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rock music news

1. Growing UpI defi nitely think my ultimate

music memory from my childhood

would have to be waking up early every weekend and watching Rage. It was a simpler time then. There

was no YouTube, so back in the day I would use my good ol’ VCR to record the best videos, followed by a quality morning of Couch Potato or Cheez TV. triple j was always playing in the family car which subconsciously infl uenced me and this got me into bands like NOFX, Silverchair, Stone Temple Pilots and The Dandy Warhols. I would also never turn down a classic So Fresh compilation. I basically write music I want to listen to and ’90s grunge is a genre I miss.

2. InspirationsI’m inspired by heaps of

musicians, including Daniel Johns, Kurt Cobain, Josh Homme and Liam Gallagher. I ‘borrowed’ Defi nitely Maybe off my teacher’s desk one year and had to hide the album from my parents. I just remember cranking the shit out of it when they went out.

3. Your BandWe are a two-piece band but

play live as a four-piece. Adam Adams and I write all the music and then get our mates and local musos to play live with us. It keeps the show fun, unpredictable and keeps us from falling into the trap of having a set routine. Our producer Sam Vallen completely understands where we are coming from musically and what we want to achieve with this band. This makes working with him a breeze. He’s a legend.

Adam and I met at a festival in Brisbane – we were both wearing the same Tool shirt and just hit it off. We played in a few other bands together before forming Sassin Fras. We agree on almost everything musically except for Adam’s love of pop-punk… I don’t get it.

4. The Music You MakeOur sound resembles grunge/

pop bands of the ’90s. People tell us that our music reminds them of a mix between Nirvana and The Dandy Warhols. I think this is just

because of the music we have grown up with. Our new single ‘Madeline’ was recorded at Bedlam Studios in Brisbane. We start our tour this month playing in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Byron Bay. Our live shows are loud. It’s four dudes playing the shit out of their instruments with a lot of energy and a lot of spontaneity. We like to keep things new for every show we play.

5. Music, Right Here, Right Now

The local music scene is thriving right now. Brisbane has produced some radical bands – DZ [Deathrays], Violent Soho and Dune Rats… there must be something in the water. We have seen Dune Rats play heaps recently. Those guys are just having the time of their lives travelling the world doing what they love.

fi ve thingsWITH ROBERT COSGROVE FROM SASSIN FRAS

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SEEING VISIONSWhere do the rock stars go to party? Visions is a pretty safe bet, the night that debuted at Oxford Art Factory last year and has now relocated to Cliff Dive in Surry Hills. Curated by Deep Sea Arcade and local zine Hot Mosh, volume two of Visions features a hand-picked lineup including Cull, Morning Harvey, Dappled Cities DJs and Chicks Who Love Guns DJs, plus a secret headliner. The debauchery kicks off at Cliff Dive on Saturday March 8.

ROBERT JOHNSON TRIBUTEHe’s arguably the most mystical fi gure in rock’n’roll history. Robert Johnson, the man who sold his soul to the devil and learned to play the blues, died some 75 years ago – and yet is still talked about in hushed tones of reverence by musicians everywhere. A group of Sydney’s fi nest blues artists is getting together this month to remember Johnson’s life and times. On the bill are Spencer Jones, Clayton Doley (The Hands, Jimmy Barnes), Adam Pringle, Cass Eager, Johnny Cass, Ben Edwards and George Brugmans. The Robert Johnson Blues Foundation has endorsed the gigs, providing a guitar signed by Johnson’s son Claude to be raffled off at the shows. See A Night At The Crossroads – A Tribute To Robert Johnson at Lizotte’s Dee Why on Thursday March 27 and the Lewisham Hotel on Friday March 28.

SEXY’S BACK, BACK AGAINJustin Timberlake is bringing his particular style of electrifying pop to Australia in September and October. The 20/20 Experience World Tour follows the success of 2013’s best selling US album The 20/20 Experience. Tickets go on sale to the general public this Friday March 7 at 9am. See JT on Wednesday October 1 at Allphones Arena.

MEGAN WASHINGTONAs if we ever forgot about the raven-haired singer-songwriter who won everyone over – along with bundles of shiny awards and accolades – with her breakthrough album I Believe You Liar in 2010, Megan Washington reminds us who she is with ‘Who Are You?’, her fi rst studio recording in more than two years. The past year saw Washington briefl y gracing our screens (big and small), starring in feature fi lm The Boys Castaway and appearing as a guest mentor on The Voice. While all may seem a bit quiet on the music front lately, 2014 hints at more to come, with Washington set to play at Lost Picnic, the new boutique feel-good music and foodie festival in Centennial Park on Sunday March 23.

MORNING HARVEYFive-piece Brisbane band Morning Harvey have released their first single since the 2012 EP release, Well For Wishes. They’ll launch ‘Girl Euphoria (Come Back To Me)’ on an east coast tour during April. The boys have gradually taken their sound in a new direction, with heavier basslines, percussive rhythms and shedloads of feedback. See Morning Harvey at Brighton Up Bar on Thursday April 10.

Where: Frankie’s PizzaWhen: Wednesday March 5

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PERCH CREEK FAMILY JUGBANDThe Perch Creek Family Jugband have announced the details for their second studio album, Jumping On The Highwire, and a national launch tour. The record will take the Family into a new, “psychedelic jug band” direction, full of high-velocity roots energy and all sorts of spirited instrumentation. It will be released on Wednesday March 19 through Vitamin Records. See The Perch Creek Family Jugband at Lizotte’s Kincumber on Wednesday May 7, Lizotte’s Newcastle on Thursday May 8, Lizotte’s Dee Why on Sunday May 11 and Newtown Social Club on Monday May 12. Support from The Woohoo Revue.

The Perch Creek Family Jugband

QOTSA DJ SETWhat’s on the Queens of the Stone Age stereo at the moment? Find out at Frankie’s Pizza tonight (Wednesday March 5), when Troy Van Leeuwen, Mikey Shuman and Dean Fertita drop in for a DJ set before their co-headline show with Nine Inch Nails. The Owls and Sassin Fras will play a live set from 9pm, so there’s no excuse not to be nice and early.

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MELANIELegendary American singer-songwriter Melanie is a-comin’ to town. If you were there when Woodstock happened in 1969 (unlikely, we fi gure), you’ll remember her – folklore has it she’s the one who spawned the neat encore signal of holding up a light to the artist. Best known for chart hits ‘Brand New Key’, ‘Lay Down (Candles In The Rain)’ and ‘What Have They Done To My Song Ma’, Melanie was re-introduced to a new generation when Hilltop Hoods released ‘Nosebleed Section’, which sampled Melanie’s song and recording of ‘People In The Front Row’. The last time Melanie toured Australia in the ’70s, her Melbourne show grew from two concerts to 12 sold-out dates. She’ll be appearing at The Clarendon on Wednesday June 18, the Enmore Theatre on Friday June 20, Lizotte’s Newcastle on Sunday June 22 and Lizotte’s

Kincumber on Monday June 23. Tickets on sale from 9am Friday March 14 via Ticketek.

DISCOVERED AT MARBLE BAREntries close today (Wednesday March 5) for the Discovered band competition at Marble Bar, with the winning artist to be awarded a two-month residency valued at $10,000. Upload your video to facebook.com/marblebarsydney to enter. From Thursday March 6 to Wednesday March 19, the general public will vote on Facebook to decide the top fi ve acts, who’ll play the fi nal on Wednesday March 26. Freshly announced on the judging panel are Mahalia Barnes and Rolling Stone Australia editor-in-chief Matthew Coyte.

ILUKA? I LIKE HERHomegrown Sydney girl Iluka has burst onto the scene again with her single ‘12th Of July’ turning heads and catching ears. Produced and mixed by Tony Buchen, the single is Iluka’s first release since winning the Commercial Radio Association’s First Break competition in 2012. The 22-year-old’s smokin’ vocals will be on display up the east coast throughout May. See Iluka at Brighton Up Bar on Saturday May 17.

SUPER MASSIVESydney duo Super Massive will be returning to one of their favourite old haunts, the Lansdowne Hotel. Blending electro synthscapes with classic rock riffs, Glenn Abbott and Malina Hamilton-Smith always put on an intriguing show. The pair is set to release its debut album later this year after a nationwide tour. See Super Massive at the Lansdowne this Friday March 7.

‘THE COMMITMENTS’ WILL TOUR AGAINIrish singer Andrew Strong will return to Australia this winter to perform songs from hit

cult film The Commitments. Probably the best fictional band filmed this side of Spinal Tap, Alan Parker’s 1992 film about The Commitments spawned a huge following and a long list of damn good tunes. Lead singer/actor Strong toured here last year, and by popular demand he’s coming back. See Strong performing songs from The Commitments at Wyong Leagues on Thursday July 17, Dee Why RSL on Friday July 18, Mounties on Saturday July 19 and The Juniors on Friday August 1.

THE GREAT AUSTRALIAN SONGBOOKSome of the biggest names in Australian music are getting together again this May for The Great Australian Songbook concert. With proceeds going the way of Variety – The Children’s Charity, the Enmore Theatre gig will feature appearances from Jon Stevens, Shannon Noll, Dave Faulkner, Christine Anu, Diesel, James Morrison, Casey Donovan, Steve Balbi, John Paul Young, John Williamson and many more. Hosting proceedings will be Monica Trapaga. The Songbook concert plays at the Enmore on Monday May 26. Tickets on sale Monday March 17 through Ticketek.

free stuffhead to: thebrag.com/freeshit

In their 20 years together as a band, Spanish surf rockers Los Coronas have only made it to Australia once before.

Ahead of their long-awaited return to a country where surf culture runs through

our veins, guitarist David Krahe lets us in on fi ve things we didn’t know about Los Coronas.

1. They Didn’t Get ItThe early years were the tricky years

– in Spain there was a big tradition of instrumental music during the mid-’60s, but because of the British pop invasion it disappeared a short time later. Los Coronas came out in 1991; there weren’t other instrumental bands in Spain and just a few in Europe, so Spanish people weren’t ready, it was too soon for them. For the fi rst 300 Los Coronas shows people would yell out, “Where the fuck is the singer?!” Thanks to Pulp Fiction’s premiere things turned out better the following years.

2. Enter Vocals HereWe bit the bullet, probably because

we were traumatised by all the bottles getting thrown at us onstage! We recorded and performed two covers in Spanish with two different singers, one male and one female – Jairo Zavala, the singer from the Spanish band Depedro; and Eilen Jewell, the country-folk vocalist from Idaho in the USA. Los Coronas have called this experience ‘El Extraño Viaje’, which means ‘The Weird Travel’.

3. You Gotta Check This Out, We Love ItLast year Los Coronas recorded a

cover of Astor Piazzolla’s hit ‘Libertango’ with the great Latin jazz pianist Michel Camilo during a Spanish live TV broadcasting. There’s really magic in Camilo’s fi ngers; it is worth seeing the program for that reason alone. [Have a look for it on YouTube.]

4. Show Me The Money, FoolsIn 2009, Little Steven [Van Zandt]

tried to sign the band to his label Wicked Cool basically with two kinds of arguments: the mildly strong and the extremely strong arguments. Actually he was always talking about only one thing, money. After several months of long negotiation, Los Coronas probably made the wrong decision: “So long Tony, no deal, that’s what we’re talking about”.

5. Faking ItWe’re not a fl amenco band, but a surf

music instrumental band, except that the closest shore is a four-hour drive from our hometown. We’re actually fake surfers! This is our second time Down Under – during our fi rst visit, we took a surf but didn’t manage to stay on the board for more than ten seconds… so this time we’re taking surf lessons.

rock music newsGLASS ANIMALSOxfordshire’s Glass Animals bounded onto airwaves and stereos everywhere with their recent debut single ‘Psylla’. Taking the sonic signature of fellow British art rock/electronic crew Alt-J and transposing it into something new, the Animals were picked up by big-name producer Paul Epworth as the fi rst singing to his Wolf Tone label. As their name suggests, Glass Animals have something of an obsession with creatures of all shapes and sizes – in fact, they used to be called Afro Pony and then Alligator Puffin Chicken Go Yeh Woo. We can just about imagine a pony with an afro, but the latter has us stumped. Anyhow, we’ve got a double pass up for grabs to Glass Animals’ debut Sydney show at the Oxford Art Factory on Thursday April 3. To be in the running, head to thebrag.com/freeshit and tell us the coolest hybrid animal you can think of.

Where: The BasementWhen: Wednesday March 5, Thursday March 6

fi ve thingsWITH DAVID KRAHE FROM LOS CORONAS

CERESMelbourne pop-punkers Ceres have announced the details of their debut album, and a launch tour to boot. I Don’t Want To Be Anywhere But Here will take them everywhere, as it happens, including to Black Wire Records in Sydney. The album is due out on Friday April 4 through Hobbledehoy Records. It follows up their bumper 2013 EP, Luck. See Ceres at Black Wire Records on Friday April 4 with support from Ted Danson With Wolves and Sincerely, Grizzly.

THE ROLLER DEN LAUNCH PARTYIt’s nice to know new live music venues are still being opened in this here town, innit? Erskineville’s The Roller Den is gearing up for its launch party this Friday March 7, headlined by debaucherous party dudes The Snowdroppers. Also on the bill are Born Lion, The Dead Love, The Khanz, Thieves, Hell Crab City, Dead Radio, Tiger & The Rouges, Sundown State, The Fixators, Panachae, The Rider, Wasters, Runaway Houses and DJs until 8am. That’s right – no lockouts or curfews in those parts.

HAYDEN CALNINMelbourne singer-songwriter Hayden Calnin has released his second EP, and will launch it with a club date in Sydney. Oh, Hunter, released late last month, was awarded the BRAG’s Indie Album Of The Week title – our reviewer said it “connects a personal emotion with you and immediately fills you with an unbearable sense that you are about to lose it.” Heavy stuff, but well worth a listen. See Calnin at Goodgod Small Club on Friday May 9, with support from Eliza Hull.

Ceres

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BOSS MAKES $26.7 MILLION FROM FIVE DATESBruce Springsteen’s fi rst four shows in Australia made $26.7 million, making them his biggest-grossing dates in the world last year. Arena shows in Perth, Adelaide and Sydney and two outdoor stadium dates in Melbourne’s AAMI Park shifted 62,950 tickets. The count does not include the Brisbane Entertainment Centre show where he had the 12,000-strong crowd up on its feet from the fi rst song when he brought on eight violinists from Brisbane’s Cooper & Koo ensemble for a version of the Bee Gees’ ‘Stayin’ Alive’ to mark the fact he was playing Queensland, and for ‘New York City Serenade’.

(The ensemble did an afternoon’s rehearsals, and declared, “He treated us like family.”) Later Eddie Vedder came on for ‘Highway To Hell’ during which the four E Street guitarists (with Bruce) revelled in recreating Angus Young’s guitar break. At the tour’s winery show at Hope Estate, Bruce acknowledged the circumstances by kicking off with Electric Flag’s ‘Wine, Wine, Wine’ with lyrics localised for the Hunter Valley, and later danced through the crowd asking fans to pass on handwritten song requests. Springsteen fi nished his Aussie shows declaring he’d be back soon. Frontier Touring’s Michael Gudinski told this column a return wouldn’t be on the cards for at least two years. The Essential has been certifi ed double platinum.

LIZOTTE’S FOR SALEThe Lizotte’s music venue chain – in Sydney, the Central Coast and Lambton – is on the market. Owners Brian and Jo Lizotte say they want a sea change in their lives and emphasise it’s still business as usual with bookings already up to 2015.

FREELANCE MUSICIANS ALLIANCE MEETINGThe Australian Freelance Musicians Alliance is a union set up by the Media, Entertainment and Arts Alliance to defend the interests of freelance musicians and promote their economic value, after conducting a survey on what musos want. On Tuesday March 11 at 7pm, AFMA will hold a meeting to discuss the survey with members and future members, and for them to express their opinions, at the NSW Teachers Federation Conference Centre, Surry Hills.

GLOBAL CITIZEN TICKETS LAUNCHES IN OZAfter a successful roll out in North America last year, Global Citizen Tickets has arrived in Australia. The idea was set up by Pearl Jam manager Kelly Curtis and The Global Poverty Project CEO Hugh Evans. Music fans who partake in social actions (volunteering for charity partners, lobby MPs) earn points which can be redeemed for concert tickets through GlobalCitizen.org. Up to 100 Australian musicians have signed up to be involved. The chair of the Australian arm is Danny Rogers, Gotye’s manager and co-founder of Laneway Festival.

NEW TEAM FOR PARLOPHONE, WARNER BROSMark Poston, managing director of Parlophone and Warner Bros. Records Australia, has unveiled his new team. Head of marketing and brand development is Simon Cahill, previously of OneLove and Sound Campaign and who, as Sony’s RED label head, signed Calvin Harris, Augie March, TV Rock, Old Man River, Modest Mouse, Editors, Eagles of Death Metal and Matisyahu. The marketing managers are Zoe Bartlett (ABC Music, Warner Music, Universal Publishing), Di Vidovic (Atlantic) and Laura Byrne (Warner), while Linda-Jane Vanhear is marketing coordinator. Leah Harris is executive assistant to the managing director of Parlophone and Warner Bros. and the managing director, Atlantic Records; while Adrian Fitz-Alan (EMI, Sony) joins in a consulting and advisory role.

STAFF CHANGES AT MUSICNSWChanges at MusicNSW see project manager Chris Zajko moving on. For Indent-related enquiries contact Greg Clennar at greg@musicnsw.com. Jolie Kelly is the new education officer and will be programming their free workshop series. She can be reached at jolie@musicnsw.com.

LIBERATION SETTLES WITH US PROFESSOR Liberation Records has settled a copyright battle with Harvard Law School professor Lawrence Lessig. In 2010, Lessig used snippets of Phoenix’s ‘Lisztomania’ in a lecture that was posted online. An automated system fl agged Liberation content had been used, and a Liberation staffer, without proper legal knowledge or even viewing the video, relied on company policy to threaten Lessig with a lawsuit last June. A fi erce copyright freedom activist, the prof took legal action in the US District Court in Massachusetts, asserting his right to use the video under US and Australian fair use law. The case was settled amicably last week, with Liberation paying Lessig’s court costs and promising to change its YouTube takedown request policy to allow fair use.

PANAMA SIGN TWO US DEALSSydney electronic pop trio Panama have fi nalised two US deals. The band, signed to Future Classic in Australia, inked with 300 Entertainment, the company set up by former Warner Music Group head Lyor Cohen. The Always EP – which got triple j and BBC 1 airplay, topped the Hype Machine charts and scored 1.3 million Soundcloud plays – is out this week in the US and Canada with bonus track ‘Strange Feeling’. The trio, set to play SXSW in Texas, also signed with major booking agency Billions, working to develop their presence in the US market with more touring.

KLP GOES #1 IN JAPANSydney-based singer/songwriter/producer/DJ KLP (Kristy Lee Peters) has debuted at number one on the Japanese electronic charts with her collaboration with Japanese producer Banvox. KLP co-wrote the double A-side ‘Love Strong’/‘Watch Me Dance’ and features on the latter. KLP, who is signed to Universal Music Publishing, showcases at SXSW this month.

DMG RADIO CHANGES NAMEMajor radio broadcaster DMG Radio Australia (Nova, Smooth) has changed its name to Nova Entertainment. Chairman Lachlan Murdoch explained the move came “as we continue to broaden our entertainment offering outside of our core radio business.” DMG was set up with UK’s Daily Mail Group. In November 2009, Murdoch’s Illyria bought 50%, and in September 2012 purchased the remaining 50% from the UK fi rm. The company has expanded to live events (Red Room), TV (Smooth channel on Foxtel) and branded radio (Coles Radio).

SHAZAM OVERHAULS SITEShazam has overhauled its site to ensure users spend more time on it. Aside from a new look, it has introduced a news feed, lyric and video searches, bios and recommendations for users to preview, share and buy songs. In the US it will offer detailed information about TV programs from 160 channels. It will roll out globally in the coming weeks. Shazam recently went to bed with Warner Music Group to launch its own record label and sign up any upcoming acts.

Music Industry News with Christie Eliezer

Industrial Strength

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Thu 3 Apr

Robert Glasper Exp& Roy Ayers & Lonnie Liston SmithSat 8 Mar

DarksideWed 02 Apr

Melb Ska OrchestraFri 28 Mar

Jonny Craig (USA)

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Bobby Keys & The Suffering Bastards Mon 24 Mar

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Band of Skulls (USA)

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Diva Fever feat. Deborah CoxSat 19 Apr

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Toxic Holocaust & SkeletonwitchSat 26 Apr

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Children of BodomFri 9 May

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* In his self-titled autobiography, INXS manager Chris Murphy reveals that he and Michael Hutchence locked horns over the singer’s dating Kylie Minogue, because it wasn’t good for his image. Murphy also points out how a Minogue promo tour through Europe seemed to land in the same cities as INXS’. This week on the ARIA chart, The Very Best and Kick are still at numbers one and three, while ‘Need You Tonight’ has gone gold. The TV show will now be broadcast abroad, Murphy is moving ahead with his longtime dream of an INXS musical on Broadway, and there are whispers of a return to touring.* Scissor Sisters’ Jake Shears says he has recorded enough songs with Kylie Minogue over the years to release an entire collaboration LP, although there are no plans to do so.

There was a thunderous stampede to the Beresford Hotel after Kylie tweeted she was appearing there last Wednesday. At 10pm she appeared onstage before a rapturous crowd, wearing a bright red number, and sang ‘Into The Blue’. One enthusiastic fan got his prayers answered when she got him up for a selfi e, and wished the crowd a happy Mardi Gras. “You know I was fi rst part of the Mardi Gras in ’94, which was a huge moment for me,” said Kylie. “And you’ve supported me through thick and thin.”* Soundwave will not return to WA again, promoter AJ Maddah confi rmed.* Green Day’s three-hour Soundwave set included covers of AC/DC, Rick Springfi eld and Men At Work songs.* In an interview with Melbourne’s Herald Sun, Sally Seltmann revealed

that husband Darren is no longer a member of The Avalanches.* More Aussies have been confi rmed for the UK’s The Great Escape (May 8 to 10). Stonefi eld, Tigertown, The John Steel Singers and The Trouble With Templeton join the previously announced Courtney Barnett, Major Leagues, Ginger & The Ghost, Hermitude and Dune Rats.* Radio owner John Singleton wasn’t holding back after merger talks between Macquarie Radio and Fairfax Radio fell through. He called Fairfax’s chairman Roger Corbett “a precocious pretentious prick” and CEO Greg Hywood “a third-rater”. Talks are, umm, not expected to resume.* 2Cellos’ classical version of AC/DC’s ‘Thunderstruck’ hit 4.3 million views in a week after the duo posted it online.

LifelinesBorn: son Apollo Bowie Flynn for Gwen Stefani (No Doubt) and Gavin Rossdale (Bush), their third boy after Kingston and Zuma.

Engaged: Motley Crue’s Tommy Lee and LA-based singer/dancer Sofi a Toufa (stage name: SomeOtherFemaleInterest) after fi ve years together.

Split: Robin Thicke, 36, and actress Paula Patton, 38, although he’s trying for a reconciliation. They met as teenagers and have a son Julian, 3.

In Court: As I Lay Dying singer Timothy Lambesis admitted in a San Diego courtroom to soliciting the murder of his wife. He enlisted a hitman who turned out to be a sheriff deputy.

Arrested: Natalie Hynde, 31, daughter of The Pretenders’ Chrissie Hynde and The Kinks’ Ray Davies, for supergluing herself to a fellow protestor in an anti-fracking demonstration in Sussex, England.

Jailed: William H. Klein, 47, for eight months for calling in a phony bomb threat to a Pennsylvania arena before a One Direction concert.

Died: Tasmanian singer-songwriter Nick Balcombe, after a stroke. He recently did his fi rst national tour and in 2012 lived in Holland to play festivals.

Died: an Adelaide woman, 63, hit by a car outside the A Day On The Green concert at McLaren Vale, headlined by Hunters & Collectors.

Died: Melbourne improvisational jazz composer and bass violinist David Tolley, 77. In 2005 he gave up the bass due to Parkinson’s disease and focused on art, sculpture and computer-generated sounding, although he returned to music performance in recent years.

Died: fl amenco guitar virtuoso Paco de Lucia, 66, of a heart attack in Mexico.

Died: Franny Beecher, 92, lead guitarist of Bill Haley and The Comets, whose ‘Rock Around the Clock’ ‘officially’ kicked off rock and roll in 1955.

THINGS WE HEAR

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- Touring in March

- Touring in April

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Special Industry guests panel • Find out about hot jobs in demand

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C E N T R E F O R S C R E E N C R E AT I V I T Y

10 :: BRAG :: 552 :: 05:03:14 thebrag.com

Say what you like about Thirty Seconds To Mars, they’re no strangers to hard work. Last year alone brought

an acclaimed album release, globetrotting live shows and an award-winning documentary. Just a few months into 2014 and the band is already embarking on one of its most extensive world tours yet.

But then, Jared Leto, Shannon Leto and Tomo Milicevic have never been ones to rest on their laurels (or rest at all, it seems). Starting out as a collaboration between Hollywood actor and one-time My So-Called Life heartthrob Jared and his brother Shannon, Thirty Seconds To Mars’ self-titled debut was released in 2002.

Milicevic joined the band as lead guitarist a year later and the band went on to achieve platinum sales with second album A Beautiful Lie, as well as a clutch of MTV Awards. 11 years and another two albums later, Thirty Seconds To Mars are

keeping the tempo up. “It’s a non-stop process, whether it’s touring or making a new album, or just making videos or creating content; we all do a lot of different things,” says Milicevic.

“For us, the album is one thing and the studio and the process of creation should be limitless. If you start thinking about the many limitations of a live show, you’ll probably end up with a less than stellar result. It’s a full-time job – there is no break. We may not be on tour, we may not be currently making an album, but we’re always doing something.”

That maxim certainly rings true for frontman Jared Leto, who’s just won an Oscar for his supporting role in Jean-Marc Vallée’s Dallas Buyers Club. Although he’s acted in just three fi lms over the past six years, Leto’s career spans big-budget action fi lms like The Thin Red Line and critically acclaimed indie productions like Darren Aronofsky’s Requiem For A Dream. For now,

Leto won’t be drawn on whether he’ll make a full-time return to acting.

“I didn’t purposefully say, ‘I’m not going to act for a few years,’” says Leto, “but I got busy with other plans, to paraphrase John Lennon. We got more success than we ever dreamed of with Thirty Seconds To Mars.”

We’re talking the kind of success that leads to connections with NASA. To launch the fi rst single from last year’s album Love, Lust, Faith And Dreams, Leto approached the American space agency about literally launching the fi rst copy of ‘Up In The Air’ on a mission to the International Space Station.

“It was something I thought would be impossible, but with the help of NASA we did it – we put our song in a rocket and sent it 261 miles to the space station and it was incredible. We’re tight now [with NASA] – after you go to space together you get really tight. You

have to be patient and persistent and well-organised, and really make your case well, and we did all of those things.”

The Australian leg of Thirty Seconds To Mars’ tour comes after the band was forced to reschedule dates originally planned for August last year due to “unavoidable and unfortunate circumstances”. Milicevic expresses his gratitude for “everyone’s patience” during the postponement, and can’t wait to make the trip. “Audiences are different [everywhere] but you start to notice similarities between people. Even with different languages and completely different cultures, you start to see a lot of similarities, which is interesting. We’re all there united by this common thing in the song; it doesn’t matter if we speak English or they speak Arabic, we’re all there doing the same thing.”

Indeed, Milicevic is familiar with crossing cultural boundaries through music. Born to Bosnian Croat parents in Sarajevo, he emigrated to the United States as a child and began writing his own music at 17. “[Uniting people in music] is probably one of the most incredible things. It’s absolutely an honour and mind-blowing every time.”

The recording process behind Love, Lust, Faith And Dreams was a far cry from the band’s 2009 album This Is War. Made in the midst of a legal battle with Virgin, who was attempting to sue the band for breach of contract, the album was borne out of a tumultuous period in Thirty Seconds To Mars’ history, says Milicevic. “The environment surrounding the process for Love, Lust, Faith And Dreams was completely different; fi lled with joy and positivity and a limitless search

for creativity. That’s how it should be, and I think you can hear it. In some ways, this album is even darker than This Is War as far as the songwriting content goes, but the process was defi nitely much lighter and I really love this album.”

It doesn’t take a clinical psychologist to fi gure out that recording an album without the pressure of a $30 million lawsuit makes for a much happier working environment, but while the legal complications undoubtedly took their toll on the band, they also proved to be the inspiration behind Leto’s directorial debut, Artifact. The documentary fi lm follows Thirty Seconds To Mars’ legal battle with Virgin and shines a light on the less savoury side of the music industry. It won the People’s Choice Documentary Award when it premiered at the 2012 Toronto International Film Festival. “It took fi ve years to fi nish,” Milicevic says.

“I lived it and I’m part of it but the documentary as a piece of work, it’s Jared’s baby. It was heavy and really dark and surrounded by a lot of uncertainty and confusion. We literally could have lost everything that we had worked for and there would have been nothing we could do about it, so it was defi nitely scary. The documentary is really great; it’s an interesting look at the behind-the-scenes workings of the music business. Putting out an album has very little to do with creativity and a lot to do with bureaucratic bullshit.”

Happily for Milicevic and his bandmates, the case was settled with a California Appeals Court ruling that no service contract in the state is valid after a period of seven years, and Love, Lust, Faith And Dreams stands as a testament to the band’s strength. “The way it connects with people live is unbelievable, people in Australia will see that at the shows,” says Milicevic. “There’s defi nitely a fi re going around with our concerts in the past year and I know that the new album has a lot to do with it.”

“We’ve got a lot of explosive elements,” Leto adds. “That doesn’t necessarily mean fi reworks, but it could. I’m good at keeping secrets.

“We’re going to be spending the next little while practising and getting better and then coming to unleash Love, Lust, Faith And Dreams on the good people of Australia. It’s going to be a night not to miss; we’re not happy until people’s brains explode, their skin sizzles. We want people to bring a diaper in case they shit themselves out of joy.”

“I DIDN’T PURPOSEFULLY SAY, ‘I’M NOT GOING TO ACT FOR A FEW

YEARS,’ BUT I GOT BUSY WITH OTHER PLANS,

TO PARAPHRASE JOHN LENNON. WE GOT MORE

SUCCESS THAN WE EVER DREAMED OF WITH

THIRTY SECONDS TO MARS.”

What: Love, Lust, Faith And Dreams out now through UniversalWith: White LiesWhere: Qantas Credit Union ArenaWhen: Saturday March 29

WE HAVE LIFT OFF • BY PHOEBE HURST AND NICK JARVIS

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12 :: BRAG :: 552 :: 05:03:14 thebrag.comthebrag.com

Royal Hunt are somewhat of a celestial myth to people Down Under, a mystical band that produces sublime metal

doused in illustrative lyricism and symphonic tones. They’re a band that has yet to appear on our shores despite a career that spans over 20 years and a catalogue of 12 albums, which have spurred millions of sales worldwide and an international fan base. The quintet will fi nally hit Australia this April, making its Sydney debut at the Factory in Marrickville. “I’ve never been to Australia before – I can’t wait to meet everyone,” says vocalist D.C. Cooper.

Originating in Copenhagen in the late 1980s, Royal Hunt were the creation of keyboardist and composer André Andersen. While Cooper speaks with a formidable sense of humour, Andersen offers a few quips of his own. If he won the lottery, he says, he would buy “a bigger house closer to the sea, a bigger studio in the house, an absurd amount of vintage gear for the studio, a newer Harley, a personal tour bus, a lifetime supply of Jack Daniels, and another lottery ticket.”

Born in Moscow in 1961, Andersen discovered he had a natural proclivity towards music at a very young age. He began his musical education at the age of fi ve with piano lessons before graduating to guitars and whatever else he could touch during his teens. At age 14, Andersen discovered and defi ned the three major infl uences in his life – classical music, classic rock and progressive rock.

“Classical music has always been a major infl uence to me because of its beauty and virtuosity,” he explains. “Classic rock, for its sound and attitude, and progressive [rock] for its elegance and complexity.” With these three infl uences in mind, Andersen began writing music he wanted to listen to, shaping the inevitable sound of Royal Hunt: a sophisticated hurricane of noise layered with rapid guitars and

elegant narratives about life. “Don’t trust, don’t fear, don’t beg,” is the band’s motto, according to Andersen. “It just worked for me.”

Despite Royal Hunt’s global profi le, their dynamic has had an unsteady history. Andersen is the only member who has been there since the band’s genesis, and has maintained its integrity since ’89. Currently the band comprises drummer Allan Sørensen (Cornerstone, Prime Time), bassist Andreas Passmark, multiple Copenhagen Guitar Battle winner Jonas Larsen, and Pennsylvania-born vocalist Cooper (Silent Force, Amaran’s Plight), who received classical training under renowned opera teacher Charlotte Coleman.

The relationship between Andersen and Cooper has not always been as amicable as at present. When the vocalist signed on with Royal Hunt in 1994 – before the huge success that came with Moving Target (1995) and Paradox (1997) – he was not expecting to be fi red four years later without any notice. It was through a blog post by Andersen that Cooper discovered he’d lost his place in the band. In interviews afterwards, when the blonde vocalist was asked about these events, he maintained a polite pragmatism.

Cooper was invited to rejoin Royal Hunt in 2011, before the recording of Show Me How To Live. “I am where I’m supposed to be,” says the vocalist now, quoting his self-prescribed axiom. “[It’s] my own advice to myself. It means, enjoy what and where you are in life because that’s the way it’s supposed to be in the big plan of life. If you don’t like where you are, you have the power to change it or embrace it.”

Tired of the same old repetitive and disposable anthems that seem to pollute contemporary African-American radio,

the Robert Glasper Experiment explored their background in jazz and recruited a number of R&B vocalists and rappers to create a fusion record. Titled Black Radio, it won a Grammy Award in 2012 for Best R&B Album. Ahead of his Australian dates, Robert Glasper looks back on the success of Black Radio and its follow-up, Black Radio 2.

“When I lived in Texas, I didn’t really know much about hip hop music. But when I moved to New York in ’97, I immediately met so many people. I was meeting guys like Q-Tip, Mos Def and Talib Kweli. I got to see the hip hop movement fi rsthand and it became a community that I was a part of.”

Glasper, a trained jazz pianist, grew up in Houston and regularly performed at church with his mother. After moving to New York to study music at the New School University in Manhattan, he began collaborating with rapper Mos Def. In 2005, he signed to Blue Note Records and recorded two jazz albums, Canvas and In My Element. His fi rst jazz fusion record, Double Booked (2009), was an innovative album split into two distinctive styles: the fi rst half populated by his post-bop trio, the latter half introducing his new fusion band, the Robert

Glasper Experiment. It was the Experiment quartet that enabled Glasper to pursue an investment in hip hop that had enticed him since moving to the East Coast.

“When I moved to the East Coast, I got the chance to befriend and work with a lot of artists, so by the time I signed to Blue Note, one of the guys at the label told me, ‘You know, you could do a record with all the people that you know,’ and I was like, ‘Yeah, let’s wait for that.’”

The wait was certainly worth it, allowing Glasper to recruit a number of talented friends he’d made since leaving Texas. Black Radio featured collaborations with Erykah Badu, Lupe Fiasco and Yasiin Bey (AKA Mos Def).

After the unprecedented success of the fi rst Black Radio, Glasper was more than ready to make a volume two, fi nding plenty of willing collaborators in the process. “A lot of people on part two I didn’t know personally. On the fi rst

record I literally knew everyone. It was easier on the second to get people I didn’t necessarily know because we won the Grammy for the fi rst one.”

Keeping to the subject of the Grammys; while the win remains an unquestionable honour, I want to ask Glasper if he considered his inclusion in the R&B category an insult, given Black Radio’s deliberate swerve away from mainstream urban music. “Not at all. You always have to be in some sort of category. What a lot of people don’t know about the Grammys is that the artist will always choose what category they want to be nominated in. I chose to be nominated for R&B album of the year, as opposed to jazz album of the year.

“Most of the jazz world didn’t really understand Black Radio. Anyway, a lot of it is not straight-up jazz, it has more of an R&B, hip hop sound. If you’re in the R&B category, you’re on a bigger platform. I wanted to make this album on a bigger platform with a bigger message.”

What: Black Radio 2 out now through Blue Note/UniversalWith: Roy AyersWhere: The Hi-FiWhen: Saturday March 8

With: Vanishing Point, AvarinWhere: Factory Floor, Factory TheatreWhen: Friday April 4

When a musician steps out from behind the scenes to become the artist-in-focus, it’s not always a smooth transition. But

for Neil Davidge, who has been crucially involved in both production and songwriting with trip hop pioneers Massive Attack since their seminal 1998 LP Mezzanine, debut solo album Slo Light lives up to the standard of his earlier career achievements.

“I’m very proud of the work that I did with Massive Attack, so it’s not like I feel like I need to distance myself from that work in any way,” he says. “I set out to make the most honest record I could at this time in my life.”

Davidge’s CV also boasts a number of fi lm and video game soundtracks, some composed alone (Push, Halo 4) and others made with Massive Attack’s Robert Del Naja (Bullet Boy, Trouble The Water). Although Davidge has been integral to a number of highly regarded studio productions for well over a decade, he’s never been shoved up front for interviews or album promotion.

“I’m typically English,” he chuckles. “I don’t actually like imposing myself on other people. The last thing I want to do is say, ‘Check my album out, you’ll love it! I make great music, buy my records!’ It’s just not me.”

Davidge mightn’t be thrilled about adopting salesman rhetoric to draw attention to his music, but the strength of his new material should ease the pressure. Slo Light is a warmly produced, vividly emotional journey. And it’s something he’s very proud of.

“In terms of my life’s work, Mezzanine was probably the fi rst record I made that I thought, ‘Wow, that’s a good record.’ It’s not perfect, but it’s a good record. This album, I feel the same way

about it. It’s not perfect, but it’s good and I think people will like it.”

Every track on Slo Light features a guest vocalist, ranging from up-and-comers Stephonik Youth (Living Days) and Cate Le Bon to a surprising cameo from (supposedly retired) ’60s pop singer Sandie Shaw. These days it’s common for producers to partner with a number of different vocalists on an album, and Massive Attack essentially paved the way with this format.

“I didn’t actually consciously say, ‘OK, I’m going to try and make all of these tracks fi t together and make it sound like a cohesive album’. One of the fi rst albums I owned was Abbey Road by The Beatles – every track is very different from the last one. So, if anything, the only thing I did set out to do was to make an album [on which] there was a real journey from one track to the next, and also within each track.”

Slo Light confi rms the 51-year-old Bristol producer is more than capable of presiding over a stunning body of work himself. The question is, what prevented Davidge from going out on his own until now?

“There was never really a need for me to express myself as ‘Neil Davidge’ because I was expressing myself through Massive Attack,” he says. “It was actually when we’d made three albums together, I’d been working with them for 18 years, and it just felt like, ‘OK, we’ve done some great work together and I really don’t want it to slip.’ So I set up my own place and I found myself sat in the studio thinking, ‘What do I do now?’ That was when [I had] the idea for putting together a solo album.”

DavidgeThe Sound Artist By Augustus Welby

Cunning Stunts By Avrille Bylok-Collard

Royal Hunt

Rob

ert Glasp

er Exp

eriment p

hoto by Janette Beckm

an

Robert Glasper ExperimentRadio Daze By Dina Amin

What: Slo Light out now through Shock

BRAG :: 552 :: 05:03:14 :: 13thebrag.comthebrag.com

96 Cumberland Street, THE ROCKS 9247 4794

theglenmore.com.au | info@theglenmore.com.au

Popularly known as the Riddim Twins, drummer Sly Dunbar and bass player Robbie

Shakespeare have been playing together since the early ’70s when they were both in producer Bunny Lee’s house band The Aggrovators. By the mid-’70s the Jamaican duo was garnering major acclaim for the aggressive ‘rocker’ style of reggae they pioneered with The Revolutionaries, going on to play with the likes of Black Uhuru and Peter Tosh. Sly and Robbie continue to be a highly sought after combination and, as is the case with any good rhythm section, they’re most effective when they’re not seeking glory.

“Keep the groove,” says Dunbar. “Once you fi nd a groove you just lock it. It’s not about showboating who’s a better musician or who’s a better player. It isn’t competitive – it has to sound good together.”

Sly and Robbie will soon return to Australia for Bluesfest, where they’ll be performing with British singer Bitty McLean and backing group The Taxi Gang. They started working with McLean in 2006 and have since released two full-length albums, 2009’s Movin’ On and last year’s Taxi Sessions. Sly and Robbie expect a high standard from their collaborators and Dunbar speaks fondly of their relationship with McLean.

“With an artist like Bitty, it’s so easy because he’s an engineer and he plays keyboards and everything like that. So we sit down and we discuss exactly where we think it should go and we just take it there.”

The two Bitty McLean records feature a mature and soulful reggae sound, while also embracing slick production values that introduce a contemporary fl avour. This progressive quality represents Sly and Robbie’s determination to continuously update their stylistic distinctions.

“We try to tweak it sometimes and add different sounds just to make it sound fresh to the listener all the time,” Dunbar says. “Every so often we try to change the sound. Not directly change it, but we add things to it [or] take away things so one could feel it moving or growing into another direction.”

No musician can stay relevant for the better part of four decades without keeping an eye on what’s happening elsewhere in pop culture. In addition to recording, producing and playing with artists as varied as Grace Jones, Bob Dylan and No Doubt, Sly and Robbie’s eclectic output includes remixes of songs by Britney Spears and Madonna. Dunbar explains the importance of staying across what’s dominating the charts.

“Globally, I try to keep up-to-date and listen. I listen to American Top 40 radio, I listen to Lorde – everything that is coming out – to see what the new direction of sounds are going to be like or what people are liking today.”

Not that Dunbar is looking for new sounds to rip off. Sly and Robbie are preeminent innovators, keeping their artistic foundations fi rmly in place while re-arranging the decorations. Dunbar’s daily routine, he says, is simple. “Listen to old stuff and new stuff and try to write. I listen a lot to music. I listen every day, trying to fi nd what is out there, try to pick up on what I could merge with reggae, what I could do another way.”

“The main drive is the people, to see people happy and dancing to music,” Dunbar adds. “I don’t like to see people sad, and I know music has made a lot of people happy. So for me, I go in every time and try to accomplish something I can play to someone and they say, ‘I love it! I love it! It sounds great.’ Then after that I move onto the next thing, to see if I can do it again. I keep on trying to do it over and over again.”

Kingston remains home for the Riddim Twins, and it’s where you’ll usually fi nd them immersed in studio work. However, the pair has never ignored the opportunity to travel the world and play live. Even though he’s now in his 60s and would be forgiven for exhaustion, Dunbar enjoys the touring lifestyle. “I like going into the airport and going to different places and seeing different people, and looking at the culture and looking at where people live and the whole music thing, because I learn so much.”

Unlike so many all-conquering duos before them, it’s hard to see Sly and Robbie ever stepping apart. Their unique understanding of each other’s

strengths is what generates their esteemed playing style. And the spark remains.

“What has kept us together,” Dunbar says, “is a lot of love for each other and respect for each other and to always remember where we’re coming from. There’s no ego there. We’re trying to get it right. Not what I want or what Robbie wants, [but] what is sounding right – that’s what we always want to achieve. There’s not anyone in charge, we just work together and once it’s right, that’s it.”

Sly And RobbieGot Riddim By Augustus Welby

What: Byron Bay Bluesfest 2014With: Jack Johnson, John Mayer, Dave Matthews Band, Elvis Costello & The Imposters, Buddy Guy, Erykah Badu, John Butler Trio and many moreWhere: Tyagarah Tea Tree FarmWhen: Thursday April 17 – Monday April 21And: Supporting The Wailers at the Enmore Theatre, Saturday April 19More: The Taxi Sessions out now through Taxi Records

“I don’t like to see people sad, and I know music has made a lot of people happy. So for me, I go in every time and try to accomplish something I can play to someone and they say, ‘I love it!’ Then after that I move onto the next thing, to see if I can do it again.”

14 :: BRAG :: 552 :: 05:03:14 thebrag.comthebrag.com

Sticky Fingers’ music reeks of good times. This isn’t due to an unhinged musicality – in fact,

despite their party-boy reputations, the Sydney fi vesome displays considerable technical fi nesse. Rather, Sticky Fingers’ catalogue of much-loved releases over the past couple of years (including radio favourites ‘Caress Your Soul’, ‘Clouds And Cream’ and this year’s Hottest 100 entry ‘Australia Street’) possesses an unfettered positivity. Thus it makes sense that the group isn’t fazed by ongoing concerns about Sydney’s struggling music scene.

“I get really sick of people who just say how shit everything is now,” says bass player Paddy Cornwall. “I reckon they’ve all got a fucking bad case of nostalgia. When you look back the brain’s always going to favour the good and forget the bad. I reckon ultimately you can never really stop people from having a good time. So, as long as you want to have a good time, there’ll always be something going down.”

Musically, Sticky Fingers are perhaps the ones reliving the best elements of years gone by. Last year’s debut LP Caress Your Soul proudly displays its infl uences, meshing reggae relaxation with a baggy state of mind and a punk rock dismissal of unnecessary restrictions. A second album, Land Of Pleasure, is due for release mid-year and the eclectic genre embrace is set to continue.

“We like to think that the band is a bit of an ever-evolving project,” says Cornwall. “We’ve never thought we need to pigeonhole our sound. The songwriting is probably more advanced [now], because we’ve been doing it for longer. We’ve

learnt what people are responding to strongly and what people aren’t responding to so much. We’ve honed in even further on what we fi nd that people dig about what we do.”

The fi rst single from the forthcoming LP, ‘Gold Snafu’, is already making its mark online – thanks in part to a hilarious video clip depicting sleazy 1970s debauchery inside a mattress store. Tickets for this month’s accompanying tour are quickly disappearing all over the country – a second show at the Metro Theatre has just been announced – proving the band’s eager following continues to grow.

“It feels good seeing how the band is organically growing rather than it being thrust up by any unnatural hype-based thing,” says Cornwall. “We always try to avoid [that] because we don’t want to be shot up and then fall down.”

Sticky Fingers have scarcely taken any time away from touring over the past three years, consequently establishing themselves as a not-to-be-missed live act. They’re attracting audiences in the UK and Europe too, and Cornwall underlines two essential features that catalysed their onstage bravado.

“One; we all live together in the inner west and we’ve got a home studio in our garage. Number two; I scored a job pouring beers at the Annandale and then within a year I managed to get all fi ve members of the band jobs pouring beers too. We lived down the road from there as well, so we fell into this really cool fucking scene that grew around that pub. Everyone was either drinking there or playing there or working there. We never felt like there wasn’t a scene around us.”

The band clearly benefi tted from joining the inner circle of that Sydney rock’n’roll institution. Feeling emboldened by the support network, Sticky Fingers were able to gather a considerable fan base while maintaining complete independence. “We just thrive off being a band that operates in a bit of an old-school manner – touring and releasing and not waiting around for any label or agent to come along. We try to make our own luck.”

Speaking of luck, playing in a band is always going to be a fi nancial gamble. Sticky Fingers aren’t raking in the millions just yet, but Cornwall says the hard slog has put the fi ve housemates in a somewhat comfortable position. “We’ve all gotten to a point that was once just a fucking dream, and that is that none of us work a day job. We’re hardly rolling in it, but we scrape by and we look after each other. And it’s

a fucking lot of fun so I wouldn’t trade it for anything, really.”

Sticky Fingers keep up with their peers, too. “We’re good mates with The Preatures, Kingswood from Melbourne; we’re really excited for a particular mate’s band – they’re called DMA’s,” Cornwall says. “We’ve been in countless scenarios where we’ve been on the road and other bands have had us at their places. So in Sydney we do our best to accommodate other touring bands as well.”

However, it seems Sticky Fingers’ unruly ways haven’t endeared them to everyone. “There’s defi nitely some bands who not only don’t like us but fucking hate us because we got a bit too excited and fucked with them in some way or another.”

Cornwall won’t name names but he describes one instance of mischief

that upset another band. “We played Homebake [in 2012] and we were going around being cheeky, stealing other bands’ riders. There was one particular band; they didn’t confront us about it but they dobbed on us to the festival promoters who are mates of ours. [The promoters] came laughing to us later, ‘You’ll never guess what blah blah did – they just tried to dob on you guys for sneaking their beers!’”

xxx

Beth Hart is a singer-songwriter, storyteller and survivor all rolled into one. Hand-picked

to play Byron Bay Bluesfest after director Peter Noble saw her earn multiple standing ovations supporting Stephen Stills, the Californian will help the festival mark its 25th year.

“We put on an eclectic show,” Hart says. “It has blues, jazz, soul, rock’n’roll and some singer-songwriter

stuff. I’ll usually play a couple of songs from all my past records and then focus on the last two or three. There’ll be lots of energy and hopefully it’ll be a good time. I do a different show every night anyway, so it’s fun to play with it at a festival. I’ll watch the audience a little bit and kind of get a feel for what the vibe is or what kind of festival it is. Then we’ll work up a set before we go out and hope it works.

“It really drives some of my band members crazy when I change things around halfway through, but it’s important to be in tune with what’s going on, put on a good show and give people what they want. If I get the feeling they’re wanting something a bit harder or more aggressive I’ll change the set and throw something else out.”

As Hart speaks candidly about her past battles with the addictions that sent her spiralling out of control and saw her spend a stint in jail, she remains pleasantly upbeat.

“It’s a one-day-at-a-time thing,” she says. “Thanks to being involved with people that have come before me and have gotten sober, I’ve had a lot of help. It’s been a little over 13 years since I took drugs, thank God. I still have my little slip-ups here and there with alcohol but I’m healthy and married to a wonderful man, and I thank God I still get to make music and I’m still really excited about it.

“In the last couple of years I’ve gone in some different directions as a writer and that’s been really challenging, in a good way. When I was on drugs it had got so bad that I wasn’t able to leave the house. When I was going through early recovery I had agoraphobia, so it was defi nitely a rough recovery, but I think that’s what’s kept me from ever going back. I would never survive it again. Is there a part of me that wishes it never happened? Sure. Who wants to deal with being a recovering drug addict? It never really goes away, but I think of

it as a real gift and I mean that. It’s an opportunity to share something, and they are the points in my life when I lean on people I love and my ego gets smashed. It’s like, ‘Holy crap, what am I going to do?’ It changed me and it still does, but the changes I’ve found are things like the ability to care for other people who are struggling instead of judging. It’s been a blessing.”

Since going sober, Hart’s résumé has boasted a series of A-list collaborations with Slash, Jeff Beck and Buddy Guy, and two albums with guitarist Joe Bonamassa.

“It just kind of clicks with Joe,” she says. “He and I really get off on similar genres of music. We both feel very passionately about the music, and when it comes to the songs that we chose for the Don’t Explain and Seesaw records we were both so invested in trying to bring something that was honest. I love him for that; he has such integrity and total commitment. I think he’s such a great artist – just fucking fantastic.”

Another positive aspect of having a sober and rehabilitated Beth Hart back in business is the prolifi cacy of her musical output.

“I’m making a new record in August with [producer and songwriter] Rob Mathes. I should be making another record with Joe Bonamassa a little bit after that, while simultaneously writing the following record after that as well, as it’s going to be with Kevin Shirley instead of Rob Mathes. So I’ll be

doing lots and lots of writing in the upcoming months, which I love, so I’m having a good time and it’s fl owing.

“There’s nothing worse than trying to write and being in one of those stalemates where I can’t move or come up with a thought; that’s always terrifying. I’m having a good time with that right now. I’m going to be touring, making a record, and then back to touring in the fall. That’s how I make my living – lots of time on the road. Last year I got a bit rundown, so I took off with my instruments into the mountains where there was no TV or anything like that. Getting away from everything and everybody was really helpful for me. I’d never really rejuvenated like that before.”

Despite mixing it with big names in North America, it’s in New Zealand where Hart has had her biggest chart success to date, hitting the top spot in 1999 with single ‘LA Song (Out Of This Town)’. Her explanation for her success there?

“Oh God, I would be the last person to ask that. I have no idea; I’m just happy when we can connect in some way.”

Where: The BasementWhen: Saturday April 12And: Also appearing alongside John Mayer, Dave Matthews Band, Devendra Banhart, Jake Bugg, Passenger and many more at Byron Bay Bluesfest, Thursday April 17 – Monday April 21

“I get really sick of people who just say how shit everything is now. I reckon they’ve all got a fucking bad case of nostalgia.”

What: Mountain Sounds FestivalWith: The Holidays, Emma Louise, Ball Park Music, Softwar, Jinja Safari and moreWhere: Mt Penang Gardens, KariongWhen: Saturday March 15And: Also appearing at the Metro Theatre on Friday March 21 and Saturday March 22

Situation Normal By Augustus Welby

Sticky Fingers

Blues Survivor By Paul McBride

Beth Hart

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MOMA RETROSPECTIVE IN SYDNEYA major fi lm work spanning two walls and a series of large-scale photographs from British artist Isaac Julien’s retrospective at the Museum of Modern Art in New York moves to Sydney this month. Julien will travel to Sydney to unveil the ambitious new fi lm installation, entitled Playtime. Julien’s fi lm explores the relationship between capital, the art world and the individual. Presented in three parts, Playtime is set across three cities defi ned by their relationship to capital: London, Reykjavik and Dubai and explores how six characters: the Artist, the Hedge Fund Manager, the Auctioneer, the House Worker, the Art Dealer, and the Reporter, are affected by the global fi nancial crisis. Playtime features performances from James Franco, Maggie Cheung, Mercedes Cabral, Colin Salmon and Ingvar Eggert Sigursson, and world-famous auctioneer Simon de Pury, who plays himself. The exhibition is open from Thursday March 13 to Saturday April 12, details at roslynoxley9.com.au.

SECRET CINEMA IS BACKOnce again, World Movies Secret Cinema is showing a surprise fi lm in a super top-secret place.  Returning to Sydney in April, World Movies Secret Cinema will transport moviegoers to a super top secret location for a dramatic and immersive cinematic experience. The only clue we’ve been given so far is that Secret Cinema’s mystery location has never been seen or used by anyone before. Tickets go on sale next month, and based on previous experiences they will sell out fast!

WORLD OF WOMEN FILM FESTIVAL Sydneysiders in need of a satisfying indie fi lm fi x will be happy to hear that the World Of Women’s Cinema: WOW Film Festival will be celebrating 20 years of women’s short fi lm excellence and International Women’s Day on March 8 this month. They have announced an exciting, diverse showcase of contemporary short fi ction, documentary, animation and experimental fi lms with key creative input by women. Screenings are until Friday March 14 in various locations around Sydney; there will also be talks, photography exhibitions, a writers’ forum, an online vote, and an awards ceremony. To check out the full-to-bursting schedule, head to wift.org/wow.

CLASSIC FILMS ON A SUNDAYVintage Films At Norton Street presents an eclectic selection of cult and classic cinema so fi lm afi cionados can relive their favourite fi lms from bygone eras on the big screen. Films will screen each Sunday at 3pm for just $8 Movie Club/$10 full price tickets, and hangovers are welcome. Upcoming faves include (but are not limited to) Saturday Night Fever, Funny Face, Footloose, Clueless, The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert, Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, Tootsie, Some Like It Hot, Forrest Gump, The Godfather, West Side Story, Buffy The Vampire Slayer, Top Gun, Ghost and The Graduate. For the full line-up, check palacecinemas.com.au.

BLOOD PULLS A GUN AT SXSWBlood Pulls A Gun, the new Australian short fi lm by acclaimed director Ben Briand has been selected to compete for the Grand Jury Award in the short fi lm program at the prestigious SXSW Film Festival, which kicks off on Friday March 7. Blood Pulls A Gun was selected from a record number of over 4,000 entries to screen as one of 23 fi lms in competition for the Grand Jury Award, making it the only Australian short in this year’s competitive narrative program. This follows the fi lm recently being awarded a Gold ACS Award

for its cinematography, shot by exciting new talent Jeremy Rouse. It tells the story of Alice, whose unexciting life in her father’s isolated motel is changed forever when the enigmatic Blood checks in. To see the trailer, go to vimeo.com/81691836.

OTHERKIN Dominik Mersch Gallery has announced the third solo exhibition of Sydney-based artist Tim Johnson. Otherkin takes a look at a world where people see themselves as other than human, infused with panoramic and layered imagery expressing the visual energy of Buddhist, Daoist, animist and extra-terrestrial perspectives. The paintings themselves have multiple identities as Johnson uses various processes and styles, and imagery from many sources. Exhibition is open Thursday March 6 to Saturday March 29 and more details are at dominikmerschgallery.com.

BALLETBOYZOne of the UK’s hottest all male dance ensembles, BalletBoyz – The Talent, is coming to the Sydney Opera House’s Drama Theatre this May, following a sold out international tour and a season at Sadler’s Wells London. The Talent features ten emerging young dancers, handpicked through open auditions across the UK, who come from different dance backgrounds and training. All demonstrate a passion for dance and natural, unharnessed talent. For more info about the group, dance on over to balletboyz.com, and grab your tickets at sydneyoperahouse.com.

FRANKY WALNUT’S A BIT NUTSMusical comedian Franky Walnut will release his debut album on Friday April 11. The Franky Walnut Refl ective Drink Coaster examines what it is to be Australian, with songs about drinking, ogling women, love, friendship and bullying. Franky will be promoting his album during an extensive three month national tour and a solo show at this year’s Sydney Comedy Festival. He will also join cult rock band The Beards on their national tour in May. For all dates and tickets see frankywalnut.com.

ART MONTH BEGINS Art Month Sydney is GO! The three week festival began on Saturday March 1 and runs until Sunday March 23 and comprises a world-class line-up of Australian and international artists and hundreds of art inspired events across Sydney. Our highlights for the month include Collector’s Space, an urban space fi lled with museum quality artworks never seen together in public before; Art on the Runway, Sydney fashion and design identities explore how art and fashion fi t together; Street Art, blurring lines between graffiti and gallery art today; Cinema Dreams, quirky screen classics curated by local artists; Art Cycle, discover Sydney’s art neighbourhoods by bike; My First Time, how and where to start an art collection for any price range; and art tours across Sydney by day or night. Check the full program at artmonthsydney.com.au.

CUBAN FURY! SALSA! WIN!Everyone loves a good salsa movie, but it’s not often that the protagonist is a shabby, overweight Englishman. Bruce (Nick Frost) was once a salsa champion, but hasn’t danced since being bullied 22 years ago. When he falls for his gorgeous American boss (Rashida Jones), the only way he can win her heart is by unleashing his sweet salsa moves and reclaiming the title Cuban Fury. Cue introspection, personal growth and awkward English comedy.

Cuban Fury opens in cinemas March 20, and the BRAG has 10 double passes to give away. To enter, just head to thebrag.com/freeshit and tell us what skill you would unleash to win the love of your life. I would make them heaps of balloon animals.

arts frontline free stuff

A graduate from the South Australian School Of Art, Eleni Nakopoulos was once

a highly successful art director with a major Australian advertising agency, but, since realising her passion lay with visual arts, she has produced several bodies of work, each with a discrete purpose and meaning. She took fi ve minutes to talk to the BRAG about her latest work, life captured.

Tell us about life captured. This latest exhibition consists of seven paintings, all oil on canvas/linen ranging in size from 180cmx137cm to 137cmx91cm. The subject matter is zoo/captive animals (cheetah, leopard, snake, elephant, monkey, gorilla and giraffe). My aim is to show the beauty of each of these creatures, but with a sinister

underpinning, that appears by way of a cage or fence, that only becomes obvious in most cases when each painting is closely inspected. On average, each painting takes around four months to fi nish.

What was the inspiration for this project? The theme, life captured, was inspired by the increasing unease I was feeling in visits to Taronga Zoo as my son was growing up. I was fi nding it increasingly disturbing to fi nd so many magnifi cent creatures housed in an environment so foreign to their natural habitat, that it began to provoke questions that I fi nd troubling. In an age where so many creatures are on the brink of extinction through rampant poaching, deforestation, increasing urbanisation, or suffering brutalisation, like a recent report of a giraffe in Denmark being cut up into pieces and fed to the lions because it didn’t have the

right genes. I fi nd it ironic that eventually, what is naturally wild and free, may only survive in a caged or controlled environment. It begs the question – surely there must be another way?

What are you working on next?As far as future work, I am wrestling with a few ideas. One of them might be a series of portraits in a similar style (fi gurative expressionism), which explores the emotional state of the various subjects as the primary focus.

What is your spirit animal? If there is any creature that I would consider to be my spiritual symbol, then it would be the cheetah. I admire the cheetah’s physicality, its agility, it’s spirit and its regal bearing.

head to: thebrag.com/freeshitarts news...what's goin' on around town...with Hannah Warren

What: life capturedWhen: Until Saturday March 15Where: The Depot Gallery II, 2 Danks Street, Waterloo

CULTURAL VANDALISM THROUGH ARTThe fi rst exhibition at the Art Gallery of New South Wales by Sydney-based artist Khadim Ali explores what he describes as ‘cultural vandalism’ and the dehumanising of the Hazara people in Afghanistan, capturing in his art his deep and personal concerns about family, his own heritage, the construction of morality and ethnic, racial and religious fanaticism. The Haunted Lotus, which depicts the demons that continue to haunt Ali, includes fi ne gouache and ink paintings; a series of large-scale, richly coloured rugs; and videos that represent the artist’s working methodology. Admission is free, and it’s on display from Thursday March 6 to Sunday June 1.

fi ve minutesWITH ELENI NAKOPOULOS

ANTENNA UP!Antenna Documentary Festival is excited to open submissions for the 2014 festival, which will take place for the fourth year in Sydney this October. Antenna invites features and short documentaries from established and debut fi lmmakers alike to submit their fi lms. The festival will screen over 30 feature documentaries and ten shorts across three competitions, all with cash prizes, as well as Q&A sessions, international guests, master-classes and other special events. The submission categories are: International Competition, Australian Competition and Australian Shorts Competition, and the deadline is April 25. Check the rules and regulations, and submit your fi lm at antennafestival.org.

Eleni Nakopoulos

Untitled 1 (From Haunted Lotus series)

Antenna Documentary Festival

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Nick Frost in Cuban Fury

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While most theatre companies purport to have fresh and challenging productions, the truth is that few are

able to achieve genuine innovation or originality. Ganesh Versus The Third Reich manages both in unexpected, occasionally confronting ways. Back To Back Theatre’s Executive Producer, Alice Nash, tells us how this internationally lauded play came to be, and how an elephant-headed Hindu God and the Nazi Führer make for unlikely bedfellows.

From the production stills alone, you know you’re in for something different. A seemingly uncomfortable Adolf Hitler looks sidelong at a towering fi gure beside him dressed in a crisp grey suit and sporting a large, realistic elephant head. Originating in Geelong and devised by fi ve actors with intellectual disabilities, it has already achieved glowing reviews and in 2012 won the Helpmann Award for Best Play.

“All of our works are written by our actors,” Alice explains, “and it always comes from something unexpected and interesting. This story came from two places. The fi rst was from an actress who is just obsessed with Ganesh. We started a creative journal which was her showing us hundreds of drawings of Ganesh that she had done. Meanwhile, we were working with another actor, taking her voice and making it really, really low, and seeing how that changed her physicality. Would it make her, say, seem more brutal? One day she shaved her hair really

tightly and was wearing this bomber jacket, and she looked like a neo-Nazi. And then ... we did this terribly embarrassing thing. We googled ‘neo-Nazi’ and ‘Ganesh’, to see what we could fi nd, and realised there was this connection between the ancient Hindu symbol of the swastika which was appropriated by the Nazis. From that came this seemingly ridiculous narrative of Ganesh travelling to Nazi Germany to get the symbol back from Hitler.”

Given this production not only blends Hinduism and the Holocaust, but also directly confronts the audience’s own complicity in how the past is remembered, I ask Alice how conscious Back To Back have been about the sensitivity of these topics.

“We defi nitely feel a responsibility, especially in telling stories that aren’t our own. The show in itself is about who has the right to tell certain stories, about which voices are heard on our stages, who has the right to be seen, to be heard. These stories emerged as ways of addressing larger issues like power, appropriation and voice. It touches very directly on the Holocaust, and yes, the show represents a Hindu deity on stage, so we undertook an immense amount of research and conversation about how best to do that. I feel strongly that though the show has difficult moments, I believe we’ve managed to get our head around some big topics that are meaningful for our audiences.”

It sounds like an enthralling, if confronting, experience for the audience and before we end I wonder if there have been performances that were not able to get the audience onside.

“Every audience is different. You can often tell how an audience might be as soon as they sit down. Some audiences sit down and they’re already leaning forward in their seats, they’re ready. Some audiences are a bit more … sceptical. There are two narratives here, and we move back and forward between those two realities very quickly, sometimes not giving the audience much of a clue. We’re really

interested in how that audience is constructing which reality, and what it means to them about what they’re interpreting. I feel pretty certain that by the end most of the audience have gone through a pretty arduous journey and they’re still with us. It’s a very circuitous path. We never really know where we’re going until we get there.”

Of course the Artistic Director of Art Month is called Scrap Wall. With a moniker like that, any other job would be inevitably

unsatisfying. Over the phone he is effusive and charming as he waits to board a plane to a location we never discuss, but which I believe is a top-secret fashion mecca under a volcano somewhere. He also speaks a mile a minute, which, given the sheer scope of Art Month, is little surprise; there’s a lot of ground to cover.

It seemed to me that visual art today is stuck in an unenviable position. Unlike prose or music – portable art, if you will – visual art is something that can’t be fully appreciated digitally. There is something inherently electrifying about seeing art in the fl esh, and because that involves physical presence in a gallery, I wonder if its power could be on the decline. Wall doesn’t believe this is the case at all.

“I feel that visual arts is experiencing the same kind of revolution as all the other arts,” he says. “That’s something that we explore in Art Month; how art fi ts into contemporary culture, be it music, design, architecture, fashion, all of those elements. For instance, I know that people might feel even more engaged with a work because they’ve experienced it online before seeing it in the fl esh. And that’s not even considering the growth of internet art itself. It’s a time of change,

and it’s all moving really quickly in every direction. That’s something that we’re trying to show.”

One of the features of Art Month is Art On The Runway, which explores the artistic infl uences and expressions found in contemporary fashion. To many people, certain fashion designs almost trespass into science fi ction; clothes that seem so very delicate or impractical that they represent something more than the traditional purpose of clothing. They are almost art installations that you just happen to be able to carry with you.

“I guess it’s just another mode of expression. Like music tastes, certain elements aren’t for everybody. There are so many forums for expression out there, and the example of fashion as art installation, well, that’s a key example of those two fi elds overlapping. That an artist can be producing clothes isn’t that unusual now. The infl uence of one kind of art bleeding into another is becoming more and more direct. I wish I could have put more weight into the music element of Art Month because I think that’s a fi eld that has such raw expression, where people come to see something that is a full production. Performers don’t just sing, they put on a show, and there’s no difference between that and the purely visual. I mean, contemporary

art certainly isn’t sitting there in a gold frame.”He makes a fair point – many live music gigs today try to incorporate a huge array of different artistic approaches to their sound and image; lighting, set designs, promotional materials.

“Years ago I came to Sydney to see the U2 Pop tour,” Wall refl ects, only a little embarrassed, “Which at the time had the biggest LED screen in the world. It had this infl atable lemon bigger than anything you’d ever seen, and even back then I thought to myself, ‘Jesus! If that’s not art, I don’t know what is.’ It was completely nuts. At the other end of the spectrum, I went by myself to see Marilyn Manson because none of my friends would go with me. But I was fascinated, I wanted

to see what happened at these concerts. And Manson was there with respirators attached from his groin to people’s faces, and it was way weirder than anything else that was happening at the time but was this really striking visual. At the end of the day, what I’m trying to say is that the boundaries between disciplines don’t really exist anymore. I think the future belongs to the catalysts.”

[VISUAL ART] Wearable Art By Adam Norris

What: Art On The Runway discussion, part of Art Month SydneyWhen: Friday March 7Where: CarriageworksMore: artmonthsydney.com.au

Art On The Runway Romance Was Born

[THEATRE] Complicit Memories By Adam Norris

The term ‘rock ‘n’ roll’ tends to conjure images of late night benders, glamorous hotel rooms and breaking all the rules.

But Jackie Weissman’s latest documentary, Rock N Roll Mamas, proves that it can also be a world fi lled with nappies, breastfeeding and

play dates...at least when you’re an indie rock goddess who also happens to be a mum.

A fi lm that was almost a decade in the making, Rock N Roll Mamas centres around the lives of Zia McCabe (Dandy Warhols), Kristen Hersh (Throwing Muses, 50 Foot Wave), and hip hop artist Ms. Su’ad as they walk the line between bands and babies. It was fi nally released in 2013, and it will enjoy its Australian debut at the World Of Women Film Festival.

Weissman fi rst the conceived the idea for the documentary while her son was a toddler and she lost her job as a video editor. She began searching for role models in the documentary world who, like herself, were freelancing whilst raising a family. Initially, she found this task difficult, until happening upon an article about alternative rock musicians who were mothers. She identifi ed with their stories and believed that other people would also. But this is no E! True Hollywood Story. Audiences will see the real and gritty side of child rearing and being a rock musician without the luxury of an entourage of nannies and educators. Even

more interesting, we get to see it from the perspective of women who are respectively tackling the job in their 20s, 30s and 40s.

Being a working mother herself, the story of these three ladies of rock parallels Weissman’s in many ways as she fi lmed around her son’s preschool schedule and her husband’s job. One of the biggest challenges she faced was funding such a long-term venture. “While making the fi lm, the music and doc fi lm industry changed quite a bit, making fi nding money to make a fi lm like this one scarce,” she said. “I am very lucky to have a supportive partner and son, and friends, as well as a terrifi c producer and editor.”

This is a theme that’s important to the documentary in general; the importance of a support network for a mother working in the entertainment industry. Weissman believes that this where “a supportive spouse or family is imperative as the hours are sporadic and usually at night...I do think husbands/partners should take an equal role in childrearing no matter what fi eld the mother chooses to go into.”

The ‘superwoman’ complex is a concept that impacts heavily upon modern women, and one which is addressed directly by Weissman in the fi lm. “I think women (and men) are expected by society to juggle and have it all and this is not a realistic expectation. Something is always sacrifi ced, happiness, sleep, money, spending time with your children, etc. ... I think people need to prioritize what is important to them in life and act on those priorities, not what society expects of them,” she says. “After showing this fi lm to many musicians, artists, and parents, I can say that it will validate whatever choices you make for yourself.  Some people think these women have a very hard life while others think they are kick ass and powerful. It is up to the viewer to decide.”

[FILM] Rock Me Baby By Tegan Jones

Rock N Roll Mamas

What: Rock N Roll Mamas as part of the World of Women Film FestivalWhen: Monday March 10Where: The Vanguard, Newtown More: wift.org/wow

What: Ganesh Versus The Third ReichWhen: Wednesday March 12 – Saturday March 15Where: Carriageworks

Jackie Weissman

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Ganesh Versus The Third ReichGanesh Versus The

Third Reich

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Arts ExposedWhat's in our diary...

Art At Night Chippendale | RedfernLevel 3, 28 Broadway, Chippendale, Thursday March 6 at 6pm

Everything is more exciting at night, and that includes Sydney’s art scene – so why not join Art Month to explore it after dark? Art At Night is an opportunity to grab some friends and have a free adventure through Chippendale and Redfern art galleries before heading to the official Art Bar at L3 Central for drinks, music and performances until late. You can even hashtag your artventures with #artmonth and see your images at artmonthsydney.com/au/photogallery. If you can’t make it to this event, there are more Art At Night events in Paddington/Woollahra and East Sydney/Darlinghurst on March 13 and 21.

Check artmonthsydney.com for more details.

■ Theatre

NOISES OFFUntil April 5 at the Sydney Opera House Drama Theatre

Michael Frayn’s Noises Off may be one big gimmick, but what a gimmick.

The play is split into three acts. In the fi rst, a second-rate troupe of actors is in fi nal rehearsals for Nothing On, a very English farce full of bad jokes, pratfalls, class caricature laid on thick and a running gag about sardines. It’s 24 hours until opening night, and the production’s director (Marcus Graham), is tearing his hair out. In the next act, the set’s been revolved 180 degrees – we’re now backstage in the middle of a performance. A month into its tour of regional dives, the company is coming apart. The play’s star Garry (Josh McConville) is convinced that Dotty (Genevieve Lemon) is cheating on him with another actor, and Garry is trying to kill said actor between entrances. Finally, the set is rotated back again, and we watch the play within the play as it careens wildly off the rails, beset by injuries and self-sabotage.

Jonathan Biggins’ production is powered by a kind of exhilaration. McConville as Garry is outstanding, and he’s matched by the rest of the cast. I’ve heard some dodgy English accents on Australian stages in recent times, not least in the STC’s own Loot, also starring McConville. But the cast here nails it, not just the accents but the whole climate of run-down regional touring.

It’s a hugely physical show; particularly in the second act when we’re privy to the goings on in the wings and backstage, the play basically becomes a silent comedy, like a sort of turbocharged Mr. Bean. The play’s last third, a crescendo of incompetence, is brilliantly done but could be half as long. As an aria of fl ubbed lines and missed entrances, it’s sublime, but inevitably repetitive. Still, 2014 will be a good year if the STC delivers another show as fl uid and gloriously unpretentious as this one.

Harry Windsor

■ Dance

REFLECT February 26 – March 1 at Riverside Paramatta

Everyone drops their clothes, everyone falls to the fl oor, then the real dancing begins. Or so it goes in choreographer Sue Peacock’s latest offering, Refl ect.

This piece kicks off Dance Bites 2014, a series presented by FORM Dance Projects, featuring some of the most innovative work in contemporary Australian dance.

The highly regarded Peacock’s various accolades include both Australia-wide and Western Australian dance awards. In Refl ect, a piece which has travelled over from WA, she explores the intrinsically human abilities of perception and refl ection, as a group of people are bound by a common thread which provides context for memories to unfold.

There is tension and release, elongated pauses and fi st pumping action. It is a story that is shown rather than told. With no recognisable plot, and mildly confusing characterisation, the power of the piece rests in the perky choreography and snappy score.

Size, space and personality appear pleasurably fl uid in this one-hour performance. Shadow play and projections accentuate movement between large and small, as well as the space and intimacy between the dancers. Casual gyration occurs more than once. The characters twirl through seemingly ever-changing relationships, while fast jolting movement appears to fl ow delicately.

This infi nite sense of fl ow may be indebted to the superb work of sound designer Ben Taaffe. Electronic beats move between hazy trance and base-dropping rhythms, while ‘70s tunes spin into the ‘30s. Both sounds and dancers move into the nooks and crevices of new forms and bodies.

The intimate stage in Parramatta’s Riverside Theatre is slightly off the beaten track of the local arts scene, yet Sydney’s geographic centre is opening up a whole range of exciting performance works.

Refl ect is ultimately a work that you need to let wash over you: the upbeat, cheeky and invigorating performance is captivating.

Harriet McInerney

See www.thebrag.com for more arts reviews

Hits and misses on the silver screen around town

■ Film

TRACKSIn cinemas March 6.

Tracks is Australia’s answer to Into The Wild. Set in 1975, it’s the true story of Robyn Davidson, a 25-year-old Australian who removed herself from city life and, ultimately, human company to embark on an epic and inspiring 2,700km journey from Alice Springs across the Australian desert to the Indian Ocean.

As Davidson (played by Mia Wasikowska) saunters into town, her loyal dog Diggity by her side, the red-dust wash of the Australian outback at her heels, it's clear she has little more to her name than the clothes on her back. But what

she does have is an ambitious plan: she’s going to break and acquire three camels, her beasts of burden, and journey to the ocean.

Even before her journey commences, she realises she’ll need to obtain funding for her trip, which arrives in the form of sponsorship from National Geographic. The catch? Intermittently throughout her adventure, the publication’s photographer Rick Smolon (Adam Driver), who’s obviously smitten with her at fi rst sight, will capture her private journey, which begins as a physical challenge, but spirals quickly into an abasing tumult as Davidson battles with loneliness, the unforgiving desert, and the insecurities of public exposure.

The cinematography of Tracks is exquisite. It’s a throwback to the iconic images that were featured in the real life article, and conveys the enchantment of the townships and the brutality of the natural landscape.

Wasikowska is perfectly suited to the role of Davidson, capturing her tenacity and resilience with a confi dent, borderline masculine charm, while somehow managing to maintain a state of vulnerability and elusiveness that instantly draws the audience to her side. Her performance is so emotionally rich and commendable, it comes as no surprise that the real Davidson suggested her specifi cally for the part.

Stephanie Yip

Film Reviews

Ron Haddick, Tracy Mann, Alan Dukes Ron Haddick, Tracy Mann, Alan Dukes in in Noises OffNoises Off

Mia Wasikowska in Tracks

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BARONS OF TANGJORDIE LANE TRACEY BUNN

with an A-List of National and International Acts

WWW.FOLKFESTIVAL.ORG.AUfacebook.com/folkfestival twitter.com/natfolkfest

17-21 APRIL, 2014 | EXHIBITION PARK, CANBERRA

NATIONALFOLK FESTIVALBrilliant line-up of over 200 acts featuring styles as diverse as:ACOUSTIC BLUES ROOTS TRAD BLUEGRASS WORLD CELTIC GYPSY COUNTRY

including

Art At Night

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Specialty: Everything is 100% Australian handmade, independent art, craft and design – jewellery, women’s clothing and accessories, ceramics and pottery, babies and kids products. You’re guaranteed

that any gorgeous designs you fall in love with were made with heart and utter intention.

Vibe: A curated market of gorgeous handmade products. All stalls are manned by the makers themselves.

Crowd: This market will attract people who love and appreciate the beauty of Australian handmade products in the form of art, craft and design. If you are looking for something one of a kind, this is the place to be.

Nibbles: There are all sorts of handmade treats such as cookies, cupcakes, and coffee, but they also aren’t far from Church Street, popularly known as ‘eat street’!

Highlights: The best part of these markets is that you get to meet and talk to the person who actually made the product – meet the maker and support Australian independent handmade!

Where: Riverside Theatre (the market is in the courtyard inside the building), Cnr Church and Market Sts, ParramattaWhen: Saturday April 5, 9.30am to 2.30pm. Usually one every season.Web: thedreamersmarket.com

THE BRAG ♥s MARKETS GUIDE

Specialty: Passionate, colourful and seriously cool stallholders from all over NSW sell quality, rock ‘n’ roll, alternative and vintage clothing, jewellery, accessories, make-up, music, including vinyl records, rock posters, cult DVDs, tikis, tattoo art, books, comics, art, homewares, collectables, unique and handmade goods, retro hair and make-up stylists, a traditional barber and more. There truly is something for everybody at this market.

Vibe: Part market, part music festival, part meeting place. The entertainment line-up for April 6 features Rusty Pinto & the Dragstrip Trio (WA), Los Tones, The Johhny Casino Three & Lucky Luke & his Shooting Stars Plus DJs Limpin’ Jimmy & the Swingin’ Kitten, Rod Almighty, The Crimplenes and Mint Minus. Bands appear on the Massive Manning bar stage in full concert mode with DJs appearing both in Manning Bar and in the outdoor tiki bar courtyard.

Crowd: This market attracts a very diverse crowd seeking the best in rockin’ retro and alternative fashion, music and the coolest wares around. All are welcome at this market.

Nibbles: There are two bars - Manning Bar and the outdoor Tiki Bar plus a cafe and bistro, and fabulous food stalls selling Mexican, Greek, Turkish and South American Food as well as a cupcake stall.

Highlights: It’s a place where you can have one of Sydney’s most unique and colourful shopping experiences and a fabulous day out with a massive entertainment line-up throughout the day, kids activity area, vintage vehicle display plus more.

Where: Manning Bar and Manning House, Manning Road, University of Sydney. Entry is $5When: Sunday April 6 (about every two months), 10:30am to 5:30pmWeb: rocknrollmarket.com.au

As summer draws to a close, make the most of the good weather and head to one of Sydney’s awesome markets. Grab some delicious food, enjoy some tunes and pick up something vintage, handmade, locally sourced, unique or just plain gorgeous. We’ve picked a few of our faves, and there’s enough here to keep you going for a month of Sundays (and Saturdays)! To market, to market...

SYDNEY ROCK ‘N’ ROLL & ALTERNATIVE MARKET

THE DREAMERS MARKET craft

music

What’s the deal? ‘Markets in May’ is a celebration in support of local markets and everything that we love about them. They provide access to fresh local and artisan products, offer engagement within communities and provide small businesses with trade opportunities. Markets around town will be offering fun events and activities throughout the month and to kick it all off Local Market Guide is hosting a pop-up market in Martin Place, promoting a handful of unique and successful Sydney stallholders.

Vibe: It’s a celebration! There will be busker style entertainment, stallholder sampling and the opportunity to talk directly with the farmers and producers about their product. Best of all you can sit and enjoy your lunch with friends in the midst of a bustling market atmosphere in the centre of the city.

Nibbles: It’s purely a sampling market. 12 local Sydney stallholders will be showcasing their produce and offering tasters for a variety of products from organic tea (TTotaler) and almond milk( Inside Out Nutritious Food) to healthy home cooked meals (Tartlat Thai & Maggie McKeevers) plus olive oils from Mudgee (Gwydir Grove) & everyone’s favourite Brasserie Bread.

Selling point: It’s a pop-up mar ket, it’s free to enjoy and it’s all in the name of supporting local markets and producers. Instagrammers, don’t miss the opportunity to print up your selfi es for a bit of fun!

Where: Martin PlaceWhen: Thursday May 1, 12pm to 2pmWeb: localmarketguide.com.au

MARKETS IN MAY POP UP MARKET

local

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Specialty: This market specialises in second-hand and vintage goods, including clothing, furniture, accessories and art. There are also plenty of handmade and designer jewellery, candles, books and music recordings.

Vibe: The market is always busy and very vibrant. All our stall holders have an artistic edge and bring an air of creativity and artistic self-expression with them.

Crowd: The crowd consists of locals for whom the market is a much-loved monthly event, trendy inner city dwellers looking for good deals on stylish garments, lovers of unique handmade jewellery and home accessories, and connoisseurs of vintage art, music and literature. The market is family friendly; Surry Hills Neighbourhood Centre runs a Community Café on the market day, and they often have families come up for a refreshing tea or lunch after the shopping.

Nibbles: There is gozleme, Japanese cakes, homemade jams, and healthy drinks available at the market. The community café serves Devonshire teas with freshly made scones, jam & cream, fl owerless cakes, and savoury dishes such as salads, frittatas and soups.

Highlights: There is an amazing eclectic mix of goods that can be found at the market, both vintage and handmade; new stall holders at each market – there’s always someone new to meet and something new to discover; the friendly and fun atmosphere; having families and long-standing Surry Hills locals enjoying

morning tea and lunch at the Community Café.

The best part is that the market is truly a community event that brings people together and creates a festive, inviting atmosphere.

Where: Shannon Reserve, cnr of Crown and Collins Streets, Surry HillsWhen: First Saturday of the month, 7am to 4pmWeb: shnc.org

Workshops, Activities, Talks

& Entertainment!

Launch Market Thursday 1st May 12pm – 2pm Martin Place

www.localmarketguide.com.au

Specialty: Australian made products, art, jewellery, clothing, recycled goods, photography, specialty artisans, plants and fresh fl owers. Everything, really! Vibe: The atmosphere is buzzing, and there’s live music every week!

Crowd: These markets attract international and interstate visitors and locals looking for unique gifts. Parents with children love the playground area and dogs are welcome!

Nibbles: They have plenty of international foods – Irish, German, Himalayan, Japanese, Asian fusion – as well as Aussie BBQ and grill, specialty breads, chocolates and cakes, coffee, a juice bar and cold drinks.

Highlights: The best part of these markets is that they’re not for profi t; and there are new traders every month! There are areas to sit and relax over coffee and lunch, and it’s a great place to bring your visitors. At Paddington Markets, people matter and their passion and creativity is encouraged. They think that it’s worth supporting small Australian business and designers and their unique good quality local products, and believe that with a generous heart and a passionate spirit you can change the world.

Where: 395 Oxford Street, PaddingtonWhen: Saturdays from 10amWeb: paddingtonmarkets.com.au

PADDINGTON MARKETS

love

SURRY HILLS MARKETS

vintage

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THE BRAG ♥s MARKETS GUIDE

Specialty: Quadrangle Rooftop Market features a curated selection of some of the most interesting and innovative local businesses from within Surry Hills and its surrounds. The market features food, design, fashion and art – the best local producers, artisans and tastemakers.

In March they are showcasing: Trolley’d, locally sourced and inventive food by Studio Neon, Batlow Cider, Barrett Soy Candles, new skincare range Mia Tree, which uses natural Australian Macadamia oil, local jewellery designer Burton Metal Depository, Surry Hills’ The Sandwich Shop, short courses by creative short course hub, Work-Shop, organic drinks by Karma Cola, raw, vegan and vegetarian snacks by Naked Indiana/Little Indi and more to be announced soon including a soda stream, nail art and fashion.

Vibe: There is something for everyone at Quadrangle. Browse stalls, grab something to eat, groove to resident DJ ROOF, enjoy the view and stay a while.

Nibbles: Sandwiches by The Sandwich Shop, locally sourced and inventive fare by Studio Neon, vegetarian, vegan and raw snacks by Naked Indiana and drinks by Trolley’d, Batlow Cider and Karma Cola.

Highlights: Experience the work of some of the local area’s most interesting businesses from the vantage of a sun drenched Surry Hills rooftop. Quadrangle is not your standard market – the exhibitors are not regular market stallholders, but rather some of the city’s most innovative stand-out businesses. And Quadrangle is a great place to do more than browse and shop – stop, hang out and stay a while.

Where: At The Office Space and Gallery 2010When: Saturday 15 March 12pm to 4pmWeb: gallery2010.com.au

Specialty: At Bondi Markets you’ll fi nd original designer clothing, exotic imports, handmade jewellery, arts, crafts, homewares, retro furniture, vintage clothes and so much more.

Vibe: Bondi Markets have been open every Sunday since 1993 in the beachfront grounds of Bondi Beach

Public School. Every hungover hip-young-thang and his pet Pomeranian pedigree poodle pup will be there.

Crowd: You know me, I’m on the 333, Circular Quay then back to the sea. Make it Bonsoy.

Nibbles: There’s always something on offer to keep your tastebuds occupied.

Highlights: This is the place to fi nd the next big thing; keep your eye out for up and coming designers and craftspeople. Mix with the locals and shop to the sights and sounds of Australia’s most famous beach.

Where: Bondi Beach Public SchoolWhen: Every Sunday 10am to 4pmWeb: bondimarkets.com.au

QUADRANGLE ROOFTOP MARKET

art

CHARLIE MIDDLETONCharlie Middleton is a small Sydney label that produces a range of genuine leather accessories.

They keep it simple and concentrate on quality rather than bling. They source the best quality leathers from around the world and handcraft each item in their Bondi Studio so they have a very short turnaround for new designs and offer a bespoke service on their range of bags.

Choose your leather, your handle, your hardware; then they handmake your bespoke tote bag within four business days and ship it anywhere in the world.

If you want a simple, beautiful tote bag that will only get better with age and last for years, check out Charlie Middleton at Paddington Markets every Saturday and Bondi Markets every Sunday, or online at charliemiddleton.com.

design

BONDI MARKETS

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Specialty: Glebe Markets is the ideal place to fi nd that cool, vintage or retro item, a brilliant place for the up-cycled, and reworked. Glebe has a cool vibe with a diverse style making it a great day out.

Vibe: Glebe is very much an inner city market in style. It is vibrant, alternative, bohemian and laid back. One minute you are looking at rare stones and jewellery and the next a group of people start a wild drumming beat. It’s cool and chaotic in a beautiful way!

Crowd: The markets have grown to refl ect a funky and bohemian inner city crowd. People come to Glebe looking for an authentic market with the opportunity to meet the maker of hand-made products and fi nd out how they made it. Glebe offers a bargain price for unique items in an enjoyable environment. Why go to a department store when you’ve got free live music, great food and funky stalls to explore?

Nibbles: Glebe markets has a wide range of food from savoury lunch snacks such as authentic Venezuelan dishes, salads, Chinese yum-cha and Russian blinis, to

snacks for the sweet tooth like Armenian sweets, organic chocolate,

pancakes, coffee and chai

Highlights: Glebe offers visitors an authentic experience in which stallholders break into song with their friends, friends can be made and met, bargains can be found and delicious and varied foods can be discovered. All while visiting the cool shops and cafes of Glebe.

Where: Glebe Point Road, Glebe.When: Every Saturday 10 to 4pmWeb: www.glebemarkets.com.au

The Surry Hills Markets The Surry Hills Markets

7am to 4pmFirst Saturday

of Every month

7am to 4pmFirst Saturday

of Every monthSpecialising in vintage clothes,

handmade,second-hand & recycled goods.

C o r n e r o f C r o w n & C o l l i n s S t s , i n S h a n n o n R e s e r v e S u r r y H i l l s .

GLEBE MARKETS

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Xxxx

ELBOWThe Take Off And Landing Of EverythingFiction/Universal

Anyone displeased with the sunny disposition of Build A Rocket Boys! should be very satisfi ed with Elbow’s follow-up. Singer Guy Garvey apparently broke up with his longtime girlfriend while it was being made, but you don’t need to know that to note the present sense of loss throughout the album.

There’s a lot to admire: the production is perfect, for a start. The harmonies of ‘Real Life (Angel)’ and its repeated ‘angel’ lyric, coupled with a backing string section, are incredibly moving. ‘My Sad Captains’ is classic Elbow, a sea shanty elegy to fallen comrades that seems to describe life as “a perfect waste of time”.

What’s missing from this album, though, is Elbow’s past catharsis. There’s no emotional release here like on ‘Station Approach’ or ‘New Born’. On this album, melody is king. Apart from the debauched brass and woodwinds on ‘Fly Boy Blue/Lunette’ (the clear album highlight), the focus is always on Garvey’s voice, and it’s stuck on sadman mode.

Elbow fans will fi nd a lot to love in this album, but a newcomer’s enjoyment relies on them loving Garvey’s voice. Otherwise the melancholia will get to them quickly.

Leonardo Silvestrini

BETTER THAN THE WIZARDSBetter Than The WizardsIndependent

In the market for some basic upbeat pop music with elements of soul? The self-titled debut album from Better Than The Wizards is here to satisfy that need. From opener ‘She Said’ to fi nal track ‘Play With Fire’, you get that 100 per cent generic upbeat pop sound with those exotic elements of soul.

Now, there’s nothing wrong with upbeat music that’s enjoyable to listen to, no matter whose name is on the cover. The thing is, you’ve heard it all before. And yes, this album does have a bit more fi re to it than you may be used to, with that pop-in-your-step bassline or the horn sections blasting a false impression of originality into your head. But you’re not hearing anything new. Even the opening lyrics of ‘Up All Night’ tell you as much: “This story has been told a thousand times before / But I’m just making sure you heard it right”.

That’s what this album is. It’s a drink with a little umbrella in it and you’re led to believe you’re drinking something exotic. But take the umbrella out and you’ll realise you’ve just got tequila and orange juice. That said, what’s wrong with tequila and orange juice?

Daniel Prior

SCOTT H. BIRAMNothin’ But BloodBloodshot

Scott H. Biram’s new record, Nothin’ But Blood, gives the impression of a man who has spent his life knee-deep in the pungent faeces of personal dysfunction: booze, drugs, relationship meltdown, incarceration, war and then some.  But to listen to the album is to fi nd an artist almost revelling in the opportunity to create razor-sharp music from the many and varied crises of life. ‘Slow & Easy’ recalls the stark images of Biram’s childhood, and his withdrawal to the shadows to get his life back in order; ‘Gotta Get To Heaven’ is the country-infused man trying to fi nd redemption. ‘Alcohol Blues’ and the pulverising ‘Only Whiskey’ are defi ant celebrations of alcohol’s dangerous virtues; ‘Never Comin’ Home’ is heart-wrenching Hank Williams melancholy; ‘Church Point Girls’ could get you arrested in most southern states – and probably just about anywhere in Australia – and ‘I’m Troubled’ is the back porch equivalent of a session on Dr. Freud’s couch. The cover of ‘Amazing Grace’ sees Biram’s harmonica taking the time-honoured church classic to Deliverance country, while ‘When I Die’ is draped with honesty, and not a drop of hypocrisy.

There’s some bad shit that’s gone on to make this record, and that’s why it’s just so good to hear.

Patrick Emery

I BREAK HORSESChiaroscuroBella Union/[PIAS]

In alignment with the defi nition of their new album’s title (an Italian word for the contrast between light and dark in artwork), Swedish duo I Break Horses have shed some light on the dark shoegazing sound of their debut album, 2011’s Hearts. With the emphasis now shifting to smooth, heady synthpop, it’s the uptempo numbers on Chiaroscuro that grab you on fi rst listen, such as the techno throb of ‘Faith’ and the instantly accessible ‘Denial’. But repeated listens bring the more refl ective, less beat-driven songs to the fore; pulsating, atmospheric ballads like ‘Medicine Brush’ and ‘Disclosure’ are reminiscent of Gold-frapp’s seductive debut, Felt Moun-tain. Beneath all the buzzing synths and scattershot beats are some deceptively simple and direct songs. It’s the more expansive numbers that simmer along and explore a sense of space without much in the way of chiaroscuro contrasts that resonate the most strongly. Maria Lindén and Fredrik Balck seem to still be exploring and fi nding their sound, and the mysterious song titles and lyrics on this record do little to lift the veil on the band’s true self.

But there’s little that’s puzzling about the spare, eloquent fusion of electronic music and dream-pop, especially when it’s cast in pleasingly subtle shades. Chris Girdler

OF MICE & MENRestoring ForceRise/Warner

A lot has happened for Of Mice & Men since they released The Flood in 2011, and from Restoring Force’s opening screams of ‘You all have something to say’ in ‘Public Service Announcement’, it is clear this is a band with bones to pick and a new direction to match. Restoring Force is not a complete departure from the Of Mice & Men of three years ago, their sound still relying on some of the textbook metalcore elements they have become so comfortable with. Instead, the band fi nds itself in a state of transition, still holding on to pieces of that signature sound while fi ghting to cement itself in the nu-metal surrounds heard on this album.

Restoring Force covers the full spectrum that is the new and improved Of Mice & Men, beginning with a guttural roar and ending with the softly tender ‘Space Enough To Grow’, and fl owing between a variety of sounds along the way.

While the fi nal track might seem an anticlimax, what it really shows is the span of this new sound and the potential it holds once Of Mice & Men really lock onto it. Gloria Brancatisano

Album Reviews

ALBUM OF THE WEEKAUGUSTINESAugustinesVotiv/Caroline

It happened to The Cult: the more they truncated their name, the more successful they became. Anyone remember Southern Death Cult or Death Cult? This logic could apply to Augustines, who may rank as the new baton-carriers for the Next Great American Band of The Century title behind The Killers and The National. Arriving as Pela, onto We Are Augustines and now Augustines, this self-titled record is all one could hope for and more. The trio transcends the pall of fashion to deliver songs fi lled with conviction and character.

If Rise Ye Sunken Ships was a postcard from the edge, a catalogue of disintegration by the hour, Augustines is like hymns from the cathedral. This band has more purpose

and greater resonance than anything on the charts recently. It’s as if on their previous album they were lying in the gutter and staring at the stars, and now they’re swinging from those very same stars with a vibrancy unheard since the best stadium moments of U2 or Arcade Fire.

Listen to ‘Cruel City’ and ‘Nothing To Lose But Your Head’ as they are intended, back-to-back, and then spend the rest of the album putting yourself back together after being blown away, wondering why music cannot always have this effect.  Bronius Zumeris

INDIE ALBUM OF THE WEEK

BLOOD RED SHOESBlood Red ShoesJazz Life/PIAS

Following up 2012’s excellent In Time To Voices, British duo Blood Red Shoes have stuck to their strengths on their new self-titled album. Alternating between heavy, thumping riffs and more melodic tones has been their blueprint for four albums now, backed by the shared vocals of drummer Steven Ansell and guitarist Laura-Mary Carter.

It is these contrasting vocals that defi ne the band’s dual styles: Ansell sings as if he’s permanently angry, always railing against the evils of the world; while Carter’s voice can go from sweet to forceful and from seductive to haunting in the space of a couple of lines. When Blood Red

Shoes intertwine the two, they produce album highlights such as the hazy, sultry ‘Grey Smoke’ and the yearning melancholy of ‘Far Away’. Propelled by Ansell’s always-excellent drumming, lead single ‘An Animal’ is a glam-rock stomper in the vein of Eagles Of Death Metal, while polar opposite ‘Stranger’ is possibly the album’s best song, as Carter’s solo vocals give a hypnotic vibe to the eerie atmosphere.

While not as immediately accessible as their previous albums, Blood Red Shoes is still an excellent showcase of the band’s versatility and appeal.

Keiron Costello

W h a t ' s b e e n c r o s s i n g o u r e a r s t h i s w e e k . . .

You can almost hear the stadium doors creaking open to welcome Augustines onstage.

Aug

ustines photo b

y Phil K

not

OFFICE MIXTAPEAnd here are the albums that have helped BRAG HQ get through the week...

OASIS - Defi nitely MaybeVARIOUS - This Is EnglandMAJOR LAZER - Apocalypse Soon

ST. VINCENT - St. VincentWICKED - Wicked

thebrag.com

snsnapapup all night out all week . . .

angie02:03:14 :: Frankie’s Pizza :: 50 Hunter St Sydney

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bertie page clinic28:02:14 :: Spectrum :: 34 Oxford St Darlinghurst 9360 1375

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avenged sevenfold25:02:14 :: Big Top Sydney :: 1 Olympic Dr Milsons Point 9033 7600

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ernest ellis28:02:14 :: Brighton Up Bar :: 1/77 Oxford St Darlinghurst 9361 3379

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gwar26:02:14 :: Factory Theatre :: 105 Victoria Rd Marrickville 9550 3666

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snsnapap

SOUNDWAVE 2014Sydney Olympic ParkSunday February 23

What’s the fi rst thing you normally see, fi rst thing in the morning at a music festival? The impatient queue? A roadie check-one-two-ing? How about a dude on top of a giant pirate ship, drinking beer out of a horn? Badass Swedish vikings Amon Amarth kicked off Soundwave to a surprisingly massive crowd, sending the early devotees into an OTT death metal frenzy. Over at Stage Six, the powerful wall of atmospheric sound oozing from UK fi ve-piece Hacktivist helped to fi re up the morning as well. Their distinctive fusion of rap, grime and progressive metal created an intense wave of sound.

Mushroomhead blazed onto Stage Four with their solid industrial metal and nightmarish masks, makeup and costumes. For all their buzzed-up theatrics their performance was an anticlimax, refl ected in the fact they all managed to wear the exact same pair of cargo shorts. Half-dressed and halfway there.

Biffy Clyro can headline festivals in the UK with ease. Here in Australia, however, they are midday main-stagers playing to a relatively sparse D-section. Although the festival circumstances are somewhat different, they don’t need to put in much footwork here – the crowd is onside from the fi rst note, roaring along to a slab of both old and new favourites. Perhaps it won’t be long before they’re headlining here, after all.

There were no fi reworks, no crazy light shows and no bells and whistles for the set of the day. It was just loud guitars, defi ant rage and a ridiculously long mic cable. Trash Talk came, saw and conquered in a blistering 20-minute set that saw raging circle pits, speaker stack climbing and an unforgettable slice of crowd participation which involved the entire crowd running outside the venue. It was raw, it was cathartic and it was about as punk rock as you can get at a mainstream music festival.

Despite the arrogance of their next-door neighbours Trivium, Baroness weren’t about to let it get to them. From the opening cries of ‘Take My Bones Away’, they took their small but utterly enthralled crowd on a journey through hair-raising riffs, killer harmonies and glimmering moments of ambience. An unexpected delight. Likewise, Southern-style hard rockers Clutch

unleashed a smoking hot set that had the crowd bouncing around and

singing along. Lead vocalist Neil Fallon crooned wildly with natural groove as he breezed through tracks from their latest

release, Earth Rocker. One of the top acts of

the day.

Jimmy Eat World are a choice festival band, and packed in an hour of rousing

choruses and waves of nostalgia from the punters in their mid-to-late 20s. So why, then, were so few around to see it? The band barely fi lled a quarter of its section of the D; relying on those up front to sing twice as loud as they normally would. Once the fi nal trilogy of ‘Bleed American’, ‘The Middle’ and ‘Sweetness’ hit, we didn’t need another invitation.

How much you enjoyed Green Day’s headlining set depended entirely on how much you can put up with Billie Joe Armstrong. The world’s oldest teenager at 42, he runs around the stage like a madman and riles up the crowd at every given opportunity. This defi nitely has its drawbacks – he brings on a drunken behemoth to ruin the end of ‘Longview’ for everyone else; and if you never heard him ask you to say “O-wayyyy-ohhhh” again, it would still be too late. Still, we got all the hits and we had fun. There’s not much more to a Green Day show.

The world doesn’t know what Jason Butler may do next – and it’s this very sentiment that makes letlive. one of the most exciting bands of the entire day. Each line is spat with guttural vitriol, backed by chaotic and mesmerising post-hardcore that explores peaks and valleys before burning them to the ground. Bands like this matter; and the sooner more people realise that, the better.

The sludgy grind metal of Mastodon bid the festival goodnight with a heaving set. These guys don’t parade around with fancy props, outfi ts or chit-chat. Their impressive layered sound of booming double-bass rhythms, bullet popping fi lls and symphonic riffs chugged away as Troy Sanders roared with magnifi cent intensity. It was a gutsy and muscular set of howling rock that swelled the circle pit into a whirlpool of anarchy, before Neil Fallon from Clutch joined them onstage for the last song – squeezing every last drop of Soundwave juices from the fans.

David James Young and Kylie Finlay

PHOTOGRAPHER :: ASHLEY MAR

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rob zombie + korn24:02:14 :: Big Top Sydney :: 1 Olympic Dr Milsons Point 9033 7600

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placebo24:02:14 :: Enmore Theatre :: 118-132 Enmore Rd Newtown 9550 3666

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WEDNESDAY MARCH 5

INDIE, ROCK, POP, METAL, PUNK & COVERS Ernest Ellis FBi Social, Kings Cross. 1pm. free. Little Wings + Maples FBi Social, Kings Cross. 8pm. $12. Los Coronas The Basement, Circular Quay. 8pm. $35. Mark Travers Orient Hotel, The Rocks. 9:30pm. free. Mikhael Paskalev Oxford Art Factory, Darlinghurst. 8pm. $37.50. My Baby Jam Gallery, Bondi Junction. 7:30pm. $12. Tall Hearts + Jaguar Club + Russian Caravan Brass Monkey, Cronulla. 7pm. $10. The Impossible Girl The Newsagency, Marrickville. 8pm. $25. Vibrations At Valve Valve Bar, Agincourt Hotel, Ultimo. 7pm. $15.

ACOUSTIC/COUNTRY/BLUES/FOLK Concert On The Park - feat: Anne Dargie Campsie RSL, Campsie. 1pm. free. Evie Dean Mounties, Mount Pritchard.

7pm. free. Pulp Kitchen And Folk Club - feat: Live Rotating Folk Bands Soda Factory, Surry Hills. 5pm. free. Songsonstage - feat: Stuart Jammin + Guests Leichhardt Bowling Club, Leichhardt. 7:30pm. free. Songsonstage - feat: Peach Montgomery + Guests Sackville Hotel, Rozelle. 7:30pm. free.

JAZZ, SOUL, FUNK, LATIN & WORLD MUSIC Ben Panucci Trio Foundry616, Ultimo. 8:30pm. $16.50. Lionel Cole Imperial Hotel, Paddington. 8pm. free. Martinez Akustica Venue 505, Surry Hills. 8:30pm. $15.

THURSDAY MARCH 6

JAZZ, SOUL, FUNK, LATIN & WORLD MUSIC Cole Soul And Emotion - feat: Lionel Cole The White Horse, Surry Hills. 8pm. free. Live Latin Sessions - feat: Musica Linda Jam Gallery, Bondi Junction. 7:30pm. $7. Sussoro

Foundry616, Ultimo. 8:30pm. $21.50.

ACOUSTIC/COUNTRY/BLUES/FOLK Bec Sandridge Venue 505, Surry Hills. 8:30pm. $10. Glenn Esmond Coogee Bay Hotel, Coogee. 10pm. free. Jake McDougall Bexley North Hotel, Bexley North. 6:30pm. free. Jesse Campbelltown Catholic Club, Campbelltown. 6pm. free. Live Music Thursdays Bar100, The Rocks. 5pm. free. Peter Rowan Bluegrass Trio Brass Monkey, Cronulla. 7pm. $33. Songsonstage - feat: Peach Montgomery + Guests Forest Lodge Hotel, Forest Lodge. 7:30pm. free. Songsonstage - feat: Stuart Jammin + Guests Ruby L’otel, Rozelle. 7:30pm. free. Sons Of The East - feat: Luke Escombe Moonshine Cider & Rum Bar, Manly. 9pm. free.

INDIE, ROCK, POP, METAL, PUNK & COVERS 10 O’Clock Rock Frankie’s Pizza, Sydney. 10pm. free. 80s & 90s Live Music Nag’s Head Hotel, 8:15pm. free. Alex Hopkins Open Mic Night Northies Cronulla Hotel,

Cronulla. 7:30pm. free. Cambo Observer Hotel, The Rocks. 8:30pm. free. Dave White Duo Maloney’s Hotel, Sydney. 9:30pm. free. Doom + Canine + Nobody’s Driving + Oily Boys + Unknown To God Valve Bar, Agincourt Hotel, Ultimo. 7pm. $20. Fat Freddy’s Drop Taronga Zoo, Mosman. 7:30pm. $66.Joe Echo Dee Why Hotel, Dee Why. 7pm. free. Klay The Mercantile Hotel, Sydney. 7:45pm. free. Little Fox + Jimi Linton + Richard Cuthbert The Loft (UTS), Ultimo . 8pm. $5. Los Coronas The Basement, Circular Quay. 8pm. $35. Mandi Jarry The Bourbon, Potts Point. 7pm. free. Matt Jones Open Mic Night The Ranch, Eastwood. 8pm. free. Meg Mac + Georgia Fair + Nic Cassey The Vanguard, Newtown. 6:30pm. $13.80. Queens Of The Stone Age + Nine Inch Nails Qantas Credit Union Arena, Darling Harbour. 7pm. $105. Red Light Ruby O’Malley’s Hotel, Kings Cross. 9:30pm. free. Royal Chant + Tiger Widow + The Water Board + Will Chittick Brighton Up Bar, Darlinghurst. 7pm. $10.

FRIDAY MARCH 7

ACOUSTIC, COUNTRY, BLUES & FOLK Cath & Him Ramsgate RSL, Sans Souci. 8pm. free. Glenn Esmond Time & Tide Hotel, Dee Why. 7:30pm. free. Harbour Master Manly Leagues Club, Brookvale. 9:30pm. free. Jake McDougall Chatswood RSL, Chatswood. 5pm. free. Lior Seymour Centre, Chippendale. 8pm. $45.80. Live Music Fridays Bar100, The Rocks. 5pm. free. Nathan Cole Pittwater RSL, Mona Vale. 8pm. free. Skyscraper Overlander Hotel, Cambridge Park. 6:30pm. free. Songjam - feat: Andrew Denniston + Guests Earlwood Hotel, Earlwood. 7:30pm. free. Songjam - feat: Stuart Jammin + Guests Rosehill Hotel, Clyde. 7:30pm. free. Stormcellar Town Hall Hotel, Balmain. 9pm. free. They Call Me Bruce Quakers Inn, Quakers Hill. 8pm. free.

JAZZ, SOUL, FUNK, LATIN & WORLD MUSIC Bullhorn Jam Gallery, Bondi Junction. 7:30pm. $12. Jazz Hip Hop Freestyle Sessions Foundry616, Ultimo. 11:30pm. free. Neil Murray And Jim Moginie Petersham Bowling Club, Petersham. 8pm. $25.

Renae Stone Adria, Sydney. 5pm. free. Salsa Kingz Revesby Workers Club, Revesby. 8:30pm. free. Sandy Evans Quartet Foundry616, Ultimo. 8:30pm. $21.50.

INDIE, ROCK, POP, METAL, PUNK & COVERS 3 Way Split Vinyl Room, Gymea. 9:30pm. free. A Girl’s A Gun Lewisham Hotel, Lewisham. 8:30pm. free. Adam Gorecki Orient Hotel, The Rocks. 4:30pm. free. AJ Duo Stacks Taverna, Sydney. 5pm. free. Alex Hopkins Wentworthville Leagues Club, Wentworthville. 9pm. free. Ange Ettalong Bowling Club, Ettalong. 7:30pm. free. Armchair Travellers Duo East Hills Hotel, East Hills. 7:15pm. free. Bandsonstage - feat: Sound Of Immortals + Ambient Wake + Mass Ruby L’otel, Rozelle. 8pm. free. Black Diamond Hearts New Brighton Hotel, Manly. 11pm. free. Courtyard Sessions - feat: Pear Shape Seymour Centre, Chippendale. 6pm. free. Darren Hanlon Town Hall Hotel, Balmain. 7:30pm. free. Darren Johnstone Australian Hotel And Brewery, Rouse Hill. 9pm. free. David Agius Kings Cross Hotel, Kings Cross. 7pm. free. Declan Kelly And The Rising Sun + Don’t Hit Ron + Kava Kings Brass Monkey, Cronulla. 7pm. $17. Double Barrel Windsor Leagues Club, Windsor South. 9:15pm. free. Evie Dean Novotel, Darling Harbour. 5:30pm. free. Fallon Bros Observer Hotel, The Rocks. 10:30pm. free. Geoff Byrne Castle Hill RSL, Castle Hill. 9pm. free. Greg Bryne Crows Nest Hotel, Crows Nest. 7pm. free. Heath Burdell Duo Rock Lily, Pyrmont. 6pm. free. Hooray For Everything Padstow RSL Club, Sydney. 7:30pm. free. James Englund Northies Cronulla Hotel, Cronulla. 9pm. free. James Fox Higgins Duo Hillside Hotel, Castle Hill. 8pm. free. Jellybean Jam Campbelltown Catholic Club, Campbelltown. 9pm. free. JJ Duo Court House Hotel, Lithgow. 10pm. free. Joe Echo And Mark Oats Duo PJ Gallagher’s, Leichhardt. 9pm. free. Keith Armitage Massey Park Golf Club, Concord. 7pm. free. Klay General Gordon Hotel, Sydenham. 4pm. free. Live Music At The Royal The Royal, Leichhardt. 9:30pm. free. Love Child + Blow + Steve Mulry Valve Bar, Agincourt Hotel, Ultimo. 7pm. $10. Luke Dixon Parramatta RSL, Parramatta. 5pm. free. Luke Dixon Duo

Kings Cross Hotel, Kings Cross. 11:30pm. free. Mark Da Costa Crows Nest Hotel, Crows Nest. 10:30pm. free. Matt Jones Harbord Beach Hotel, Harbord. 7pm. free. Michael Saracino The Grand Hotel, Rockdale. 5:30pm. free. Muddy Feet Seven Hills Toongabbie RSL Club, Seven Hills. 7pm. free. My Baby The Macquarie Hotel, Sydney. 9pm. free. Nicky Kurta Duo Kirribilli Hotel, Milsons Point. 8pm. free. Novatone North Sydney Leagues Club, Cammeray. 7:30pm. free. Partisan Code + Mandala Tattersalls Hotel Penrith, Penrith. 8:30pm. free. Party Central Towradgi Beach Hotel, Towradgi. 9pm. free. Queens Of The Stone Age + Nine Inch Nails Qantas Credit Union Arena, Darling Harbour. 7pm. $105. Rebecca Moore New Brighton Hotel, Manly. 10pm. free. Rebecca Moore Mona Vale Hotel, Mona Vale. 5:30pm. free. Reckless Orient Hotel, The Rocks. 9:30pm. free. Rob Henry Observer Hotel, The Rocks. 8:30pm. free. Ryan Thomas The Welcome Hotel, Rozelle. 8pm. free. Sons Of Mercury Bull & Bush Hotel, Baulkham Hills. 9:30pm. free. Steve Tonge Mona Vale Hotel, Mona Vale. 9pm. free. Super Massive - feat: Great Apes + White Knuckle Fever Lansdowne Hotel, Chippendale. 8pm. free. The Growlers Oxford Art Factory, Darlinghurst. 8pm. $30. Three Rams Penrith Gaels, Kingswood. 8pm. free. Troldhaugen & Toehider + Shanghai + Swamp Harlot + Seims Valve Bar, Agincourt Hotel, Ultimo. 8pm. $15. Wildcatz Club Cronulla, Cronulla. 8:30pm. free. Zoltan Cyren Restaurant , Darling Harbour. 6pm. free.

SATURDAY MARCH 8

CLUB NIGHTS DJ Marty Wentworthville Leagues Club, Wentworthville. 9pm. free.

JAZZ, SOUL, FUNK, LATIN & WORLD MUSIC Briana Cowlishaw Foundry616, Ultimo. 8:30pm. $21.50. Chris Gudu & Afro Pamaja Camelot Lounge, Marrickville. 7:30pm. $20. Errol Buddle Quintet Penrith RSL, Penrith. 2pm. free. Groovology Revesby Workers Club, Revesby. 8:30pm. free. Sirens Big Band Venue 505, Surry Hills. 8:30pm. $20. Yuki Kumagai And John Mackie Well Co. Cafe And Wine Bar, Leichhardt. 8pm. free.

ACOUSTIC/

gigg g guidegsend your listings to : gigguide@thebrag.com

Qantas Credit Union Arena

Queens Of The Stone Age +

Nine Inch Nails+ Brody Dalle

7pm. $105.

pick of the weekQueens Of The Stone AgeQueens Of The Stone Age

FRIDAY MARCH 7

THURSDAY MARCH 6

BRAG :: 552 :: 05:03:14 :: 27thebrag.com

COUNTRY/BLUES/FOLK Boston Blue Carousel Inn Hotel, Rooty Hill. 8pm. free. Dennis Wilson Campsie RSL, Campsie. 7pm. free. Live Music Saturdays Bar100, The Rocks. 4pm. free. McCauley Raiders Penrith RSL, Penrith. 2pm. free. Paul Hayward And Friends Town & Country Hotel, St Peters. 4pm. free. Peter McWhirter Campbelltown Catholic Club, Campbelltown. 9:30pm. free. Skyscraper Manly Leagues Club, Brookvale. 9pm. free. The Cyril B Bunter Band + Darren Jack + Dom Turner + Supro Rooty Hill RSL Club, Rooty Hill. 8pm. $26. The Exes Abbotts Hotel, Waterloo. 8pm. free. Village Country Sertaneja + Wallisson & Tobias Jam Gallery, Bondi Junction. 7:30pm. $12.

INDIE, ROCK, POP, METAL, PUNK & COVERS A Jay To Remember + Cryptic Scorn + Til Rapture + Enfi eld + The Choke Valve Bar, Agincourt Hotel, Ultimo. 8pm. $10. Angie Dean Castle Hill RSL, Castle Hill. 6:30pm. free. Antoine Observer Hotel, The Rocks. 10:30pm. free. Anything But Arnold Marble Bar, Sydney. 10pm. free. Armchair Travellers Duo Seven Hills Toongabbie RSL Club, Seven Hills. 8:30pm. free. Ben Finn Duo The Mean Fiddler, Rouse Hill. 9pm. free. Big Way Out Court House Hotel, Lithgow. 8:30pm. free. Bounce R.G. McGees, Richmond. 9pm. free. Brad Johns Observer Hotel, The Rocks. 4:30pm. free. Cara Kavanagh & Mark Oats Duo PJ Gallagher’s, Leichhardt. 9pm. free. Chosen Few Penrith RSL, Penrith. 9pm. free. Damien Leith + Jorja Carroll Brass Monkey, Cronulla. 7pm. $35. Dave Phillips Greystanes Inn, Greystanes Inn. 8pm. free. David Agius Duo Ettamogah Hotel, Kelly Ridge. 7pm. free. Endless Summer Beach Party Orient Hotel, The Rocks. 9:30pm. free. Geoff Rana Brewhouse Marayong, Kings Park. 8pm. free. Hooray For Everything Sutherland United Services Club, Sutherland. 7:30pm. free. I Know Leopard Brighton Up Bar, Darlinghurst. 8:30pm. $10. Ignition Epping Hotel, Epping. 10pm. free. Jamie Lindsay Harbord Beach Hotel, Harbord. 7pm. free. Jess Dunbar Crows Nest Hotel, Crows Nest. 7pm. free. Jimmy Bear Orient Hotel, The Rocks. 4:30pm. free. JJ Duo Kelly’s On King, Newtown. 9:30pm. free. Joe Echo PJ Gallagher’s, Moore Park. 8pm. free.

Keith Armitage Sir Joseph Banks Hotel, Botany. 7pm. free. Leon Fallon Observer Hotel, The Rocks. 3:30pm. free. Lonely Boys The Mercantile Hotel, Sydney. 8:30pm. free. Luke Dolahenty Duo Northies Cronulla Hotel, Cronulla. 9pm. free. Masterpiece Castle Hill RSL, Castle Hill. 10:30pm. free. Matt Jones Helensburgh Workers Club, Helensburgh. 8:30pm. free. Matt Price Panthers, Penrith. 8pm. free. Michael McGlynn Kirribilli Hotel, Milsons Point. 8pm. free. Muddy Feet Wentworthville Leagues Club, Wentworthville. 10pm. free. Paradise City Launch Hermann’s Bar, Sydney. 9pm. $10. Peter Calvert + Fade In Mona Lisa + Thyrsday + Shot In Chicago Valve Bar, Agincourt Hotel, Ultimo. 8pm. free. Planet Groove Ramsgate RSL, Sans Souci. 9:30pm. free. Richard Clapton + Jenny Morris Taronga Zoo, Mosman. 7:30pm. $86.Riz Hallowes Australian Hotel And Brewery, Rouse Hill. 10pm. free. Rob Henry Duo The Mean Fiddler, Rouse Hill. 6pm. free. Rock Of Ages Bull & Bush Hotel, Baulkham Hills. 9:30pm. free. Rock Solid Duo North Sydney Leagues Club, Cammeray. 9:30pm. free. Russel Nelson Crown On McCredie, Guildford West. 7pm. free. Sarah Paton Observer Hotel, The Rocks. 8:30pm. free. Saturday Live Band - feat: Rock Monster Oatley Hotel, Oatley. 8:30pm. free. Stayin’ Alive - The Australian Bee Gees Show Revesby Workers Club, Revesby. 8pm. $35. The A-Team Duo Town Hall Hotel, Balmain. 9pm. free. The Blackened Beneath + Foundry Road + Dead Life + Acid Nymph + Thraxas Tattersalls Hotel Penrith, Penrith. 8:30pm. free. The Silver Lining Crows Nest Hotel, Crows Nest. 10:30pm. free. Tim Shaw The Belvedere Hotel, Sydney. 8:30pm. free. Trilogy Ivanhoe Hotel, Manly. 10pm. free. Vaudeville Smash Upstairs Beresford, Surry Hills. 6pm. free. Venus Woolloomooloo Bay Hotel, Woolloomooloo. 9pm. free. Wildcatz Macarthur Tavern, Campbelltown. 10pm. free. Zoltan Adria, Sydney. 4pm. free. Zoltan Castle Hill RSL, Castle Hill. 9pm. free.

SUNDAY MARCH 9

INDIE, ROCK, POP, METAL, PUNK & COVERS Andrew Huang Valve Bar, Agincourt Hotel, Ultimo. 12pm. $10. Andy Mammers

Harbord Beach Hotel, Harbord. 6pm. free. Ange Waverley Bowling Club, Waverley. 3pm. free. Benjalu Moonshine Cider & Rum Bar, Manly. 7:30pm. free. Dan Sultan + The Medics Metro Theatre, Sydney. 7:30pm. $41.90. David Agius Duo Northies Cronulla Hotel, Cronulla. 6pm. free. Flying Lotus Sydney Opera House, Sydney. 10:30pm. $54. GTS Easts Kingswood Sports Club, Kingswood. 3pm. free. Heath Burdell Family Inn Hotel, Rydalmere. 2pm. free. Jess Dunbar Woolwich Pier Hotel, Woolwich. 2pm. free. Letters To Lions + Uplifting Bellends Brass Monkey, Cronulla. 7pm. $14.30. Mark Travers Ettamogah Hotel, Kelly Ridge. 1pm. free. Marty Stewart Western Suburbs Leagues Club, Leumeah. 12pm. free. Matt Jones Band Three Wise Monkeys, Sydney. 10pm. free. Matt Jones Diddly Dee The Mean Fiddler, Rouse Hill. 1:30pm. free. Matt Price Mill Hill Hotel, Bondi Junction. 3pm. free. Mini Mobile Farm O’Donoghues Irish Pub, Emu Plains. 12pm. free. Mojo Orient Hotel, The Rocks. 4:30pm. free. Nicky Kurta Manly Skiff Sailing Club, Manly. 4pm. free. Outlier Trio Orient Hotel, The Rocks. 8:30pm. free. Paul Anka The Star Event Centre, Pyrmont. 8pm. $99.95. Rob Henry Observer Hotel, The Rocks. 8pm. free. Stayin’ Alive - The Australian Bee Gees Show Rooty Hill RSL Club, Rooty Hill. 4pm. $35. Stu Gs Cloak And Dagger + Psychic Sun + Bunt Valve Bar, Agincourt Hotel, Ultimo. 6pm. $10. The Crooked Fiddle Band + Magic BonesFrankie’s Pizza, Sydney. 7:30pm. free.Three Wise Men Observer Hotel, The Rocks. 4pm. free. Victoria Avenue Woolloomooloo Bay Hotel, Woolloomooloo. 3pm. free.

ACOUSTIC/COUNTRY/BLUES/FOLK Acoustic Sets Oatley Hotel, Oatley. 2pm. free. Alfresco Brassiere - feat: Stuart Jammin + Chris Brookes + Guests Ettalong Bowling Club, Ettalong. 3pm. free. Chill Out Sundays Scubar, Sydney. 7:30pm. free. Dave McMaster Campbelltown Catholic Club, Campbelltown. 1pm. free. Intimate Sessions Paragon Hotel, Sydney. 6pm. free. JJ Ambarvale Tavern, Ambarvale. 4pm. free. Liam Gerner The Welcome Hotel, Rozelle. 5pm. free. Live Music Sundays Bar100, The Rocks. 1pm. free. Recharge Campsie RSL, Campsie. 2pm.

free. Ron Ashton Ramsgate RSL, Sans Souci. 2pm. free. Sunday Blues And Roots The White Horse, Surry Hills. 5pm. free. Sydney Blues Society Botany View Hotel, Newtown. 7pm. free. Us Too Duo Campbelltown Catholic Club, Campbelltown. 6pm. free.

MONDAY MARCH 10

ACOUSTIC, COUNTRY, BLUES & FOLK Songsonstage - feat: Stuart Jammin + Massimo Presti + Chris Brookes + Rick Taylor Kelly’s On King, Newtown. 7:30pm. free. Songsonstage - feat: Helmut Uhlmann + Men With Day Jobs The Loft (UTS), Ultimo. 6pm. free.

JAZZ, SOUL, FUNK,

LATIN & WORLD MUSIC Big Swing Band Tattersalls Hotel Penrith, Penrith. 7:30pm. free. Happy Monday Games Night Venue 505, Surry Hills. 8:30pm. free. Latin & Jazz Jam Open Mic Night World Bar, Kings Cross. 7pm. free. Mambo Mondays Bar100, The Rocks. 5:30pm. free. Motown Mondays - feat: Soulgroove The White Horse, Surry Hills. 8pm. free. Reggae Monday Civic Underground, Sydney. 10pm. free. The Satin Sound Lounge Foundry616, Ultimo. 8:30pm. $32.50.

INDIE, ROCK, POP, METAL, PUNK & COVERS Bernie Observer Hotel, The Rocks. 8:30pm. free. Frankie’s World Famous House Band Frankie’s Pizza, Sydney. 9pm.

free. Pete Hunt Orient Hotel, The Rocks. 9pm. free.

TUESDAY MARCH 11

JAZZ, SOUL, FUNK, LATIN & WORLD MUSIC Jazzgroove - feat: Tom Botting + Hannah James Foundry616, Ultimo. 8pm. $16.50. Old School Funk & Groove Night Venue 505, Surry Hills. 8:30pm. free. Rumba Motel Salsa - feat: DJ Willie Sabor + Friends The Establishment, Sydney. 6pm. free.

ACOUSTIC/COUNTRY/BLUES/FOLK Innersoul Live Play Bar, Surry Hills. 6pm. free. Ray Beadle & The Silver Dollars Jam Gallery, Bondi Junction. 7:30pm. $7.

INDIE, ROCK, POP, METAL, PUNK & COVERS Co-Pilot Orient Hotel, The Rocks. 9:30pm. free. Greg Agar Scruffy Murphy’s Hotel, Sydney. 9pm. free. Steve Tonge Observer Hotel, The Rocks. 7pm. free.

gigg g guidegsend your listings to : gigguide@thebrag.com

fri07Mar

(9:30PM - 12:30AM)(4:30PM - 7:30PM)

(8:20PM - 12:00AM)

(9:30PM - 1:30AM)

sat08Mar

sun09Mar

mon10Mar

(4:30PM - 7:30PM)

(4:30PM - 7:30PM)

Stringy Bark .................................................. 8:00AMThe Blarney Boys ..................................... 11:00AMU2 Elevation .................................................. 1:30PMThe Moonshiners ....................................... 4:30PM Dublin Up........................................................ 7:00PMLonesome Train .......................................... 11:00PM

+ PARTY DJ TILL LATE

Irish Breakfast

B O O K E A R LY!

St Patrick’s Day Festivalmon17Mar

Upstairs from 7am!

+ The Killarney

Trio

wed05Mar

thu06Mar

tue11Mar (9:30PM-12:30AM)

Co PilotPete Hunt

Adam Gorecki + Reckless

Jimmy Bear + Endless Summer

Mojo + Outlier Trio

Mark Travers White Bros(9:30PM - 12:30AM) (9:30PM - 12:30AM)

(9:00PM - 12:00AM)

LIVE

($30)

Briana Cowlishaw

28 :: BRAG :: 552 : 05:03:14 thebrag.com

WEDNESDAY MARCH 5Little Wings + Maples FBi Social, Kings Cross. 8pm. $12.

Los Coronas The Basement, Circular Quay. 8pm. $35.

Mikhael Paskalev Oxford Art Factory, Darlinghurst. 8pm. $37.50.

THURSDAY MARCH 6Bec Sandridge Venue 505, Surry Hills. 8:30pm. $10.

Meg Mac + Georgia Fair + Nic Cassey The Vanguard, Newtown. 6:30pm. $13.80.

Royal Chant + Tiger Widow + The Water Board + Will Chittick Brighton Up Bar, Darlinghurst. 7pm. $10.

Twilight At Taronga - feat: Fat Freddy’s Drop Taronga Zoo, Sydney. 7:30pm. $66.

FRIDAY MARCH 7Declan Kelly And The Rising Sun + Don’t Hit Ron + Kava Kings Brass Monkey, Cronulla. 7pm. $17.

Lior Seymour Centre, Chippendale. 8pm. $45.80.

The Growlers Oxford Art Factory, Darlinghurst. 8pm. $30.

SATURDAY MARCH 8Briana Cowlishaw Foundry616, Ultimo. 8:30pm. $21.50.

Damien Leith + Jorja Carroll Brass Monkey, Cronulla. 7pm. $35.

I Know Leopard Brighton Up Bar, Darlinghurst. 8:30pm. $10.

SUNDAY MARCH 9Dan Sultan + The Medics Metro Theatre, Sydney. 7:30pm. $41.90.

Flying Lotus Sydney Opera House, Sydney. 10:30pm. $54.

Paul Anka The Star Event Centre, Pyrmont. 8pm. $99.95.

The Crooked Fiddle Band + Magic BonesFrankie’s Pizza, Sydney. 7:30pm. Free.

gig picks up a l l n igh t ou t a l l week . . .

Flying Lotus

LIVE NATION, BY ARRANGEMENT WITH ARTIST VOICE, PRESENT

THENAKED ANDFAMOUSIN ROLLING WAVES TOUR

For more information go to livenation.com.au

WITH SPECIAL GUEST VANCOUVER SLEEP CLINICTUESDAY 13TH MAYMETRO THEATRETICKETEK.COM.AU 132 849

Bec SandridgeBec Sandridge

Meg MacMeg Mac

BRAG :: 552 :: 05:03:14 :: 29

BRAG’s guide to dance, hip hop and club culture brag beatsbrag beats

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harlem globetrotter

plus:

+ club guide

+ club snaps

+ weekly

column

Xxxx

baauerbaauer

alsoinside

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Extra bits and moving bits without the papercuts

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30 :: BRAG :: 552 :: 05:03:14

DJ VADIMVeteran London-based beatmaker DJ Vadim will play Goodgod Small Club on Thursday March 13 for the latest instalment of the Red Bull Music Academy’s monthly Club Night series. Touted as the ‘John Coltrane of hip hop’, the Russian-born DJ Vadim has churned out an abundance of releases throughout his career, collaborating with Stevie Wonder, The Roots, Public Enemy, Dilated Peoples and Fat Freddy’s Drop. Vadim formed his own Jazz Fudge label in 1994, way back when the Canberra Raiders

last took the comp, and signed to UK institution Ninja Tune the following year. Now nearly 20 years into his recording career, the workaholic producer is still a restless creative spirit. In 2014 alone he has three albums set to drop, beginning with a roots-reggae tribute in The Dub Catcher and its sequel The Soul Catcher before an African-fl avoured LP featuring vocalist Senna follows. A strong cast of DJs comprising Anomie, Onetalk and Noel Boogie will be spinning in support of DJ Vadim, a free event if you RSVP at dashtickets.com.au/tour/4.

CIRCOLOCO ANZAC DAYCircoloco will host an ANZAC Day bash at the Greenwood Hotel on Friday April 25, featuring a triumvirate of international headliners in Dixon, The Martinez Brothers and Prins Thomas. Dixon is the force behind the Innervisions imprint, and merges house and soul infl uences throughout his deep and eclectic DJ sets. A favourite amongst dancers worldwide, Dixon has mixed compilations such as Temporary Secretary, The Grandfather Paradox (alongside Ame and Henrik Schwarz), Live At Robert Johnson Vol. 8 and Body Language Vol 4, while his remixography includes refashionings of Isolee, Ian Pooley and Matt ‘Radio Slave’ Edwards’ criminally under-appreciated The Machine project. The Martinez Brothers will be making their Australian debut, while Prins Thomas returns to showcase his proven dancefl oor credentials that have ensured the Full Pupp/Internasjonal record label founder is often referred to in the same breath as his Norwegian compatriots Todd Terje and Lindstrøm. The party will commence at midday, with a host of locals also set to spin. First release tickets are available online for just short of a pineapple.

RUSTIEGlaswegian producer Rustie will headline BBE’s fi rst birthday at Oxford Art Factory on Thursday April 17. Rustie rose to prominence in 2011 on the back of his debut album on the Warp imprint, Glass Swords, which traversed R&B, crunk, house, techno and dubstep infl uences while also (in the words of Pitchfork) throwing in a smattering of “pop-rave pianos, trance keyboards and snippets of sugary R&B, because he can, because he’s showing off, because it’s fun, because he’s never interested in just turning out another scene-pleasing exercise.” Glass Swords was the result of two years in the studio, and was followed by last year’s Triadzz/Slasherr EP, an outing laden with claps and the kind of daggered synth-stabs one would expect from a track called ‘Slasherr’. Rustie has bolstered his fan base through remixes of Pusha T, Surkin and Bloc Party, and will arrive in Australia with plenty of hype attached, a fact evinced by fi rst and second release tickets already having sold out. The time to procure your tickets is surely at hand, prospective revellers.

club, dance and hip hop in brief... with Chris Honnery

dance music dance music newsnews

brag beats

DJ John Cawley, AKA JC, has been an ever-present force on the

Sydney dance scene since moving here in the mid-’90s. Apart from his work behind the decks at every major venue in town, and hosting The Hard Way on Eastside 89.7 FM, JC runs the promotions and events company Funkdafi ed, which he formed in 2006.

What is it that puts the ‘funk’ in Funkdafi ed?As a DJ I have always been a major fan of funk music, and although other genres such as jazz, soul, and blues are extremely important in the evolution of music, it has been the funk that [has got] people on the dancefl oor. You don’t hear funk music, you feel it. There have been many promoters who have put on soul and funk events in Australia over the years, but when I started Funkdafi ed in 2006 my main aim was to push funk music to the forefront and give people an understanding of what it is about. It was a great privilege to be involved in the Sydney and Melbourne shows for George Clinton and Parliament-Funkadelic in 2013, and as the great man George Clinton has stated: “In the beginning there was funk!”

You’ve been a busy bee lately.Funkdafi ed has had an

extremely busy summer, including a recent tour in co-operation with Troubadour Music – Georgia Anne Muldrow and Dudley Perkins with DJ Romes – and also shows with Bella Kalolo at Sydney Festival. We run a series of events entitled the 45 Sessions once a month with local and international DJs playing 45s. We have had international guests including DJ Suspect and Mr Doris, and also an impromptu DJ set by Talib Kweli. Coming up we have the extremely special tour with Robert Glasper and Roy Ayers doing a Sydney show at The Hi-Fi on Saturday March 8, and a special 45s Sessions event coming up on Sunday March 9 with the legendary Japanese crate-digger DJ Muro.

What’s the best gig you’ve been involved with?My favourite event that Funkdafi ed have promoted was the tour for Kashmere Stage Band in 2013. It was a real privilege to be involved in this tour and the Brisbane show and Sydney Festival shows were amazing. As a DJ, I have had the opportunity to support some of my favourite acts including Syl Johnson, Soul II Soul and Norman Jay, but the highlight would be supporting George Clinton and Parliament-Funkadelic.

What sounds are pumping through the PA at your shows?At Funkdafi ed events, the music genres are very diverse – it can cover everything from funk, soul, jazz, disco, Latin, reggae, hip hop, neo-soul, DnB and more. The music you hear can be unique at each event.

Is the music scene in Sydney a healthy place at the moment?There are a lot of good things happening in the music scene right now in Sydney and other parts of Australia. In Sydney, there is a solid soul/funk scene happening that has grown steadily over the last ten years or so and there are a lot of great local promoters pushing the music. On the downside, it is a real shame that the major radio stations, TV channels, magazines and press constantly push commercial music that has no substance.

he said she said

Who: Robert Glasper Experiment, Roy AyersWhere: The Hi-FiWhen: Saturday March 8And: The 45 Sessions feat. DJ Muro will be held at a secret Sydney venue on Sunday March 9More: For all info on upcoming events, head to funkdafi ed.com.au

WITH JC FROM FUNKDAFIED

BRAG’s guide to dance, hip hop

and club culture

QUANTICBritish multi-instrumentalist producer and DJ Will Holland, AKA Quantic, will headline Goodgod Small Club on Saturday March 8. Quantic is Holland’s solo project and is geared towards funk-infl uenced dance beats, while the Quantic Soul Orchestra, which he leads and produces, melds together Afrobeat, Latin and soul soundscapes. Holland has also collaborated with the likes of TM Juke, Mr Scruff and David Byrne and Fatboy Slim, contributing a track to their Imelda Marcos-themed Here Lies Love project. Holland is currently working on his fourth Quantic record, which will be his 15th studio album to date, and will apparently integrate infl uences ranging from Ethiopian jazz and Haitian necro salsa to Detroit techno.

THUNDAMENTALS Blues Mountains via Newtown hip hop trio Thundamentals have released a new single, ‘Something I Said’, which they will support with a series of shows in celebration of the imminent release of their third album, So We Can Remember, out on Friday May 2 on Obese Records. Thundamentals have forged a reputation as one of Australia’s most accomplished and energetic live acts, supporting heavyweights like A Tribe Called Quest, Big Boi, MF Doom and Lyrics Born. They released their last album Foreverlution back in 2011, which ascended both the ARIA and AIR Charts. ‘Something I Said’ is the second single to be released from So We Can Remember following ‘Smiles Don’t Lie’, which dropped at the end of last year and came in at number 32 in triple j’s Hottest 100. Thundamentals play The Metro Theatre on Friday May 24.

ThundamentalsThundamentals

Quantic

BRAG :: 552 :: 05:03:14 :: 31

ONE FOR THE DIARY: STEREOSONIC 2014Stereosonic will once again return as a two-day festival in 2014, with the Sydney leg of the festival slotted for Saturday November 29 to Sunday November 30. Earlybird tickets are being offered for this year’s festival, and will go on sale at precisely 10am Thursday March 13, well ahead of the lineup announcement in July. For more information about Stereosonic, head to stereosonic.com.au.

JACKAL23-year-old English trap and bass DJ/producer Mikey Pennington, best known for his output as Jackal, will headline Chinese Laundry on Friday March 14. Since the release of his breakout track ‘Shakedown’, Jackal has been a consistent presence in the dance sphere, with his beats regularly fi nding their way into the sets of artists like Skrillex and Diplo. Having performed just a couple of shows in LA, Florida, New York and Toronto in the past year, Jackal’s forthcoming run of Australian dates will mark his

debut Down Under so let’s show him how it’s done in this part of the world.

ST. PATRICK’S LIVEThe good folk at Jameson Irish Whiskey, the brownest of the brown liquors, are hosting a St. Patrick’s Day bash at Ivy on Sunday March 16 that will kick off at 3pm. Hosted by Shantan Wantan Ichiban, the event will feature performances from Furnace and The Fundamentals, Thundamentals, Hot Dub Time Machine and Yolanda Be Cool, the pair behind the uber-smash ‘We No Speak Americano’ who have played at notorious festivals such as Burning Man. St. Patrick’s Live will also showcase an array of fashion and craft markets. Tickets are available online for a pineapple.

4OUR German DJ Mareena will headline the next 4our warehouse party this Saturday. A seasoned and respected vinyl-pusher, Mareena has supported many of techno’s fi nest during her residency at the Tresor club, a world-renowned techno institution that has been a staple in Berlin

clubbing folklore since its establishment in the late ’80s. Mareena also oversees her own night, New Faces, which is dedicated to highlighting new talent from the underground scene, and in addition to her regular spots at Tresor has played all over Berlin – including at Panorama Bar/Berghain – building a reputation for being equally adept at playing peak time, warm up or after hours sets. Mareena will be given carte blanche to unleash her full vinyl arsenal in the intimate warehouse confi nes, with residents Trinity and Magda Bytnerowicz also throwing down.

CROOKS LIVEHalfway Crooks offshoot party Crooks Live will roll on come Saturday March 15. The concept behind the party is to have local rappers performing live alongside the Halfway Crooks DJs. Accordingly, Miracle, Manu Crooks and Joyride will be performing together with resident DJs Levins, Franco and Elston. Joyride is fresh off releasing his Gentleman Trilogy, which comprised of his three EPs, Honourable, Chivalrous and Valiant. The bash kicks off at 11pm, with entry a mere $10.

dance music news free stuffhead to: thebrag.com/freeshitclub, dance and hip hop in brief... with Chris Honnery

1. What Do You Look For In A DJ/Producer?

I like my producers original, melodic, experimental and, most importantly, gangsta. Imagine Dr. Dre meeting Aphex Twin one night, they play Super Smash Bros. Brawl for hours on end… fi nally in a smoke-fi lled haze they decide to make a lil’ 3am track,

the track sounds intense and gangsta, yet tropical. Win.

2. Keeping BusyI am pretty hectic at the

mo’. I just dropped my new Roleo EP, Purple Island, on Die High Records at the end of 2013. Now I’m playing a lot of DJ gigs, which is fun. I’m always keeping busy

co-hosting Sydney’s home of future beats, Future Face on FBi Radio, as well.

I have just started working on a new album with my hip hop crew Daily Meds, too, which is gonna be pretty much my focus this year. I’ll hopefully try and slop out another Roleo EP before that also, which will very much be on a chilla baby-making trap trip.

3. Best Gig EverI think Daily Meds

supporting Wu-Tang two nights in a row at the Enmore Theatre will be hard to top, ever. On the fi rst night the in-between DJ couldn’t get his decks working, so I stayed up and dropped a couple of glitchy hip hop Roleo tracks to this packed house of hip hop-heads. Really I should have just played some boom bap or something, but I had to just grab that moment for myself, y’know? It didn’t go down the best, but here I am talking about it, so maybe it was a good idea.

4. Current PlaylistEvil Needle, Doshy,

G Jones, Mr. Carmack,

Eprom, Ganz, Ta-ku, Lockah, Machinedrum, Dam-Funk, DJ Rashad and Slugabed are all getting a workout at home and when I DJ at the moment. I’ve been listening to a lot of trap/juke crossover kinda vibes, which is on the heavier side of things, and also on the other side of the spectrum, the more slowed-down beats/R&B kinda stuff and a lot of future funk.

5. Your Ultimate RiderI do enjoy a tipple or

two on the odd occasion. If I can fi nd a bottle of scotch somewhere I will be a happy and sloppy DJ. But if I could have anything, I reckon just my own room out back with some decks set up would be sweet – that way I could kinda warm up and get in the zone and that. That would be baller.

speed date

What: UV PartyWith: Empress Yoy, Auto Claws, Juzlo, Logic, Mitch Lowe, Sippy, K3V, Key SeismicWhere: Chinese Laundry When: Friday March 7

WITH ROLEO

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GOODWILL HUNTINGSydney party boy Goodwill is one of the hardest-working individuals on the scene. He’s mixed several Ministry Of Sound compilations, ripped up the decks at festivals from Falls and Big Day Out to Future Music and Good Vibrations, and packed out the biggest clubs in the country. Goodwill splits his DJing time with studio production goings on, and does it all with a professed love for everything house and big room. He returns to select for Marquee At The Star on Saturday March 29, and we’ve got two double passes to give away. To be in the hat, head to thebrag.com/freeshit and tell us in 25 words or less your best clubbing moment.

Goodwill

PAUL VAN DYK & ATB @ HOMEPaul van Dyk and ATB will both perform at Home Nightclub this Friday March 7, an occasion for ’90s trance nostalgia. Van Dyk has been crowned the world’s premier DJ in various polls over the years and notched up number one singles such as ‘For An Angel’, and the German is also renowned for using his status for political good. Meanwhile, v an Dyk’s compatriot André Tanneberger, best known as ATB, garnered worldwide popularity through his 1998 single ‘9PM (Till I Come)’. Doors open at 9pm, and $60 tickets are available online.

DEFECTED POOL PARTY FT HUXLEY & NICE7The next in Defected’s Pacha Pool Club day party series is slotted for Saturday April 26 at Ivy Pool Club, with internationals Huxley and Nice7 set to perform. After attaining initial success as a garage producer, Huxley’s sound has evolved towards a deeper, house-based sound in the past few years, as he has remixed the likes of Lee Burridge and Maya Jane Coles and delivered releases on labels such as Tsuba, Hypercolour, 20:20 Vision and his own Saints & Sonnets imprint. Nice7 is the collective moniker of Italian duo Nicola Daniele and Cesare Marocco, who notched up a chart topping remix of house veteran Jon Cutler last year. The party kicks off at midday, with support DJs Mo’Funk, Acaddamy, Mantra Collective and Escape also set to spin.

Paul van Dyk

HuxleyHuxley

32 :: BRAG :: 552 :: 05:03:14 thebrag.comthebrag.com

When Derwin Schlecker, AKA Gold Panda, fi rst started making waves with

a volley of single releases, it sent him on a worldwide journey. After the release of his 2010 album Lucky Shiner, Schlecker was on top of the world – but success brings its own pitfalls.

“I was terrifi ed of doing a second album. I got over it by working out whether it would sound the same as Lucky Shiner. [Half Of Where You Live] sounds slightly different; I mean, it wasn’t a huge shift, but they are distinct from one another. I spent less time on arrangement – there was a lot more spontaneity, like I would do at a live gig. I listened to it [again] the fi rst time a few days ago and there were, like, seven out of ten tracks I listened to without cringing or thinking, ‘I could have done that better.’ The next album I’m aiming for ten out of ten.”

By the time Half Of Where You Live was released in mid-2013, Schlecker had been travelling extensively, and his new worldview took a fi rm hold on both himself and the music of Gold Panda.

“I think the biggest thing I learnt was the difference between reality and how things are reported.

Example: people say Sao Paulo is dangerous. But I walked around the city in between gigs and it was fi ne. People were laughing, having a good time and I never felt like I was in any danger. What I have seen is that the world is good and, against what the news will say, people are friendly and not the evil monsters they’re made out to be. I wanted to capture that in the album. Exploration is the only real way to fi nd out about a place.”

To be in the privileged position of travelling the world and playing his music to thousands of people isn’t something lost on Schlecker, and his success is something he speaks of with modesty.

“I’ve managed to sustain a career by putting SoundClouds together, and for some reason people seem to like it. I don’t know how long that can last. People are encouraging, which is a nice thing, but I feel guilty about what I’m doing sometimes. I make music for myself and then I put it out there to see if people also like it. But then I’ll do a show, meet some people who’ll tell me that they get a lot of enjoyment from what I’m doing, and that makes me feel really good. I do want Gold Panda to evolve and grow, though. I want to release music in new ways and

explore what Gold Panda can be. I’m happy to do something new, and for people not to get it, and then do the opposite right after. I want to be selfi sh, and I feel that I’ve found the perfect way to do it.”

But Schlecker doesn’t just put his success down to luck. He says it’s been a process of failing and making mistakes.

“I hate a lot of electronic music. Most of the time it’s because people are using the same technology in the exact same way as everyone else. The ease of creation has made people lazy and you lose the reality in your music, and then it doesn’t sound like anything worth hearing. I like to hear the imperfections and mistakes in music. It shows that it’s real and I can associate with that. I’ve made mistakes with my music, but it means that there is something to improve about it. I suppose the lesson is; fi nd something organic in your music, something that makes it alive and imperfect, like we all are.”

The Better Half By Daniel Prior

Gold Panda

“J-5! J-5! J-5!” Coachella, 10:35pm, Friday April 12, 2013. The incessant

chanting from the tens of thousands of revellers at the outdoor stage is overwhelming. Akil, Zaakir, Mark 7even, DJ Nu-Mark, Chali 2na and Cut Chemist are all understandably nervous. It’s been six years since they’ve performed together, having called it quits back in 2007.

“Coachella was such a big moment for us, being that it was our fi rst show back,” says Mark 7even. “I mean, it’s Coachella!” he laughs. “It’s huge. It’s one of the biggest festivals in the world.” Indeed, their comeback show solidifi ed their status as hip hop royalty. Taking to the stage and performing a bombastic slew of hits from their classic back catalogue, including ‘Quality Control’, ‘Concrete Schoolyard’ and ‘Freedom’, the rock-solid set was met with rave reviews and was a defi nitive message that J5 had returned as unyielding as ever.

“It was great. It was a ground for us to prove ourselves, to see if we could still vibe together and if we still had that bond onstage,” says 7even. “We practised for about two weeks before Coachella and by the second day we could already feel that things were clicking back together. We had about 15 years together as a group – it becomes your second nature. I mean, you can walk away from it, but it’s always going to come straight back.”

It was only a month following their twin Coachella performances that J5 took off on their quest for world domination, touring non-stop throughout the United Kingdom, Spain, Japan, Canada and the United States. “We played around 30 shows last year. We played a killer show at the [O2 Academy] Brixton and then played at a heap of festivals. It was a really good and productive year. It was a great way to kick things off and let everyone know that we’re back.”

Flash-forward to 2014, and after a two-month break, J5 are once again ready to jetset around the globe. “The year has started off great,” says 7even. “We actually just got back from doing a show out at Denver in Colorado. We played up in the Red Rocks [Amphitheatre] to about 7,000 people. It was a great way to kick off. Things are going real well for us.”

Next month will see the legendary hip hop outfi t return to Australian shores with its dynamic live show for the fi rst time since 2007 – the tour that preceded J5’s unceremonious split. “We’ve been playing about an-hour-and-a-half-long sets. We just be us. We bring a lot of energy and throw around the classics; we’re interactive with the crowds. We just do what we’re famous for.

“This ain’t our fi rst trip down to Australia. It’s not going to be the fi rst time that people in Australia have seen us. They know what to expect, that’s why they bought a ticket, y’know what I mean? Not to be like that, but they know what J5 does and the level of quality that we like to bring to a show, into our performance. That’s what we’re going to bring, showmanship and energy. It’s going to be memorable.”

Following their touchdown in Australia, J5’s global onslaught will continue well into 2014. “We’ve got a lot of stuff on the books. We’re currently in the early stages of possibly bringing back the Word Of Mouth tour. We’ll be heading back to the UK in the summer. We’ve got quite a lot of tours and festival offers that have been made to us.”

And as for the possibility of hearing some new material? “I will say that you can expect to hear something new from Jurassic 5 in 2014. I won’t say if it’s an album, a single or a video, but you will see something new from Jurassic 5 very soon.”

Legends Reunited By Tyson Wray

Jurassic 5

What: Half Of Where You Live out now through LiberatorWhere: Oxford Art FactoryWhen: Thursday March 6

Where: Enmore TheatreWhen: Tuesday March 18, Wednesday March 19

“We had about 15 years together as a group – it becomes your second nature. I mean, you can walk away from it, but it’s always going to come straight back.”

BRAG :: 552 :: 05:03:14 :: 33thebrag.comthebrag.com

Although Harry Rodrigues posted ‘Harlem Shake’ to his Baauer SoundCloud page in April 2012,

the single didn’t start to take off until a homemade dance video set to its music surfaced online early in 2013. But boy, it sure escalated quickly from there. Unless you were living under a 3G-blocking rock last year, there’s very little chance you avoided the ‘Harlem Shake’ internet meme. As well as inspiring several thousand video interpretations (and subsequently dominating Facebook and Twitter news feeds), the song eventually reached number one in both Australia and the US.

“It was early on [in my career], so it was a little scary,” admits Rodrigues. “[It was] a little overwhelming because it was happening on such a big scale.”

Achieving this level of attention right at the start of one’s career can often result in getting classed a fl ash in the plan and being swiftly forgotten about once the trend runs its course. However, mainstream success has never been the young New York producer’s chief ambition.

“Having a track that is the number one on Billboard and [getting] that much exposure, I’ve learned that that wasn’t for me,” Rodrigues explains. “That’s not what I wanted to aspire to as a producer. I was much happier trying to create new, weird shit that would be different and fresh.”

Indeed, ‘Harlem Shake’ is by no means ordinary chart fodder. The song is probably most widely remembered for its build-up into a bass-heavy dance drop, which is why it was utilised by so many dancing webcam users. Listening back, though, ‘Harlem Shake’ is a bold genre confl ation, fusing elements of hip hop, Euro dance and a range of

found sounds – a combination that can’t have been chart-motivated.

“When I made that tune I was just having fun and fooling around, doing whatever,” says Rodrigues. “If that worked out for me one time, it’ll work out always.”

Even though joining the pop elite wasn’t Rodrigues’ ambition, there are some defi nite positives to a song of this persuasion invading the charts. In particular, the wide circulation of a track like ‘Harlem Shake’ can introduce listeners everywhere to the innovative underground that lies beneath contemporary electronic music.

“The bigger something gets in the mainstream, the stronger the underground version of that will be,” Rodrigues says. “You can’t have cool, forward-thinking shit without the mainstream shit. So, the stronger it gets in the charts – all this EDM stuff – that means the stronger the underground, cool, forward-thinking shit will become.”

It’s been 12 months since the ‘Harlem Shake’ sensation took fl ight, and in that time a string of impressive Baauer tracks have showed up online, including collaborations with RL Grime and hip hop superproducer Just Blaze, as well as remixes for The Prodigy and No Doubt. In line with the SoundCloud origins of ‘Harlem Shake’, the site remains a favoured method of distribution for Rodrigues.

“I do love putting out singles,” he says, “not even singles, just putting out tracks; staying fl ush with the way the internet works. When I made ‘Higher’ with Just Blaze, we put that on SoundCloud the night we made it. I really think that is the best way to release music now. I know that as a fan that’s how I like

to discover music, so it’s defi nitely the way I like to release it as an artist.”

Rodrigues turns 25 this year, which means that even though he’s well and truly entrenched in internet culture, his formative listening years predate online services. Yet his eclectic production references betray a studious knowledge of electronic music.

“I originally grew up in the UK so that kind of shit was always on BBC Radio; just always around me growing up in England. Then I moved to the States and started to dig a little deeper and discover more. But it defi nitely just came from hearing it on the radio in England.”

Considering Baauer received such a resounding welcome into the pop

music realm last year, how can 2014 possibly compete? Well, work on his debut full-length record is underway, but Rodrigues isn’t too bothered about reviving the commercial highs of ‘Harlem Shake’.

“I’ve taken some time off touring the past couple of months to get in the studio and I am working towards a big body of music. No matter what, I told myself to always have fun making music. Always at least have fun doing it and everything will sort itself out.”

In the meantime, his non-stop travel itinerary fi nally brings him back to Australia next month for Future Music Festival. The crowd involvement during ‘Harlem Shake’ will defi nitely be something worth witnessing. And the spectacle won’t end there.

“There’s new tracks [in the live show], and [I’m] combining tracks that people already know and love in different and interesting ways and just trying to create a fun atmosphere. Lately I’ve been bringing around a couple of lighting and visuals guys to every show. So now, as well as the music, there’s a big visual package to go along with it.”

Shake It Out By Augustus Welby

What: Future Music Festival 2014With: Deadmau5, Macklemore & Ryan Lewis, Pharrell Williams, Hardwell, Eric Prydz, Rudimental, Porter Robinson and many moreWhere: Royal Randwick RacecourseWhen: Saturday March 8

Baauer “Having a track that is the number one on Billboard and [getting] that much exposure, I’ve learned that that wasn’t for me.”

34 :: BRAG :: 552 : 05:03:14 thebrag.com

WEDNESDAY MARCH 5

CLUB NIGHTS DJ Tom Kelly Goldfi sh, Kings Cross. 11pm. free. House Party Scubar, Sydney. 8pm. free. Snapback - feat: Various Artists Newtown Hotel, Newtown. 7:30pm. free. The Supper Club - feat: Resident DJs Kit & Kaboodle, Kings Cross. 10pm. free. The Wall - feat: Various Local And International Acts World Bar, Kings Cross. 9pm. $5. Whip It Wednesdays - feat: Various DJs Whaat Club, Kings Cross. 9pm. free.

xxxTHURSDAY MARCH 6

HIP HOP & R&B Kicks Launch Night World Bar, Kings Cross. 8:30pm. $5.

CLUB NIGHTS $5 Everything Scubar, Sydney. 5pm. free. Goldfi sh And Friends - feat: Regular Rotating Residents Goldfi sh, Kings Cross. 10pm. free. Loopy - feat: Drty Csh + Daschwood + Generous Greed + Guest DJs The Backroom, Sydney. 10pm. $12. Matt Ferreira Australian Hotel And Brewery, Rouse Hill. 9pm. $10. Physical Education - feat: Various DJs Flinders Hotel, Surry Hills. 10pm. free. Pool Club Thursdays - feat: Resident DJs Ivy Bar/Lounge, Sydney. 5pm. free. Solarium - feat: Solarium DJs And Live Acts Goodgod Small Club, Sydney. 9pm. free.

FRIDAY MARCH 7

CLUB NIGHTS Argyle Fridays - feat: Resident DJs The Argyle, The Rocks. 6pm. free. Chinese Laundry UV Party

- feat: Roleo + Empress Yoy + AutoclawsChinese Laundry, Sydney. 9pm. $20.DJ Marty Wentworthville Leagues Club, Wentworthville. 9pm. free. El’ Circo - feat: Resident Circus Act Performers Slide Lounge, Darlinghurst. 7pm. $109. Factory Fridays - feat: Resident DJs Soda Factory, Surry Hills. 5pm. free. Festival Pre-Load - feat: Jesabel + Front To Back + Snillum + 4play DJs Australian Hotel And Brewery, Rouse Hill. 9pm. $10. Frisky Fridays Scubar, Sydney. 5pm. free. Infamous Saturdays - feat: Live DJs Scubar, Sydney. 7pm. free. Loco Friday - feat: Various Live Bands And DJs The Slip Inn, Sydney. 5pm. free. Mashed Fridays - feat: DJ Alter Ego Oatley Hotel, Oatley. 8pm. free. Paul Van Dyk + ATBHome, Sydney. 9pm. $60.Soft & Slow - feat: Pink Lloyd + Jamie Lloyd + Guests The Spice Cellar, Sydney. 10pm. $15. Tenzin

Marquee At The Star, Pyrmont. 10pm. $18.40.Yo Grito! Goodgod Small Club, Sydney. 9pm. free.

SATURDAYMARCH 8

CLUB NIGHTS Cakes - feat: 4 Rooms Of Live Music + DJs And International Guests. World Bar, Kings Cross. 8pm. $10. DJ Marty Wentworthville Leagues Club, Wentworthville. 9pm. free. El’ Circo - feat: Resident Circus Act Performers Slide Lounge, Darlinghurst. 7pm. $109. Eric Prydz Ivy Bar/Lounge, Sydney. 7pm. $45. FBi Hands Up! - feat: DJ Clockwerk + Special Friends With Benefi ts FBi Social, Kings Cross. 11:30pm. free. Future Music Festival - feat: Deadmau5 + Macklemore & Ryan Lewis + Phoenix + Hardwell + Knife Party + Eric Prydz + Rudimental + Tinie Tempah + Chase & Status + Sub Focus + Netsky + 2 Chainz + Kaskade + Dada Life + Porter Robinson + Naughty Boy + Paul Van Dyk + More Royal Randwick Racecourse, Randwick. 12pm. $175. Girls Night Out Australian Hotel And Brewery, Rouse Hill. 7:30pm. $30. Goodgod Hai-Life

Goodgod Small Club, Sydney. 9pm. free. KaskadeMarquee At The Star, Pyrmont. 10pm. $44.Masif Saturdays Space, Sydney. 10pm. $25. Motion - feat: DJ D&D + Burn-Hard + Denny Johnson + Poster Boy Hollywood Hotel, Surry Hills. 8pm. free. My Place Saturdays Bar100, The Rocks. 8pm. free. Paradise City Hermann’s Bar, Sydney. 9pm. $10. Pineapple Republic - feat: Quantic Goodgod Small Club, Sydney. 11pm. $25. Sienna Saturdays - feat: Resident DJs The Establishment, Sydney. 9pm. free. Soda Saturdays - feat: Resident DJs Playing Disco And Funk Soda Factory, Surry Hills. 5pm. free. Spice Troopers - feat: Michelle Owen + YokoO + Morgan + Cassette + Murat Kilic + Marc Jarvin The Spice Cellar, Sydney. 10pm. $25. Visions Cliff Dive, Darlinghurst. 10pm. free.

SUNDAY MARCH 9

CLUB NIGHTS La Fiesta - feat: Samantha Fox + Agee Ortiz + Av El Cubano + Resident DJ Willie Sabor. The Establishment, Sydney. 8pm. free.

Marco Polo - feat: Various DJs Ivy Bar/Lounge, Sydney. 1pm. $15. Martini Club And Friends - feat: Ocky + Tom Kelly Goldfi sh, Kings Cross. 10pm. free. Nina Las Vegas & Ta-Ku - feat: Lewi McKirdy Goodgod Small Club, Sydney. 10pm. $20. S.A.S.H Sundays - feat: Kaiser Souzai + Steven Walsh + Le Brond + Tristan Case + Matt Weir + Kerry WallaceFlyover Bar, Sydney. 12pm. $10.Sunday Sessions Oatley Hotel, Oatley. 6pm. free. Sundays In The City - feat: Various DJs The Slip Inn, Sydney. 12pm. free.

MONDAY MARCH 10

CLUB NIGHTS Crab Racing Scubar, Sydney. 7pm. free. DJ Mattia Goldfi sh, Kings Cross. 11pm. free.

TUESDAY MARCH 11

CLUB NIGHTS Chu World Bar, Kings Cross. 9pm. free. DJ Robin Goldfi sh, Kings Cross. 11pm. free.

club guideg send your listings to : clubguide@thebrag.com

Xxx

Royal Randwick Racecourse

Future Music Festival

deadmau5 + Macklemore & Ryan Lewis + Phoenix + Hardwell + Knife Party + Eric Prydz + Rudimental + Tinie Tempah + Chase & Status +

more

12pm. $175.

club pick of the week

SATURDAY MARCH 8

RudimentalRudimental

THURSDAY MARCH 6Kicks Launch Night World Bar, Kings Cross. 8:30pm. $5.

FRIDAY MARCH 7Chinese Laundry UV Party - feat: Roleo + Empress Yoy + AutoclawsChinese Laundry, Sydney. 9pm. $20.

Paul Van Dyk + ATBHome, Sydney. 9pm. $60.

Soft & Slow - feat: Pink Lloyd + Jamie Lloyd + Guests The Spice Cellar, Sydney. 10am. $15.

TenzinMarquee At The Star, Pyrmont. 10pm. $18.40.

SATURDAY MARCH 8Eric Prydz Ivy Bar/Lounge, Sydney. 7pm. $45.

KaskadeMarquee At The Star, Pyrmont. 10pm. $44.

Pineapple Republic - feat: Quantic Goodgod Small Club, Sydney. 11pm. $25.

Spice Troopers - feat: Michelle Owen + Yokoo + Morgan + Cassette + Murat Kilic + Marc Jarvin The Spice Cellar, Sydney. 10pm. $25.

SUNDAY MARCH 9Nina Las Vegas & Ta-Ku - feat: Lewi Mckirdy Goodgod Small Club, Sydney. 10pm. $20.

S.A.S.H Sundays - feat: Kaiser Souzai + Steven Walsh + Le Brond + Tristan Case + Matt Weir + Kerry WallaceFlyover Bar, Sydney. 12pm. $10.

send your listings to : clubguide@thebrag.com

Nina Las VegasNina Las Vegas

Eric PrydzEric Prydz

BRAG :: 552 :: 05:03:14 :: 35thebrag.comthebrag.com

One of the mainstays of the underground German house scene, Frankfurt-born DJ/producer Sascha

Dive will release his second full-length artist album, Dark Shadow – anyone familiar with Dive’s output and persona will attest to all you Rick Owens buffs that the title is not a high-end fashion reference – in early April. Dark Shadow will arrive four years after Dive’s debut album Restless Nights on his own label, Deep Vibes Recordings, which has released material from the likes of DJ QU and Reboot. While Dive’s output has been limited since he released his fi rst album, the quality has made up for the lack of quantity, as he has notched up remixes of the likes of Matthew Dear before teaming up with Christian Burkhardt on a brace of split EPs that dropped last year. Dive’s signature sound melds stripped-back micro house, rolling percussion and deeper grooves. He also channels infl uences from house auteurs such as Chez Damier, Theo Parrish and Moodymann, alongside the more abstract sounds of artists like Baby Ford and Thomas Melchior, references which are discernible on listening to the promo of Dive’s forthcoming album. Dark Shadow begins with a succession of atmospheric tracks, and gradually builds from its dark and moody beginnings by introducing deep, underlapping house soundscapes, traversing the peripheral regions of house and techno over the course of what is a cohesive, 11-track outing.

Two of the most infl uential fi gures in contemporary music, Brian Eno and Karl Hyde, have joined forces for a collaborative album, Someday World, which will be released on Warp Records in early May. Hyde and Eno performed together at the Sydney Opera House in the fi nale of the inaugural Vivid festival back in 2009 alongside The Necks, Jon Hopkins and guitarist Leo Abrahams. They subsequently collaborated on the (admittedly disappointing) track ‘Beebop Hurry’, which was released later that year on the Underworld vs The Misterons compilation Athens alongside tracks from Moodymann, Roxy Music and Laurent Garnier. Someday World will be the fi rst time the two have completed a full album together, with the nine-track LP featuring a lengthy ensemble of guest artists, including Eno’s old Roxy Music cohort Andy Mackay and London soul singer Don-E. Hyde discussed the recording process fondly, commenting on the rejuvenating effect of the collaboration in recalling, “the biggest surprise was discovering we both had a love of Afrobeat, cyclical music based in live playing. When Brian played me these early tracks it was, ‘Oh my God, this is home! Can I borrow a guitar?’” Eno was equally enthusiastic, divulging, “I had a big collection of ‘beginnings’ sitting around waiting for something to galvanise them into life, to make them more than just ‘experiments’. That something turned out to be Karl Hyde.” The pair’s willingness to incorporate different perspectives is in keeping with the views Hyde expressed when I spoke with him. Over a bottle of San Pellegrino at the Four Seasons in Circular Quay, he explained, “Art is about looking at the same things with different eyes… You’ve only got one pair of eyes but your perception has to keep evolving if you’re an artist; if you don’t evolve you’re dead.” Neither Hyde nor Eno have

ever been at risk of artistic ossifi cation; Someday World is the latest chapter in their diverse bodies of work, which both traverse various genres and artistic disciplines.

Bulgarian producer Strahil Velchev, AKA KiNK, will release his debut album Under Destruction in May on Macro Recordings, the label overseen by Stefan Goldmann and Finn Johannsen that has been described as a bastion of “avant-techno”. Despite the fact he hasn’t released a full-length artist album yet, Velchev is well established in house and techno circles due to his EPs on labels like Rush Hour, Poker Flat, Ovum, and Mule Musiq and regular collaborations with the likes of Neville Watson. Evolving out of a series of live improvisational studio sessions in Velchev’s hometown of Sofi a, Under Destruction calls itself ‘post-socialist techno’, with its creator framed as one of a generation who grew up on the home computers Bulgaria’s IT scientists created by backwards-engineering Western technology. Under Destruction was recorded in dozens of analogue jam sessions that were driven by the same ethos that propels Velchev’s live sets, which have lead to KiNK being voted among Resident Advisor’s top live acts in recent years. The 12-track outing packs plenty of the quirky, abstract punch that is a hallmark of the Macro label, with regular vocalist Rachel Row featuring throughout the album.

Deep Impressions

Deep Impressions: electronica manifesto and occasional club brand. Contact through deep.impressions@yahoo.com

Dance And Electronica with Chris Honnery

Sascha Dive

KiNK

SATURDAY MARCH 84our ft. DJ Mareena Warehouse Party

SATURDAY MARCH 15Len FakiChinese Laundry

Moritz Von OswaldThe Burdekin

FRIDAY APRIL 25Dixon, Prins Thomas, The Matinee BrothersGreenwood Hotel

LOOKING DEEPER

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01:03:14 :: The Ivy :: 1/330 George St Sydney 9254 8100

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OUR LOVELY PHOTOGRAPHERS :: LIAM CAMERON :: KATRINA CLARKE :: ASHLEY MAR ::

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02:03:14 :: Flyover Bar :: 275 Kent St Sydney 9262 1988

s.a.s.h sundays

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kicks thursdays launch party

It’s called: Kicks Thursdays Launch Party

It sounds like: The Drums doing a cover of Ginuwine’s ‘Pony’… at a house party… in a mansion… with a ball pit.

Acts: DJs: Levins, Joyride, Josh Moore, Laprats, Moranis, Josh Kelly, TheNickles, Disco Fixie. Live: Burn Antares, Raindrops, Marky Vaw, Boobjob, Black Soul.

Three songs you’ll hear on the night:Hermitude – ‘Speak Of The Devil’Flume & Chet Faker – ‘Drop The Game’Will Smith – ‘Boom! Shake The Room’

And one you defi nitely won’t: 5 Seconds Of Summer – ‘She Looks So Perfect’. Sigh.

Sell it to us: Ball pits, free donuts, live hip hop and bands, secret prizes (hint: they’re shoes!), ball pits, candy, teapots, ball pits, indie, hip hop, party, YES!The bit we’ll remember in the AM: Did we mention the ball pit?Crowd specs: Party people, students, jetsetters and anyone up for excess with zero douchebaggery.

Wallet damage: Free for students. $5 for civilians.

Where: The World Bar – 24 Bayswater Rd, Kings Cross

When: Thursday March 6 and then every Thursday… forever!

par

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★★★★★ EDINBURGH EVENING NEWS

‘WHY CAN’T EVERY COMEDIAN BE THIS FUNNY?”

★★★★★ THREE WEEKS - UK

ADELAIDE - THEBARTON THEATRE 18 & 19 APRIL ON SALE

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20 APRIL 10PM NOW ON SALE

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BRISBANE - TIVOLI THEATRE 29 APRIL 7.30PM SOLD OUT 9.30PM SHOW NOW ON SALE 30 APRIL 7.30PM SOLD OUT 9.30PM SHOW NOW ON SALE

SYDNEY - ENMORE THEATRE 1,2,3 MAY SOLD OUT,

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