ent@waikatotimes.co.nz

THURSDAY, JULY 12, 2007 19

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TONIGHTThe Big Pay Back at Sekure, withKellyn and Ric Rush.Rubix Cuba (Australia), DynamoGo plus guests at YellowSubmarine (see main story).

TOMORROWEvil, the new project from The3Ds’ David Mitchell, at WardLane. Local support from Skelitorand Yokel Ono, door charge $15.Yellow Submarine Benefit Show(see main story).Kimbra solo acoustic show at LaCommune.Sophie serving up house classics,rolling beats and funk at Sekure.

SATURDAYThe Bleeders at Yellow Submarine(see main story).Paul Orion (Auckland) lashingout house, breaks and electro-styled tunes at Sekure.

Hannah Curwood and SimonComber at La Commune.Ric Rush and Kellyn with a newmonthly event at The Loftshowcasing new and old housegrooves, electro-funk and assortedbeats.

out of town(internationals)

SUNDAYBobby Brown, American R&Bsinger, Energy Events Centre,Rotorua, tickets from Ticketek.

WEDNESDAYRegina Spektor, Russian-bornsinger-songwriter, Bruce MasonCentre, Takapuna. Tickets fromTicketek.Unearth, Boston metalcoreexponents, The Studio. Ticketsfrom Ticketek.Bobby Brown, TelstraClear EventsCentre, Manukau. Tickets fromTicket Direct.

nightlife

Email event info to ent@waikatotimes.co.nz

DIVE DIVE DIVE: Sam Walsh,foreground, and Adam McKay

captains of The Yellow Submarine.PICTURE: Bruce Mercer

The Mole Music chaps are making a new stand forlocal music.

Sam Walsh and Adam McKay, the 23-year-olds whoformed Hamilton’s fledgling Mole Music label, havetaken control of the Ward St basement music venueThe Castle and renamed it The Yellow Submarine.

“It’s to provide a (performance) space in Hamiltoneveryone can use,” says Walsh of the new venture.“Whether you’re in a live band, want to play youracoustic guitar, or play movies here, it’s going to be herefor a long time — not just for two months, and thenclose down again.”

The Castle closed in February after infringements ofliquor-licensing laws. Since then, McKay and Walshhave been working furiously to re-open the venue, andhave formed a new company — Roots Cellar Ltd — tooperate The Yellow Submarine.

“I think after working on this for three or four monthsnow, trying to get it open again, it just became a thingwe had to do,” says Walsh. “We couldn’t just stop.”

“We’ve lost lots of sleep, and lots of money,” saysMcKay, who has gained a bar manager’s licencespecifically for The Yellow Submarine cause.

The duo say they are trying to rebuild Hamilton’sgig-going culture, and get more people along to supportthe local and national music they’ll be offering at

The Yellow Submarine.“The scene relies on people coming to shows — even

when there is not 150 or 200 people there, even whenit’s quite small,” says McKay.

“I think Hamilton needs something like this at themoment,” says Walsh.

“If we didn’t see the potential this place has, wewouldn’t be doing what we’re doing.”

“There is a bit of risk involved,” says McKay. “Butwe’ve spent hours and hours talking about this together,and with lots of friends and family. We want to renewthe music and arts culture in Hamilton.”

While there have been a few gigs already at therenamed bar, tomorrow night’s Benefit Show — thefirst of two, the second happening July 27 — sees thingsmove up a gear. Tomorrow night’s event features setsfrom nine bands and performers, all playing for free,and proceeds will be put straight back into assets andequipment for the venue.

“The big goal of these shows is to get a totally self-sufficient PA, so that reduces the costs for the bands,and also to do just a little bit of interior decorating tomake it our own space,” says McKay. “You can changethe environment just by upgrading the lighting andputting in lots of plants and stuff, get some art on thewalls, a wall dedicated to old show posters. We want to

make it a nice environment to be in.”With a maximum capacity of more than 300 people

— the bunker-like bar is deceptively large once youdescend the stairs — McKay and Walsh are striving tomake The Yellow Submarine the city’s leading live musicvenue. And as such, they’re open to hearing from anyperformers looking for a place to play.

“We’ve got bookings from now until September, butthere are still Thursdays and a few Fridays and Saturdaysavailable,” says Walsh.

“If you wanna play, we can shuffle things around withother bands, get you on their bills, and just see wherewe can squeeze you in. We can also help with promotionideas,” says McKay

For inquiries, emailbookings.yellowsubmarine@gmail.com.

— Jeff Neems There are four events on at The Yellow Submarine over

then next three nights. Tonight, it’s Australian ska bandRubix Cuba with locals Dynamo Go ($10, 9pm start).Tomorrow night is the first of the two Yellow SubmarineBenefit Shows, with Auckland bands Bear Cat, InfiniteFlying Kick and The DHDFDs playing alongside localsDecortica, Rumpus Room, Gawj and Kimbra (also $10,8pm start). On Saturday, The Bleeders’ current tour reachesThe Yellow Submarine, with an all-ages show at 5pm andan R18 show at 9pm (both shows $15).

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albumspop

RihannaGOOD GIRL GONE BAD(Def Jam/Universal)Releasing a hit song with the key lyrics “undermy umbrella” shows 19-year-old Barbados-born pop singer Rihanna has still got a holdon the pop music scene after two hit albums. There’s a moremature feel to the 12-track third album Good Girl Gone Bad,and she is sounding more like Beyonce and less like the 17-year-old who first hit the charts in 2005 with the single Pon DeReply. With songs written by Justin Timberlake and Ne-Yo —plus help from producer Timbaland — Good Girl Gone Bad isfull of her usual radio-friendly hits. The first single, Umbrella,features Jay-Z, and is hard to get out of your head with lyricswhich seem to go round and round in circles, but do not saya lot. She has just released the second single Shut Up andDrive, which is less repetitive but a equally catchy with a dancebase. The problem is, outside the singles, the rest of the albumfeels like filler. There are no other particularly memorable tracks,and she seems to have no point of difference from the raft ofother female pop singers in the charts. Rihanna has spent toomuch time trying to push her new, older, less-clothing look andforgotten to spend time on her music — and as a result thisalbum suffers.

Deanna Harris

Kelly ClarksonMY DECEMBER (Sony-BMG)It’s not common for the winner of anAmerican Idol-style show to do very wellin the music world after the initial hypehas died away, as their skill at singingother people’s songs on television neverquite transforms into quality songwriting ability in the studio.No one has heard of Ruben Studdard for a while, and ClayAiken was last seen singing at birthday parties for screamingmiddle-aged women. Kelly Clarkson, the winner of the veryfirst American Idol, was an anomaly in that she not onlyreleased a successful first album (Thankful), but followedit up with an even more popular second album (Breakaway).However, this latest effort, My December, leaves a lot to bedesired. Clarkson seems to have gone back to singing otherpeople’s songs, only applying her own words to make themsound original. A perfect example of this is the track Yeah,which sounds suspiciously like Joss Stone. Other tracks arepoor imitations and weak echoes, intentional or otherwise,of Ryan Adams and the Sugababes. Clarkson’s genre-hoppingthird album is not just a disjointed and difficult listen however;it is also a tribute to a lot of the good, original music currentlycirculating in the world. Avoid at all costs.

Arthur Robinson

Marc AlmondSTARDOM ROAD (Sequel/Sanctuary)A man with a history, and well loved in the Britishmusic industry. Suffice to say Marc Almond hashad a career that has allowed him to survive popstardom in the ’80s, and progress nicely to theenviable cult status of now. This is a coverscollection, which in lesser hands would be a groan-inducing affair.Two elements lift this above that: clever selection of material, andAlmond’s skills as an interpreter. The songs and the arrangementsstrike a vivid English pose, so you could imagine yourself in a verysmooth but ever-so-slightly seedy London nightclub with James Bondin one corner talking to Ronnie Kray while Liam Gallagher playsbilliards with Lord Lucan. If this is not your thing, then the smoothjazz inflections, touches of brass band and cocktail-hour temposmight start to drag a little. But Almond can sing, infusing the rightamount of drama and glam into the material, and he really knowshow to phrase a line. Yes, it’s camp, but as a contrast to a lot of theoverwrought nonsense that passes for “emotional” or “ballad” stylesthese days, this is the how the rules should be written. Closing trackThe Curtain Falls is the highlight: just voice, accordion and atraditional, sad tale of empty musical halls and faded glamour, alldone with a knowing wink that neatly avoids the cheese factor andbrings everyone into the joke. A thoroughly enjoyable listen.

Trevor Faville

The submarine surfaces

ent@waikatotimes.co.nz

20 THURSDAY, JULY 12, 2007

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albumsheavy metal

Paradise LostIN REQUIEM (Century Media)Paradise Lost are among my top three favouritebands ever, so this gets a five. Luckily, evenhaving thrown objectivity out the window, InRequiem justifies the rating. While I was oneof the few who enjoyed the band’s flirtation with electronica-tingedDepeche Mode-esque 1990s material, the last few Paradise Lostalbums have seen the band slowly moving back towards its gothicmetal roots, a journey finally complete with In Requiem, whichseems the natural successor to 1996’s classic Draconian Times.The guitars are back, Nick Holmes’ sullen roar is back, but theband’s kept the increased sense of melody it explored in the1990s. The Enemy is one of the punchier numbers the group haspenned, while Praise Lamented Shade is the most glorious slabof mournful depression you’ll hear all year. Unreachable is athrowback to mid-1990s PL, while Your Own Reality fits the billnicely as the traditional epic album closer. As a whole, the albumis suitably bleak, with just enough keyboard and string flourishesto keep it interesting and add to the funereal atmosphere. Theexpanded version features the superb Silent At Heart, whichshould have made it on to the regular album’s tracklisting, anda logic-defying mind-blowing cover of Everything But The Girl’sMissing, which works fantastically well.

Reon Suddaby

PainPSALMS OF EXTINCTION (Roadrunner)

CalibanTHE AWAKENING (Roadrunner)A huge fan of Swedish metalhead PeterTagtgren’s work with his main band,Hypocrisy, I was intrigued to see what farewas offered by his solo project, Pain. Theresults are nothing short of staggeringly good.On Psalms of Extinction, Tagtgren has single-handedly produced a collection of heavy,catchy, electronically-influenced songsseemingly touching on environmentalism(Psalms of Extinction), Hollywood superficiality (Clouds of Ecstasy),alcoholism (Bottle’s Nest) and, er, zombies (the superb ZombieSlam). There’s even a surprisingly good string-heavy cover ofIcelandic nutter Bjork’s tune Play Dead. Pain is a different beastentirely from Hypocrisy, probably a touch less heavy, but with anincreased focus on melody, and arguably better songwriting.Tagtgren abandons his “death” vocals too, instead opting for arather good mid-range croon. No one element of the albumoverpowers the others, and yet there’s still enough bounce in theprogrammed-sounding drum tracks to fill any dancefloor — if onlythe rest of the music wasn’t so heavy. Pain is top stuff, reaffirmingTagtgren’s place on metal’s throne. Germans Caliban have beenaround for ages, putting out album after album of consistentthrashy hardcore, without ever scaling the commercial heightsreached by the much less impressive Hatebreed. The Awakeningwill not propel them into that league, but neither is it a poor effortand it’s probably the most consistent thing they’ve released in awhile. While there’s nothing on The Awakening to match theglorious It’s Our Burden To Bleed from 2006’s The UndyingDarkness, most of the songs feature razor-sharp riffing, contrastingmelodic and harsh vocals and fast paced drums, which appearto have taken a definite step up in speed from earlier efforts. Pickof the bunch are the breakneck Nowhere to Run, No Place toHide and I Will Never Let You Down. On the downside, some ofthe clean vocals feel a bit forced, and many of the songs followa predictable heavy verse-melodic chorus formula. Caliban is atthe creative crossroads and will have to decide whether to keeprepeating itself each album, or branch out, take a few risks, andtry something different.

(Pain) (Caliban)

Reon Suddaby

MegadethUNITED ABOMINATIONS (Roadrunner)

Dream TheaterSYSTEMATIC CHAOS (Roadrunner)The last few years have been full of changefor Megadeth frontman Dave Mustaine. He’sconverted to Christianity, replaced his entireband and set up one of the world’s mostpopular touring metal festivals, Gigantour. Sowhat of this much-heralded new studio album?United Abominations initially succeeds wherethe last few ’Deth albums have failed by beinga lot more consistent across the board.Openers Sleepwalker and Washington Is Next! belt along at acracking pace, full of nifty fretwork, frantic drumming andMustaine’s vitriolic rants, much like the Megadeth of old. Thecontroversial remake of A Tout Le Monde (originally found on theclassic 1994 Megadeth album Youthanasia) with Lacuna Coil’sCristina Scabbia is impossible to dislike, while Burnt Ice is proofMegadave’s found a capable guitar ally in new offsider Glen Drover(check out the last 90 seconds!). Unfortunately, the middle ofthe album is standard filler material lacking in hooks to catch thelistener’s attention: Never Walk Alone...A Call To Arms, Gears ofWar and Blessed Are the Dead. United Abominations is stillnowhere near Megadeth’s revered 1990 effort Rust In Peace, butit’s the best thing the band has put out in a long time. For yearsUS progressive metallers Dream Theater were the acknowledgedleaders in their field of highly elaborate, technical rock music.But after 2005’s inconsistent Octavarium, questions were askedas to whether the band had any new tricks. It’s hard to imaginea more resounding answer in the affirmative than SystematicChaos, an album both heavier and featuring better songwritingthan its predecessor. With only eight tracks but 78 minutes ofmusic, there’s a bit of everything here: Forsaken could easilymake it on to radio, first single Constant Motion will keep themetallers happy, while the traditional prog fans will love the two-part In The Presence Of Enemies, which jointly clocks in over 25minutes. Lyrically, there’s a slightly darker feel, notably with TheDark Eternal Night and Prophets of War. As with almost all DreamTheater albums, there are homages to the band’s influences:Constant Motion rips its vocal structure in the verses straight offMetallica, while Prophets of War has the same Muse flavour thatso polarised fans’ opinions about Octavarium. As usual, theperformances from the band’s members, half of who met atBoston’s Berklee College of Music, are top notch: vocalist JamesLaBrie is sounding better than he has in years, guitarist JohnPetrucci shows he’s still one of the world’s most revered guitarists,and keyboardist Jordan Rudess plays a more prominent role. Astrong comeback which should please old fans and win plenty ofnew ones over.

(Megadeth) (Dream Theater)

Reon Suddaby

The ShinsOH, INVERTED WORLDNatalie Portman put me (alongwith the rest of the world) on toThe Shins in earnest. Oh,Inverted World came along andpretty much changed my life.New Slang is about the best songever written. I’m pretty sure thewhole album was written aboutliving in Hamilton East.

Yo La TengoI CAN HEAR THE HEARTBEATING AS ONEMy favourite album from one ofmy favourite bands. It’s noisierand more varied than their laterstuff, and has some absolutelygorgeous moments — imagineaching longing expressed in threepart harmonies and ear-splittingfeedback.

The BreedersLAST SPLASHKim Deal was my downfall whenI was a teenager. She taught mehow to smoke, drink, write songsand loosen up. JimMacPherson’s drumming in NoAloha is fantastic.

crucial selection

SwervedriverRAISEIf you want to learn how to playguitar, you need to hear Raise. Iwore my tape copy of it out whenI was 16.

BlurPARKLIFEBoys and Girls was a ginormoushit. It was my least favourite songoff Parklife. I have always reallyliked Graham Coxon’s guitarplaying (he left the band, though).Blur’s strength is that its songs arevery evocative — they manage tomake you feel something. Thewhole fairground psychedelia thingrunning through the album makesit more than just a witty observationof the Britain of the time.

Geoff Doube, guitaristfor The Shrugs.

compilations

Various ArtistsWE ALL LOVE ELLA (Verve Records)Yet another tribute album in a long line of tributealbums, this time in honour of Ella Fitzgerald, theFirst Lady of Song. I’ve always wondered why weneed to listen to a bunch of great artists coveringthe music of another great artist when we can havethe original. If it’s just about connecting the younger generation withjazz, blues and R&B, will they ever really appreciate Ella when theyhave Rihanna singing about umbrellas and Lil Mama giving us thelowdown on Lip Gloss? I think not. We All Love Ella offers us wonderfulrenditions of some of the songs Fitzgerald is famous for. She appearsonly once on the album, singing You Are the Sunshine of My Life withStevie Wonder, recorded live in 1977. I particularly liked Lizz Wrightand her haunting version of Reaching for the Moon and kd lang’sseriously sexy take on Angel Eyes. Ella was renowned for her vocalinterpretation, and at the end of the day I want to listen to Ella. If Iwanted to listen to Gladys Knight or Chaka Khan I’d buy their albums.

Janine Jackson

Various ArtistsCHROME CHILDREN 2 (Stones Throw)If you needed any more convincing Peanut ButterWolf and his band of merry men at Stones Throwhave really got it going on, here it is. The LA-basedcompany is, unquestionably, the finest music labelI have encountered in the last decade. Chrome Children is the label’sthird showcase compilation in the past nine months, and once again itis superb. Madlib The Beat Konducta unleashes one of peculiar electro-beatscapes to kick things off — what a way to start — before we take ina smidgeon of each and every genre the label dabbles in: hard rap fromMED, soulful, heavily sampled rap from Roc C, wafty psychedelic jazzfrom Chocolate Star, and a pounding funk rhythm voiced by the speedytongued Percee P, the album’s clear highlight. Baron Zen’s Theme (DannyBreaks Remix) is the real stomper, a dancefloor rocker of epic proportions,while Gary Wilson’s instrumental Soul Traveling does just what it says,taking the listener on a soulful journey — as does Clifford Nyren’s KeepRunning Away, for that matter. Only the final two offerings, ArabianPrince’s Strange Life and James Pants’ Murder seem a little out of place,but given this label has many strings to its bow, they’re worthy of inclusion.If you’re yet to take my advice and invest in some of the Stones Throwcatalogue, this is yet another ideal introduction. For beat freaks alreadyfamiliar with the label, Bumps’ Loops — a collection of raw beats, loopsand drumbreaks — is also out now.

Jeff Neems

Various ArtistsSHREK 3 SOUNDTRACK (Geffen)The review copy of the Shrek 3 soundtrack arrivedin the post, and that was pretty much the last thatany adult member of our household saw of it — itwas snatched by the 5-year-old and whisked awayto be played over and over again at full volume with the bedroom doortightly closed. Which I suppose is to be expected in these hyper-brandedtimes. But I honestly didn’t expect the grown-upness of Led Zeppelin,The Eels and Wolfmother to emanate from her room until she was alittle bit older. The album also features some stage-musical-stylesingalong numbers, presumably dubbed straight from the movie itself,so it’s not all heavy metal. Good to keep the kid occupied — andtherefore deserving of the maximum score.

Geoff Doube

televisionC4’s Sunday Night Movie slot this weekendfeatures the tremendously engaging Britishnightclub culture film Human Traffic. Directedby Welshman Justin Kerrigan — who has, tobe fair, done nothing since — it’s the tale offive young Cardiff clubbers who mostly havedead-end jobs and few prospects, and so live for chemicallyenhanced weekends. Although it did get a critical panning whenit was released (there isn’t much of a plot, really), what makes thisfilm so watchable is the fact many people aged 20-40 will relateto it in some way — particularly those who’ve had experiences inrave/dance music/nightclub culture. Indeed, as online encyclopediaWikipedia notes: “It has become a cult hit in the rave scene ...many see it as having huge similarity to their own lives.” Yes, thisfilm does deal with drug use, but it’s never blatant on-screen andmore implied than anything else. There are some great comicmoments among the anecdotes which form the film’s basis, whichmake it all the more enjoyable. If you’ve not seen it — and you likedTrainspotting — this is a great way to fill in a cold Sunday night.

Human Traffic, C4, 8.30pm, Sunday. Rated AO due todrug use and sexual/language content.