reminding audiences that the classic form continues to move with those who make it.

“You know, I don’t really create like an alter ego or a persona on stage, I just do what I think is funny and playful and I want people to be able to relate to me. It’s

Strip HopDita Von Teese tells Liz Giuffre that she didn’t really find that Funny Or Die sketch all that funny.

It’s not about keeping people out, it’s about letting people in, that’s what I do.

Cabaret


New Zealand musician Hollie Fullbrook resembles something of a musical soap opera at the

moment. Not only are her Auckland-based indie-folk outfit Tiny Ruins about to make their Sydney Opera House debut during the 2016 Vivid LIVE program, but she was also recently approached by celebrated auteur David Lynch to record one of her songs Dream Wave together — he’d been passed the demo by Lorde — and when tracked down by The Music she’s currently on tour in Europe with drummer Hamish Kilgour of Kiwi legends The Clean. Add to the equation the fact that Tiny Ruins are working on material for their impending third album and it’s clear that Fullbrook’s dance card is pretty full at the moment.

“For this tour we’re obviously playing songs from the EP [Hurtling Through] that we made together, but also I’m playing a few songs that are planned for the next album,” she explains from Berlin. “Right before I left I was practicing pretty solidly with my regular band back in Auckland, kinda workshopping new material for the Opera House show. That show is going to be really cool — we’re going to definitely play some older stuff, but we’ve got some new songs that we’ll be trying out there as well.”

Fullbrook explains that this fruitful collaboration with Kilgour started as a

happy accident.“It was sort

of arranged,” she laughs. “I was going to New York for the first time and I was a bit worried because I couldn’t take my band, and I just thought that the audiences might be quite talkative at CMJ so I got hold of Hamish because I knew that he’d lived in New York for about 25 years. It was kinda like ‘Kiwi to Kiwi’ and it was quite funny because he just turned up five minutes before the

show with his bag of percussion and music, and we hopped onstage together and kinda felt our way through the set. It’s really great playing with Hamish, because every single show is really different — he’s a got a really experimental approach to playing drums, a really free way of playing. After playing a few shows together in New York we tried to record a few songs, which is how the EP got made over the course of a year.”

Tiny Ruins recently expanded from a trio to a quartet and are adding an extra multi-instrumentalist for the Vivid LIVE show, resulting in a sound Fullbrook describes as “beautiful and lush”.

“We’re so looking forward to playing the Opera House!” she gushes. “Before I came on this tour it was all that I was thinking about. Over the next couple of weeks we’ll get fully prepared and then we have about four days before the show where we’re going to workshop it all and do a secret little ‘warm-up’ gig in the venue that we started out playing in Auckland called the Wine Cellar, which is a 100-capacity venue. I think it’s a nice idea to go from the smallest venue that you started out in to the Sydney Opera House the next night!”

Taking Flight

Ahead of performing at Vivid LIVE with Tiny Ruins, Hollie Fullbrook tells Steve Bell about her sudden influx of friends in high places.

When & Where: 1 Jun, Vivid LIVE, Sydney Opera House

Music

BOYTOWALK-MEN

In the lead-up to Walter Martin (from The Walkmen) playing his kids album as part of Dress Up Attack! at Vivid LIVE on Sunday, we asked him about the kids’ songs that made an impression on him from his childhood.

Abba Dabba Honeymoon by Debbi Reynolds and Carleton Carpenter — Always loved this one. We still listen to it a lot around the house. It’s the first song on a compilation LP I have called Funnybone Favourites, a breakfast-time favourite at our house.

The Itsy Bitsy Spider — Like most kids, I loved this song and the little hand dance you do along with it. For some reason there was a myth in our family that my mother’s childhood piano teacher wrote the song. But as an adult, I have looked it up and, sadly, it was just a myth.

Car, Car by Woody Guthrie — I always loved this song. I still do. In high school I always used to put it on mixtapes for people, usually to break up the Leonard Cohen songs.

Western Movies by the Olympics — Not really a kids’ song, but I always loved this since I was little. The style and rhythm of this song and others like it very directly influence what I do these days.

It’s My Life by Billy Joel — Not a kids’ song either, but I vividly remember hearing this song a lot on the radio when I was five or six and understanding the rebellious vibe of the lyrics. It made me feel like a little rebel myself. Funny to think of now.


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Classic Old Venue

Once one of Sydney’s leading live music venues, the Paddo RSL

recently announced it would step back into the fray of hosting live

music. Now the venue has further stepped up their commitment to

live entertainment. Already the live bands are back on Saturday nights in The Hangout and the Showroom will

be in action in a matter of weeks. There’s also talk of a completely new comedy and arts venue being added

to the mix.

The thought to breathe new life into the Showroom with an emerging artists program was the birth of

The NSW Battle Of The Bands. The band comp, which will be hosted at

Paddo RSL, is now in its final call out for entries. The comp boasts one

of the bigger prize pools and a real opportunity.

For more info and to sign up, head to nswbattleofthebands.com.au.

NewBands


LA outfit The Runaways were a teenage all-female rock sensation in the late ‘70s — a time when rock’n’roll was

still defiantly a boys’ club — and their flame burnt brightly, the group releasing four studio albums and a live one in just under four turbulent years.

When 2010 film The Runaways was based on founding vocalist Cherie Currie’s autobiography Neon Angel: A Memoir Of A Runaway, it seemed inevitable that it would drag Currie back into the music world — which it did, with her 2015 solo collection Reverie marking her first album release in 35 years, despite her still staying musically active — although not quite in the way she originally envisaged.

“I actually did four tours before I put out Reverie,” she explains. “I’d made a record with [Runaway guitarist Joan Jett’s label] Blackheart: right after the movie came out and I’d opened for Joan I was offered a record deal, that evening actually, and I ended up going with Blackheart. It was a great record — Matt Sorum [of Guns N’ Roses] produced it, Billy Corgan from The Smashing Pumpkins wrote a duet for he and I to do, and then of course it had Slash and Duff [McKagan] and The Veronicas from Down Under and Brody Dalle and even Juliette Lewis — but then they shelved the record.

“So after a couple of years of not performing I left [Blackheart] and immediately booked four tours on my own, without management. That was a big ‘flip the bird’ kinda thing, but it was great — I had a lot of fun. Then when I got back into town I did a single with [The Runaways’ rhythm guitarist] Lita Ford — she reached out to me to rekindle, or actually birth, a friendship, because we didn’t really have a friendship in

The Runaways.“Then [former manager/svengali] Kim

Fowley reached out to me to make a record and I jumped at the chance because I knew he was gravely ill — unfortunately he passed before the record was finished, but I’ve got great memories of Kim: they certainly beat the ones I had as a kid!”

While the ‘70s were a notoriously hedonistic time it seems The Runaways, despite their tender years, cared more about the music than the parties.

“I think we were before our time, but the great thing about The Runaways music is that anyone can sing it and anyone can play it,” Currie reflects. “It wasn’t as wild as you would think, because first of all we had performances almost nightly and we were travelling almost every day. The thing is if we wanted to party a little bit after the show then fine, but we never partied before because we needed to be good.

“So believe it or not, we were pretty darned responsible. The music was always the paramount concern, plus we were speaking from a teenage perspective and the things that we were saying were the things that teenagers could relate to because we were living it. And as I said anyone could play it and anyone could sing it.”

Still Running

Cherie Currie — original singer for LA rockers The Runaways — is making her first trip Down Under. She talks Steve Bell.

When & Where:27 May, Manning Bar

Music


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“I just started feeling a bit pinned down by the sound that the band had really solidified over eight-plus years of records and touring, so it [was] really just a matter of deciding that I didn’t want to worry about that when I was starting to write, that I would just write whatever I felt like writing and make the record that I wanted to make and not worry about how it was going to play out: just figure it out after when I had it done and knew what I had. Because I also didn’t totally know what I was doing, I just knew I didn’t want to make what people would expect the next Dum Dum Girls record to be.

“It’s funny because I obviously love and loved that band — it was almost a decade of my life and I’m proud of the records that we put out and the tours that we did — but I just kind of outgrew it and I wanted to have the freedom to do whatever it was I felt like doing and not having to worry about how it would get funnelled back through the context of Dum Dum Girls.”

And there’s much more to X-Communicate than just ‘80s dance music, with flourishes of everything from motorik to reggae in the mix.

“I assume that the record will get overwhelmingly pegged as some sort of dance-pop or synth-pop record,” Welchez smiles, “and I was very much trying to make more classically-referencing dance music, but it wasn’t just, like, ‘Oh, I’m trading in the guitar for the synth and I’m trading in the ‘70s for the ‘80s’. No, I just wanted to touch on all of the things that I love.”

What:X-Communicate (Sub Pop/Inertia)

Esteemed Californian rock band Dum Dum Girls started out as a bedroom-project for Kristin Welchez late-last decade before morphing into a

full band to tour their garage-tinged 2010 debut I Will Be. They built an instant following and went from strength to strength in the next few years, but by the time their more pop-focussed third album Too True (2014) arrived (on which Welchez, known as Dee Dee in the band, played and sang everything herself) she was tiring of the arbitrary boundaries placed on her by the band construct.

Ultimately the experience surrounding Too True —

and its reception by fans and pundits — not only formed a sonic bridge to the diverse array of dance and pop sensibilities found on new project Kristin Kontrol’s debut album X-Communicate, it also helped persuade her to take the solo plunge.

“I basically started writing for [X-Communicate] in January of 2015, and it wasn’t for Kristin Kontrol it was for whatever the next thing I was doing, presumably the fourth Dum Dum Girls full-length,” Welchez recalls. “After a year of touring Too True I think I was taking a close look as to how that record did and how touring it did — or did not — compare to what I was expecting. I think that I recognised that even trying to take a minor departure from the anticipated Dum Dum Girls template didn’t go over quite like I thought it would.

Total KontrolNow immersed in new solo project Kristin Kontrol, Kristin Welchez tells Steve Bell about shifting personas from Dee Dee to KK.

I wanted to have the freedom to do whatever it was I felt like doing and not having to worry about how it would get funnelled back through the context of Dum Dum Girls.

Music

Rates nominates his top five Australian rap albums:

Kerser – No Rest For The Sickest

Drapht – Who Am I

Lyrical Commission – Murderous Metaphors

Hunter – Going Back To Yokine

Fatty Phew – 23 Years In The Making

RATINGSFROM RATES


“I believe we are slowly becoming a police state,” warns Rates, referring to Enemy, his latest offering off new

album Untold. “I just want to spread that awareness.

“There is a lot of unwarranted attention from police. There are certain things that have happened to me that weren’t necessary and I’m sure there are a lot of people that can relate,” Rates admits.

As well as being the older brother to Australia’s most polarising rap identity in Kerser, Rates has lived a tale or two of his own. A native of Campbelltown in Sydney’s outer-west, he too directs his energy into rap music to take him away from troubling beginnings. Rates’ persona was first cut out on the rap battle circuits where he licked competitors with a flow so ferocious his lyrics will rip your throat out, he raps.

If there’s one thing you can take away from a Rates album, it’s the serum of realism and lack of hyperbole. However, if his story is to be told then it’s best to be depressurised slowly through his Nightmare trilogy of tracks peeking over the darkened walls of his mind state.

Nightmare (one) finds him in a psych ward, sent in to fight off his mental illness, going introspective over and above the blur of

meds. The second finds him digging himself out of an awareness of those around him, while the third instalment finds Rates dealing with the reality of being a rapper and shedding his demons. So personal and confronting this series was for the MC that he hopes to never have to revisit it.

“Those experiences for me were a nightmare for me, so hopefully I won’t have to do another one,” he

says. “A lot of the things I talk, some fans might not have known or heard about until it’s right in front of them, you know?” replies Rates when asked why he lays out his real-life issues on record. “So, through my music and what I feel is going on, maybe it will inspire them to pick up and learn about what’s going on. So I hope that the track kinda clears up.”

One of the biggest changes to Rates’ life since his debut drop Destroy & Rebuild (2013) is fatherhood. They say it changes your whole outlook and priorities in life. For Rates, who welcomed his baby daughter late last year, never a truer word has been rapped. “Definitely, man. Since the birth of my daughter my priorities have changed. I just want to provide and protect her. For years I’ve been trying to get somewhere with my music and I hadn’t completely developed my sound where I wanted it. But, once Ava was born, it was quite strange, suddenly everything clicked into place,” he confides. “Definitely the best thing that ever happened to me.”

From the hard-hitting End Of Discussion, which finds him in high energy over an alt-rock riff, to dipping low on the more melodic track Right Now that follows, serving up a soother subject, the ebb and flow of a Rates album is charted.

“I wanted it to have that roller coaster feel to it. And it reflects my life which has really been a roller coaster.”

The Hard Yards

From time spent in a psych ward to “unwarranted attention from police”, Rates raps about his life “which has really been a roller coaster”, he tells Rip Nicholson.

What:Untold (ABK/ADA)

Music


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In April, as part of Matt’s (O’Gorman, drums) birthday, we all went to see Brian Wilson perform Pet Sounds at the Palais

Theatre here in Melbourne. My relationship with the Beach Boys’ 1966 album is sort of complicated. I know it’s a classic record, gosh we all do, it’s a go to for musicologists and critics in terms of its originality, sophistication and influence on music and culture. Dominique Leone from Pitchfork talks about the record’s “hymnal aspect... heartfelt love, graciousness” and Rolling Stone assert that it’s the second best record ever made by anyone ever. I know all this stuff cerebrally, but do I really feel it? For my bandmates it’s

How Does It Sound?

To kick off The Music’s Sound Issue, we hear how The Beach Boys changed the way British India’s Declan Melia thought about sound.

a no brainer; Pet Sounds is the archetypal pop record, whether you listen with your head or your heart, nothing does it better. For Nic Wilson (guitarist in British India), regardless of how much critical ink has been spilled on the subject, God Only Knows is his favourite song and Pet Sounds is his favourite album. But I’m still left scratching my head, Sat in the comfy burgundy chairs of the Palais Theatre, our eyes watery with rapture as Brian Wilson effortlessly navigates the album 50 years since he wrote it, I sneak a look at Nic sitting next to me, during the opening bars to album highlight You Still Believe In Me — he’s utterly transfixed, almost vibrating with the pleasure of hearing the opening arpeggios plucked by the man who composed them. This weird sound, so lush as to be almost dissonant, of the opening movement, neither piano

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nor harpsichord, fills the air and it dawns on me. The clue was in the album title all along — it’s the sound that everyone is hearing.

Until this moment I was, as stupid as if feels to write this, anti-sound. The lyrics, the melody, the context, the song, these were the things that mattered most to me and, if you got them right (as rarely as that happens) the actual sound doesn’t really matter, right? If you reduce all music to its genetic makeup, the sound certainly isn’t the common denominator, otherwise how could Bob Dylan with his raspy, howdy-stranger voice, blowing a gale on his rusty harmonica excite me as much as the poise and finesse of studio boffins like Pink Floyd? If sound is so important, then how can the Ramones’ say as much with four multi-tracks as Genesis can with 46? But what I had been failing to see was that I’d become victim of my own critical thinking, by hoping to feel everything with my chest I’d neglected to feel it in my brain first. The thing about sound is it sneaks up on you. The sound is the submerged bulk of the musical iceberg, it marbles the subconscious so that you don’t even realise the effect it has. Bob Dylan’s one mic maelstrom and The Ramones’ mutant Chuck Berry blast are not a refutation of the importance of sound, it’s corruption of it that propagates its huge importance.

When Nic told me many years ago that the sound at the start of You Still Believe In Me was Brian playing piano while the producer muted the piano strings with hair clips, my initial reaction would have been, ‘Who cares?’ But when Brian Wilson sung the opening lines that night; “I know perfectly well/I’m not where I should be,” I suddenly understood. It’s the atmosphere, the delivery and the perfect synthesis of sound in the track (the sound of the voice, the piano, the blood rushing through our collective ears) that gives it its pertinence. The opening bars of the song have already subconsciously realigned the neuronic paths in our brains to carry the meaning of the lines we are about to hear.

Words on a page are lifeless symbols conveying a vague meaning; it’s the sound of the words — shouted, whispered, hissed — that gives them life. Take it one step further and set the words to music and you now have a whole universe of nuanced and sophisticated meaning, some tangible, some abstract, painting infinite, internal pictures of our human experience. Of course this means that if those lyrics were sung to a different sound they would cease to mean the same thing, and it’s times like this that we’re reminded just how much pop music can communicate (ie. anything) and why it’s so important.

Armed with this new appreciation of sound, I backtracked through some of my favourite records to hear, laughably for the first time, how they actually sounded. The opening bars of Airbag from Radiohead’s OK Computer; the mollases-thick layering of slowly bowed cello with Johnny Greenwood’s wet cement electric guitar is such a perfect synthesis of disparate sounds and ideas — old and new, classical and post-modern, organic and synthetic — that it does more to encapsulate what Radiohead actually mean than every word, chord progression and album art concept that Thom Yorke ever cooked up. And that’s just the first three seconds of the first song.

I put on Ghostface’s Supreme Clientele track The Grain. Just listen to the way RZA’s zeroes in on that piano sample, Wikipedia tells me it’s from a song called Do The Funky Penguin by Rufus Thomas — and that very well may be the case — but here, looped infinitely by RZA in some Staten Island basement, it comes to mean something

else entirely. In the context of the original it’s just a throwaway piano link, but by looping it, its sound is magnified. Our brain is hearing the same three seconds of music over and over ad infinitum, you begin to hear the minutia of the tone itself, the way the pianist hit the key, the rust on the piano string and the squeak of the damper pedal. That three seconds of piano becomes an unfathomable universe between your ears... and then Ghostface starts up.

Has any sound ever been more perfect than the opening chord to A Hard Day’s Night? Crang! To call it a G7sus4 is equal parts meaningless and reductive. You can’t hear it without visualising George Harrison executing the rapid downstroke on his black and white Rickenbacker. It’s the sound of all of London vibrating with the uncontrollable mania that The Beatles gave expression to. In the movie, the sound of that chord precedes The Beatles ‘breaking out’ of some dreary press obligation to run amok in their high-heeled boots through the black and white streets of Soho, and that’s exactly what that chord sounds like — ‘breaking-the-fuck-out’. All that pent-up excitement of post-war youth searching for that sound before George had even played it. Crang! The sound of a generational movement, with far more vibration than the sounds of bombs in Vietnam or the tumbling of the Berlin Wall. So, for me at least, that’s the new question — not, ‘What is it saying?’ but, ‘How does it sound?’

The Sound Issue

Declan Melia

That three seconds of piano becomes an unfathomable universe between your ears...


You don’t have to talk to Sennheiser Marketing Manager Dan Woodall for long to get the impression that

he believes in his product. Sennheiser make sound equipment for the discerning audiophile. They have headphones from the HE 1, with “truly life-changing audio reproduction”, to the HD800S, which is “virtually an industry standard”. Their mics cover a range of recording needs “from

models aimed more at the project studio through to top-flight mics for the most critical classical recordings”. He cites specifically the MK4, with its “super smooth sound and low noise… You’ll find it for around $300, which is a bargain for a true top-quality professional mic that any engineer would be happy to have in their studio”.

“It’s what we do,” say Woodall. “We don’t make TVs, or phones, or toasters. We specialise in sound, and we are the best at what we do.”

HE 1s and MK4s aside though, the latest creation from

Sennheiser’s best and brightest is the D1. “D1 is the next generation digital wireless microphone system. Built from the ground up for live use, it features extraordinary sound quality, a choice of capsules, on-board EQ/de-essing and control via an iOS app.

“Working in the license-free 2.4GHz band for operation anywhere in Australia and NZ, the system automatically scans the RF environment 133 times per

Sennheiser

The Sound Issue

second, optimising signal strength and if necessary moving transmission channels for flawless audio. Up to 15 channels of D1 can be used simultaneously, with the system automatically looking after frequency allocation.”

You can show up, then “Just turn the system on, wait for the green light - and go for your performance, knowing the audio will be perfect. No hassles, no set-up, no drop outs. Concentrate on your performance, not your gear.”

When Woodall describes the D1, it sounds almost like the little black dress in a live musician’s arsenal. “D1 is specifically designed for use on smaller stages, and by bands who do not have lots of time to set up, or don’t have a sound engineer. You just turn it on, and it works. Every time, anywhere you go. If you are a singer or guitarist who wants freedom of movement on stage, and doesn’t want technical hassles – then it’s the system for you.”

Trackdown Delta King Studios

Answered by: Evan McHugh, lead engineer

Studio address: Building 125, The Entertainment Quarter, Lang Road, Moore Park

What makes your studio different? We have the largest acoustic recording space in Australia as well as five other unique acoustic spaces and three mix rooms.

Do you find you specialise in specific genres? The beauty of working at Trackdown is you get to do a bit of everything, from orchestral film scores to indie-

Answered by: Ben Wood, engineer/producer

Studio address: Level 2, 822 George Street, Sydney

How long has the studio been running? In its current form, we’re brand new! But before we joined forces, King Sound Studios has been running since 2011, and Delta Studios started in Dec 2014,

What makes your studio different? The personal touch is something that gets mentioned by our clients. We are a small,

rock artists to pop and everything in between.

Who have been your favourite artist(s) to come in? Working with composer Marco Beltrami on a huge feature film score was quite exciting, but, equally, working with The Ruminaters (a Sydney indie band) was awesome as well!

What do believe has been the most well produced album of 2016 so far? The Last Shadow Puppets album that came out sounds great!

What services does your studio offer? We do everything from rehearsals, writing with artists, recording (all scale of projects — even 100-piece orchestras), mixing and even music supervision, editing and production for film and television.

Do you prefer analogue or digital? Here at Trackdown we use a blend of both. We take the best of analogue on the way in and the best of digital on the way out.

boutique studio so we put a lot of care and attention into everything that comes through the door.

What’s your favourite piece of equipment you have in the studio? How can you choose a favourite! A good talking piece is my 1974 Neumann U 47 fet microphone, that is branded ‘Trident Studios’ (Queen/Bowie etc). Just imagine the musicians it has recorded...

Who have been your favourite artist(s) to come in? We had Diplo, Galantis, MK and Matoma in the studio while EMC Sydney was on. They were a lot of fun, even though they pushed our monitors to their limits!

What services does your studio offer? We offer recording, mixing and mastering services for all styles and genres, with a variety of packages to suit all budgets.

HEOS is the newest wireless audio system from Denon (which was surprisingly developed in Sydney). It

allows you to centralise multiple wirelessly connected speakers around your home, and it’s versatile enough that you can have the same track blaring in every room or set each speaker to a different tune. Stick them outdoors or in-ceiling, get floorstanding or

bookshelf models — you can have your house song battle itself Pitch Perfect-style if you like.

It’s controlled by a free app that is available for both iOS and Android, which means all you need to do is download the app, make sure you’ve paid your Wi-Fi bills, and then you’re free to pump each room in your home full of tunes from whatever online source you fancy, be it Spotify, Pandora, Deezer, Tidal, Soundcloud, TuneIn or another. You can also play music from a USB stick, NAS drive or a smart device, which you can

link up to one of Denon’s range compact wireless speakers.

Based on room size, whether it’s going inside or out, and you own personal preference, you can choose from four wireless multi-zone music players that run the gamut from $379 to $999, with each available in black or white and with optional Bluetooth capability.

HEOS by Denon If you’ve already got a system set up there are also add-on versions, so there’s no need to turf all of your old speakers either. The HEOS Link model for example lets you use the HEOS app to wirelessly control your existing sound system, and the Amp model is designed to add HEOS multi-room audio functionality to any pair of stereo loudspeakers, allowing for the same simplifies wireless use as the HEOS speaker models. There’s even a soundbar model that will dramatically improve the sound of your TV, the HomeCinema model, which also functions a powerful speaker set.


Answered by: Simon Todkill, senior engineer and Owen Butcher, engineer

Studio address: 18 Mitchell Road, Alexandria

How long has the studio been running? The studio as a business has been running since 1926, this year is our 90th Anniversary! The studio has moved a few times since it opened, however the current facility has been open since 1999.

What makes your studio different? Ninety years of experience, 270m2 orchestral room, our engineers – best mastering engineers in Australia. We are the last of the traditional large format studios. We can do from large scale orchestras to developmental artists.

What’s your favourite piece of equipment you have in the studio? Neve 88R because it does everything we need. Seventy-two channels of Neve Preamp, Line Amps and summing. What else is there to say?

Do you find you specialise in specific genres? We record all genres, every day is different. We are familiar with all genres and are extremely adaptable. Due to our studio set-up we can blend between different styles quickly, our clients take full advantage.

Who have been your favourite artist(s) to come in? Stevie Nicks. Very warm and open, and very easy to work with. She’s always giving 100%, when the song is playing she’s listening, looking for better ways to deliver the

Studios 301

The Sound Issue

vocal. True legend.

What do believe has been the most well produced album of 2016 so far? PJ Harvey – The Hope Six Demolition Project: They’ve captured the essence of the performance and energy of the songs, using the technology to help boost the emotions and feelings contained in the lyrics.

What services does your studio offer? We offer everything from recording and mixing to mastering; orchestral to developing the new generation of electronic artists and bands; specialised vocal production to archiving historical recordings. Create, record, master – all in the one building

Do you prefer analogue or digital? We prefer using both to our advantage. We’re set up with the ability to use both in any application, from tape machines to consoles/outboard gear. The real question is identifying which is best for the song.

Who would be your dream artist to have record/rehearse in the studio? Robert Johnson, at around 3am.


The Sound Issue

Main StreetStudios Soul Shack

Answered by: Adam Jordan, owner/engineer

Studio address: Unit 3/88 Jardine Street, Fairy Meadow

What makes your studio different? The best value SSL recording package in the country. We have a range of professional equipment and years of experience to bring the best out of every project, no matter which genre.

What’s your favourite piece

Answered by: Peter Atkins, Owner/Managing Director.

Studio address: 10 Binalong Ave, Allambie Heights

What makes your studio different? Soul Shack is not a large commercial studio. We like it this way! We strive to achieve a sound that feels good and to make music that is alive, artistic and representative of the artist.

Who have been your favourite artists to come in? A

of equipment you have in the studio? Ribbon mics. Classic 1950s ribbons recorded through the SSL is hard to beat. We aim to capture the ideal natural sound of a band, the tones of ribbon mics help to achieve that.

What services does your studio offer? We work bands through every step of the process. Production, recording, mixing and mastering. We also work with graphic designers to put the whole project together for bands in our range of packages.

Who would be your dream artist to have record/rehearse in the studio? Mellon Collie And The Infinite Sadness-era Smashing Pumpkins. The energy, songwriting and experimentation were all at their peak for the band. This is what inspired the 14-year-old me to work in the music industry.

collaborative project of session musicians working with Jessie J, Jessica Mauboy, Rogue Traders, Delta Goodrem and Guy Sebastian. It’s all about quality musicianship and creative compositions. We can really take time to explore sounds.

What services does your studio offer? Our services include music/sound production; album/single/demo production; songwriting/composition; live vocal/musician tracking/overdubs; custom drum tracks; mixing/remixing; session musicians and digital filming.

Do you prefer analogue or digital? Analogue is definitely where we prefer to start. It is more important how tastefully the two are used together. We have a constantly growing our analogue instrument and outboard equipment list. The modern studio needs both!


The Sound Issue

Def Wolf Studios Damien GerardStudios

Answered by: Marshall Cullen, producer and owner

Studio address: 174 Mullens St, Balmain

What makes your studio different? Two main things. The engineers are extremely experienced and have worked across pretty much all genres. Secondly we are told by clients it’s like a big friendly version of their own ‘muso’s loungeroom’.

What’s your favourite piece

Answered by: Daniel Antix, Owner/Producer/Engineer

Studio address: 44-54 Botany Rd, Alexandria

What makes your studio different? High end gear and lots of it with a large live room (60m2). We located in downtown Redfern/Alexandria so shops, pubs, restaurants are all right downstairs.

Do you find you specialised in specific genres? I work with a

��

SHACK��TH

E

SOUND

of equipment you have in the studio? The 1985 Vintage Analogue console. It’s an old Soundcraft 2400, hasn’t missed a beat since day one and seems to sound better with age. The Eurthymics famously used this board in the UK.

What do believe has been the most well produced album of 2016 so far? Sarah Blasko — Eternal Return. Such a great merge of old ‘70s synths with Pro Tools and modern recording techniques. Bourke did a great job — he has come a long way since starting at DGS.

What services does your studio offer? Recording, mixing, mastering, manufacture (CD and vinyl), digital distribution (via Foghorn), publicity, tour management and live sound.

lot of punk bands because it’s the scene I’m a part of. Most weekends you’ll find me at a punk show either as a punter, a muso or a sound tech.

What services does your studio offer? Recording, mixing, mastering, production, pre-production. Basically we can take you from the first step to the final polish of your production in a huge range of genres.

Who would be your dream artist to have record/rehearse in the studio? I spent a couple of days with Modern Baseball last month for some live sessions, I’d love to have them back for a record! Talented and just good dudes.


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OPINION

Wake The Dead

Punk And

Hardcore

With Sarah

Petchell

since reads like a bad attempt at marketing and has succeeded in simply pissing off a whole bunch of people.

Back in March this year, the band started a petition to get their fans to show whether they wanted them to reform and play a round of live shows. I guess this should have raised some flags then, since to me (not only are they jumping on the reunion bandwagon) this is either a strange popularity contest or a really weird way to promote themselves.

Then, more recently, the band decided to start a crowdfunding campaign to raise enough money so that they could afford to do a run of dates this July. We raise $4000, there are four shows. The more money they raise, the more shows they will play.

And this is the problem. When you are in a band there is a certain amount of risk implicit in that action. Making people fund you for that tour takes away that risk. And that is not fair on your fans. Particularly when the crowdfunding reward to get a ticket ($20) is probably more than what you would have been charging for entry to the show in the first place.I was going to write about Hell freezing over and the

Danzig and Jerry Only Misfits reunion, but instead I want to make a statement.GUYS! ENOUGH WITH THE

CROWDFUNDING ALREADY!Gold Coast band, Prepared Like A Bride broke up last

year. I’m sure that disappointed a lot of their fans and I can accept and understand that. But what has happened

Trai ler Trash

X-Men: Apocalypse

Prepared Like A Bride


Opinion

Dives Into Your Screens

And Idiot Boxes With Guy Davis

Where I get my coffee sometimes, I get a chance to chat with the staff. One young man stuck out for me last week. Tall, slim, blond, rocking

an Adidas hoodie with the drawstrings tied, he asked what I was listening to. “Anderson Paak,” I said. Paak, who seemed so refreshing last year has morphed into an

artist so approachable that he’s almost easy listening. “Yeah. He’s alright. A bit of a Kendrick clone though?” I disagreed. Still do.

Untitled Unmastered is stripped back with minimal vocal trickery. Before Kendrick was refined, perfected. With Untitled Unmastered we hear Kendrick merely curated; a selected sample of warts and all. It compares with Paak’s drug-and-smooch-swooning, but not closely. The artists are poles apart, right?

Maybe. As I sipped my coffee I wondered whether I — the suit-wearing, piccolo-latte-sipping, 30-something professional know-all — might be too closed minded. Maybe my young man, an embodiment of the zeitgeist, has something to teach me about how close Paak and K-Dot really are. I’ll have to ask him one of these mornings. And maybe, by approaching a music conversation with humility rather than as a dick-measuring contest, I might just learn something new. A lesson for us all perhaps?

Get I tTogether

Hip Hop

With James

d’Apice

Anderson Paak

OPINIONThe X-Men film franchise has travelled

backwards and forwards in time so often that trying to figure out the who,

where and when of any given chapter could leave you dizzy. So my advice to you when it comes to X-Men: Apocalypse, the sixth movie in the series (not counting a couple of solo projects starring Hugh Jackman’s steel-clawed brawler Wolverine), is this: don’t think about it too much.

I mean, if you’re an X-Men aficionado, I’m sure you could have hours of fun plotting out timelines that give the story a scintilla of sense. (And there are fans out there who worship at the altar of continuity.)

But those after a big-bang blockbuster need to know just one thing — this is the one set in the 1980s. And director Bryan Singer, who has directed the bulk of the X-Men movies since their big-screen debut back in 2000, has a blast with the trappings of the era.

The screen is not only dripping with references to the decade when it comes to fashion, music and other pop culture bits and pieces, but Singer has given Apocalypse the tone and style of an ‘80s movie.

It may be a little jarring for 21st century audiences at times, but it also helps this film stand out from the superhero crowd a little. Despite this, though, it is increasingly apparent that the X-Men franchise is spinning its wheels a bit.

The love-hate relationship between two central characters, telepathic Professor X (James McAvoy) and human magnet Magneto (Michael Fassbender), is going over old ground by now, the strong work by the two actors notwithstanding.

And the core idea that the X-Men themselves — super-powered ‘mutants’ with a variety of strange abilities — are feared and distrusted by the human race is also one that seems to have run its course.

Nevertheless, Apocalypse is still fun, with Singer and an accomplished cast of both new and familiar faces getting the most out of material that verges on the same old, same old.

The team’s enemy this time around is En Sabah Nur (The Force Awakens’ Oscar Isaac, slathered in make-up but still a potent screen presence), the world’s first mutant, unearthed in 1983 after spending centuries buried underneath the sands of Cairo.

Eager to resume his world-ruling ways, he starts recruiting a squad of followers, among them poor old Magneto, who seems to attract tragedy as easily as he attracts metal.

As the movie’s title indicates, En Sabah Nur is looking to jumpstart the apocalypse, and only Professor X and his young mutants, led by Jennifer Lawrence’s shapeshifting Mystique, stand in his way.

Super-skirmishes and massive property destruction ensues, but Apocalypse does make good use of its heroes’ diverse skillsets to keep the action entertaining — as in the previous X-Men movie, Days Of Future Past, the fleet-footed Quicksilver (Evan Peters) is the standout, this time saving the day to the tune of an ‘80s classic by The Eurythmics.

As enjoyable as I found Apocalypse, however, I came out of it convinced it was time for Singer and this franchise to part ways. Singer remains the best director it has had, although I remain a staunch advocate of James Mangold’s The Wolverine, which will eventually be regarded as one of the best superhero movies ever, if you ask me. But the series needs fresh blood, and Singer should be given the chance to apply his gifts as a stylist and storyteller elsewhere.


Opinion


Album / EAlbum/EP Reviews

Sydney’s wunderkind Harley Streten (aka Flume) is back with his eagerly anticipated second album Skin and it’s almost perfection. This 16-track masterpiece is full of eclectic beats with a wide range of local and international collaborators that will leave you licking ya lips.

The anticipation builds in opener Helix, as Flume introduces flute sounds that become synthesised into a sick electronic beat that keeps building. On single Never Be Like You, Canadian singer-songwriter Kai’s smooth vocals give the track a hook with catchy repetitive lyrics, “I’m only human can’t you see?” accompanied by Flume’s trap and bass - it’s like a match made in heaven.

Hip hop beats take over in Lose It with Vic Mensa; where rapping meets electronica that makes you lose it. But sadly Allan Kingdom and Raekwon collab You Know is hit and miss. Instrumentals are what Flume does best and on Wall Fuck he slams repetitive sub bass beats while Free and Pika utilise softer, but still playful, hypnotic melodies. Tove Lo steals the show on Say It, with an underlying pop aesthetic that could see it making its way through mainstream channels.

Flume has delivered a unique, addictive and fun album that reminds fans his electronic capabilities are endless. If you weren’t a fan before, this album will infect you with its synths and convert you.

Aneta Grulichova

As recent solo shows have indicated, Nicholas Allbrook wants to operate free of accepted conventions and the inevitable expectations that arise from his work with POND and Tame Impala. Rambling and volatile, they seemed to function on the principle that nothing was prohibited; everything was up for grabs.

With cascading piano lines and sparse, aching strings, In the Gutter By The Park’n’Ride opens Pure Gardiya with a pristine beauty that suggests Allbrook’s been subsisting on a strict diet of Sigur Ros and nothing else. One could be forgiven for thinking Allbrook had made up Pure Gardiya’s lyrics on the spot as on Advance he reels off a list of rhyming professions over occasional off-key whoops. In contrast to the sporadic howling

They’re the latest buzz band from the Old Blighty; they’ve got the looks, they’ve got the swagger. But do Catfish & The Bottlemen stand up?

Well, the answer is a qualified yes.

Opening with first single 7, the North Wales four-piece waste no time showing exactly what they’re about, delivering an Oasis-style rocker that explodes with a crescendo of guitars at the end.

However, it’s here where we already see problems emerge. With founding guitarist Billy Bibby leaving the band, the boys recruited new axe-man Johnny Bond and he’s seriously good. The problem appears to lie in his integration. Main man Van McCann seems to have a lot of tunes already written and they have a distinct rock-by-

Nicholas AllbrookPure GardiyaSpinning Top

★★½

Catfish & the BottlemenThe RideIsland/Caroline

★★★½

and random note guitar solo of A Fool There Was, there are ramshackle little sketches like Karrakatta Cemetery, which is brought to life with some glockenspiel plonks and gently scraped strings somewhere off in the distant background. It’s a big shift away from the crisp, clear tones of his debut Ganough, Wallis And Fatuna.

Marked by ambition, Pure Gardiiya comes unstuck in numerous places, but in an age when so many are willing to risk so little, that Allbrook would be willing to risk spectacular failure in search of something revolutionary must be a good thing.

Christopher H James

numbers style. But then they’ve allowed Bond to go mental on the bridges and conclusions and as a result the songs take major stylistic shifts that jar a wee bit.

That being said, when Bond lets rip he elevates some of these tracks, like the smashing Soundcheck and inventive Anything, from good to seriously, seriously good. There are quiet moments on Glasgow and Heathrow building to a big finale with Outside, but when these boys get the chance to write in tandem with Bond, the sky’s the limit.

Paul Barbieri

AlbumOF THEWeek

FlumeSkinFuture Classic

★★★★


EP ReviewsAlbum/EP Reviews

Yumi ZoumaYoncalla

Mutual BenefitSkip A Sinking Stone

From OsloFrom Oslo

More Reviews Online theMusic.com.au

ArchitectsAll Our Gods Have Abandoned UsUNFD

★★★

British metalcore five-piece Architects come out all guns blazing on their latest, and while it’s most certainly a step up from previous passable albums The Here & Now and Daybreaker, there is still the odd track that fails to pull the right punches.

There is just something a tad off about the mix in some songs like Deathwish and The Empty Hourglass that lacks impact; maybe it’s that the guitars aren’t jagged enough or Sam Carter’s on-point growl is too stark when riding the floaty melodic sections. But Phantom Fear, Gone With The Wind and Downfall have saving graces in some rad spirit-raising chugs that are anthems in themselves.

Carley Hall

Beth OrtonKidsticksAnti-/Warner

★★★

It’s a good 20 years since Beth Orton became the go-to gal for the likes of The Chemical Brothers and William Orbit to lend classy, hippie-ish vibes to their early records, and on her seventh solo album, she’s back to kissing the more psychedelic lights of her past.

‘Folktronica’ is out the window. Instead, we get Snow — a schoolyard round sung through a Four Tet kaleidoscope — and Moon’s wide-eyed wonder raving into the early hours with meaty production. However almost every song is cut a good minute or two short and Kidsticks is over just as it’s getting started.

Mac McNaughton

Gold PandaGood Luck And Do Your BestCity Slang/Inertia

★★★

Another exotic travelogue-style recording from tourism addict and laptop boffin Gold Panda.

Japan was a major influence on Good Luck And Do Your Best, and it shows on the exquisite plucked strings of In My Car and the oriental chimes of Time Eater, which gets hijacked midway through by low, rumbling sub bass. Good times were clearly had on Panda’s recent travels as Good Luck And Do Your Best is bubbling with bright optimistic tunes and carefree vibes. But there are no significant advances on his previous album Half Of Where You Live.

Christopher H James

Band Of SkullsBy DefaultBMG/Liberator

★★★½British three-piece Band Of Skulls have found another swag of blues-ridden rock ditties to dole out, less than two years after 2014’s Himalayan.

By Default picks up where their previous effort left off, with a move in a more refined, organised direction. There’s still plenty of the usual swagger throughout that comes bursting out of the gate with opener Black Magic, with its ratatat snare and guitar twangs, but a bit of playful pop rock in Back Of Beyond and a bit of sparseness on Bodies and suave single Killer adds some much needed variety to the Band Of Skulls sound.

Carley Hall

Listen to our This Week’s Releases playlist on


Album / EAlbum/EP Reviews

Karl BlauIntroducing Karl Blau

MossyMossy

More Reviews Online theMusic.com.au

Holy FuckCongratsInnovative Leisure/Inertia

★★★½Props to Canadian powerhouse Holy Fuck for a direct-to-brain record the likes of which they have not produced before.

Congrats represents a turning point for the band; a step away from the punky sound that they’re known for and a lean towards carefully crafted soundscapes. While Xed Eyes sounds like a banshee party recorded in the depths of a Canadian winter, Shivering is more akin to the ethereal Explosions In The Sky. In either guise, Congrats [mostly] works.

Dylan Stewart

Lacuna CoilDeliriumCentury Media/Sony

★★★½Lacuna Coil’s past few albums were so middling, inoffensive even, they could almost have been called off for lack of interest from anybody bar the most devoted fans.

The House Of Shame’s flirtations with metalcore and Epica bombast signalled Delirium’s heavier take on the Italians’ pop/goth/metal. The new tack and overhauled line-up largely works, although their riff bank’s now overdrawn on utilising familiar ideas. Harsher male vocal passages often counterpoint charismatic Cristina Scabbia’s soaring tones. Alter Bridge’s Myles Kennedy lends a classy guitar solo to Downfall. There are clunkers (You Love Me ‘Cause I Hate You), but overall they’re seemingly on track to creatively mattering again.

Brendan Crabb

Miles Davis & Robert GlasperEverything’s BeautifulSony

★★

This collection of ‘reimagined interpretations’ of arguably jazz music’s greatest figure will never find its way into mainstream consciousness, but for jazz and house music aficionados anything with Robert Glasper’s name on it will have them frothing at the mouth.

While Glasper’s commitment to Davis’ legacy is unquestioned — he co-produced the Miles Ahead soundtrack — only similarly dedicated Davis trainspotters will recognise much on Everything’s Beautiful that they can attribute to the master. Collaborations with Erykah Badu, Hiatus Kaiyote and Stevie Wonder, while enjoyable, further muddy the water, making it difficult to distinguish where the Davis influence begins and ends.

Dylan Stewart

WinterbournePendulumIsland/Universal

★★★

Central Coast duo Winterbourne return with another EP after their debut All But The Sun in 2014, and while there isn’t much deviation from the neo-folk path they carved with that six-track wonder, Peundulum is another six tracks that underline their quiet talents.

These young chaps, James Draper and Jordan Brady, navigate their way the through sunny, almost Britpop vibes and hefty subject matter in Shape, the more pedestrian My Perfect Sunday and But I Do, then bounce back with a sombre, reflective turn in Floating Around. But it’s To Get To Know You that claims top points; those Franz Ferdinand feels thanks to twangy guitar builds and a snappy offbeat just make one smile.

Carley Hall


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L i v e R e


Live Reviews

Tired Lion, The Hard Aches, CreoNewtown Social Club21 MayLocal four-piece Creo, clad in all black, and very tight pants, take to the stage to kick off tonight’s proceedings. They do a mighty fine job of getting the crowd aroused with their classic rock’n’roll, popping out groovy tune Afterglow to round out a solid set.

As The Hard Aches take to the stage, the crowd were immediately on board with their punk-laden, Smith Street Band-esque tunes. It was nice to see a few in the crowd who knew the words, but most were digging it regardless. Their set was packed with cuts from album Pheromones, but they also ventured into new territory to keep us on our toes, literally, ensuring punters had a damn rockin’ time.

Tired Lion burst onto stage with fuzzy, distorted guitars, thrashing drums, with Sophie Hopes’ agonisingly screeched vocals piercing through the noise, obliterating any concerns that were going to

receive a tame set tonight.All tracks were played with

high intensity and raw honesty, with it heartening to see the crowd yelling back the lyrics and thrashing their bodies along. In an effort to not repeat Friday night’s mishaps, Tired Lion made us promise to be friends, before launching into new single Not My Friends; a mosh pit ensued.

New tracks were trialled and the crowd was vibing hard, so they treated us to a cover of Violent Soho’s Saramona Said. Hopes then laid it all bare on December, providing a rare quiet moment in the set.

The energy was ramped back up for I Don’t Think You Like Me, where they implored us to cram into the front of the room to sing the refrain. We were unfortunately denied an encore, but given an extended outro to exit to, left sweaty, satisfied and buzzing.

Melissa Borg

Alpine, Jess KentOxford Art Factory19 May Adelaide-raised, now Sydney-based singer-songwriter Jess Kent emerged on stage decked in a thick gold chain, puffy white bomber jacket, a mesh tank top and skirt, channeling early MIA in musical style, energy and dress. She performed her insanely catchy indie-electro-pop track 1993 (No Chill), from her collaboration with Gold Coast producer Paces, jumping around the stage, hyping up a room near capacity. Kent ended with crowd favourite Get Down before proudly thanking the crowd and walking off stage.Melbourne six-piece band Alpine burst onto stage bringing with them a dynamic and fiery energy, vocalists Phoebe Baker and Lou James both giving their all from the very first song. “We haven’t played at the Oxford in yonkydonks. I feel like we’re

Tired Lion @ Newtown Social Club. Pic: Angela Padovan

Alpine @ Oxford Art Factory. Pic: Pete Dovgan

Tired Lion @ Newtown Social Club. Pic: Angela Padovan

Alpine @ Oxford Art Factory. Pic: Pete Dovgan

The Cat Empire @ Enmore Theatre. Pic: Angela Padovan

The Cat Empire @ Enmore Theatre. Pic:

Angela Padovan

Tired Lion burst onto stage with fuzzy, distorted guitars, thrashing drums, with Sophie Hopes’ agonisingly screeched vocals piercing through the noise.

e v i e w s


Live Reviews

old ladies now!” The band performed Seeing Red off their debut 2012 LP A Is For Alpine, causing the crowd to sing along in hysterics. Their cheerful presence on stage (mainly via Baker and James) was infectious, and their personas wildly expressive, free and totally animated. Damn Baby off their last album Yuck, was just as fun to watch and be a part of live.

The brilliant wispy vocals of Gasoline seemed like the perfect way to end the night, and after the band had walked off stage, the crowd demanded an encore. Alpine emerged back on stage playing a few more songs, after Baker attempted a few handstands on stage and lay on the floor side by side with Lou James, legs crossed in the air with their backs towards the audience. The members of Alpine were so unwavering — and the audience members absolutely adored them for it. Following their set the girls bent down to hug a few lucky fans and even kiss their hands as they walked off stage.

Tanya Bonnie Rae

The Cat Empire, The Pierce BrothersEnmore Theatre19 MayFrom busking on city streets to touring the world, that is what Melbourne’s The Pierce Brothers have done in just a few short years. If success can be determined by your passion and joy of performing, then these brothers deserve their accolades.

Clearly having a ball on the Enmore Theatre stage for the first time, the pair’s energy is infectious and their stage presence and banter is top notch. When Jack uses drumsticks on Pat’s guitar and then simultaneously holds a harmonica up for him and plays a didgeridoo, you know you’ve seen something new. Quality Australian roots music that deserves a big stage.

For over 15 years, The Cat Empire have been releasing and performing their high-energy fusion of reggae, jazz and world-

tinged music both locally and abroad and judging by the three sold-out shows at this venue, the love is still very much there.

The tracks from the new album fit perfectly into the set. Kicking off with Wolves and Bulls, the seven-piece band show they still have what it takes to deliver top-quality songwriting. Mingled in between are classics, Prophets In The Sky, Brighter

Than Gold and Two Shoes.It was another new track,

Daggers Drawn, that showed off Harry James Angus’ awesome singing chops (to partner his trumpet skills) and handed off solos to the ultra-talented band. Keys player, Ollie McGill is simply brilliant to watch, his locks waving in the air as he launches into spine-tingling solos and perfect arpeggios. The other members of the band chime in perfectly throughout the set as well.

Smiles were the order of the night and there was little time to stop moving during the over-90-minute set. They are just so damn positive, which none of the crowd complained about.

The ultimate question is, do you prefer Felix Riebl or Harry James Angus’s songs? The crowd popped at Riebl’s trademark grin and bongos, but equally at Angus’s soaring falsetto and trumpet playing. The closest we get to an answer can be found within How To Explain’s lyrics: “Music is the language of us all.” And we are so happy that The Cat Empire are still around to speak it.

Mick Radojkovic

Melbourne six-piece band Alpine burst onto stage bringing with them a dynamic and fi ery energy.

The ultimate question is, do you prefer Felix Riebl or Harry James Angus’s songs?

More ReviewsOnline

theMusic.com.au/music/live-reviews

REMI @ Newtown Socail Club

David Bowie: Nothing Has Changed

@ Sydney Opera House

Hendrix Revolution @ Enmore Theatre

Cat Power @ City Recital Hall

M83 @ Enmore Theatre


Arts ReviewsArts Reviews

TheatreHayes Theatre to 12 Jun

★★★

Xanadu knows its audience. This high camp, glitter bomb of a musical may have a paper thin plot, especially evident when it starts to lag in the second half, and Hayes still hasn’t sorted out how to best mic and mix its vocalists in that space. But it’s easy to overlook the flaws and get swept up in the bright colours and cheesy ‘80s soundtrack belonging to this homage to the cult film. And let’s not forget the roller skates.

Xanadu The Musical. Pic: Frank Farrugia

Hunt For The Wilderpeople

Hunt For The Wilderpeople

Never mind dancing backward and in high heels, lead actress Jaime Hadwen spends most of the show gliding around the Roman amphitheatre set on those roller skates, and boy does she make it look easy. There’s a light, Venice Beach chemistry between Hadwen, who plays muse come-to-life Kira with a hilarious over the top Australian accent, and her leading man Ainsley Melham, the clueless Californian almost-artist Sonny Malone. Behind them, the ensemble members throw themselves into their roles with gusto, outrageous dance moves and ridiculous plotting included. Leah Howard’s choreography brings the ‘80s back almost as much as Sonny’s denim shorts, pulled up socks and headband. And with a couple more shows under their belt, cast and crew should be able to tighten up some of the pacing when the action starts to drift on the way to that sparkly, fabulous finish.

Danielle O’Donohue

Xanadu

The Musical

FilmIn cinemas 26 May

★★★★½Taika Waititi is one of the best modern New Zealand filmmakers, with his films Eagle Vs Shark, Boy and What We Do In The Shadows all immensely entertaining. Before directing Thor: Ragnarok, he delivers another New Zealand treat, Hunt For The Wilderpeople.

The film focuses on a national manhunt for a young troublemaking kid Ricky (Julian Dennison) and his grumpy foster Uncle Hec (Sam Neill) who are on the run in the expansive New Zealand wilderness.

This is a truly adorable film about friendship, family and the spirit of adventure that masterfully walks the line between the ridiculous and gritty reality. Though (positively) similar to Pixar’s Up, Waititi instils the film with the uniquely cheeky, darkly funny New Zealand humour. He also creates vividly drawn characters and genuine drama, some of which is tear-inducing. Also, cinematographer Lachlan Milne beautifully captures the New Zealand environment while the soundtrack/score is wonderfully nostalgic.Veteran Sam Neill and newcomer Julian Dennison make a dynamite combination, with Neill embracing his cragginess and vulnerability in his best character work in years, while Dennison shows excellent range, handles comedy and drama superbly. Aiding them is an expertly zany support cast, also with hilarious cameos from Flight Of The Conchords’ Rhys Darby and Waititi himself.Hunt for the Wilderpeople is entertaining, resonant, must-see New Zealand cinema.

Sean Capel


In the lead up to The Great Gig In The Sky, a night paying tribute to Pink Floyd at The Basement on Friday and

Saturday, as well as 3 Jun at Dee Why RSL and 4 Jun at Laycock Theatre Gosford, we grab the guest vocalists to

share their thoughts on the legacy of the band.

To read the full interviews, head to theMusic.com.au

The Great GigIn The Sky

Juliane Di Sisto

What was their best period musically? Mid to late ‘70s when Pink Floyd’s sound, lyrics and musicianship evolved when Gilmour and Waters solidified their vision and created some of the most iconic musical works ever recorded.

Mark Da Costa

Your favourite song of theirs? Dogs Of War. Because I got to sing it live and must admit I became emotionally involved once the song begun each time. Song speaks of violent dictatorship and war.

Lozz Benson

What was their best period musically? I am drawn to their earlier material. I love the psychedelic aspect and love Nick Mason’s drumming.

Carmel Mesiti

Which album of theirs would you give to a newbie who had no idea about them to best represent them? Dark Side Of The Moon for its progressive and more commercial rock songs. I love that this album was developed during live performances.

Simon Meli

Why are you paying tribute to them? One of the bravest British rock bands to reshape contemporary music. Playing this stuff live makes you appreciate the natural gifted geniuses they were.

Comedy / GBello Winter Music ft. Sahara Beck and more: 7 – 10 Jul Bellingen


Wed 25 The Ramblers: Bald Faced Stag, Leichhardt

Songs On Stage feat. Melissa Page: Balgownie Hotel, Balgownie

Pirra: Bar On The Hill, Callaghan

Lunch Time Show feat. Wallflower: Bar On The Hill, Callaghan

SOSUEME feat. Touch Sensitive + Dune Rats + Acaddamy + Hobophonics: Beach Road Hotel, Bondi Beach

Dinomite with Borneo + Split Visions: Brass Monkey, Cronulla

The Dinlows: Captain Cook Hotel, Paddington

Sounds Like Winter + Panic Syndrome + Sea Monkeys: Frankie’s Pizza By The Slice, Sydney

The Groovemeisters: LazyBones Lounge, Marrickville

Phil Wiggins & Dom Turner: Lizottes Newcastle, Lambton

Manouche Wednesday feat. The Squeezebox Trio: Mr Falcon’s, Glebe

The Continental Blues Boogaloo Party feat. Continental Robert Susz: Paddington RSL, Paddington

The Postmasters + Mixtape For The Drive + The Zilzies: Rad Bar, Wollongong

The Mandarin Band: Rock Lily, Pyrmont

Big Daddy Wilson: The Basement, Sydney

Thu 26 Ben Wright Smith: 5 Sawyers, Cooks Hill

Anthony Charlton: Australian Arms Hotel, Penrith

Tully On Tully: Bar On The Hill, Callaghan

Elvis, Jerry, Johnny & Me - The Sam Phillips Story with Sons Of Sun: Brass Monkey, Cronulla

Kate Martin: Brighton Up Bar, Darlinghurst

Foster & Allen: C.Ex Coffs, Coffs Harbour

Basement + Turnover + Break Even + Introvert: Cambridge Hotel, Newcastle West

Renee Jonas: Camelot Lounge (Django Bar), Marrickville

Capital Coast: Captain Cook Hotel, Paddington

Musos Club Jam Night: Carousel Inn, Rooty Hill

2016 Sydney Comedy Festival Encore Showcases: Comedy Store, Moore Park

Michael Kopp: Crown Hotel, Sydney

Violent Soho + DZ Deathrays + Dune Rats: Enmore Theatre, Newtown

Glenn Esmond: Fortune of War Hotel, The Rocks

Black Label: Frankie’s Pizza By The Slice, Sydney

Jep & Dep + Hannah Marjorie: Gasoline Pony, Marrickville

Harbourview Hullabaloo feat. Zack Martin + Michael Kerr + Jack Cooper + more: Harbour View Hotel, Dawes Point

Big Daddy Wilson: Heritage Hotel, Bulli

Katherine Vavahea + Rob De Maasi + Bek Jensen + more: LazyBones Lounge, Marrickville

Mat McHugh + Fletcher Pilon: Lizottes Newcastle, Lambton

Dave Anthony: Manly Leagues Club, Brookvale

Larger Than Lions: Marble Bar, Sydney

Gene Gibson + Deers from Embers + Rattling Spines: Mercantile Hotel, The Rocks

Client Liaison + GL: Metro Theatre, Sydney

Mark Lucas: Mr Falcon’s, Glebe

Olympia: Newtown Social Club, Newtown

Paul Wynn Duo: Orient Hotel, The Rocks

Tully On Tully + Wallflower + Slumberhaze: Oxford Art Factory (Gallery Bar), Darlinghurst

Clare Bowen: Oxford Art Factory, Darlinghurst

Tkay Maidza: Plan B Small Club (formerly Goodgod Small Club), Sydney

Jon Cotton & the Book Keepers + Old Fashioned: Play Bar, Surry Hills

White Blanks + Crocodylus + Wavevom + Wartt Gunn: Rad Bar, Wollongong

Rock With Laughter feat. Rhys Nicholson + Mikey Robins: Rock Lily, Pyrmont

The Guide

The Music PresentsDMA’S: 10 Jun, Metro Theatre

Come Together: 11 Jun Big Top Luna Park

The Rubens: 24 Jun Hordern Pavilion

Elizabeth Rose: 24 Jun Oxford Art Factory, 25 Jun Argyle House Newcastle

Bello Winter Music: 7 – 10 Jul Bellingen

Jack The Stripper: 8 Jul The Basement Canberra; 9 Jul Factory Floor

The High Learys: 14 Jul The Basement Canberra; 17 Jul Newtown Social Club; 21 Jul The Small Ballroom Newcastle

Beach Slang & Spring King: 20 Jul Oxford Art Factory

Jack Garratt: 21 Jul Metro Theatre

Mark Lanegan Band: 23 Jul Factory Theatre

James Blake: 26 Jul Hordern Pavilion

sleepmakeswaves: 8 Aug UniBar Wollongong; 10 Aug Cambridge Hotel Newcastle; 11 Aug ANU Bar Canberra; 12 Aug Metro Theatre

Dead Letter Circus: 20 Aug Metro Theatre; 21 Aug Cambridge Hotel

Wollombi Music Festival: 24 Sep, Wollombi

Keep On Holding On

Head to Enmore Theatre on Sunday to get a genuine taste of Australian music history when Models, Machinations and Dave Mason (The Reels) rep the ‘80s indie synth-pop scene at the venue.

All Grown Up

Baby Animals are heading to Enmore Theatre this Saturday to celebrate 25 years since the release of their self-titled debut. They will play the album in full along with a huge collection of faves.

Liaison D’etre

Client Liaison are half way through their runaway World Of Our Love Australian tour, which pulls into Metro Theatre this week. The Thursday show is all sold out but tickets to Friday are still available.

Baby Animals

Models

Client Liaison

Gigs / Live


The Guide

Hot Damn! feat. The Medic Droid + We Take The Night: Scary Canary, Sydney

Project Collective Ska + Brokebeat Mountain + Colourfields: Slyfox, Enmore

Jimeoin: The Armidale Club, Armidale

The Basement Blues Society presents CJ & The Mellows + MJ Guiney + Chris Harland Blues Band + Bonnie Kay & The Bonafides: The Basement, Sydney

Elisa Kate: The Beach Hotel, Merewether

The Screaming Jets: The Bridge Hotel, Rozelle

Longnecks + Southern End + Jack Lundie: The Small Ballroom, Islington

Furnace & Fundamentals: The Soda Factory, Surry Hills

Lycanthrope + Double Chamber + Path Of Victory + The Chaotic Boardline + Black Rheno: Valve Bar (Base), Ultimo

Fri 27 Michael Gorham: 99 On York, Sydney

Clare Bowen: Anita’s Theatre, Thirroul

Angelus Apatrida + Darker Half: Bald Faced Stag, Leichhardt

Vander: Bald Faced Stag (Front Bar), Leichhardt

Ben Wright Smith: Bank Hotel (Waywards), Newtown

Moving Pictures: Bankstown Sports Club (Showroom), Bankstown

Belvie: Beach Road Hotel, Bondi Beach

B.A.P: Big Top Sydney, Milsons Point

The Frocks: Blacktown Workers Club, Blacktown

Chase The Sun + The Childs + The Fossicks: Brass Monkey, Cronulla

The Love Junkies: Brighton Up Bar, Darlinghurst

Brillz + Blackjack + more: Bristol Arms, Sydney

Jimi Hendrix Tribute Show feat. Steve Edmonds: Bull & Bush, Baulkham Hills

Don Walker & The Suave Fucks + Davey Craddock: Camelot Lounge, Marrickville

Fado In Australia: Camelot Lounge (Django Bar), Marrickville

Kitty Flanagan: Castle Hill RSL, Castle Hill

Freshly Pick’d Headz with Benji PK + Kaoe + FizOne + Mumblez + more: Cauliflower Hotel, Waterloo

Steve Crocker: Chatswood RSL, Chatswood

Altitude: Club Engadine, Engadine

Tom Walker: Comedy Store (7pm), Moore Park


The Flaming Stars: Coogee Diggers, Coogee

Cult with Derek Turner + Saffron Mash + Laurence Vector: Different Drummer, Glebe

Polaris: Drone (All Ages), Newcastle

Ill Prepared: Dundas Sports Club, Dundas

Violent Soho + DZ Deathrays + Dune Rats: Enmore Theatre, Newtown

Basement + Turnover + Break Even + Vices: Factory Theatre, Marrickville

Rick Dangerous & the Silkie Bantams: Factory Theatre (Factory Floor), Marrickville

Key to the Highway: Gasoline Pony, Marrickville

Bone Thugs-N-Harmony + DJ Quik + Tha Dogg Pound: Hordern Pavilion, Moore Park

A.D.K.O.B.: Hotel Steyne (Moonshine Rum & Cider Bar), Manly

Near Death Experience with The Doug Anthony Allstars: Illawarra

Performing Arts Centre, Wollongong

Blake Wiggins: Kings Park Tavern, Kings Park

Brothers3: Laycock Street Theatre, North Gosford

Tin Whiskey: LazyBones Lounge, Marrickville

Choirboys: Lizottes Newcastle, Lambton

Somatik: Manly Wharf Hotel, Manly

Cherie Currie + Vanity Riots + The Hot Sweets: Manning Bar, Camperdown

Brown Sugar: Marble Bar, Sydney

Jesabel: Marquee, Pyrmont

Client Liaison + GL: Metro Theatre, Sydney

Shamaniac: Mr Falcon’s, Glebe

Gold Class + Mere Women + Strange Pursuits DJs: Newtown Social Club, Newtown

Joel Pace: Oatley Hotel, Oatley

Reckless: Orient Hotel, The Rocks

Locked Groove + Kirin J Callinan + CSMNT61: Oxford Art Factory, Darlinghurst

Chris Turner: Paddington RSL, Paddington

Citizen Kay: Plan B Small Club (formerly Goodgod Small Club), Sydney

Afro Brasiliana with El Chino + Tom Studdy + Raphael Ramires + more: Play Bar, Surry Hills

We Lost The Sea + Harbour + Brother Colluder: Rad Bar, Wollongong

Furnace & Fundamentals + DJ Kitsch 78 + Lennox Lust: Rock Lily, Pyrmont

The Screaming Jets: Rooty Hill RSL, Rooty Hill

Vivid LIVE presents: Hopelessness feat. Anohni: Sydney Opera House (Joan Sutherland Theatre), Sydney

Vivid LIVE presents Bon Iver: Sydney Opera House (Concert Hall), Sydney

Vivid LIVE presents Goodgood Supper Club feat. Bradley Zero + Simon Caldwell: Sydney Opera House (Studio), Sydney

The JP Project: Tahmoor Inn, Tahmoor

Mental As Anything + Martin Cilia: Taren Point Hotel, Taren Point

The Great Gig In The Sky - Pink Floyd Celebration feat. Various Artists: The Basement, Sydney

Pepperhead + The Organics + A-Toniq: The Chatswood Club, Chatswood

Sound Select feat. Tuka + B Wise + Sampa The Great: The Chippendale Hotel, Chippendale

Andy Baylor: The Merton Hotel, Rozelle

Mossy: The Oxford Circus, Darlinghurst

Gambirra Mob + Revolution Incorporated: The Vanguard, Newtown

Lycanthrope: The Vault, Broadmeadow

Unleash: The Vineyard Hotel, Vineyard

Mount Zamia: The White Horse Hotel, Surry Hills

Big Way Out: Towradgi Beach Hotel (Sports Bar), Towradgi

Underminer + Absolution + Of Divinity + Boardwalks + Below Arcadia + Pillager: Valve Bar (Basement), Ultimo

Another Night of Bollocks feat. Geoff The Chef + Hi Shock + Biz E + more: Valve Bar (Street Level), Ultimo

Horace Bones: Vic On The Park, Marrickville

Mere Gold

Melbourne and Sydney mega bands Gold Class and Mere Women have combined forces to make a split 7”. The record has a song from each and gets a launch at Newtown Social Club on Friday.

Rock Solid

After a big couple years releasing LP Peel Me Like A Egg, celebrating their 30th anniversary and reuniting with frontman Keish de Silva, Hard-Ons will hit the Newtown Social Club Saturday.

Dangerous Thrust

They’ve just finished the warm-up run with their single tour of Bruja. Now the main event is coming to Factory Theatre on Friday when Rick Dangerous & The Silkie Bantams pass through with the Thrust Machine EP.

Gold Class

Hard-Ons

Rick Dangerous & The Silkie Bantams

Comedy / G


The Guide

Vivid LIVE presents Goodgood Supper Club feat. Oneman + Mike Who: Sydney Opera House (Studio), Sydney

Vivid Talks - Double J’s Myf Warhurst in conversation with Jimmy Sing + Simon Caldwell + Vivid Talks: Sydney Opera House (Joan Sutherland Theatre/Northern Foyer), Sydney

The Great Gig In The Sky - Pink Floyd Celebration feat. Various Artists: The Basement, Sydney

The James Thompson Blues Band: The Beach Hotel, Merewether

The JP Project: The Belvedere Hotel, Sydney

Detroit Swindle: The Grand Hotel, Wollongong

Pacha feat. Sneaky Sound System: The Ivy, Sydney

Peter Head: The Merton Hotel, Rozelle

Fortunes + Buoy + Wallace: The Oxford Circus, Darlinghurst

Heart Beach + Miners + Skyboxes: The Record Crate, Glebe

The Radiators + The Badloves + The Koffin Rockers: Town Hall, Inverell

Client Liaison + GL: Uni Bar, Wollongong

Bubbleboy + Balko + The Gum Drops + Cosmic Flanders + more: Valve Bar (Basement), Ultimo

Andrew Russelle + John & Yuki: Well Connected Cafe, Glebe

Moving Pictures: Wentworthville Leagues Club, Wentworthville

Sun 29 Mark Wilkinson: 5 Church Street, Bellingen

Dave Tice + Ross Ward + Jim Finn: B.E.D. (Beats.Eats.Drinks), Glebe

D Love: Beach Bar, North Wollongong

See You Sunday with DJ Andy Benke: Beach Road Hotel, Bondi Beach

Chasm: Mr Falcon’s, Glebe

Hard-Ons + Milkk + Babymachine: Newtown Social Club, Newtown

Hits & Pieces: Oatley Hotel, Oatley

The Chosen Few + Jonathan Jones: Orient Hotel, The Rocks

Japam + Bad Moon Born + Raised As Wolves: Oxford Art Factory, Darlinghurst

Fourth & Forever: Paddington RSL, Paddington

Black Label: Panania Hotel, Panania

The Spit Roasting Bibbers: Picton Hotel, Picton

Rhythm of the Night - Pyjama Party with Levins + Ariane + Charlie Chux + Matka + more: Plan B Small Club (formerly Goodgod Small Club), Sydney

Destructive Steps 8 feat. DJ Adverse + DJ Makoto + DJ Benny Hinn: Play Bar, Surry Hills

Ante Up House Party: Play Bar, Surry Hills

Project Collective Ska + Lyre Byrdland + Chubert: Rad Bar, Wollongong

AG + Cavan Te & The Fuss + DJ D-Flat + Tamika Jai Duo: Rock Lily, Pyrmont

Michael Gorham: Rocks Brewing Company, Alexandria

Foster & Allen: Rooty Hill RSL, Rooty Hill

Karise Eden + Dean Ray: SS&A Club, Albury

VIVID Music at the Con: Sydney Conservatorium of Music, Sydney


Vivid LIVE presents Dress Up Attack! with Walter Martin + Sally Seltmann + Holly Throsby: Sydney Opera House, Sydney


Original Sin - INXS Show: Caringbah Hotel, Caringbah

Midnight Circus: Carousel Inn, Rooty Hill

Detroit Swindle + Friendless + A-Tonez + more: Chinese Laundry, Sydney


Chase The Sun: Commercial Hotel, Milton

Red Slim: Coogee Diggers, Coogee

Lycanthrope: Dicey Riley’s Hotel, Wollongong

The Beat Kitchen with Fifi La Frug + Harry Sounds + Paris Groovescooter: Different Drummer, Glebe

Baby Animals: Enmore Theatre, Newtown

Being As An Ocean + Saviour + Void Of Vision + Final Frontier: Factory Theatre (All Ages), Marrickville

Ted Nash: Fortune of War Hotel, The Rocks

Get Folked feat. The Button Collective + Bleeding Gums Murphy + Andy Baylor’s Cajun Combo + more: Gasoline Pony, Marrickville

Charlie Heart: Golden Age Cinema & Bar, Surry Hills

Whelan & Gover: Kings Park Tavern, Kings Park

Stevie Ray Vaughan Tribute with Ray Beadle: Lizottes Newcastle, Lambton

Stuey B + Husky: Manly Wharf Hotel, Manly

Soul Empire: Marble Bar, Sydney

Timmy Trumpet: Marquee, Pyrmont

Clare Bowen: Metro Theatre, Sydney

Command Q: Mona Vale Hotel, Mona Vale

Peace Train - The Cat Stevens Story: Mounties, Mt Pritchard

Foster & Allen: Wests, New Lambton

Jimeoin: Wests Diggers Club, Tamworth

Sat 28 Mat McHugh: 5 Church Street, Bellingen

The Baldwins + Josue: 505, Surry Hills

Perfect World feat. Topnovil + Yours Truly + The Ruiins + Whispering Jackie + Sarahkills: Bald Faced Stag, Leichhardt

Yours feat. Linda Marigliano: Beach Road Hotel, Bondi Beach

Spy V Spy + Urban Guerillas: Beaches Hotel, Thirroul

We Lost The Sea: Beatdisc Records, Parramatta

The Screaming Jets: Belmont 16’s, Belmont

An Evening with Edward Snowden: Big Top Sydney, Milsons Point

Great Women of Country with Melinda Schneider: Blacktown Workers Club (Diamond Showroom), Blacktown

Take Two: Blacktown Workers Club (Jack McNamara Lounge), Blacktown

White Blanks: Botany View Hotel, Newtown

Men of Soul with Armondo Hurley + Cheyenne Kavanagh: Brass Monkey, Cronulla

Bryan Adams Tribute Show: Bull & Bush, Baulkham Hills

Kitty Flanagan: Camden Civic Centre, Camden

Shane Nicholson: Camelot Lounge (Django Bar), Marrickville

The Pigs: Camelot Lounge, Marrickville

Royal Chant + 12 Point Buck + Holy Trash: Captain Cook Hotel, Paddington

Cherry Bomb Riot

Rock/metal crew Vanity Riots and rock’n’roll power pop four-piece The Hot Sweets are supporting chainsaw enthusiast and music royalty Cherie ‘Cherry Bomb’ Currie (The Runaways) at Manning Bar on Friday.

Saved By The Yell

After reuniting late last year, Perth-based five-piece Saviour are back to kicking arse and will support Californian melodic hardcore crew Being As An Ocean at Factory Theatre Saturday with Void Of Vision and Final Frontier.

Reck & Ruiin

Bald Faced Stag is throwing Perfect World – Night Of Punk on Saturday. Head down and catch a heap of Sydney’s emerging punk acts including Hey Reckless, The Ruiin and Whispering Jackie.

Vanity Riots

Saviour

The Ruiin

Gigs / Live


The Guide

Songs On Stage feat. Ingrid Mae + David Levell: Gladstone Hotel, Dulwich Hill

Songs On Stage feat. Melissa Page + David Levell: Kellys on King, Newtown

Vera Blue + Matt Gresham + Jake Howden: Newtown Social Club, Newtown

Chris Cooke: Orient Hotel, The Rocks

Street Jam with Various Artists: Play Bar, Surry Hills

UOW Comedy Society Open Mic: Rad Bar, Wollongong

Bands On Stage feat. Russell Neal + Green Manalishi: Ruby L’Otel, Rozelle


Vivid LIVE presents Hiatus Kaiyote + Sampa The Great: Sydney Opera House (Concert Hall), Sydney

Book Launch with Jeff Duff: The Basement, Sydney

Vivid LIVE presents: Dress Up Attack! with Walter Martin + Sally Seltmann + Holly Throsby + more: Sydney Opera House (Joan Sutherland Theatre/Northern Foyer), Sydney

Vivid Talks - Lynette Wallworth in conversation with Anohni + Vivid Talks: Sydney Opera House (Playhouse), Sydney

Simone Dee: The Merton Hotel, Rozelle

Dave Anthony: The Mill Hotel, Milperra

The 5 Lands Band + Snails: The Rhythm Hut, Gosford

Louise Adams: The Vanguard, Newtown

Royal Chant + Wasters + Tim Smyth + Holy Trash: Town Hall Hotel, Newtown

Steve Edmonds: Towradgi Beach Hotel (Sports Bar), Towradgi

Hamro-fest feat. Chronic + Chillaum + The Stairs: Valve Bar (Basement), Ultimo

Mon 30 Andy Kidd: Corridor Bar, Newtown

Frankie’s World Famous House Band: Frankie’s Pizza By The Slice, Sydney

Songs On Stage feat. Russell Neal + Kenneth D’Aran: Kellys on King, Newtown

Sonic Mayhem Orchestra: LazyBones Lounge, Marrickville

John Maddox Duo: Mr Falcon’s, Glebe

Marty R: Orient Hotel, The Rocks



Vivid Talks - Song Exploder in conversation with Hiatus Kaiyote + Vivid Talks: Sydney Opera House (Playhouse), Sydney

The Monday Jam: The Basement, Sydney

Tue 31 Foster & Allen: Campbelltown RSL, Campbelltown

Open Mic Night with Champagne Jam: Dundas Sports Club, Dundas

Brazil & Beyond feat. Anna Salleh: Foundry 616, Sydney

The Tall Grass: Gasoline Pony, Marrickville

Gyan: Heritage Hotel, Bulli

Brindley & The Rotators: LazyBones Lounge, Marrickville

Not So Lazy Lunch with Beccy Cole + Libby O’Donovan: Lizottes Newcastle (12noon), Lambton

Lj: Macarthur Tavern, Campbelltown

Husky + DJ Tim Boffa: Manly Wharf Hotel, Manly

We Take The Night + Aces & Eights: Metro Theatre (The Lair/All Ages), Sydney

Hawaiian Cowboy: Mr Falcon’s, Glebe

Walter Martin: Newtown Social Club, Newtown

Jamie Lindsay: Oatley Hotel, Oatley

Pete Byrne + Rob Henry: Orient Hotel, The Rocks

The Matches: Oxford Art Factory, Darlinghurst

Hourglass + Stepson + Mowgli + Naive + Amends: Rad Bar, Wollongong

Polaris: Red Rattler (All Ages), Marrickville

Troy T + Suite Az: Rock Lily, Pyrmont

Michael Kopp: Rocks Brewing Company, Alexandria

Foster & Allen: Sutherland Entertainment Centre, Sutherland

VIVID Music at the Con: Sydney Conservatorium of Music, Sydney

Vivid LIVE presents: Hopelessness feat. Anohni + Oneohtrix Point Never: Sydney Opera House (Joan Sutherland Theatre), Sydney


Zeahorse + Heads Of Charm + David James Young: Black Wire Records, Annandale

Alex Smith + Rohan Cannon: Brass Monkey, Cronulla

Being As An Ocean + Saviour + Void Of Vision + Young Wolf: Cambridge Hotel (All Ages), Newcastle West

Man of Constant Sorrow: A Tribute to the Music of O Brother Where Art Thou: Camelot Lounge, Marrickville

Alturas: Camelot Lounge (Django Bar), Marrickville

The MatchBox 20 & Rob Thomas Tribute Show: Central Hotel, Shellharbour City Centre

Models + Machinations + Dave Mason (The Reels): Enmore Theatre, Newtown

Night Of The Wolf

Six-piece metalcore monsters Lycanthrope are on the prowl all through May for their Lost Within The Wasteland tour celebrating new single and clip Wasteland. See them at Valve Bar this Thursday.

Second Rock From

The Sun

Bald Faced Stag plays host to Vander, aka William Vandermade, this Friday. Vandermade’s recent three-track EP Venus melds a pop core with traces of funk, alt, a little rock and a lot of ‘80s style.

The Sensitive Touch

Headlining this Wednesday’s Sosueme event at Beach Road Hotel is multi-instrumentalist and synth freak Touch Sensitive, along with a huge supporting line-up of Dune Rats, Acaddamy and Hobophonics. It’s also the official opening of BL Burgers Beach Road.

Lycanthrope

Vander

Touch Sensitive

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The Music (Sydney) Issue #140

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