bma magazine 478 - 17 february 2016

COVER LINE

INSIDE:INFO

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NATIONAL FOLK FEST

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ART NOT APART

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ENLIGHTEN


AD SPACEENLIGHTENENLIGHTEN

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AINSLIE & GORMANROYAL CANBERRA SHOW


AINSLIE & GORMAN

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HOOTENANNY


AD SPACEOLD CANBERRA INN

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@bmamag12

50TH NATIONAL FOLK FESTIVAL ANNOUNCES ABORIGINAL ARTIST LINE-UPCanberra’s National Folk Festival is kind of a big deal. That’s in the sense that it’s hailed as the biggest folk festival in Australia, and it’s culturally relevant and diverse to boot. One of the festival’s most popular features is ‘Celebrating Australia’s First Peoples’, which always includes a line-up of acclaimed and award-winning Aboriginal artists, musicians, dancers and storytellers. It shouldn’t come as a surprise that for the festival’s 50th anniversary, the featured Aboriginal artists are some of the most exciting yet.

Singer, storyteller, raconteur and one of Australia’s beloved national treasures, you know Stephen Baamba Albert from his acting roles in Bran Nue Dae, Corrugation Road and The Circuit. Baamba calls on a unique musical family legacy from his aunties and uncles from the 1930s, combined with the rich cultural melange of Broome. Loved and adored for his charismatic performances, Baamba will perform songs from his debut album Baad, which features classic songs from Cole Porter and Engelbert Humperdink, alongside Broome Anthems ‘Saltwater Cowboy’, ‘Town of the Bay’ and ‘Selamat Tingal’.

Another musical act to look out for is Rayella – Mudburra people hailing from one of

the most remote locations in Australia, the Marlinja Community in the Northern Territory, 700 kilometres south of Darwin. Their music has been described as “a deep blend of modern life and ancient energy”, with music sung in both Mudburra and English and a style that ranges from pop to country, rock and reggae. Their melting pot of genres and styles will be sure to impress.

The National Folk Festival has also lined up the sublime Gina Williams and Guy Ghouse, who are returning after being named Best Indigenous Act of the 2015 WA Music Industry Awards for the third time. That huge feat comes down to Guy’s spellbinding guitar skills and Gina’s pure, haunting vocals, as she sings entirely in Noongar Language, which is rare and unique to the South West of Australia with less than 240 speakers left. There’s also 2011 NAIDOC Artist of the Year Jacinta Price, whose songs inspire a Tracy Chapman feel and are grounded in a blues, folk and Celtic ethos. Jacinta Price’s debut album Dry River will feature at the Festival and is a tribute to her hometown of Alice Springs, with songs conjuring up the landscape, the people and the culture.

After impressing the judges on the Sydney Opera House stage at the Dance Rites competition in 2015 and numerous performances right around the country, The Djaadjawan Dancers will be back at the National Folk Festival for the 50th. Harbouring from Yuin Country on the Far South Coast of NSW, these proud Koori

women founded the dance ensemble in 2013 with a vision to heal, teach and practice the Yuin culture.

The National Folk Festival celebrates 50 years in 2016, and will feature an A-list of over 200 international and national artists across 18 venues at Exhibition Park, Canberra on the Easter weekend, Thu–Mon March 24–28. Tickets are available through folkfestival.org.au.

GET YOUR HARDCOPY ONOi, writers. This one’s for you: the ACT Writers Centre is pleased to announce that Hardcopy 2016 is open for applications. In its third year, Hardcopy is a unique, national, professional development program that helps build the capacities, aptitudes and resources committed Australian writers need in order to reach their potential.

It involves a three-day manuscript development intensive in May, three days of professional development presentations, panels and seminars about the publishing industry in September, and an opportunity to gain industry-level feedback from agents and publishers in November.

The program is open to writers from anywhere in Australia who are serious about their practice. This year’s focus is on fiction manuscripts. Applications close Friday March 11. Get on it! For more information, visit actwriters.org.au.

Fax: (02) 6257 4361 Mail: PO Box 713 Civic Square, ACT 2608

Publisher Scott Layne Allan Sko

General Manager Allan Sko T: (02) 6257 4360 E: [email protected]

Editor Andrew Nardi T: (02) 6257 4456 E: [email protected]

Accounts Manager Ashish Doshi T: (02) 6247 4816 E: [email protected]

Sub-Editor & Social Media Manager Alyssia Tennant

Graphic Design Chris Halloran

Film Editor Emma Robinson

NEXT ISSUE 479 OUT March 16 EDITORIAL DEADLINE March 4 ADVERTISING DEADLINE March 10

Published by Radar Media Pty Ltd ABN 76 097 301 730 BMA Magazine is independently owned and published. Opinions expressed in

BMA Magazine are not necessarily those of the editor, publisher or staff.

Nollsy should’ve won Australian Idol 2003 ayeee!

# 4 7 8 F e b r u a r y 1 7


I Bought a Jeep!

Well no, of course I didn’t. Do I look like a Jeep driver?

But the wifey and I have, for the first time ever, bought a brand spanking new fresh-off-the-showroom-floor motor vehicle.

Gone are the days of the used car, a realm where you try desperately to ignore that strange immovable stain in the backseat where your child now sits. No more passing the time by playing a game of Which Machine Part Will Blow Up Next.

And no more do you have to indulge in the daily sport of rigorously spraying Lynx New Car Smell everywhere to mask the permanent tang of takeaway and old people.

No, this time, the New Car Smell is for realsies.

Now I don’t want you running off thinking I’m Mr Moneybags over here. You don’t get into the arts game for the money* believe you-me. Collectively as a family we’ve plunged ourselves into enough debt to ensure my kids will be paying off this car come their adulthood (which is all part of the plan in teaching them a valuable lesson about reckless spending).

Nevertheless, this purchase has struck me as a strangely significant life moment. Initially done as a move to prevent our family of four from resembling packed sardines in our former car (a vehicle with the kind of space that would give a shoebox an ego), at 33 years of age, purchasing my first ever Brand New Car feels like a proper Rite of Passage moment into Proper Adulthood.

Rite of Passage moments are a wonderful way of breaking the samey cycle of everyday life. This step into Proper Adulthood fondly drums up emotions of a step into Early Adulthood – buying the first car. That sense of freedom; of accomplishment; of feeling like you’ve ‘arrived’.

Except this time, instead of buying a seventh-hand Deathbox 3000 – a process that involved picking the car that most looked like it would last at least six months for your meagre budget and then crossing the fingers and hoping for the best – you’re buying a car that welcomes you by name in a hypnotic robot voice after you turn on the engine with a click of the fingers, shortly followed by a steaming platter of full English breakfast mysteriously appearing from a compartment ready to be mechanically spooned into you like a scene from Charlie Chaplin’s Modern Times (that’s right... I watch films).

There are these big, exciting Rites of Passage, like turning 18 or buying your first car. And there are big, scary ones like buying a home or waving your children off to their first day of school. But there are also the little things like finding your favourite book, meeting your best friend or realising you’ll never have to buy nappies ever again.

They act as little markers in life; symbols of progress and experience. While they seem thoroughly individual and unique to you, they are shared by us all. There’s something very sweet about that.

ALLAN SKO - [email protected]

FROM THEBOSSMAN

Care to immortalise your hatred in print? Send an email to [email protected] and see your malicious bile circulated to thousands. [All entries contain original spellings.]

The first issue of BMA for 2016 understandably featured Bowie and Lemmy on the cover. The contents contained various references and homages to these two legends. There were even references to Alan Rickman, another legend. All well and good.

To my surprise and disappointment I found no mention at all of Stevie Wright who passed away in Moruya on the 27th of December. As vocalist and frontman with The Easybeats in the 1960s Stevie set the bar for high energy rock ‘n’ roll. His spirited persona influenced many, Bon Scott amongst them. Post Easybeats he produced some killer music including the songs ‘Black Eyed Bruiser’ and ‘Evie’.

The Easybeats ‘Friday On My Mind’ was released in 1966. In 2001 APRA voted it “Best Australian Song” of all time. More pertinently Bowie covered the song on his 1973 album ‘Pin Ups’.

I dig Lemmy and Bowie. I dig Stevie Wright too. His place in the pantheon of rock ‘n’ roll is right up there. Too bad his death was unacknowledged in the pages of BMA. [Well, that’s been changed now! Thank you, You Pissed Me Off! contributor. You have done Stevie Wright’s legacy a great service – BOSSMAN]

YOUPISSEDME OFF!

* you get into it for those sweet, sweet sleep-ins. Until you have kids, of course. Now I’m poor AND tired.

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WHO: THE BEAN PROJECT WHAT: TOUR WHEN: SAT FEB 20 WHERE: SMITH’S ALTERNATIVE

WHO: AS A RIVALWHAT: TOURWHEN: FRI MAR 4WHERE: THE FRONT, LYNEHAM

WHAT: CANBERRA REGGAE FESTIVAL WHEN: SAT MAR 5 WHERE: OLD CANBERRA INN

WHAT: PEARL – THE JANIS JOPLIN SHOWWHEN: SAT MAR 5WHERE: THE STREET THEATRE

WHO: STRUNG OUTWHAT: TOURWHEN: WED MAR 9 WHERE: THE BASEMENT

WHAT: HOOTENANNYWHEN: SAT MAR 19WHERE: TRANSIT BAR

Beans, beans, the musical fruit … Melbourne-based French horn and guitar duo The Bean Project will hit up Canberra on Saturday February 20 at 4pm as part of their tour. Following the successful release of their self-titled debut EP and taking out the top prize in last year’s FReeZa Battle of the Bands competition, it’s going to be a ripper of a night, and no, I’m not pulling your finger. RSVP to the event at thebeanprojectmusic.com/gigs.

There’s nothing like a bit of good old fashioned rivalry. A good example of this is the feisty fire-driven three-piece from Melbourne, As A Rival. Their mantra: being a rival to everything that’s out there. The band’s embarking on an extensive tour that takes in the eastern seaboard, regional cities, plus smaller cities Canberra and Adelaide. Here, you can catch them – and support acts The Great Awake and Sketch Method – at the Front Gallery in Lyneham on Friday March 4 at 8pm. Entry will set you back a small fee of $10 at the door.

The Inner West Reggae Disco Machine are bringing Jamaica to Canberra, with their hand-built sound system ready to turn up the bass. Live bands will perform throughout the day as well, courtesy of reggae supergroup The Protestors, Kinsky and local favourites Zambezi Sounds Canberra. A child-friendly event (with a jumping castle and face paint), this is definitely one that’ll get you dancing into the night whilst paying homage to the Carribean roots. There’ll also be Jamaican food stalls to give you a taste of the islands. Head on down to ye Old Canberra Inn at 12pm on Saturday March 5.

At The Street for one night only, Pearl: The Janis Joplin Show pays homage to the legacy of a woman who left a life-long impression on the rock ‘n’ roll world. The show features soul and jazz singer Liza Ohlback, and musical director, singer, songwriter and guitarist, Jeremy Edwards. A jazz, blues, bohemian rock and interpretational music presentation, Pearl is a tribute and celebration of Joplin, which will transport the audience into a smoky vibe best remembered live. To head along, make a booking on thestreet.org.au. Tickets start from $29 + bf.

Southern California tech-punk quintet Strung Out have announced an extensive tour of Australia and New Zealand right off the back of their latest album, Transmission.Alpha.Delta. With six long years between album releases, you can be sure that they’re rejuvenated and ready for action. If you’re not sold, consider this: New Orleans’ newest punk band PEARS are confirmed as support. Don’t miss your chance to see two of the scene’s most exciting genre-bending bands. This is an 18+ event and tickets are on sale now from Oztix for $45.40.

Alt-pop band Brother Be headline a ridiculously good line-up at Hootenanny, with local legends The Brass Knuckle Brass Band, Batemans Bay funk lords The Spindrift Saga and Melbourne blues identity Jules Boult all coming out to party. You’ll also get the chance to win stuff in the Best Vest Competition (wear a vest, hope for the best), Canberra’s shortest trivia contest and dance-off. For those playing at home, a “Hootenanny” is a Scottish word meaning “celebration” or “party”. Sounds about right. The music starts bang on 8pm, so make sure to get there early. Entry is on $15 on the door.


NICHOLAS COMBE NONET

CLAUDIA TILLEYDMA’S highly anticipated debut album Hills End is about to drop on Friday February 26. Consisting of 12 tracks from the past few years, and some new ones to tease your ears, fans can expect an absolute ripper of an album. BMA caught up with the band – Johnny Took (guitars), Matt Mason (guitars and backing vocals) and Tommy O’Dell (vocals) – during their tour with St. Jerome’s Laneway Festival and discussed the upcoming album, their sound, and what’s next for the Sydney boys.

What was the inspiration behind Hills End?

I guess a lot of its messages are about

love. How you can lose it as quickly as finding it and no matter what really goes down, it’s best to pick ya self up and get on with it.

It’s best to pick ya self up and get on with it

PLAY IT OUT

Both DMA’s EP and debut album have been cited as beginning in Johnny Took’s Newtown bedroom. What does this space mean to you guys in terms of generating creativity?

It meant a lot, it’s where this project started. Many memories of writing, recording and jamming have come from that place … more importantly, it’s where we first shared our music with our friends at parties. We were extremely creative there, especially in the early days. That place is no more, so I guess we need a new spot for the second record.

What artists would you note as being big influences to DMA’S sound?

The Beatles, The La’s, The Stone Roses, Oasis, Sonic Youth, Neil Young, Bruce Springsteen, Guided By Voices. That’s just a few.

It would have been a big deal when Mark Stent became involved with Hills End. What was it like working with him and what was his role in the production on the album?

He is sick, he did a great job mixing it and he brought out the life in the record.

You guys have had some good stints playing at festivals around Australia and overseas. What do you hope to gain from playing at a world-renowned festival like Coachella?

We hope to gain more fans. We just want our music to be known by everyone – to be regarded as a good rock ‘n’ roll band.

What’s the next step for DMA’S after the UK/US tour? Any plans to tour around Australia in the near future?

We do Europe, then a big Oz tour in May–June.

DMA’S debut album Hills End will be released on Friday February 26.

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MEGAN LEAHY

Saturday afternoon, it could be a weekend like any other, except there was a different sound emanating from across the suburbs. Perhaps not an unusual sound for parts of the inner north; it could have been a band practice as usual. But there was something very different about the music we were hearing, something pretty awesome. This was the sounds of Girls Rock!

Inside Ainslie Arts Centre, there was a frenzy of stage monikers and slightly inappropriate band names. “Feel free to get up and dance! Our song is called ‘Dear Idiot’, it’s for all of you guys!” And with that, Jesus And The Virgin Mary launched into their set.

The first time is always the hardest

The first ever Australian Girls Rock camp, hosting Canberra’s newest, youngest bands, has recently concluded. Held over the course of a week from January 11 to 16, the 40 odd participants – ranging in ages from 10 to 17 – undertook a vast array of activities, which culminated in a showcase concert to demonstrate what they had learnt. Bringing in a vast array of mentors and volunteers to assist with coaching, the event focused on personalised classes specialising in music tuition and self-development.

Partway through the week of camp, event coordinator, Chiara Grassia, looks exhausted. But as she starts to talk about the progress she’s witnessed so far, her eyes light up. It’s no wonder Chiara appears tired – over a year’s worth of planning went into making Girls Rock happen. Drawing inspiration from similar camps that are held in the US, Girls Rock Canberra was the first of its kind to be held in the southern hemisphere.

“I’ve been fortunate to attend a few Girls Rock camps in the States. The first one that started was a rock and roll camp for girls in Portland, Oregon, and I wanted to recreate that here. They create such an incredible space within a week that just works.”

Last year, Chiara attended several rock and roll camps in the US, with the assistance of YWCA Canberra grants, with the view of starting a camp back at home. “It was really inspiring to be able start one in Australia, as the structure is really similar to the American style,” she says. “I really wanted to create something like that here, not only because the program is so amazing, but the community that it creates is also amazing.”

Mentors and mayhem

The majority of volunteers were Canberra-based, but the camp was also inundated with volunteer mentors from Brisbane, Sydney, Wollongong, Melbourne and even New Zealand, who were willing to help out.

Not just a learning experience for the campers, the volunteers and coaches also had challenges to overcome. Teaching others, and projecting the confidence required, forced some of the volunteers to dig deep. “I was super nervous”, admitted Nicole Gaffney, from New Zealand band Carb On Carb, who travelled to help as a band coach. “I remember when I was in a little band when I was, like, 14 and it was very scary.” Instinctually drawing upon her own experiences was the key, and the girls “were just as nervous as me, so it worked out.”

Without the volunteers, Girls Rock camp would not have been what it was. “It’s paid off phenomenally,” Chiara sounds relieved. “The volunteers have been so passionate and have been able to relate to the girls, to instil them with the confidence that they perhaps didn’t have at that age.”

A key highlight of the camp was the lunchtime sessions, which included performances from several of the camp mentors and female-driven bands. Featuring an extensive list of performers including Wives, The Rangoons, Babymachine, Aphir, Courtney Barnett, Jen Cloher, and Steph Hughes.

MUM, IT’S NOT A PHASE

AN INSIDE LOOK AT GIRLS ROCK!

CANBERRA


Word gets around quickly in Canberra when you have certain high-profile musicians involved with your camp. Evidently Barnett’s ‘secret show’ caused a stir, with many non-campers attempting to crash Ainslie Arts Centre to catch a glimpse.

Arts and crass

The hesitation and jitters of the campers from Monday had all but disappeared by mid-week. Creating their own identities with unique band names was key in establishing an early bond between the girls.

The busy schedule of the week’s events weren’t just rock ‘n’ roll. Campers started their mornings with ‘punk rock aerobics’, before attending classes on instrument instruction, songwriting, zine making and screen printing. Not to mention lots and lots of band practice.

Team building activities were core, but teachings were also strongly focused on looking inwards. Self-care classes were vital for providing the girls with new techniques to help them through the difficulties of being a teenager and beyond, and Feminism 101 provided a great lesson on gender equality issues.

“Girls Rock tries to create a space that is supportive and free of jealousy and competition,” Chiara makes a point of this. “The workshops are quite individually tailored, so the girls can express themselves creatively and learn ways to take care of themselves.”

Sisters’ doing it for themselves

There has been much heated discussion in the media about women’s roles in the music industry, and much of it is not positive. The obvious question is simply, why are there so few women working in music?

According to the 2011 Census, of the reported occupations in performing arts and music, just 36% of those are held by women, compared with 64% held by men. This is a vast difference by any means. The performing arts and music sector has a much greater gender imbalance than the arts industry in general, which has 43% of jobs held by women and 57% by men.

It is a cultural issue, but also one that can partially be related to confidence. Even in this day and age, many women experience difficulties in breaking into what is largely known as a ‘man’s world’, and the male-dominated industry is no exception.

Experiencing difficulties at high school can be just the start of it. Music classes at schools are often oriented towards a particular type of person, and for girls feeling shy or awkward, it can be a difficult scene to enter.

Wives frontwoman Anja Loughhead was a band coach for the camp, but surprisingly she didn’t even pick up an instrument until she was 23.

The lack of strong female voices in the Canberra music scene was something that was playing on Anja’s mind for a long time. “Playing music came out of this stubborn pig-headedness that I could do it better than the male bands performing at the time,” she says. “I had this intense rant about how I could play better music than The Fighting League because they were so dominant. That’s how Sex Noises started.

“There should be more women in the Canberra music scene, particularly the punk scene. But it’s been great to see more women playing in bands now – great that we can play shows together.”

The community that it creates is amazing

Girls Rock is actively aimed to help combat this issue for successive generations. The outcomes of the camp are to provide the campers with a transferrable skill set that they can draw upon after the camp is over. Chiara adds that “whether it’s in the practical sense of picking up an instrument, or just by having the confidence to express themselves in a certain way – to be the person they never felt they could be.”

“This week we wrote five songs!”

The culmination of the week’s efforts were showcased on the final day, in a concert put on by the young performers. The sheer joy on the girls’ faces in being able to actively demonstrate what they had learnt in just a few short days was special enough, but they had also crafted some fine tunes along the way.

Many of the girls had not picked up an instrument before attending Girls Rock, let alone felt that it was something they were capable of. The end-of-camp showcase demonstrated that quite the opposite was true; that with patience, determination, the excellent tuition from the camp mentors, and a lot of attitude, they could realise their potential.

As one camper proudly announced that her band – The Screaming Moths – had written five songs in the short duration of a few days, others just got straight to business. From the

invention of genres by the Hipopsicles, to Pineapple Paradise bringing their own (pineapple) band mascot, the younger girls got the showcase off to a ripping start.

The older girls stepped it up a notch further, demonstrating skill and flair that could rival any upcoming band. As the showcase drew to a close, Mum, It’s Not A Phase and Milk The Mailman sent it off with original tracks so gloriously catchy they hung around for rest of the day.

ABC and beyond

Waking up bleary-eyed on the Sunday following the Girls Rock showcase, a familiar face was gracing the ABC news. “The attention has been ridiculous, it’s been good,” muses Chiara. Being picked up by various media outlets has increased the event’s profile immensely, generating traction for the future of the camp. Although the hype may have now subsided, there is already planning underway for the next Girls Rock event to take place in Melbourne.

Girls Rock is deliberately kept as a boutique event, and the small scale is perhaps what led to its ultimate success – a personalised experience was possible for every participant, allowing for a far more positive outcome than perhaps imagined.

With the education system not always keeping up or considering the needs of young women, events like Girls Rock can take the place by providing something that is a unique and positive experience. For this reason, Girls Rock is an important new venture for Australia, as alternative methods of teaching more than just academic skills are being realised as having equal importance.

Based on the feedback from the girls on their week of camp, Girls Rock is something that will leave a lasting impression on them for years to come.

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LOCALITYLet’s open up this edition with a night out for a good cause. There’s a local lady who is in desperate need of a stem cell transplant to treat her MS, and to raise money to make that happen, her friends and family are hosting Do It For Donna Rockbiz Trivia Night at Gungahlin Lakes Club on Saturday February 20 from 7pm. There’ll be sets from a couple of local outfits, with the rocksteady and ska of The Kingstons paired with hillbilly blues from The Dreamlanders, as well as a bunch of trivia, games and more! Tickets are $50 per person, and you can grab more info and book by emailing [email protected].

Enlighten is back again, with a whole lot of Canberran acts taking to the well-lit stages right across the festival, from Friday March 4 to Saturday March 12. Scan through the program and you’ll see a bunch of familiar names: The Ansah Brothers, Brother Be, Ghostnoises,

Novia Scotia, Young Monks, Wallflower and Slow Turismo. They’re playing all over the place, on different days, at different times, but you can find all the details in the Enlighten program at enlightencanberra.com.au/events.

After the success of Strumpet – an evening of local musicians playing alongside prolific trumpet man Cameron Smith – the time has come for another showcase of local talent with a single artist holding it together. This time it’s Guitart, with the central role played by Lachlan Coventry, and once again hosted by Smith’s Alternative, on Wednesday February 17 from 7pm. Entry is $10, with the night also featuring Simon Milman, Luke Glanville, Llewellyn Osbourne, Jess Green, Clare Dawson and Rachael Thoms. The first of this quirky little series was a real delight, so don’t miss this opportunity to catch a whole lot of Canberran talent in one easy location.

You really can’t describe a Glitoris show and do these incredible artists justice, so it’s hard to imagine the scale of wonder that will result when they play The Famous Spiegeltent as part of its run in Civic Square. It will be loud, it will be politically charged, and it will be sparkly. Grab your ticket for their show on Friday March 11 at 10:30pm for $35 + bf and get ready for a one-of-a-kind show that will rock your shirt off.

While we’re talking The Famous Spiegeltent, other local artists who might tickle your fancy include No Hausfrau, who are offering the sweetest variety of folk-country on Wednesday February 24 at 6:30pm, with tickets for $23 + bf. Two days later, Fred Smith will come out of hiding to perform one of his critically acclaimed sets on Friday February 26 at 6:30pm, with tickets available for $40 + bf.

Just one month after his last EP, Tom Woodward has recorded another album, Vagrants, with his electro-folk sound even more ethereal than previous releases. You can find it at tomwoodward.bandcamp.com, then pop over to Pocket Fox’s page to hear their new album, The Brightest Light, full of layers, harmonies and jaunty tunes to make your heart sing. Find it at pocketfox.bandcamp.com and let it be the soundtrack for the dying days of your summer.

NONI DOLL [email protected] @NONIDOLL


NICOLA SHEVILLEIt’s a known fact that despite being the capital, Canberra tends to miss out on seeing quite a few international bands play in their city, but that’s not the case this time. After the recent release of their latest album Strange Love, Florida rock band WE THE KINGS have announced a series of tour dates across Australia and New Zealand, and the best part? Canberra’s on the list.

“This time that we’re coming to Australia is a little different than the times we’ve been before,” said the band’s vocalist, Travis Clark. “We finally get a little more time to relax and see the country. We love it so much and we kind of just want to spend time and be tourists.”

The band have made plans to stay in Australia for an extra six days after the tour to sightsee and experience Australian life for themselves, and not only that, but they’re super excited to see Canberra for the first time.

“It’s odd that we’ve been to Australia so many times but haven’t been to the capital,” said Clark. “A lot of our fans in

Canberra wouldn’t have had a chance to see us live, so we’re going to be out and about as much as possible just to meet people. Regardless of how successful we get, we always just walk around and ask fans what we should do. We like to ask the people who live in the city because they know best.”

It’s pretty clear that there’s a lot of love between the band and Australia, with fans in the country showing huge support for the guys, not only with their words and time, but in way of ticket sales and music downloads.

“There’s a crazy statistic as far as We The Kings’ career goes. We sold more tickets in Australia per capita than we have anywhere else,” said Clark of their fiercely loyal Australian fans.

“There’s something about the fan base that we have in Australia that makes them like friends, like family. It’s those people that we haven’t seen in a very long time that we just immediately connect with.”

Not only are the band coming to Australia, but Clark’s made plans to bring his wife and newborn daughter out to see the country, joking that when it’s time for his daughter to attend school and a teacher asks if anyone’s ever left the city she’ll be able to say she’s been to the other side of the world.

“I’m sorry it took us so long to get to Canberra!” said Clark of their impending visit. “It’s taken our entire career to get there. But I’m really excited to play for you guys for the first time.”

We The Kings will drop by The Basement on Saturday February 27 at 7:30pm. Tickets are $55.60 through Oztix.

The fan base that we have in Australia [are] like friends, like family

WE THE FAMILY

JAZZ OF THE GODS

GLITORIS

20 @bmamag

RORY MCCARTNEYWith a name implying a shy nature, WALLFLOWER are one gem hidden within the local music scene. Live shows impress with indie-pop songs that feature floating atmospherics and the complexity of multiple melodies, rhythms and tempos that merge a variety of genres. Apart from their own material, the band revels in re-purposing songs from other artists, adding their own creative touches. Now, with the aid of an ACT government grant, they have laid down their debut self-titled EP, which captures the essence of their sound. BMA caught up with vocalist and guitarist Henry, guitarist Matt and bassist Ben (who also provides backing vocals) to find out more about their debut.

Wallflower coalesced in 2013 from a linking of like minds of musicians from various bands including Dahrnoir, Sidney Creswick and Cartesian Discotheque. Their debut EP has been a work-in-progress for a while. Henry elaborates, “We got together and recorded it over a week or two in June–July 2015. After a break, we kicked it into gear, getting the mixing done, over the last month or so.”

Matt explained that the actual recording happened over a number of times and locations. “We originally recorded the drums in Sydney at Studio 301, then we got together and tracked the rest of the guitars and bass at Studio 68 in Canberra. Then vocals were recorded by Henry who also did a lot of mixing and post-production.”

There was little requirement for writing on the run in the studio, as Henry says “We had pretty well nutted out all of those tunes before we even stepped into the studio, so that went fairly smoothly.”

Not all the EP was captured in 2015, as Ben explains, “The cover song on the EP is a bit of a mash-up that we recorded in 2014 in a different studio in Canberra. That was something we recorded ages ago, that we really enjoyed and hung onto and added into the EP.”

Wallflower was fortunate in getting an ACT Government grant to assist in the production of the disk. Success in securing funding was all a matter of getting the right description for the project. As Henry says, “At the time, we had Dave McCarthy doing a bit of management. As a writer, he was good at getting across what we wanted to apply for. It was smooth sailing, in terms of being approved as Dave was so good with the application.”

Ben explained the band’s songwriting method, “The way we write usually revolves around an idea Henry comes up with. We’ll have a jam and he’ll introduce this idea, whether it’s a melody, a lyric or a loop or a riff. Then we kind of flesh that out together.”

It’s always nice when people give you the reassurance that maybe you’re doing something that they like

‘Soliloquy’ has a standout, hypnotic tagline running through it, as does ‘Ambien’, but the technique was a lucky find rather than intentional. “I kind of did that by accident,” says Henry. “I love to play around with effects. I have this pedal that, whatever you play into it, it will play back at different pitches. I can get a recurring delay of that pitch. This one just happened by accident and that song just kind of built around that loop idea.”

When asked about his favourite track, Matt nominates ‘Feather’, mainly because of the way it came about: “One of the things I love about composing with Henry and Ben is how great they are and that song is a testament to how well Henry can write melodies. From a musician’s point of view, that song is quite complicated and a lot of fun to play.”

Apart from Wallflower’s originals, the release includes a paired set of covers, as ‘Woods/Runaway’ run together into one track. The

songs come from starkly different artists, with ‘Woods’ belonging to Bon Iver and ‘Runaway’ a Kanye West piece. While it is pretty unusual to run two covers together like that in a record, the result is impressive, with a seamless linking of the songs, which blend together so well. As to

how they were linked, Henry says “I was listening to Kanye’s My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy and really liked both ‘Runaway’ and Kanye’s ‘Lost in the World’ cover that was put together with vocals from Bon Iver’s Justin Vernon. It just seemed to kind of click together, those two songs.”

Wallflower does not have a definite EP launch gig planned yet, although they intend to come up with some dates and release it properly, including some interstate slots. One show they are very much looking forward to is the Enlighten Festival, which they gained a big buzz from performing at previously in 2014. While they did not have the complete current band line-up there at the time, Henry loved the occasion. “It was one of my favourite gigs. We like to play around with unusual sounds and, although no one really knew us then, quite a few people came up afterwards and said how much they liked it. It’s a funny thing playing in the band as you are always second-guessing yourself, thinking “yes, we suck”. It’s always nice when people give you the reassurance that maybe you’re doing something that they like.”

You can catch Wallflower at a free show as part of the Enlighten Festival. They will play at the Electric Garden Outdoor Stage at 6:30pm on Saturday March 12. Full details at enlightencanberra.com.au/portfolio/wallflower.


KAROLINA FIRMANKINGS DESTROY are a Brooklyn-born band whose music style has been described as everything from grunge to stoner rock and all the way to a ‘doom quintet’. The band is comprised of guitarists Carl Porcano and Chris Skowronski, drummer Rob Sefcik and bassist Ed Bocchino, with Steve Murphy on vocals. Having released three albums in three years, Kings Destroy are currently on a tour that is (thankfully) coming to Canberra. I had a chance to speak with Steve about the band, visiting the capital and the future of Kings Destroy.

Are you looking forward to coming to Canberra?

Yeah absolutely, totally psyched. We’ve been to Australia, but never to Canberra and we always make a point of carving out some time to see the city. There’s nothing worse than just seeing a van, then the venue and having to go back out on the road again. We’ve figured that out over the years.

There are a lot of different descriptions of your style. What would you describe it as?

That’s a hard question. There was this description once that we were a band that “cut our own path through the forest.” That’s a very truthful way to describe us. A lot of people try to attach labels, genres and sub-genres – it’s all about the sub-genres these days. We don’t hold to any particular genre, so the stoners, doom, hardcore – they can all lay claim, but we just play our own thing.

What bands do you listen to when you drive and/or travel?

It’s actually silent time, so generally we don’t listen to music. When you’re up on stage playing for hours, you don’t want to get in the car and blast your ears with ten hours of heavy metal. So the car is quiet time, where we can unwind.

Which bands do you love playing with most?

Radio Moscow, we have a very natural relationship with those guys. There’s Clam Fight, we can’t get enough of those guys. Acid Kings are an east coast band that are just fantastic.

What are your long term goals as a band? Do you want to keep travelling or become super famous?

We love to travel, but that’s not the end goal. We’re never going to be unbelievably famous, we want to come out with more albums. We’re a prolific band, we’ve come out with three albums in three years and we have another in the works. So in the next few years we’d like to have five or six albums out. That’s a worthy end; thinking about becoming famous just ruins the process – that doesn’t seem right.

You can catch Kings Destroy on Friday February 19 at Transit Bar at 8pm. They’ll be supporting Radio Moscow. Tickets are $30 + bf through Oztix.

Thinking about becoming famous just ruins the process

CUTTING OUR OWN PATHGBH

Photo: Josh Graham

22 @bmamag

THE REALNESSAfter hosting Guilty Simpson and Katalyst, February looks to be another banging month for hip-hop heads in and around the ACT.

First up, releases. Hayds and Tak-Un-Da have both shown up with new singles in the past few days. Check ’em out on the Facebook/Soundcloud. Tak-Un-Da has also got some desserts for his hustle throughout 2015, copping a spot at ANU’s Hypernova o-week party recently, sharing the stage with other non-hip-hop acts.

Thursday February 11 saw La De Da doing a solid by commemorating the tenth anniversary of the passing of the man and the legend J Dee, drawing some of the capital’s finest DJs and MCs to help drown

out the sorrows with both liquor and music. p a r k s + Original Gupta, Venom, First Gulf War, Mighty Morfin and Jayo all swung by to help turn those commiserations in to commemorations.

Straight off the bat of their opening weekend, which saw D’Opus and Roshambo, Ill Gato, The Ansah Brothers and Coda Conduct come together to christen Canberra’s new, pretence free bar/gig/art space, Lobrow is hosting Guard your Grill. This all hip-hop evening invites you to come through and catch a glimpse of some of our best names in the game with Semantix, Genesis Owusu, Kirklandd and DJ Chemi-Cal showing up all for the low, low price of $10. Very cheap! Doors open at 8pm, a.k.a. the perfect time to kick-on after knock offs.

Friday March 4 sees Illy return to Canberra in support of his new single ‘Swear Jar’, his newest release since 2013. Dylan Joel and local bad man Citizen Kay are also getting in on the action at Academy. Tickets are available online at Moshtix.

But what’s that? Illy has some competition? You heard. While Check Your Head seems to have fallen off the agenda for 2016 so far, Phoenix is hosting Sydney duo Yum Yum with D’Opus and Roshambo, Hayds, Indighost and Suavess all showing up.

Smith’s Alternative is also getting in on the action, hosting Sydney MC Samuel Dobson on Thursday March 10. Sam is touring around the country in support of his debut album, inventively titled Samuel, to be released on Friday February 18. Apparently he’s also gonna bring with him his 11-piece band … Damn internet better not be telling me lies. That seems like a lot of instruments for a hip-hop show. Only one way to fine out … Anatole and Godriguez in support.

BRADY MCMULLEN [email protected]


AD SPACE

24 @bmamag

DANCETHE DROP

There’s been a tonne in the press lately about discrimination against women in all facets of life, and sadly, the world of electronic dance music isn’t immune. So often when you look at a line-up – from your local club night to a major touring festival – about 90% (if not 100%) of the line-up is male.

Why is this still the case? It’s 2016! There’s definitely some of that old-school sexism, the whole ‘girls can’t mix’ attitude of some people, or on the other side, some promoters only putting women on their line-ups if they are ‘sexy’.

Or maybe messing around with computers and synthetisers is still seen as a nerdy male hobby? Who knows, but I’d like to see more women behind the decks without fear of discrimination – it should just be about the music, yo!

And now for gigs.

First up is probably my pick of the month. Just announced after a long search for a suitable venue, Escape Ferocity is throwing a proper warehouse party with none other than German techno legends Boris Brejcha and Ann Clue on Friday February 19! It starts at 10pm, is BYO and has NO FINISH TIME – strewth! Check their Facebook page for details and tickets. If you prefer your music deep and bass-driven, Woz has travelled over all the way from the UK, appearing at Mr Wolf. This dude has been getting some serious props, with support from BBC Radio 1 and Rolling Stone. Supports include Nigiri, Me Again and Alex York.

The following weekend shows plenty of promise with four major gigs to choose from on Friday February 26. First up, Hard Envy returns to Cube with Australia’s biggest name in hardstyle, Toneshifterz! Their last event with this massive name sold out, so get your tickets quickly. Supports include The Soundsmith, Ben Penfold, Nomad, Fuentes Brothers, Jorgo and Capital Punishment. Digress Bar sees some different sounds with All Beasts, featuring an eclectic mix of DJs spinning electro swing, industrial, alternative and even chiptunes with K-Do, Altercate and Black Temple. The UK’s Route 94 appears at Mr Wolf that evening, bringing his own blend of UK bass-influenced deep house vibes. Finally, the popular Thank You Ma’am returns to Transit Bar, with plenty of funky tropical beats courtesy of Sydney’s Kilter, who is on his national tour along with Lo’99 and Klue. Supports include Skin & Bones, Nay Nay, Hello Hallo, Yoyo DJs and Mulkmulk.

On Saturday February 27, Soulcrane/Pickle Presents CC: Disco at Digress. At time of writing, details are sparse, but these guys always throw a decent party!

On Friday March 4, Stefan 1993 will appear at Mr Wolf, support acts announced soon! Saturday March 5 sees Department of Late Nights returning to Digress Bar with some very talented locals including 3verest, Widge, B-Tham and Super Mariusz – some serious tech-house and techno vibes (with free tapas from 8pm).

Finally, for the last of the gigs for this issue, we’ve got Lancelot at Mr Wolf on Friday March 11; DnB crew Headz are Rolling presenting Ruffhouse (UK) as a free party to celebrate Fourthstate’s 30th Birthday at Transit Bar on Saturday March 12, and Box Cutter hosting a day party in a secret inner-north location on Sunday March 13, featuring Route 8 (live), Asquith, Daze, Cold Emotion (live), Kangaroo Life Saver, Benedict, Dante, Honeysuckle and Gate Five (live) – damn!

PETER ‘KAZUKI’ O’ROURKE [email protected]

BMA SESSIONS

KNIGHTSBRIDGE


PETER O’ROURKE“It’s a really simple party. It’s influenced by what [one of the event organisers] Fletcher experienced in Berlin. Fuck off with all the frills and do what you want to do properly – with just a focus on the music – and the crowd will follow.”

That’s David Caffery, event organiser and all-round nice dude from techno crew ESCAPE FEROCITY, explaining the concept behind their latest venture: a warehouse party with German techno legend BORIS BREJCHA. Yet the lead up to the event hasn’t been a smooth run, with the party announced only three weeks out from its date. “It took a long time for us to find a venue; we were looking for warehouses, looking at venues in the city,” Caffery says. “We were really seriously trying to do it at Aspen Island, but it’s too much of a gamble to do it at night.”

After talking with Brejcha’s manager for three months, the crew thought they had lost the contract completely, because it was so late, but managed to find a suitable space in the last minute. “We found a warehouse that had previously been used for a party that had just come back online,” said Caffery. “It looked like it was going to be rented, but just before the tenant was about to sign, they backed out.

Caffery says Canberra can expect some fantastic music from the German techno artist and his touring partner Ann Clue, who has a similar sound, and does a lot of remixes for Brejcha. “It works great, and will flow immaculately,” Caffery assured me. A line-up of locals will support the international talent, including techno veteran Mastercut (who owns the warehouse), Gaberial Gilmour, and Fourthstate and Dante closing the party.

The music will be heard through a D&B audiotech system, which Caffery believes is “one of the best systems in the country, if not the world.” The crew will install a fair bit of sound treatment for the space in the form of hay bales. “Warehouses – despite being cool and sort of the home of German techno for many decades – are shit acoustic environments. In some ways, it’s

Fuck off with all the frills and do what you want to do properly

ALL YOU NEED IS TECHNO

pointless putting such a nice system in there if it’s going to rattle so much, so we’re doing everything we can to try to diffuse the sound.”

To top it off, local expressionist artist Tommy Balogh – who currently has an exhibition at the Nishi Gallery – will create some live art during the event, painting a large-scale futuristic piece. And of course, the warehouse will be BYO.

“It’s a nice, raw thing to do,” says Caffery. “We’re just excited to have Boris Brejcha here in Canberra. It should be something pretty special!”

Boris Brejcha and Ann Clue will play at Fishwyck Warehouse on Friday February 19. Starts at 10pm. Tickets are $34.36 through Eventbrite. Stay tuned to Escape Ferocity on Facebook for more details.

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METALISEGoatsound is an Australian metal label based in Melbourne and run by Jason PC of Blood Duster infamy. As well as a studio/rehearsal space down in the suburb Reservoir, the label has been around for over 15 years now, and has already recorded, mixed or released material from a few Canberra bands in the past.

The reason this is topical is because upon getting the job of mixing the new Looking Glass album, IV (number 4, not an acronym for

Intravenous), Jason talked to the band and revealed that the album will come out in early March, in a digipack with a limited edition patch. The label has also just released Australian death metal band Blunt Shovel – featuring members of Truth Corroded – titled Rotten & Long Forgotten, which is sounding pretty darn brutal. Another recent release is from a new Melbourne death metal band with a Canberra connection called Big Bread. The band features Aaron from I Exist, Rohan from Captain Cleanoff and Louis from Extortion. Their debut is out through their Bandcamp site – it’s worth a look.

Speaking of rehearsal spaces, The Basement proprietor Lance Fox also owns the Blacksun rehearsal rooms in Belconnen. There are four rooms available for casual hire at good rates, as well as a number of rooms for longer term bookings for a competitive monthly fee, which –especially for drummers – beats lugging your

kit in and out of your mates’ garages once a week. If your band requires either service, give Lance a call on 0417 230 275. The Pot Belly is just over the road for a sneaky beer too.

As we’re on monthly updates now, it’s important for you guys to have your calendar planned out with upcoming shows. On Friday February 19 at Transit Bar, the USA’s excellent Radio Moscow are bringing their own brand of psychedelic heavy rock shred to town, off the back of the Rolling Thunder fest in Melbourne that I mentioned last issue. At the show are Kings Destroy.

On Friday March 4, Lagerstein and Rainbowdragoneyes make landfall at The Basement on a thirteen-date Australian tour for some shoeys of Bundy with their Canberra mates. Lagerstein have a new album out now titled All For Rum & Rum For All, and a new video on Youtube you can check out called ‘Drink The Rum’.

I am also very excited for the release and launch of the new album Cohesion from The Levitation Hex on the Friday April 15 at Transit Bar.

Don’t forget High On Fire Saturday February 20 in Sydney at the Manning Bar and a little band called Black Sabbath at the Allphones Arena on Saturday April 23 on one of their last ever shows on Australian soil.

JOSH NIXON [email protected]


TOM BRUERIt’s unfortunate that metal music subcultures are not especially visible in modern pop culture. Sure, we have the odd AC/DC concert and everyone knows the legends like Metallica, but very little else is exposed beyond this. Where can I go if I want to hang out at a pub with some mates and listen to tunes with a heavier edge? Nightclubs tend to favour playing music of the pop or electronic mainstream, so I have little choice but to hang out at home and play the music I want to listen to. I’m sure I’m not the only one.

Canberra has a surprisingly strong metal scene, and although it mightn’t be seen very often in the diverse nightlife of Canberra, the community is vibrant and close-knit, where people of similar musical interests can celebrate their heavy passions. To fill the gap between this community and Canberra’s colourful scene, VALHALLA was born.

Club rock music nights are an essential part of rock culture in Australian cities

IT COMES FROM HELL

Started in 2014 by founder of the ANU Rock Music Society and a current Valhalla DJ, GRANT ROBERTSON, it’s enjoyed a fair amount of success. On his conception of the event: “After travelling through Europe and enjoying similar events, I wanted Canberrans to be able to experience these opportunities. I managed to pull together a committee, a DJ and a crew in just over three months, and our first event was phenomenally successful. We started off small, with most attendees coming along as friends of the organisers, but we’ve grown tremendously over the past two years,” Robertson says. “Club rock music nights are an essential part of rock culture in Australian cities. Sydney has Venom, Melbourne has DV8 and Canberra has Valhalla! With the expansion of nightlife areas from the city to include Kingston, New Acton and Braddon, we provide something unique, appealing and essential.”

Indeed, Valhalla’s presence has significantly strengthened, and is now hosted at the electrically-charged Reload Bar & Games. The central location of the event will entice passers-by, and for newcomers to Canberra, this can be their first foray into the thriving alternative scene of the city. Additionally, the chance to incorporate social gaming into the event allows for fans of heavy music to meet each other and get to know other people who are passionate about the same music. The rare opportunity to hear some metal, punk or rock songs spun out by the resident Valhalla DJ, Black Temple, is definitely a unique and thoroughly exciting experience for someone who may not be into more alternative music.

It’s an exciting, unique, fun and brutal opportunity for enthusiasts of the alternative and metal scenes in Canberra to come along, rock out, play games and just have a generally fantastic time.Valhalla: 8-bit will take place on Thursday February 25 at Reload Bar & Games at 9pm. Entry is free.

28 @bmamag

INDIGO TRAILIt’s a cold, bitterly rainy morning when I interview Nkechi Anele, lead vocalist of the band SASKWATCH, who are in the midst of preparing for the upcoming tour of their new album, Sorry I Let It Come Between Us. Delightfully, however, Anele is the polar opposite of the weather; enthusiasm pours out of my phone’s speaker like sunlight. “I’m the weakest link,” she’ll later tell me, laughing. “I keep giving away all of our secrets.”

First on the table though is a snippet of information Anele obviously wishes were a little closer to well-known. “You know, don’t you – we’re a six-piece band now, not a nine? I did a radio interview today that was just a complete disaster – he was like, ‘What’s it like being in a nine-piece?’ and I was like, ‘Um … we’re – we’re a six piece.’ And he was like, ‘Oh, okay … what?’ … A nightmare. Sorry, I just had to get that off my chest.” All of this is said very fast, before I’ve asked even one question, and I like her immediately. It’s very easy to reconcile this fast-talking

When we write our set list, it’s with the intention of making it a journey

TRACKING THE SASKWATCH

voice with the soaring, vibrant vocals that have helped power Saskwatch from local pub band through to nation-wide success.

“[Being six instead of nine] has definitely changed the band,” Anele continues candidly. “We’re still really energetic, but the energy doesn’t come from having a massive number of people – you know, it’s not about being a big chorus of sound with instruments just playing non-stop at you anymore. Instead, it’s coming from us being really comfortable on stage with each other now.” She – briefly – pauses, thinking. “When we were a big band, we were like, ‘this is your space, this is your space,’ whereas now it’s like – this is our space. Together.”

This newfound maturity is instantly palpable on their new album, Sorry I Let It Come Between Us. It’s as vivacious as their earlier work, but simultaneously more haunting and revealing. “It’s about us growing up and our relationships changing and kind of getting over the naïve stage of just partying all the time,” Anele says, smiling, voice hovering just shy of wistful before confidently winding through to pensive. “Now, with our third album, we’re very comfortable with both the band and who we want to be. I think our third album is the most grounded of the three.”

So what’s the link between this new emotional maturity and their bubbling, dynamic live show? There’s a certainty behind her next statement that feels fresh, untempered. “When we write our set list, it’s with the intention of making it a journey. [We’re trying] to make people feel incredible highs and devastating lows.” Hiding in amongst this blend of well-earned emotion and wisdom, however, is the crux of what Saskwatch’s live performances are always all about. “It’s just – it’s just fun,” Anele says, and there’s a new smile in her voice. “So much fun.”Saskwatch play at the UC Refectory on Thursday February 25 at 8pm. Tickets are $18.40 + bf through Oztix.


SCOTT ADAMSEnglish street punks GBH have been peddling their brand of fast, furious speed-freak insanity almost continuously for the last four decades. This, to me, is incredible, since it’s almost 30 years to the day since I first saw the band ripping apart legendary London punk/metal hideout The Klub Foot in Hammersmith … and I certainly never thought that, all this time later, I’d be girding the loins and preparing to see the band perform, as if the intervening 30 years never happened, in a pub in the heart of Canberra’s bustling ‘entertainment quarter’. I’m almost certain the band’s vocalist, Colin Wilbrahall didn’t either. In his soft-spoken Brummie burr, he answers my query to this effect in the affirmative. “To be honest, we were just never looking past the next gig. And we still don’t, to an extent.”

Have you changed the way you approach touring over that time?

“Of course, you learn all the shortcuts to make it easier on yourself, you learn about which shitty venues and dodgy promoters to avoid.”

You’ve become festival favourites in the US and Europe over the years, but punk – even your

metallic, revvup-up version of it – is surely best served up to a rabid audience of the faithful in a small club, isn’t it? How do you adapt your performance between the two arenas?

“We don’t really. We play as fast and as loud as we can wherever we’re playing. In the festivals, you are very much in the hands of the sound and lighting men to help you get yourself across. But I do much prefer it when I can actually see the audience! Some of those festivals put the audience about a hundred yards away from the bands!”

You’ll have no trouble doing that at Transit Bar! Although you were in Australia five or six years ago (in support of the last album the band released, the excellent Perfume and Piss), you’ve never played Canberra before – will the Transit audience be treated to hits and memories from across the whole (Charged) GBH back catalogue?

“Yes, actually, we’re going to play the whole of the Leather, Bristles, Studs and Acne EP.”

This is stunning, unexpected but definitely most welcome news.

“And then we’re going to play all the seven inch singles we did for Clay Records.” In chronological order? “In chronological order, and including all the B-Sides. And then we’ll play some other stuff too. We might play a couple of new tracks we’ve got.”

Ah, new music – does that mean a new album is in the offing?

“We’ve got a lot of stuff written, but we’re under no pressure to put a record out. We’re just waiting for the right offer.”

All this news is definitely enough to gladden the heart of even the most jaded old punk! See you at Transit!

Catch GBH with Veebees and Urge2Kill at Transit Bar on Wednesday March 2 at 7pm. Tickets are $37.75 from thedrunkpromoter.com.

We play as fast and as loud as we can wherever we’re playing

FULLY CHARGED

WALLFLOWER

30 @bmamag

WILL VINSON PETER KRBAVACSince they first began writing and performing together in the early ‘90s, revered US folk musicians DAVE RAWLINGS and GILLIAN WELCH have always moved at their own unhurried pace. This approach extends to touring, where the pair prefer to spend a few days crossing the Nullabor by car than hopping on a plane. In fact, my call catches Rawlings relaxing in an Adelaide hotel room after making that very trip. “Everyone I had talked to made it sound like there would be hundreds of kangaroos and you’d be dodging them like a pinball machine but I didn’t actually see any,” he laments. “I did see quite a few who had been hit by road trains.”

While Rawlings does admit to an aversion to flying, the duo have a deep appreciation for the space and solitude of the highway – a motif that often features in their music. “It’s beautiful and remote and you don’t have a heck of a lot of cell service as you’re driving along, which is nice,” he observes of the Australian outback. “Gillian made mention that one of the things that’s really beautiful is to be able to drive for as many miles as we did and see so few people; no road signs; no verbiage. Virtually nothing.”

It has been 12 years since Rawlings and Welch last toured Australia, something he puts down to their long gap between releases. As much as anything, the guitarist attributes this stretch between albums to the current climate of the music industry which, he notes, is no longer a record-making economy. “I think it’s a little unfair that the press and the world tries to hold musicians to this standard that existed 30 or 40 years ago when everything was pointed at helping you make records,” he says. “If you go back and look at the mid ’60s, you know, you’re Bob Dylan: you put out Bringing It All Back Home, you do 14 shows and then you’re back in the studio.

“Everything was focused. You had an art department making your package,” Rawlings continues. “Every musician I know makes their own package and that takes a month. It has slowed down the record-making process quite a bit. A bar of artisanal chocolate or a coffee drink is way more than you can get people to pay for music anymore, and now coffee and chocolate is very good and music is maybe not as good,” he chuckles.

More so than any economic factors though, it’s the pair’s exacting standards that mean Gillian Welch and Dave Rawlings Machine records are infrequent, highly-anticipated events. “It’s always been true that if we weren’t wholly behind something and we put it out, people didn’t like it that much either, so we have to use ourselves as the first bar to get over,” Rawlings says. “It keeps the art real if you’re trying to make sure it’s something you believe in and not necessarily doing it just because you feel obligated or anything like that.”

The Dave Rawlings Machine performs at The Playhouse on Wednesday February 17 from 8pm. Tickets are sold out.

A bar of artisanal chocolate or a coffee drink is way more than you can get people to pay for music anymore

EYRE HIGHWAY REVISITED


ANDREW NARDIThe news of DAVID BOWIE’s death on January 10, 2016 caused ripples throughout Canberra’s own music community – we saw this through events such as The Bowie Ball at Ainslie Arts Centre, as well as tribute nights at The Durham Club and at Transit Bar. Another such tribute will take place at the Polish White Eagle Club in Turner, but this event will be different – it will be the Canberra music scene’s tribute to Bowie. BMA had a chat with event organiser Tim Sinclair about what will make this particular tribute night a unique one for Canberrans.

What can Canberra expect from the Bowie Tribute night at the Polish Club?

There will be 12 original Canberra acts performing Bowie’s hit songs. Some songs will be pure and authentic, and some have been creatively reimagined from new and exciting perspectives. Audiences can also expect

He brought drama to the music stage

PUT ON YOUR RED SHOES

something they may not have seen before, as these Canberra acts will also share an original song, which is an important element of tributing to such an original and creative artist.

The Polish Club has a wonderfully lush stage in a beautiful theatre, perfectly suited to illuminate the drama inherent in Bowie’s music. We are going all-out to create an atmosphere that celebrates Bowie’s creative flair, so there will be prizes for wild costumes. All acts and guests are invited to come in Bowie-inspired attire, so there will be some performers going all-out with outlandish costumes and stage antics. And there will of course be a chance to sing along to some favourite Bowie songs. All profits raised on the night are going to the Cancer Council ACT.

How do you think Bowie’s creative vision has impacted the world of music?

I think that Bowie’s gift to the music world has been his creation of fearless characters and performances. Generations of fans know him for different iconic performances that he has brought to life. He brought drama to the music stage, not just with outlandish costumes, but with intriguing lyrics and a dynamic vocal style. He also challenged sexual stereotypes, crossing genders as well as music genres. The impact of Bowie will be discussed for many years to come.

Why is it so important for people to carry on Bowie’s legacy?

I think that one of his great legacies is that his music and lyrics are often fearless and bold, yet not arrogant or hateful. There was courage to celebrate, to be big, bold and outlandish and at the same time, to be vulnerable and very real. He explored new music, reinterpreted many styles and collaborated with many great artists to create something new. Bowie had such a rich collection of styles and forms – all of which Canberra artists will showcase at the Tribute.

Celebrate the Starman’s return to the sky on Friday February 19 at the Polish White Eagle Club. Entry is $10. All proceeds go towards the Cancer Council ACT.

DON MCLEAN

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E X H I B I T I O N I S T

STEPHEN K AMOS ELEANOR HORNSTEPHEN K AMOS is bringing his newest show, The Laughter Master, to Australia this month, and will be performing at the Canberra Comedy Festival in March. For those unfamiliar with his comedy, you can expect “big belly laughs. I want to try and make people think that they’re not thinking about anything.”

Stephen emphasises that people are paying to laugh, and he intends to deliver. He then adds, “That’s the plan, anyway.”

But Amos undersells himself, and happens to be a bit of a Renaissance man. In addition to his comedy, he’s also an actor and an author. So, what kind of projects does the future have in store for Amos?

“I’d like to do a movie and get overlooked by the Oscars. Oooh, controversy!”

Burn. Amos explains he’s been doing some work in America, but likes to take each day and each journey as it comes, and is enjoying the ride.

Amos is no stranger to Aussie crowds, and reminisces about the gigs he’s performed here over the years. He talks about his first run in Sydney, and fondly recalls his very first gig in Newtown. He compares this to his most recent visit to Australia – “I was at the Opera House, which was just glorious. It’s such an iconic building… [to] go there and do a show, that was amazing.”

And his success isn’t undeserved; Amos also uses his comedy to discuss more serious issues, such as racism and homophobia, and insists that comedy can be a medium to explore anything.

“I think comedy is absolutely a way to talk about any topic, and nothing is off limits, nothing at all. I think with the right hand, any topic can be tackled by a good comedian. It makes people think, you know?”

All comedians know that making people laugh isn’t always easy – but Amos believes that there are a few qualities that make a great comedian; the ability to see the world through a different eye, being able to laugh at yourself and to always question things.

But of course, different comedians have different goals in their comedy – whether it’s to invoke contemplation, offence or fun. But don’t be dissuaded by the mention of heavy topics – Stephen intends to show audiences a rollicking good time.

“I want to leave my audiences with aching cheeks and aching stomachs, and not remembering everything I said, but remembering the important subjects I touched,” Amos says. “But my focus is: it’s a comedy show, and people have paid to laugh. So if you want to have proper belly laughs, come and see the show – don’t come with a preconceived idea of what I’m going to say… And the live experience is better than anything you’ll see on TV.”

Stephen K Amos will drop by the Canberra Comedy Festival at The Playhouse, Canberra Theatre Centre on Friday March 18 and Saturday March 19 at 8:45pm. Tickets are available through canberracomedyfestival.com.au, with prices starting at $46.90 + bf.

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EMPIRE STRIPS BACK

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IAN MCCARTHYThe CANBERRA COMEDY FESTIVAL was first held in 2013 as part of Canberra’s Centenary celebrations. In the years following, it has grown into a staple of Canberra’s annual festival calendar, and has drawn some of the biggest names in comedy to our humble capital, helping to cement Canberra’s place on Australia’s comedy map. This year for example, the festival will feature shows from Australian legends such as Frank Woodley, Hannah Gadsby, Tripod and Nazeem Hussain, just to scratch the surface. It will also feature some huge international names such as Arj Barker, Stephen K Amos, David O’Dohrety and Rich Hall.

Aside from the big names however, one of best parts about the Canberra Comedy Festival is the huge amount of local talent that is given a chance under the spotlight. Almost a third of the festival’s five-day program is dedicated to both established and up-and-coming Canberra comedians ranging from charismatic, club-style comics to weird and edgy sketch shows. I had a chance to chat with GREG KIMBALL, HARRIS STUCKEY and JAMES MCMAHON, just a small representation of the local comedians involved in the festival.

We began talking from the most logical point, which was how everyone got their start in stand-up comedy:

JM: I saw Stewart Lee doing the show that he was doing and I thought, “I can definitely do that as good as him.” So I started, and I think I’ve already got there. In fact, I’d also now like to announce my retirement from stand-up comedy as I’ve achieved what I set out to do.

HS: I googled ‘stand-up open mics in Canberra’ and found the Comedy ACT website and The Front. I went to The Front and I did it once and I liked it, so I kept doing it … I don’t know if I’ve ever told any of you this, but before my first set at The Front, I went to the toilet and vomited out of nervousness.

GK: I was at home and I had no job. I was living with my parents and I had nothing to do ... I did a short stand-up comedy course with Canberra comedy godfather Jay Sullivan … It was a four-week course. We learned the basics of joke writing, writing a premise, writing a punch line. Then at the end of the four weeks, we had five minutes, we went to The Front and we did that, and then we did a workshop performance, and then after that I just kept going to open mics.

HS: I had the same thing. I was unemployed and living with my parents but I was seventeen, so it was a little bit different … I started listening to a lot of podcasts where it was a lot of comics talking about doing comedy, and not even talking about comedy, but just about like hanging out at the comedy store, and that’s when I realised that comics hang out with each other. I thought that was really cool. I just

wanted to be like one of those guys that was hanging out … Now I only have friends who are comedians. Except instead of being at the Comic Strip, I’m at Grease Monkey, which is just as good really.

After a lot of directionless banter, we then finally got onto the subjects of the actual shows:

GK: I’m doing a double header show with awesome Canberra comedian Chris Ryan … We’ve been doing comedy a similar amount of time. She’s probably at a similar phase in life ... The show is called Match Fit. The premise is when you’re match-fit as a sports person, there’s a level of fitness that you can only get from actually playing the game, and so when you’ve got kids and a job and you’re just trying to do all the stuff that you’ve gotta do in life, you don’t really know how you’re gonna do it until you’re actually doing it, and that’s what we were talking about when we decided to do the show.

JM: We can’t really talk about ‘Secret Show’.

HS: Yeah, it’s a secret … No, it’s a sketch-slash-late-night-talk-show featuring a lot of Canberra comics who are on the scene: Danny Bensley, Andrew Bensley, Josh Glass, Riley Bell, and James. Ellie Windred is coming to do a few things for us.

JM: So in the show, Harris is the host and I’m like the Paul Shaffer.

HS: We don’t really want to give too much away because it’s a secret, but it’s gonna be a really good show. There might be a little bit of nudity in it. There might not. It’s a secret.

And finally, some complimentary words about the festival itself:

GK: The Canberra Comedy Festival has put our little Canberra comedy scene on the national map. It’s made everyone around Canberra and internationally look at Canberra as a venue and a destination for comedy.

JM: Except they don’t like what they see.

HS: Since the festival has started, it’s pulling in some acts. Not only the big guys who would probably come anyway but now get to experience a sort of festival environment in Canberra, but also some people who are not as big … But can easily fill a room of like a hundred people so they can come and see Canberra and look at it as a viable audience.

You can catch Greg Kimball along with the hilarious Chris Ryan in their show Match Fit on Wed–Thu March 16–17 at Civic Pub. Harris Stuckey and James McMahon will appear alongside a long list of some of Canberra’s hottest up-and-comers in Secret Show at the ANU Arts Centre Drama Lab on Fri–Sat March 18–19. Tickets for either, along with information about the rest of the festival are available at canberracomedyfestival.com.au.

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CANBERRA COMEDY FESTIVAL

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ART, NOT APART

KAROLINA FIRMAN“Art shapes the patterns of existence into something recognisable.”

That is the quote by Jean-Luc Nancy that inspired the theme for the 2016 arts festival known as ART, NOT APART. According to festival producer DAVID CAFFERY, the festival was conceptualised in a bid to support local artists:

“Art, Not Apart is a series of exhibitions, installations and performances, some of which are interactive and some of which are more traditional. It is a multi-arts festival to display the diverse messages and sentiments that Canberran artists want to tell,” Caffery says. “So we think that influence is very important. Obviously artists presenting at the festival will be in some way influenced by national and international work, but our focus is on Canberra arts. The idea is as the name suggests – art is not apart from our lives. Art is not distanced from our lives, and we can do it in really subtle, humble ways, or we can do it in very loud, obnoxious ways.”

What that basically boils down to is an event showcasing different art forms and taking place all over Canberra. One of the art pieces that will be on display is an installation piece by local artist WILLIAM McCLURE and his fellow collaborators, Denis Beaubois and Jeff Stein, with production by Hedge Henderson. McClure and his collaborators have been working together on installation art for many years, with the last work Impasse showing at the Melbourne Arts Festival.

This piece is titled Extinction. McClure describes it as “an installation work, which incorporates the theatrical use of lighting and possibly sound, but primarily it works with a material. In this case, water is the primary material used to provide the basic conditions for a participant’s experience.”

Without giving away too many spoilers, it’s a series of shipping containers arranged so that one may enter a ‘chamber’ in which there is a passage that leads down to a darkened area filled with water. When (or if) you enter the water, there’s a half-wall that you’ll need to swim under, which leads to a third (well-lit) chamber that you can leave through.

The subject of this piece is choice, as it is up to the participant to choose how they experience the chambers. It’s intended that audiences consider something more specific, however: “I want them to have an amazing experience, but to dig a little further,” McClure says. “I would say that the work aims to give an amazing experience of space. The point about having an experience of space might seem a little odd – because after all, don’t we experience it all the time? Well, the answer to that question is complex, but I am of the view that in the everyday experience, space only functions as a backdrop to the experience of other things, and people very seldom get to experience space itself.”

McClure says that Extinction shows his creative development, and it’s only the first stage in a much larger project. “It’s important to emphasise that we will be looking for people to test the installation and to provide feedback. The work is primarily about the participant’s experience, and therefore it is paramount to the development of the project that we are able to get as much diversity of feedback as possible.”

That said, the installation looks like it’s going to be a lot of fun – additionally because, on the outside of these shipping containers, there will be another artwork: a stage with its own set of lighting and sound systems. “There’ll be a stage in front of it with another artwork, which will pixelate reality. So when we have people in front of it, they’ll turn into pixels. It’s analogue – not digital at all,” McClure says. This is a part of the theme of ‘now’.”

McClure says the installation will be supported by DJs – and not just a few, either. “With people playing electronica music all day on stage, from 1–7pm, we have about 40 DJs playing and then the headliner, six minutes after each other. A new track every minute.”

Ultimately, this culminates in the ‘Fuck Art, Let’s Party’ event that takes over the night. If a day (and night) of art and dancing is anything to go on, then no doubt, Art, Not Apart will offer something different for Canberrans this year.

Art, Not Apart will take place on March 19 in New Acton, Westside Acton Park, West Basin (Lakeside) and at the Australian National University. The event runs from 1pm to 7pm, followed by official after-parties. Programme announcements will roll out over February, and can be found at artnotapart.com/2016.

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Photo: Martin Ollman

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ZOE PLEASANTSIn March, Shake and Stir are bringing its adaptation of everybody’s favourite love triangle story, Emily Brontë’s WUTHERING HEIGHTS, to Canberra. I spoke with Nelle Lee, one of the Brisbane-based theatre company’s three artistic directors, and asked her why they chose to turn Wuthering Heights into a play. The company largely focuses on doing classic adaptations, she said, and Wuthering Heights is simply one of her favourite books. “I spoke to Ross and Nick [the other artistic directors] about it and they were like, ‘ah no!’ But we did a little bit of research and decided it was still a relevant, intriguing story to tell.” This hesitation is not without good cause – Wuthering Heights is an epic novel that spans a decade and three generations.

If you need a recap, it is the story of Cathy Earnshaw’s messy love life. Growing up, she falls in love with the dark and mysterious Heathcliff, but ultimately decides to marry eligible bachelor Edgar Linton. Heathcliff then spends much of the book exacting his revenge on those people he believed stopped him from marrying Cathy. “The crux of the story is about fighting against what you think you should have, as opposed to what your heart wants,” said Lee. “Cathy is insanely selfish for a lot of the play, but she’s a young, kind of wild, carefree girl. She has this deep-rooted love for Heathcliff, but then Edgar comes along and offers her this life she could have only ever dreamed of,” Lee says. “He’s also young and charming and handsome and charismatic. So it’s that kind of battle between something rooted deep in her as a person, as opposed to something she has in her mind about what she should be in society.”

Shake and Stir originally staged Wuthering Heights in 2014. The adaption is a traditional, contemporary retelling of the story rather than a modern interpretation. “What we try to do with our adaptions is really draw out the themes that are still relevant and engaging for a modern day audience,” said Lee. “Forbidden love, lust, I guess is a big one, and revenge, those are the themes in the original that we can still relate to today.”

The three artistic directors are all involved with the production: Nick Skubij is the director, Ross Balbuziente plays Heathcliff and Lee plays three characters. “I play three different roles and I die three times! That’s a lot of dying over four months [of the tour],” laughed Lee. “I play Frances Earnshaw who is Cathy’s sister-in-law, so she comes on and

marries her brother and then she dies. Then Isabella Linton, who ends up marrying Heathcliff, without giving too much away! She’s like the real prime and proper Little Miss – she comes from a very wealthy family; spoilt, little rich girl. And then I play her son, which is really challenging!”

In fact, playing a boy is the most challenging thing Lee has had to do so far in her acting career. “Trying to portray a realistic boy, there’s so many things I have to think about, and I don’t have the luxury of getting into my boy costume and sitting down in character for an hour before the show, because I’ve already played two characters by the time I get to Linton. I have to quickly shake off Isabella and Frances and really focus on playing this sickly little boy,” Lee said.

Despite the challenge, or maybe because of it, Lee is looking forward to remounting the play. “It’s always good to revisit a play, as an actor and as an adapter and producer. It’s kind of like the best gig you can get because the beauty of live theatre is that your character and the story is always growing and developing,” Lee says. “Every show, you find new things and new little details for your character that may not have been there the night before. So it is always awesome to be able to revisit a character and have another stab.”

Lee finds that juggling the role of artistic director and actor helps her prepare for her acting roles. “You’re in the world of the play right from the beginning. When we’re marketing, we’re thinking about the roles of the characters,” she said. This is particularly useful for Lee when she’s playing smaller roles. “I guess when you’re playing a lead role, like Cathy or Heathcliff, [to prepare] you can really focus on your arc in the show. But with smaller roles like Isabella, Frances and the roles I’m playing, it can be a little bit tricker. Their arc, their story, you don’t see their whole story onstage – a lot of it happens offstage.”

For Lee, the key to playing these characters is to make sure she’s hitting the right moments in the character’s timeline onstage, so that the audience can clearly read them. “If you’re realistic as an actor, more often than not that’s what you’re going to have to be doing. You’re not going to be playing the lead roles in most of the shows you’re doing, unless you’re Cate Blanchett,” she said.

Wuthering Heights is showing at the The Playhouse between Wed–Fri March 9–12. Ticket prices start from $25 + bf.

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Photo: Dylan Evans

WUTHERING HEIGHTS


IN REVIEWThe Last Time: A Story of Love, Lust and Desperation Belconnen Arts Centre Thu–Sun January 28–31

The Last Time: A Story of Love, Lust and Desperation is a new musical written by local director, actor and musician, Lucy Matthews. Set in Canberra’s nightclubs, bus shelters and shared houses, it tells the universal story of being a 20-something with first-world problems, searching for love. The show follows the antics of Caroline (Kat Bramston) and her friends Christopher (Hayden Crosweller) and Ellie (Frances McNair) as they party, drink and hook-up with people. After all, says Caroline, “[that’s] what being young is for.”

It is an ambitious show that tackles issues such as drugs, date rape, incest and domestic violence. And this production, co-directed by Matthews and Miriam Slater, was performed in the round, with no set. It could have collapsed under its own weight, but it didn’t because of the strength of Matthews’ writing and the compelling performances.

At its heart, the play explores the line between friendship and relationship, and the enormity of sleeping with a friend compared with the ease of sleeping with a stranger. The play’s set-up enables this theme to be explored through the story of Caroline and Christopher – who hang out with each other a lot, but are just friends – and the story of Caroline and Ellie. Ellie is a lesbian looking for a healthy relationship, which could look a lot like what she has with Caroline. But this show isn’t a trite romantic comedy and the exploration of this theme is insightful and revealing. The play also did a great job of exploring whether constantly seeing to have fun is actually fun.

The lack of a set was in many ways made up for by the presence of a live band, which provided a great atmosphere. But I did find the lack of set disorientating at times, particularly at the beginning when I couldn’t work out where the characters were located or how they had run into each other. My disorientation was short-lived as I became absorbed in the story.

The show’s many musical numbers were diverse in content but not in style, as they were mostly cabaret style songs. At times I wondered if the songs suited the vocal ranges of the singers, but overall performances were passionate and brave, particularly given the themes in the show and the number of costume changes the performers did on stage!

Overall, Matthews has something interesting to say about what it is to be 20-something, and the complications that have already arisen in people’s lives by this stage. The story is firmly set in Canberra today, and I loved the references to different Canberra nightclubs, such as when Ellie was asked, “Are you a real lesbian?” at Mooseheads, but the story resonated with me even though I went through this journey in ’90s Melbourne.

ZOE PLEASANTS

A R T | C O M E D Y | D A N C E | L I T E R A T U R E | T H E A T R E

Photo: Reid Workman

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E X H I B I T I O N I S TA R T S | A C T

A RT I ST PROFILE: STELLA-RAE ZELNIKWhat do you do? I’m a documentary photographer.

When, how and why did you get into it? I’ve been shooting for 15 years now. It hit me about two years ago that I needed a new focus, so I actively sought out some friends who I knew rode motorcycles and I asked if I could come by and shoot some photos. I was thrown on the back and it was love from there. I’ve had some of the most fun and scariest moments sitting on the back of a motorcycle. And I would have to say that I have had some of the most peaceful as well, having no cage around me and being in the elements. Freezing to my core and then having the hot air cool me down. It’s a whole other world, and it’s taught me a lot about myself.

Who/what influences you as an artist? I’ve always been a fan of Robert Frank. His documentary work as always made me come back for a second look. Also, another photographer called Danny Lyon. His book The Bikeriders is a classic. But modern photographers – it would have to be Josh Kurpius. If you ever get the chance, google ‘Josh Kurpius Shooting’. I think it would put any photographer to shame.

Of what are you proudest so far? It would either be surviving the last 27 years or surviving the last two.

What are your plans for the future? Make mini photographers.

What makes you laugh? The government.

What pisses you off? LOOK OVER YOUR SHOULDER WHEN CHANGING LANES, PEOPLE! There are so many more bikes on the road now and car drivers have to be more aware and watch out for riders.

What about the local scene would you change? More bike-related events. They’re so much fun, and it’s rad to see what bikes there are in Canberra!

What are your upcoming performances/exhibitions? I’ll be showing my solo photographic exhibition at M16 Artspace, called Smiles for Miles. It’s about Canberra and Sydney’s custom bike community. The opening night is on Thursday March 3 from 6pm–8pm, and is running until Sunday March 20. I’m very excited to finally show these images to the public!

Contact info: stellaraezelnik.com, instagram.com/wearenotobscene

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NOTED FESTIVALSETH ROBINSONCanberra is evolving – particularly when it comes to our creative sphere. For regular readers of BMA, this isn’t news. Our music, arts and hospitality scenes are taking off, and after a notable absence, our writers are getting their chance to shine. It’s all thanks to

NOTED FESTIVAL, which first appeared in 2015 to fill a five-year literary vacuum. Now in its second year, Noted is “rejigging the writer’s festival format” and providing a range of events and showcase opportunities for Canberra’s budding wordsmiths. We caught up with festival co-founder and director YASMIN MASRI to hear all about what the Noted guys have in store for 2016.

“Noted grew from the efforts of Canberra’s emerging writers banding together and saying, ‘Why don’t we have something going on here?’ We crowdfunded it, then ran it in conjunction with the You Are Here festival in 2015. Since then it’s grown,” Masri says. “In 2016, we’ve been fortunate enough to score Arts ACT project funding, which has enabled us to grow and be a bit more ambitious.”

“In the first year, we ran 28 events. This year we’re looking at just over 70. Most of our events are open access. We have about 70 artists involved; local, national and international, and a bunch of organisations,” Masri says. “One project that I’m really excited about is Heroes, which we’re doing with the Koori Leadership Program and the Koori Kids Group. It’s a set of programs for young Aboriginal and Torres Straight Islander people living in the Belconnen area. They’re

doing a bunch of zine-making projects, which will be featured in the festival as well.”

This year also marks the introduction of the ACT Secondary Schools writing prize for female-identifying writers, run in conjunction with the Stella Prize. It’s a part of Noted’s desire to grow community ties, and become a staple of the Canberra Arts calendar.

“I think sometimes in Canberra, there’s the tendency to work away in your isolated bubble and have the perception that things like this aren’t going on here. Hopefully it’s a trend that’s changing. I think we have an amazing creative community here in Canberra. We see Noted as an important platform to showcase all of them.”

This year, Noted features an array of events, including a Lit-Hop party, which we will see festivalgoers trawl some of Canberra’s favourite venues. Each venue will feature a different interactive literary event (including book swap speed dating), and promises an opportunity to meet other members of the Canberra writing community. For many however, the highlight will be the Publishing Fair, a chance for writers to network, showcase and sell their work. “It’ll also take place on World Story Telling Day, which wasn’t intentional planning, but a very fortunate coincidence.”

Noted Festival runs from March 16–20, all across Canberra. For more information, visit notedfestival.com.

Photo: Erica Hurrell


MIEACT

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Sydney, before the films go on tour. This year, they’re going to an impressive 52 destinations, from Gunnedah, to Noosa and even Canberra, where they’re showcasing the highlights of the film competition at Dendy Cinemas.

According to festival director Bronwyn Kidd, it is Australia’s leading Academy and BAFTA recognised short film festival. Flickerfest started as a small, local festival at the Balmain High School in 1991. It’s a pathway to the Academy awards and the BAFTAs, as all of the finalists for the competition can then be nominated for these prestigious awards.

This year they’re showing a range of different films, which are dependent on the location. But according to Kidd, the films that you should look out for are:

Slingshot, directed by David Hansen, which won the ‘Virgin Australia Award for Best Australian Short Film’. According to the online synopsis, “Frankie is a 10-year-old kid on summer vacation at a run-down trailer park. When Tayla, a 10-year-old girl, shows a romantic interest, Frankie’s holiday becomes a whole lot more complicated.”

Another recommendation is Ernie Biscuit, made by Adam Elliot. If that name doesn’t sound familiar, it’s crafted by the same director that brought us Harvey Krumpet a few years back.

Now I’m betting you remember that film. This one is along the same vein of quirkiness, as it showcases “the clayography of a lonely Deaf Parisian Taxidermist whose life is turned upside down and back to front when a dead pigeon arrives on his doorstep.” That is, of course, a completely normal event that happens to everyone – not strange at all.

The last recommendation before you’re overwhelmed by choice is a film made by a Canberran, Vanessa Gazy. Foal is a story about forbidden love. “In the extended absence of her older stockman husband, Aurora falls pregnant to her young lover, Joe. As Aurora braces for the imminent return of her husband, her young daughter Annie struggles to make sense of her mother’s complex adult world and of her own burgeoning sexuality.”

The Best of Australian Shorts tour is passing through Dendy Cinemas on Thursday March 17 at 7pm. Tickets are $19.50, or $15 for students and concessioners.

FLICKERFESTKAROLINA FIRMANFLICKERFEST is coming to Canberra. What is this Flickerfest, you may ask? Well, in a nutshell, it’s a short film festival/competition. The festival starts as a ten-day competition and celebration in



A RT I ST PROFILE: ALICIA ARDERNWhat do you do? My photographic work often explores painting with light or photomontage techniques, in which several layers of photographs are collaged. I mainly take portraits and self-portraits, which I layer with unique shapes and patterns found in nature and architecture. I actually take and edit many of my photos on my phone. I love that technology allows me to take my love of photography and creativity wherever I go.

When, how and why did you get into it? I started playing with my dad’s camera as a kid and felt there was something magical about capturing a moment in time that you could have forever. I was always interested in making art, but was never very good at painting, so when I was introduced to the school darkroom I felt instantly at home. I went on to study commercial photography in Melbourne, but realised I prefer a more conceptual form of photography.

Who/what influences you as an artist? I am mainly influenced by my surroundings – in particular the natural environment and my very talented friends.

Of what are you proudest so far? I am a youth worker as well as a photographer, so I have the opportunity to help young people develop the skills to artfully express themselves. Helping them through hardships is something that I take a lot of pride in.

What are your plans for the future? I hope to travel and continue taking photos and making art as I go.

What makes you laugh? I am a big fan of dad jokes and witty banter.

What pisses you off? Selfish people and people who place more importance on money than kindness.

What about the local scene would you change? There is a lack of spaces to exhibit in if you did not study art in Canberra and don’t have the right connections.

What are your upcoming performances/exhibitions? I have my third solo exhibition on at The Front, running Tues–Mon February 16–29. The opening night is Friday February 19 at 6pm.

Contact info: Facebook: Somwhere Photography instagram.com/somwhere.rainbows [email protected]

46 @bmamag


LITERATURE IN REVIEWBlack Rock White City A.S. Patrić [Transit Lounge; 2015]

“In the darkness of the hospital examination room, there were glowing red letters leering through three shattered skulls.”

When macabre graffiti begins appearing around Sandringham Hospital, it’s just more work for janitor Jovan. A refugee from Sarajevo, a former professor of literature, Jovan has put together something like an ordinary life in suburban Melbourne, renting a modest home and clinging to anaemic remains of his marriage.

The / Trojan / Flea

As the hospital staff try to understand the sinister fragments of writing that invade increasingly intimate spaces in their workplace, Jovan is drawn out of his somnambulist existence and into the puzzle.

Oppressive, disturbing and occasionally violent, Black Rock White City sets a narrative of grief and the desire to reconnect against the compartmental nature of suburban Australia. Jovan and wife Suzana have survived the immense cruelties of war, only to struggle with the barrage of tiny cruelties of ordinary life – isolation, casual racism, domestic tragedies of earnest neighbours. The Trojan Flea plagues them, their friends and co-workers throughout.

The bleak environment of Black Rock White City is relieved by the hopefulness of its characters, elements of black humour and the compelling pace of the central mystery. It’s as much a whydunnit as a whodunnit, as the reactions of individual staff overtake the graffiti’s randomness. As the private lives of her co-workers emerge around her, Tammie, Jovan’s mistress and hospital dentist, contemplates what makes for success in her profession. “It’s a feel for pain, economy and precision of movement … what it comes down to is how much you care.”

Patrić dispenses the backstories of his characters sparingly, luring you into investing emotionally before dropping some fairly devastating revelations. The resilience of Jovan, Suzana and their doggedness in pursuing the barely present threads of love will have you firmly in their corner by the time the book reaches its brutal conclusion.

It’s a story of war without being a war story; it’s thrilling but without a thriller’s tendency to rely on stereotyped heroes and victims. It’s the kind of almost-mystery novel you’ll race to the end of, then bemoan the fact you didn’t take more time to savour. Perhaps most importantly, it’s a tale of heartbreak in reverse.

If you like your novels to deliver a periodic sucker punch to the feels, this is for you. If you like a novel that haunts you in the shower and on the bus for days after you’ve read it, I also recommend it. A suspenseful and ultimately rewarding read.

CARA LENNON



CATHERINE DEVENYSAMUEL TOWNSENDThe Gunnas Writing Masterclass was conceived in 2013 when CATHERINE DEVENY needed to drum up some extra cash to send her teenage son to Japan on exchange.

“As you could imagine, I was fucking delighted at the idea of getting rid of him for six months, but that meant that I would need to make a bit more money than usual.” The classes were originally held over one weekend in January 2014, at La Luna Bistro in Melbourne. Now, two years later, Deveny has run 75 Masterclasses, with over 1,000 students (from all states, and most territories) through the door. “It’s been magical. When I stand in front of those classes, I give everything. I come home squeezed out like a mop, but so satisfied.”

Deveny originally wanted to be a teacher, but her skills as a writer put her on the map as a dynamic media personality. You might remember her from Season 2 of Go Back to Where You Came From, where she took Peter Reith to task, in her unflinching fashion, over the Children Overboard affair – you may have also caught her in her Melbourne Comedy Festival shows, Curvy Crumpet and Trollhunter. In 2010, Deveny was dropped as a columnist for The Age after her now infamous ‘Bindi Irwin’ tweets. That was then, this is now. “I love it (Gunna’s). It ticks every box inside me and it’s blossomed and exploded beyond any expectations I could have had. Even if I was off my head on drugs.”

The Gunnas Masterclass is designed to facilitate ‘doing’. Deveny states, “90% of writing will never see the light of day, but 100% of writing makes people feel better.” The workshop revolves around a day of writing techniques, food and laughter. Students are generously mentored and everyone is encouraged to have their voice heard. “I give every student an opportunity to publish [something they wrote that day] on my website by the end of the day.”

Gunna’s has helped kick-start other publishing opportunities too, with students beginning blogs, writing for publications and signing book deals. Julia Watson’s book, Breakfast, School Run, Chemo [Black Inc.], is one success story. “She had four little girls under the age of 12, and when she came through she had just been diagnosed with terminal cancer.” Deveny, along with a group of “gung-ho” professionals formed Team Jules, and encouraged her to write a blog and self-publish her work, before it was picked up by Black Inc. “The thrill that I really get is people going ‘Oh my god, I’ve just written sixty thousand words in a month and I can’t thank you enough!’ whether that ever sees the light of day … I really don’t give a shit. What I really care about is that they busted through something on their own, for no one but themselves!”

The Canberra Gunna’s Masterclass will be held at A Baker on Saturday February 27. Catherine Deveny’s book Use Your Words [Black Inc.] will be released in May. For event details, visit catherinedeveny.com.

Photo: Scott McNaughton

48 @bmamag

THE BUGLE BOYS WHAT: Cabaret/Comedy WHEN: Thu Feb 25 WHERE: The Famous Spiegeltent

Remember the Spice Girls? Well, before them came The Andrews Sisters. The original girl group were a global sensation in the ’30s and ’40s, and their records sold in the millions. What’s that got to do with the Bugle Boys, you ask? Well, strap yourselves in, because this one’s sure to take off. In a salute to The Andrews Sisters, the sensational Michael Dalton, Jon Jackson and Andrew Dessmann frock up in a cabaret-comedy combo to dance and sing some of The Andrews’ most beloved songs, including ‘Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy’, ‘Rum and Coca Cola’ and more. Get your tickets from canberratheatrecentre.com.au, starting from $40 + bf, ’cos you’re ‘Steppin’ Out Tonight’.

SUSTAINABLE HOUSE TOUR WHAT: See-Change Tour WHEN: Sun Feb 27–July WHERE: O’Connor (Feb), Hackett (March), Fisher (April)...

Personally, I love houses. I love sitting in them, eating in them, sleeping in them … you name it. If you love houses too (or you’re the renovating kind), head along to the Sustainable House Tours and see an amazing array of homes built and created around the ideal of reducing their footprint on the earth. Tap into local knowledge to learn how to integrate renewable energy, recycling, food-growing and other practices into your home and lifestyle. The first home will be a real treat, since it tours two innovative homes! The cost of the tours start from $2. To see location details and get more info, visit see-change.org.au/house-tours.

EMERGING CONTEMPORARIES WHAT: Art Exhibition WHEN: Thu Feb 11–Fri Mar 26 WHERE: Craft ACT: Art and Design Centre

Showcasing the work of outstanding graduate students and national emerging craft practitioners and designer makers, Emerging Contemporaries exhibits the next wave of professional artists who explore innovative design practice. With 15 artists from across the nation, the annual show is all about highlighting the future talent of the arts sector. Also showing in the Gallery (there’s more?!) are two solo exhibitions from Canberran artists, Mi-Kyung Myung and Meredith Hughes. Myung combines Korean and Western influences in her latest body of works on paper, and Hughes uses textile approaches to deconstruct strategies of Buddhist meditation on emptiness.


bit PARTS

THE COMPANY ENSEMBLE WHAT: Acting Auditions WHEN: Wed Feb 24–Thu Feb 25 WHERE: C-Block Theatre, Gorman Arts Centre

Are you passionate about performing? Have you ever pictured yourself on the stage? Maybe more than once? Well then, gather ’round. Now could be the perfect opportunity for you to audition for The Company Ensemble, run by the Canberra Youth Theatre. The Ensemble is intended for actors aged 16–25 who want to pursue the performing arts at a high level, cultivate their skills and perform in a major dramatic work in 2016. This will be a tragedy, a story of injustice, adapted from a classic Greek text. Auditions will be held on Wednesday February 24 and Thursday February 26 from 6:30pm–8:30pm on both days. For registration and more information, go to cytc.net.

50 @bmamag

album of the issue

THE VELVET UNDERGROUND LIVE AT MAX’S KANSAS CITY

[ATLANTIC/RHINO]The Velvet Underground’s extraordinary discography has been well served by a series of expanded deluxe reissues that have provided as full a picture of the band in the studio and on stage that fans are ever likely to get. The series concluded with the release of a six-disc edition of the 1970 album Loaded – arguably the band’s finest along with the 1967 debut The Velvet Underground and Nico – and the four-disc The Complete Matrix Tapes recorded at San Francisco nightclub The Matrix in 1969. A large amount of first-rate material has been provided without inviting a reappraisal of the band’s legacy, because it has been well understood for a long time that The Velvets redefined rock ‘n’ roll as a popular entertainment form by opening up an alternative underground – a massive artistic achievement.

The band’s music was so wildly creative that every note on every album has to be heard to fully appreciate how rock music can be elevated to the highest art. But the achievements of the Velvets in live performance are not so clear-cut. In his review of The Complete Matrix Tapes for Pitchfork, Douglas Wolk writes that, “the conventional wisdom is that the Velvet Underground were at their best on stage,” an assertion that could fit the sensory overload of The Plastic Exploding Inevitable happenings in the early days or the personal experiences of gig-goers in the late 1960s, excited at having discovered music far removed

from hippified West Coast folk-rock. But the rest of us have to make do with a small number of available live recordings

mostly captured on shitty recording equipment.

Although compelling as a valuable historical document, much of the live stuff makes the case for The Velvets more as a regular touring act wanting to play great rock ‘n’ roll songs rather than attaining mind-blowing sonic elevation every time they hit the stage.

The Live at Max’s Kansas City album, recorded in 1970, reveals a band doing what all bands should love doing: getting on stage and promoting their songs in the hope that the audience will connect enough to want to hear more. Not that the Max’s Kansas City audience would have been strangers to the band. This was a known New York haunt for the Warhol crowd and the recording was made by Warhol associate Brigid Polk on a portable cassette recorder, so the sound is pretty crappy. On the plus side, the ambience of the small venue is well captured, lending an intimacy to the proceedings and a feeling of ‘being there’. This was possibly the last time Lou Reed appeared with the band, who are mostly on fine form despite the absence of drummer Maureen Tucker. When Reed, Sterling Morrison and Doug Yule lock guitars, magic happens, particularly on an energised ‘White Light/White Heat’ and a confidently upbeat version of ‘Sweet Jane’ from the soon to be released album Loaded.

It is quite amazing now to consider that The Velvets had only ever played to small audiences; it was only after the band ended that they came to be regarded as one of the greatest of all time. This budget-priced release is a newly remastered edition of the 2004 deluxe reissue with the song list almost identical to that earlier version and although not one of the band’s finest moments, it nevertheless captures a moment in time that would have stirred the senses.

DAN BIGNA

on albumsthe word

WIVES DEVOTED TO YOU [NOPATIENCE RECORDS]

The long-awaited debut album from Canberra locals Wives, Devoted To You, sees the band take a dark approach to post-punk, combined with a heady dose of spacey new wave.

Since starting out as Sweet Shoppe in late 2013, the members of Wives have refined their sound and made it into their own. Each band member clearly brings their own voice to the band through their role, with each member playing upon the others’ strengths. The jagged guitars of Jordan Rodger make you take notice, piercing whatever pleasant dream you may have been in. The counterweight is the smooth synths of Gus McGrath, which anchor the guitars and provide balance to the shrillness. The catalyst that brings it all together are the vocals of Anja Loughhead, reminiscent of X-Ray Spex and riot grrl at times, which complement the style as they range from low whispers to agitated screams.

Devoted To You has an uneasy hollow coldness; not quite harnessing the frantic energy that Wives are known for from their live shows. The lyrics do little to alleviate the sense of restlessness, with reoccurring themes covering gender issues, sexuality and religion throughout. One of the darkest moments on Devoted To You is ‘Blue’, with Loughead’s anguish cutting through the pulsing bass lines. The relentlessly driving ‘Alter’ counters this – the attacking guitars initiating a furious assault on the senses.

Wives are unafraid to be different and push boundaries, meaning the sound on Devoted To You could be polarising to many listeners; either you’ll love it or hate it. This could be reason enough for Wives to stake their claim on Canberra’s music scene, but the fact that they have released a very good album makes that claim worthy.

MEGAN LEAHY


LÅPSLEY LONG WAY HOME [XL RECORDS]

Long Way Home is British singer-songwriter Låpsley’s first record. Before this, she released two well-crafted EPs with a natural dexterity for production that was quietly bubbling outside of Australia’s peripheral vision.

At Long Way Home’s core are understated rhythms, soft surges of piano and unfurled samples. Her use of the drop-down technique is prevalent, used with both round robin harmonies and sampling. The duality of vocals and piano, ‘Heartless’ starts gently and flows into a magnetic chorus. Such lushness cooperates with the album’s sparser songs, such as the stunning ‘Piano,’ in which a group of musically talented angels got their hands on a primary school percussion section. She is unafraid to toy and nod to a range of genres. Even though not every idea is successful – I’m looking at you, ‘Operator Please’, with your out-of-place soul harmonies – these experimentations keep Long Way Home from staling.

Missed calls, painful distances, seeing a lover embrace someone new; these fragile topics are delivered with a confronting confidence. It feels like an injustice to savour this album without undergoing heartbreak (although I can claim to crying to the gorgeous ‘Hurt Me’ sans heartbreak). The piano-driven undercurrents and crisp R&B beats call for a James Blake comparison, whilst her vocals – rich and smooth – move like label mate Adele. It’s a powerful combination, considering how tangible the emotional undertow is. However, it is unfair to designate Låpsley to well-meaning comparisons. Long Way Home has been a long time coming and whilst imperfect, it unlocks greater capabilities and creativity from Låpsley’s talent.

ANGELA CHRISTIAN-WILKES

GRIMES ART ANGELS [4AD]

A euphoric dream engulfed in a fluorescent nightmare, Art Angels is the album the pop world deserves. Injecting equal parts of vicious quirkiness and cheeky social commentary onto her trademark vocal range and eclectic electro sound, Grimes’ fourth album is a fantastical and twisted trip from start to finish.

Opening track ‘Laughing and Not Being Normal’ lulls you into the album with its orchestral opulence. A mixture of eerie, reverberating strings and distant-sounding harpsichord give way to the celestial echoes of pastel gothic angel Grimes; a heavenly entrance into her opera. Her short-lived siren song now complete, an electronic whirring alarm pulses in and out as the strings climax into a near-frenzy of sound. Next, the hand-clapping, hip-swinging contagion playfully spreads in the sunny ‘California’, but the dream state falters as a throbbing guitar riff accompanies the dirty panting and teeth-baring sneers of featured artist Aristophanes in ‘Scream’, backed by Grimes’ chilling and blood-curdling shrieks. The album drifts into a serene dreamland in ‘Belly of the Beat’, before we’re sent reeling as Grimes rips off the fantasy veil and kicks us into the bloodied nightmare, with the feminist pop anthem ‘Kill V. Maim’: an unapologetic middle finger to the patriarchy. It’s infectiously catchy and intense – easily the standout song and the most satisfying social statement on the album.

Grimes brings out the fearless, odd, spitting, grunting dreamer in all of us. Her wildly energetic and bizarre brand of storytelling is mesmerising. It’s that diversity and complexity of sound and that eclectic sensuality that gestate to birth a cohesive artistic creation, full of nourishing contemporary thinking, hypnotic visuals and danceable tracks.

HANNAH QUILL

PLAYWRITE CATHEDRALS [INDEPEDENT RELEASE]

Imagine having wonderful memories of an upbringing in the bush, in the midst of trees tall as cathedrals. Then you lose the home of your childhood and your parents in the Black Saturday inferno. The emotions in this debut LP, produced by Jimi Maroudas (Kimbra, Bertie Blackman) by Melbourne five-piece group Playwrite were driven by the need to cope with the overwhelming burden of dealing with the tragedy. The member who lost his parents – lead guitarist Patrick Holcombe – was the key songwriter, with the rest of the band in close support.

In opener ‘Dogs’, ghostly voices emerge shadow-like, as from deep in a forest. The blending of male and female harmonies is backed by the deep bass reverb, accompanied by a scattering of pebble percussion. There’s a rockier vibe to ‘Little Ark’ with guitars added to the surging synth. There’s a feeling of light and space in the bright guitars and echo-projected vocals of ‘Lady Oracle’, a catchy song with a stop-start format. The album was helped along with crowdfunding and a Pozible choir boosts the vocals in ‘Millennium Deer’. Written about the helplessness of the people in the face of the creeping menace of the Fukishima contamination, ‘Black Cloud’ employs a gentle, acoustic-driven start, before stroboscopic keys join in. Some CD highlights flare up mid-disc. Disarmingly dreamy at its beginning, ‘Driver’s Seat’ comes to life with ringing guitars, before comet synths swoop by. ‘Whittaker’ sees combined vocals lifted on waves of brass, blessed on their way with shimmering cymbals. The overall atmospheric vibe and big space character of the album is exemplified by ‘Rivers’, in which the bass plunges through unknown depths while the vocals soar above.

RORY MCCARTNEY

52 @bmamag

TY SEGALL EMOTIONAL MUGGER [SPUNK]

After eight albums in as many years, Emotional Mugger is Ty Segall and his band’s closest effort at a concept album. Technologically-driven isolation should work as a theme in 2016, especially when its ideas are spat over retro-laden rock. But, for whatever reason, it doesn’t quite gel as a concept; but it does work as an album. It’s clear that Segall and co. have thought a lot about what would make Emotional Mugger a better album, but that doesn’t actually make it a better album.

Built over a heady blend of pop-tinged psych and garage rock, the album tends to operate off consistent grooves – rhythm-based dirges that allow Segall and his band to break out on guitar and synth tangents. Indeed, at times this comes off like the love child of Marc Bolan and The Nugs, but not in a bad way; the album is at its best at its most unhinged. References to candy appear on almost every track, perhaps an oblique nod towards disposable culture and cheap thrills. ‘Mandy Cream’ and ‘Candy Sam’ are probably the picks of the album, but there’s not too many duds, even when Segall branches out to experimental noise (‘W.U.O.T.W.S’).

There’s some great moments on Emotional Mugger, but at times it feels like Segall is trying to cram too much in at once. Segall has seemingly taken the main knock on 2014’s Manipulator (that it dragged out a touch too long), and tried to throw as many ideas into half as many songs. This might come off a little bit negative, but it shouldn’t. Emotional Mugger is a very good album, but the most frustrating thing is the moments of brilliance that remind you of Segall at his best, combined with occasional ordinariness.

CODY ATKINSON

BANOFFEE DO I MAKE YOU NERVOUS? [DOT DASH/REMOTE CONTROL]

More than just a faddish dessert, Banoffee is the stage name of Melbourne-based singer and producer Martha Brown. She began her ultra-alternative music experience doing vocals and keys with sister Hazel as one third of the band Otouto. Brown’s solo career sees her take a different sonic direction, elevating musical experimentation to another level. Her debut EP is an intriguing and seductive frappé that blends pop, R&B and electro. Like the dessert, it’s sweet and rather viscous in consistency.

A tale of infatuation and envy, ‘With Her’ emerges slowly from a crackly phone message recording. Vocals flow languidly to a combination of clicking finger beats, a bold bass drum and a cavernously deep synth reverb. An overwhelming jealous rage is emphasised by repeated piano strikes as Brown repeats the accusation, “You were with her, her, her.”

‘I’m Not Sorry’ creeps, goblin-like, shuffling a deck of syncopated beats. Robotic R&B in flavour, the song is dissected and reassembled with imperfect joins as it progresses. Employing a one-sided conversation with rhetorical questions, Brown uses a cybernetic male vocal as her foil. ‘Oceans’ juxtaposes shuffling, sliding electronica with vocal sparks. Disjointed in its flow, Brown’s vocal repetition hammers home her message. There’s a rocky road texture to ‘Body Suit’ with lots of marshmallow singing, spongy synths and the occasional harder, nuttier sound. In closer ‘Fall Fast’ Brown sounds a lot like British artist Imogen Heap – in both vocal tone and in the flickering, kaleidoscopic musical arrangement. While the fractured and reformed tracks are arguably more inventive, the flowing dance vibe of the opener makes it the disc highlight.

RORY MCCARTNEY

HALF MOON RUN SUN LEADS ME ON [INDICA]

Formed in 2010, the four-piece based in Montreal gained attention with their 2012 debut LP Dark Eyes. The band’s sophomore LP sees a bit less of the pretty folk-pop style that delivered some of the highlights in their debut. Sun Leads Me On takes the variety that existed in their first album and builds on it, with evermore complex arrangements all woven together to create multiple song hooks. Clever production expands the depth of songs in the best tracks, their multifaceted sounds coming together like planets aligning.

The album does not immediately impress with its low-key opener ‘Warmest Regards’, a lazy afternoon sort of song with hazy flute, soft strums and equally cozy vocals. The disc wakes up, rocking it up in ‘I Can’t Figure Out What’s Going On’, and there’s even more life in the pulsing ’80s keyboard power and echoing vocals of ‘Consider Yourself’. However, it’s the backbone of the LP that contains the best material, beginning with the dreamy allure and bubbling harmonies of ‘Hands in the Garden’, with its jumpy harmonica, followed by three straight highlights. The brilliant ‘Turn Your Love’ is irresistible with its glowing chorus, numerous hooks and multiple catchy rhythms. Some of the album’s best lyrics pop out of ‘Narrow Margins’, riding on vocals that stretch out and broaden like searchlights. The title track, its energy coming in controlled bursts, packs an emotional charge that is not easily defined. After the fireworks of ‘It Works Itself Out’, songs are pedestrian until the closer (and album single) ‘Trust’. Another highlight, its EDM qualities and strong shuffling electro beat set it apart from the rest of the tracks, sounding like a song from a different band.

RORY MCCARTNEY


MAJICAL CLOUDZ WAIT & SEE [MATADOR]

During 2015, Majical Cloudz released a beautifully minimal and affecting record called Are You Alone?. It is a master-class in how to inject feeling into stripped-back, sparse and restrained songwriting. Producer Matthew Otto’s synths push and pull in undercurrents – gentle, trance-like rips – which vocalist Devon Welsh’s words float upon throughout.

Wait & See is an EP of five tracks that didn’t fit on Are You Alone?, but that seem to fit together very well here on their own.

‘Heaven’ sees Otto’s synths shift from swirls to bending, unnerving, ringing chords. The percussion behind the track, as minimal as it is, is still far more excited and active than anything from Are You Alone?. “Fall down, standing up is boring,” Welsh sings, which is perhaps the most blunt and honest description of his emotional vulnerability and openness throughout.

While Wait & See feels slightly darker than Are You Alone? – which always feels like it has traces of optimism and brightness behind it – ‘Let Me Lie’ would sit at home on the album, with its lyrical repetition and softer tones, while closer ‘My Heart Soaks Up Every Drop of Your Blood’ is a beautiful, piano-led ode to love and trust.

On Majical Cloudz’s Tumblr, there are photos of their Are You Alone? release party in Brooklyn. They see producer Matthew Otto behind a mic stand and his gear. Welsh can be seen lying on his back on the ground, singing up into the roof and into the crowd. There is no more perfect image to convey the genuine, raw, and affective music that they write. Wait & See is a great companion to a greater album.

JEREMY STEVENS

PANIC! AT THE DISCO DEATH OF A BACHELOR [FUELED BY RAMEN]

When they first achieved notability in the music scene they were a pop-punk quartet whose eyeliner was only outdone by their theatrical first album A Fever You Can’t Sweat Out.

These days, Panic! At The Disco is a one-man band led by Brendon Urie. Being the last bandmember standing gave Urie the chance to take their fifth studio album, Death of a Bachelor, into his own hands – and it pays off.

With total control over both music and lyrics, Urie brings to the table a helping of genres, glitz and glamour, all the while maintaining Panic!’s unique sound. The album’s opener ‘Victorious’ bursts through your speakers with anthem-like glory; it immediately reminds you what a killer voice Urie is capable of showcasing and that his skills as a musician are a rare find. It’s followed quickly by the less exciting but still catchy ‘Don’t Threaten Me With a Good Time’. Samples of the B-52’s ‘Rock Lobster’ can be heard throughout the chorus, which seems a bit out of place. ‘The Good, The Bad and The Dirty’ takes the title of most Panic!-esque song on the album. Using almost sarcastic lyrics to spin the tales of debauchery that Panic! At The Disco have always pulled off so well, it distinguishes itself from other songs on the album to truly standout.

Fortunately for Panic! fans, Death of a Bachelor – despite its flaws – proves to the world that Urie is a truly unique talent whose charismatic performance and stunning vocals on the album make for an exciting, distinct sound that truly separates itself from those that have come before.

NICOLA SHEVILLE

FAT FREDDY’S DROP BAYS [THE DROP/REMOTE CONTROL]

From the dives of the shaky isles comes Kiwi soul, funk and R&B collective Fat Freddy’s Drop, with a fourth LP named after its own Bays Studio in Wellington where the tracks were captured. Unlike the usual process of laying down songs that formed part of their live repertoire, the band took the risky step of writing on the run in the studio.

Bays takes the more conventional roots vibe of the 2013 record Blackbird and adds a new layer of inventiveness, with a panorama of sounds that break through the usual funk envelope. Of the last release, only the closer ‘Bohannon’ gave a hint of the direction the new LP would take. Emerging from a warped vocal loop, opener ‘Wairunga Blues’ pipes up with a Morse code signal, transmitted via brass instruments. This is succeeded by a swinging rhythm that comes dressed up with a mechanical cadence and traffic like beep-beep flourishes. ‘Slings and Arrows’ starts out with keyboards akin to an antique Casio deck, before advancing to a reggae chant in brass, beneath which crawls a reptilian bass riff. Brass, bass and reggae coalesce, surmounted by the bourbon-hued vocals of frontman Joe Dukie, whose honeyed tones make this album so smooth. The rippling keys of ‘Wheels’ contrast with Dukie’s deep vocals, as concentric circles of sound radiate out in a hypnotic vibrating pattern. ‘Razor’ is a layered electronic torte, anchored on a growling bass riff for a cake stand and topped off with effects that crackle like sparklers and squeal like frightened alarms. An album ruled by pulsating, pumping rhythms, Bays is an offering from a roots band with a difference, brilliantly combining brass and electronica. All the while, it exudes an atmosphere of sublime coolness.

RORY MCCARTNEY

54 @bmamag

v

PJ HARVEY ‘THE WHEEL’

I don’t think PJ gets enough credit for how much her music has

evolved over the years. There’s often this expectation that she will rock out with reckless abandon, but often her best results come when she steps away from this template. A haunting tale of lost children (28,000 to be exact), ‘The Wheel’ is highlighted by sax and underscored by sorrow.

singles in focus

BY CODY ATKINSON

CALIFORNIA GIRLS

‘HIDDEN’ This is pretty good right here from local

California Girls, hot off the presses of his latest cassette tape. Building over a minimal beat and simple guitar riff for the first half, ‘Hidden’ opens out for the last couple of minutes into a tropical dance party. Very solid all around, and engaging throughout.

NAKED ‘CRITICAL HALF-

ARSED’ One of the real pleasures of this

gig is to hear something new that makes you sit up and pay attention. Naked – hailing from Tassie – doesn’t worry too much about all the accoutrements. ‘Critical Half-Arsed’ is clinically sparse rock that builds the tension as it goes. Definitely worth a second listen, probably a third and fourth too.

CHARLIE PUTH ‘ONE CALL AWAY’

This song had 40,541,598 views at the time of writing.

End-on-end, that’s about 112,612 days, or 308 years, of time that song has been heard by people around the world. This song has been heard for 3.86 times longer than my entire expected lifespan. And it’s terrible, fucking awful faux-soulful dreck.

PAT CHOW ARE YOU OKAY? [GUN FEVER]

With a name like the organisation that promotes everyday conversations to assist people with depression, Are You Okay? is the debut offering from Perth indie rockers Pat Chow. Produced by Dave Parkin (who has worked with WA legends Jebediah and new crop artists Tried Lion), the album gives more than a passing nod to rock styles including ’70s punk and ’90s grunge.

There’s an industrial strength abrasiveness in the opening chords of ‘Pleasure Unit’. With wailing guitars and a stroppy vibe to the vocals, it kicks and bucks like a rodeo horse. The fluffy keyboard melody of ‘Bad Thoughts’ is knocked for six by machete hacks of electric guitar. Choppy but danceable, the catchy tune comes with both punk sensibilities and the usual sawn-off punk song length. Fast mover ‘Don’t Talk’ is made for shout out sing-a-longs, with its “Don’t talk, don’t talk, don’t talk to me,” chorus. Slow and a little maudlin at the start, ‘Go Ahead’ then lights the blue touch paper, leaping up in punk fury with a great plunging melody, screamed vocal highlights and mad licks. The pretty, plucked tune of ‘Flower Power’ gets kicked in the guts by a large white noise boot, complete with furry guitar socks. Things get a little strange mid-album, with the very short, bizarre ‘Lo-Life’, which bounces around like a car with worn shock absorbers, and the emotional, theatrical ‘Neapolitan Beach’, whose alien spasms could have been produced by a theremin. After the Seattle sound of the grungy ‘Full Circle’, the LP goes quiet until the closer. In the true spirit of last songs at gigs, ‘FML’ runs for over 13 minutes, with every last note extracted from the exhausted guitars.

RORY MCCARTNEY

SPACE THEORY DISCHORDANT [TRUNK RECORDS]

Canberra electronic music producer Sam Lilburn is probably best known for his chunky, progressive, psytrance vibes as Sammy Pstump with the Logman & Pstump project. Over the last couple of years however, he’s quietly been working away on a less four-to-the-floor beats project, Space Theory. Focusing on what he calls ‘future psy-hop’, the local producer has cooked up a four track EP of squelchy, glitchy bass music with some serious groove.

Dischordant opens with ‘Synchronized’; an understated dichotomy of warm, spacious sounds and bubbly chord stabs on. It’s got a strong, dubby, offbeat vibe, with a filtered vocal sample, and deep rolling bass drop in the peak of the track. Track number two ‘Nihilistic’ continues the dub aesthetic, with the heavily effects-driven reverb sounds turned up a notch. Delayed arpeggiated synth patterns interplays nicely with a heavy stepped bassline, building to a highly layered crescendo, before the stripped back groove returns. You can clearly hear the psytrance-production style influencing this tune.

The next track, ‘Disoriental’ – probably my favourite on the EP – has much more of a classic half-time dubstep bass and snare pattern, with a nervous synth melody that builds, before it drops to the dubstep bassline again. The final piece ‘Tangled’ opens with some classic psychedelic techno-babble spoken word, before hypnotic drawn-out chords wash over your ears. The inclusion of tuned tabla percussion flourishes splattered throughout the track is a welcome touch.

Overall, Dischordant is a fine effort, with confident sound design and attention to detail – although it would have been good to see a touch more diversity in synth sounds. Hopefully we’ll see more of this style from the young producer!

PETER O’ROURKE

56 @bmamag

on filmsWITH

EMMA ROBINSON

the word

THE HATEFUL EIGHT

Does this sound familiar?

Eight relative strangers find themselves trapped in a shack in the middle of nowhere, each with their own violent vendettas and agenda. The story unfolds in a non-linear fashion; witty banter with an undercurrent of sinister intent is exchanged and eventually, everyone starts shooting. Tim Roth and Michael Madsen are both there, playing characters you know have been painstakingly conceptualised and honed by the director.

You can be forgiven for thinking, “Oh, this is a retrospective review for 1992’s Reservoir Dogs!” Quentin Tarantino’s latest film bears all his expected hallmarks complete with veteran actors he has worked with before. Samuel L. Jackson makes a speech (Ezekiel 25:17 is running through my head right now) and the violence is self indulgent in a way the audience expects and even wants from this particular director.

Unfortunately, what is missing is the claustrophobic intensity that was so expertly exploited in Reservoir Dogs. Instead, we have violence that starts off as comical and eventually disintegrates into self-indulgent (his death scenes are way too long).

Tarantino is famed for his reverent homages to styles of film popular in previous decades. It seems now that he is paying homage to himself. Egotistical? Very. However, it is undeniable that the man knows his craft and almost never fails to deliver exceptionally made films. Everything about this film is slick, but it’s nothing we haven’t seen from Tarantino before.

EMMA ROBINSON

BROOKLYN

John Crowley’s Oscar-nominated gem Brooklyn is so beautifully realised that you simply don’t want it to end. Based on the novel by acclaimed Irish author Colm Tóibín, Brooklyn envelops you with all the warmth and comfort of a homemade hot chocolate, and expresses intelligence, heartbreak and humour reminiscent of Gillian Armstrong’s 1994 adaptation of Little Women.

Set in the 1950s, the film follows the journey of young Irish immigrant Eilis Lacey (Saoirse Ronan), who leaves behind her family to forge a new life in Brooklyn, New York. Here, she meets Tony (Emory Cohen), an Italian-American who falls instantly, unabashedly, head-over-heels in love with her.

It’s not hard to see why Brooklyn has been nominated in three major 2016 Oscar categories (including Best Picture). Nick Hornby’s screenplay is magical, while Ronan’s performance is the film’s heart and soul. For an actress so young, Ronan expertly captures the struggles of belonging and homesickness associated with the immigrant experience. Her chemistry with Cohen is palpable: you believe wholeheartedly in this tentative courtship even as you watch it unfold.

Brooklyn is guaranteed to bring forth the tears (so bring tissues), but never in the sense that it’s manipulative or contrived: every tear you shed is well-earned, every laugh you’ll follow with a giggle, and every smile you share will be tender and nostalgic. Experience this film the first chance you get – I guarantee you’ll be gushing with me.

MAJELLA CARMODY

THE REVENANT

Much like clawing your way over the Rocky Mountains through snow, avoiding bands of hostile natives and drawing yourself dangerously close to a violent and brutal death, The Revenant is an ordeal. Bathed in blood and tears, this film elevates the incredible story of Hugh Glass to the point of transcendence. Through the efforts of cinematographer Emmanuel Lubzeki, director Alejandro González Iñárritu transforms the element of nature itself into a monolithic and insurmountable force under which humanity trembles; each of us at the mercy of pure circumstance.

Leonardo DiCaprio burns with a fierce intensity as a man almost literally risen from the dead to take revenge on the one who left him behind – Tom Hardy, unhinged in a brilliant turn as fur trapper John Fitzgerald. The opening scene captures immense brutality, being reminiscent of the visceral violence of Saving Private Ryan’s Normandy Landings.

However, The Revenant kicks back a gear when it should explode into full pace – poor pacing and editing left me restless. There are 45 extraneous minutes here that needed to be cut to retain the energy of the first half-hour. It becomes a slog – and maybe this was intentional. This is not an action film first and foremost. It is an art film, using the traditional template of revenge to meditate upon humanity’s role in nature.

Unfortunately, the message is muddled, leaving a more pensive audience to wonder – “Why?”

PATRICK JOHNSON

quote of the issue

You always know what to expect from Tarantino. Ultra

violence (the nature of which varies – it can be excruciating

like Reservoir Dogs, or perversely satisfying like the

final scene of Deathproof), dialogue that makes talking

about nothing so profound and an excellent soundtrack. His

latest creation doesn’t fail to satisfy on any of these fronts,

and yet … his films have taken a definite dive. The Hateful Eight is a fine way to spend

two-and-a-half hours, however it is a non-stop reference-fest

to films of yesteryear, rather than a respectful homage.

“The man who pulls the lever that breaks your neck will be a dispassionate man. And that dispassion is the very essence of justice. For justice delivered without dispassion, is always in danger of not being justice.” Tim Roth (Oswaldo Mobray), The Hateful Eight


THE BIG SHORT

Director Adam McKay’s Oscar-nominated ‘dramedy’ is a well-made and performed thought-provoking story about the men who predicted the 2008 Global Financial Crisis.

Ryan Gosling is at his charismatic, egotistical best as ambitious banker Jared Vennett, and Christian Bale is excellent as the awkward yet cocky genius, Michael Burry. Steve Carrell is good as astute, aggressive banker Mark Baum, whose discovery of the imminent economic meltdown provokes a touching emotional catharsis.

The scenes with eager young traders are less interesting except for their interactions with anti-capitalist hippy Brad Pitt’s Ben Rickert, who constantly reminds them of the suffering this crisis will cause. Despite this moment, the film focuses on the men who profited from the crash and their moral conflict. The tone is difficult to mark down – it’s a satirical black comedy, an assault on greed and a crime caper. Also notable was the jarring sound editing, combining dialogue, noise and music into a cacophonous medley.

The script is exceedingly witty and Gosling’s fourth-wall audience narrations are highly amusing. Further, McKay’s directing uses celebrity cameos to break down economic jargon to an understandable level. But a financial understanding is unnecessary to appreciate the film for what it really is – a morality tale about inherent evils of greed and capitalism. Superbly and originally produced, The Big Short is an engaging and energetic film.

JO BRADLEY

CAROL

This time of year cinemas are awash in ‘big issue’ films. Films that centre around contemporary social movements that are gathering momentum usually get an Oscar nod. People go to the movies for many reasons – escapism and/or entertainment are among the more popular motives. Cinema lovers at this time of year want to be challenged and provoked – the heated debates over which film is most deserving of an Oscar don’t necessarily come down to which movie was the most well-made, but rather which one highlights the most urgent issue of current popular discourse.

Cate Blanchett delivers a near flawless performance as Carol Aird, a woman in 1950s New York who attracts and reciprocates the love of a younger woman, Therese Belivet (Rooney Mara). The aesthetic of the decade is captured beautifully – it’s almost an advertisement for Dior.

Beyond admiring the set design and costumes however, I felt placated as an audience member. There was no gut-wrenching empathy for the plight of these lovers living in a homophobic era. Instead I felt an ‘oh, that’s kind of sad’ feeling. It was as though the director Todd Haynes cottoned on to marriage equality as an excellent hot button issue and tried to capitalise on people’s awareness and sympathy in the most non-threatening, inoffensive way.

Two very beautiful women fall in love and are kept apart due to circumstances beyond their control.

EMMA ROBINSON

58 @bmamag

THE RETURNED – SERIES TWO [MADMAN]

The first series of this French TV show was world class. It started with a school bus careening over the edge of a cliff – apparently swerving to avoid a small emotionless boy standing in the middle of the road – and got creepier and more complicated with every passing minute. The dead started returning, but not zombie-dead … more what-am-I-doing-here-dead. The finale of that season frustrated many, especially those looking for resolution or an explanation. But for a show that mediated on loss, grieving, reality and acceptance of fate, it seemed churlish to demand tidy plot conclusions. The second (and probably last) season attempts the impossible task of completing the story – explaining why the dead have returned – whilst protecting some sense of mystery. It achieves both, but to what end?

Kicking off six months after season one finished with a confrontation between the dead and living, and a flood – it makes no effort to ease the viewer in. It’s a very non-liner and confusing episode that threw fans off-kilter, and in many ways, it is emblematic of the entire season; frustrating and slow. Indeed, these episodes were delayed due to rescripting. Still, things do move along. Gradually, most of the old faces return and explanations are given. It’s not an easy show to talk about without revealing too much, but it all ties back to the original flood over three decades ago and that boggle-eyed child, Victor/Louis, who appears to exert some sort of supernatural power. Both are crucial and tragically intertwined.

Arguably, many of the questions in The Returned didn’t need answers. This is a show built with an emotional – not logical – engine, and we tend to be more forgiving with ambiguity. I’m less forgiving of shows that buy into their own mythology and feel like they are grasping at straws. Soundtrack (Mogwai) and cinematography remain excellent, but this feels aimless.

JUSTIN HOOK

THE POWERPUFF GIRLS – THE COMPLETE SERIES [MADMAN]

The Powerpuff Girls debuted in 1998 – well and truly before post-irony became a thing. But by satirising pop culture and the superhero genre – which you have to remember was probably at its nadir a year after the disastrous Batman and Robin forced a major rethink of the DC world on film – this playful, self-aware show was more akin to Adult Swim (Space Ghost Coast to Coast, Frisky Dingo) than its ‘kids show’ compatriots. As a result, it built a sizable adult fan base and became an important precursor to the Brony movement; it’s no small coincidence that one of TPPG’s animators (Lauren Faust) worked closely with Hasbro on the development of My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic.

TPPG’s relatively simple set-up is repeated in the opening credits of every episode, like all classic cartoons: Professor Utonium is trying to create three perfect little girls (Blossom, Buttercup, Bubbles), but accidentally spills in Chemical X, thereby granting the munchkins an assortment of superpowers. Each episode revolves around the girls overcoming villains (HIM, Gangreen Gang), monsters and foes (Mojo Jojo) to save the city of Townsville, and solve a few kids’ problems along the way. Pop culture references are hidden throughout the show, like the multiple Big Lebowski shout-outs and the infamous Beat Alls/Beatles episode being the tip of the iceberg. Elsewhere, the professor’s house is an unmistakable Jacques Tati homage.

Visually, the blocky Flash-style is beauty through simplicity – think Margaret Keane through the prism of Saul Bass or Paul Rand. Voice casting is impeccable – Tara Strong, Cathy Cavandi, E.G. Daily and Tom Kenny are veterans, so pitch, depth and timing is perfect. The forthcoming reboot will likely generate renewed interest in these old episodes, and looking back there’s still plenty to love about The Powerpuff Girls.

JUSTIN HOOK

PSYCHO – THE COMPLETE COLLECTION [MADMAN]

Unarguably, Alfred Hitchcock’s 1960 slasher/thriller Psycho is one of the most influential films of all time. The three-minute shower murder alone is one of the most iconic scenes in movie history; most people will know it instinctively, even if they haven’t seen the film. Norman Bates (Anthony Perkins) is a legendary screen villain. Its cultural impact is impossible to measure, but needless to say it’s wide and deep. Not necessarily Hitch’s best, but certainly a hugely important one to the point that 66 years after its release, spin-offs are still being made; A&E’s well-received origin story Bates Motel is about to enter its fourth season.

For the first time ever, this collection gathers all the detritus of Norman Bates’ world in one easy-to-access place. The original film, Psycho II (1983), Psycho III (1986), Psycho IV: The New Beginning (1990), the entirely redundant 1998 Gus Van Sant remake starring Vince Vaughn and Anne Heche, the 1987 TV pilot movie Bates Motel, 2010’s fawning The Psycho Legacy doco and a whole bunch of extras. All the feature films are on Blu-ray – Van Sant’s version for the first time anywhere in the world. Exhaustive is the word.

What stands out watching this set is the quality of the sequels. It took 23 years for someone game enough to tackle Psycho again, and Aussie Richard Franklin’s follow up is by no means a gauche cash-in or derailed by trying to be Hitchcock. Psycho III is a notch below, but still pretty good for an ’80s slasher sequel. The third sequel is definitely a product of its times. The real curio though is Bates Motel, an odd attempt to kick-start a TV series where a troubled kid (Bud Cort) is released from psychiatric care and bequeathed Norman’s house and motel. Weirdness ensues. Though nothing lives up to the original, Psycho: The Complete Collection is compelling and highly recommended.

JUSTIN HOOK

on dvds

the word


CODY ATKINSONAh, scalping. The rush of feeling another man’s fresh skin in your hands after a long and arduous battle ... Wait, it’s not that type of scalping? What’s the other kind then? Ticket reselling? Do I have to redo my intro now? The answers to these questions and many more, Cody Atkinson will try to answer below.

OK, so what’s scalping, and please don’t go all Hannibal Lecter here.

The non-murderous type of scalping refers to the reselling of tickets from the original purchaser to a second party, usually at a profit. The ‘proper’ term is ticket resale, or the secondary market for tickets. And the British call it ‘touting’, because of course they do.

Touting? Could you use it in a sentence?

“I just touted some Wilson Pickets for Glatso in the go-up box at the Cat and Custard Pot while downing a pint of bitter.”

Is a Wilson Picket a ticket?

YES, IT IS! The English are just so ... cute with their language...

Indeed. So scalpers are shit people, right?

YEAH! Well, maybe.

Maybe? WHY WON’T YOU COMMIT TO BURNING THEM AT THE STAKE!?

Calm down with the interrobang...

Interrobang?

You know, the whole ! ? thing that makes it seem like you’re shouting the questions. Plus, the use of all caps ... you just seem a little excited, that’s all.

Ah OK. So why aren’t all scalpers shit people?

Because all scalpers are different.

I feel this is getting way too complex here, but I’ll bite. What are the different type of scalpers, then?

Well, there are predominately two types. The first type is the person who buys tickets and later sells them because they can’t go to an event, sometimes at a profit. Often, tickets sold in this manner are done at a loss, and they aren’t always for major events.

That doesn’t seem too bad, depending on their true intentions.

Yeah. Those guys are ‘real people’, whatever that means. And the second type, well, they’re a bit like vultures. They’re the people who buy up scores of tickets to an event to flip for a massive profit, acting purely to rip off other people for their own benefit. Those people are scammers who profit off the suffering and pain of others, and are pretty shit.

Yeah, those guys sound like awful people. Why would you do such a thing?

Money. Plain and simple. Doesn’t matter what it’s an event for, there are some people out there that will try to buy tickets for high profile events and immediately sell them for a huge mark-up. And that’s if the tickets are real.

People try to sell fake tickets?

Yeah, it’s not uncommon for people to claim to have tickets to an event, then flog them off on the ’net without sending them through. Those people are genuinely atrocious arseholes.

They profit off the suffering and pain of others, and are pretty shit

Wait, isn’t it illegal to scalp tickets?

Only in some states, and the laws are a bit weird. Most of the state based legislation only looks at major events, and major sporting events at that. Some of the legislation puts a cap on the mark-up you are allowed to put on tickets (110%), other states just try to ensure that the tickets are real, via verifiable information about them. Other countries have implemented various schemes to different levels of success, so it can be done to some degree. Regardless, there doesn’t seem to be a unified approach across Australia yet, which is good news for scammers and bad news for honest people, like BMA readers.

Don’t tickets that are sold online get voided or something?

A lot of ticketing agencies and festivals have it a part of their terms and conditions that tickets can’t be on-sold on the threat of cancellation by the ticket agency/promoter/whatever. Some festivals even put names on tickets, and don’t allow for transfers. And occasionally they even cancel tickets. In practice, without detailed information relating to who the seller is and the details of the tickets,

it’s hard for anyone to enforce this.

Are there any other ways to counter scalpers?

For smaller gigs, the easy solution is to only offer tickets on the door. That way, even if it is a popular artist, the fairness

(or unfairness) of the line wins out. Another potential solution is to only distribute pre-bought tickets on the door of the show at entry. Both of these solutions could lead to massive lines at doors however.

Shows can also limit the number of tickets each customer can buy, and to offer a ballot for tickets in the first place. This doesn’t eliminate the problem entirely, but it does reduce it significantly. The final way is my favourite (and nigh-on impossible to pull off) – to make it so socially unacceptable to scalp tickets for massive profits, so that no one does it. But that’s very much down the social engineering pathway, perhaps a little too much.

Wait, aren’t there some ticket agencies that have resale portals?

Yes, there are, but some of them are running into trouble. At least one of these re-sale agencies have an anti-trust investigation mounting against them in the US. The particular agency, with the initials TM, is accused of placing an artificial price floor on tickets, inhibiting the operation of the free market and ripping off fans. The US is HUGE on free markets, loving them almost as much as bald eagles and giant French statues.

I feel like your explanations should come with NERD ALERTs sometimes. So, in summary?

Selling a ticket because you can’t make a show anymore: fine. Selling a ticket for a show you never intended on going to at a big profit: not fine. Selling a ticket for a show you never intended on going to at a big loss: hahahahaha sucked in. Selling a fake ticket to a real fan: totally shithouse, unredeemable behaviour.

Don’t be a prick – don’t rip off others. And eat your vitamins.

60 @bmamag

on gigs

the word

Hypernova ANU Fellows Oval Friday February 12

Sitting in the hot sun downing tinnies to the sounds of Basenji is not a bad way to pass an early evening. The Sydney-based producer has rapidly gained attention over the last three or so years, and this set went some ways to proving why. With a blend of deep bass with pop tinges, Basenji worked hard to get the crowd moving, and increasingly did so as the sun set over the lush playing field.

You probably know San Cisco’s music, even if you can’t name any of their songs. You know, they’re the ones with the summery guitars and the ba-da-da vocals that have appeared on seemingly every car and mobile phone ad in the last three years. San Cisco really shine when they split the vocals up between frontman Jordi Davison and drummer Scarlett Stevens, as on the catchy ‘Awkward’. It’s hard to hate San Cisco – their music comes off as so approachable when they play live, even if it isn’t everyone’s cup of tea.

If the flavour of the month right now in popular alternative music (boy, that’s a tautology) is dance-heavy pop, then CHVRCHES are at the top of that pile. Led admirably by Lauren Mayberry, CHVRCHES’ set shows that they have perfected that sound – the sound that is very much ‘2016’. Mayberry bounced around the stage with reckless abandon, throwing her self into the performance and giving life to the tunes on show. Maybe it was misplaced expectations, but I didn’t think that CHVRCHES would translate nearly as well as it did live. As the crowd poured out, you couldn’t help but hear the people raving about what they just saw, which is a better summary than this writer could give.

CODY ATKINSON

PHOTO BY MEGAN LEAHY

Gooch Palms, The Fighting League, Eadie and the Doodles The Phoenix Saturday February 6

Eadie and the Doodles were yet another local band featuring the omnipresent Peter Krbavac. A flexible lot, they regularly swapped vocal leads and instruments. Some material was still being bedded-in, as there was some eye contact between members to ensure the timing was right. Their fast garage with a punk edge had the girls up front doing the fast moves and a guy off doing some interpretive dancing of his own. Songs seemed to follow a pattern early in the gig, but developed and shot off at more interesting tangents as the show progressed.

The Fighting League proudly draped the ACT flag over the Gooch Palms banner, revving up the punters by dissing any other state capital that came to mind. There was a longlist of dedications, featuring various fast food chains. The crowd packed down tight, developing into a vigorous mosh with irrepressible frontman Dominic Death cavorting while extoling the virtues of Canberra. Plenty of good licks and some psychedelic riffage kept mosh energy levels high. They are a hard act to follow, when it comes to getting love from the crowd.

Gooch Palms, armed only with a guitar, snare drum and floor tom, showed you don’t need a bass drum/guitar to bang out plenty of rhythm and have the whole floor partying away. The pair mixed simple, catchy garage-punk tunes and a humorous approach with a show that was about beer, KISS (the band), working at a water park and rugby league. A couple from the floor was press-ganged into coming on stage to dance during a slow mover with a ’50s vibe and the band played ‘Houston We Have a Problem’ in what will be one of many, many tributes to David Bowie this year.

RORY MCCARTNEY

the word

on gigs



4 5

62 @bmamag

Googfest Rockley Oval, Googong Saturday February 5

After another week of cold, wet, summer weather, the organisers of Googfest must have been hugely relieved with what the weather gods turned on for them: a perfect, warm, sunny summer’s day. We packed a picnic, loaded the kids into the car and headed down to Googong in time to catch the first band. It was my first visit to the town, but I didn’t get to see the sights because the festival was so well organised that we were directed to park our car in a field just a short walk from the festival site, Rockley Oval. When we arrived, there were people spread out all over the oval but it wasn’t crowded. We chose a great spot near the stage and settled in. I was there to see SAFIA, but the rest of the all-Canberra line-up turned out to be so much more than I expected.

First up was The Kaleid Trio, a three-piece girl band whose harmonies were as smooth and delicious as my lemon gelato. Their set consisted of a mix of covers and originals. They did a great cover of SIA’s ‘Alive’, but I was most impressed with their soulful original songs.

Next up was Guyy and the Fox and they were a real discovery for me. Comprising of the understated Guy Lilleyman and Amelia Gibson, these guys are amazing musicians. Lilleyman plays guitar to great effect and Gibson is compelling on the violin, so much so that my three-year-old was inspired to play her ukulele like a violin the next day! They finished their high-energy set with an amazing instrumental piece that the crowd clearly appreciated.

Established four-piece band, The Burley Griffin followed. These guys also delivered a high energy set; some of their songs felt a little bit country, some featured a heavier guitar sound and others were gentler folk songs. But all of them were enjoyable to listen to. Next up, the crowd got excited for Amber Nichols. She mixed it up between the covers she had performed on The Voice and her own original songs. Nichols has a powerful voice that she puts to good effect and like The Kaleid Trio, her original songs are soulful and full of insights. I particularly enjoyed ‘Hello Winter’ and a new song she has written about collecting memories of her grandfather.

As the sun set, a repeated tick-tock sound peeling out of the speakers let the crowd know that SAFIA was about to hit the stage. They responded by pouring onto the oval from the kids’ playground, the food stalls and anywhere else they had been hiding. By this time, the crowd had built to what organisers say was over 8,000 people, perhaps fewer than they were hoping for, but still a good turnout. And they were rewarded. SAFIA put on a great show, starting with ‘Counting Sheep’ and playing all their other hits, ‘Embrace Me’, ‘You Are The One’ and Peking Duk’s ‘Take Me Over’ during their set. Frontman Ben Woolner was in fine voice and the boys put on a high-energy performance. The crowd loved it. When Woolner asked them to jump, they jumped, when he asked them to sing, they knew the words. I love SAFIA’s confidence and commitment to put on a show, it is infectious and as a result everyone has a good time. After SAFIA, the night finished with an amazing fireworks display, an easy walk back to the car and a warm, fuzzy, satisfied feeling inside.

ZOE PLEASANTS

on gigs

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Josh Pyke, Banff The Playhouse Saturday January 30

After the release of his fifth studio album – the critically acclaimed But For All These Shrinking Hearts – one of Australia’s most loved musicians, Josh Pyke, took to the stage at The Playhouse to a packed house of almost six hundred fans who had braved the torrential rain.

Opening the show were Triple J Unearthed Brisbane band Banff, who successfully warmed up the crowd with their unique, almost ethereal sound and performed a variety of songs from their EP Future Self.

Releasing his first album in 2007 after a series of EPs and tours, Pyke’s latest album shows that he hasn’t lost even a pinch of his talent over the years, and if anything has matured into one of Australia’s most exciting performers. Having performed across the nation for over a decade, he proved exactly why he’s one of Australia’s most successful performers. Pyke opened his Canberra gig with ‘Book of Revelations’, the first song from his latest album, and despite the small venue, managed to make the concert as immersive as a sold-out stadium.

The award-winning artist – who has laid claim to two ARIA wins and seven nominations – kept the attention of the audience with charm and banter between songs, telling stories that were personal and anecdotes that really made the gig feel intimate. Comparing the night to a recent gig he played at Sydney’s Taronga Zoo, Pyke claimed that the Canberra show had gone ‘perfectly’, or at least that he hadn’t made any mistakes that the crowd could pick up on. The light-hearted stories and banter flowed as naturally as his music. He played an energetic, warm set for his Canberra fans that made the gig truly a night to remember.

Playing a mix of songs both new and old – including fan favourites such as ‘Middle of the Hill’ from his 2007 album Memories and Dust and ‘Songlines’ from his latest offering – Pyke gave his all to the crowd and introduced another fan favourite ‘Leeward Side’ with a touching story of how he had written the song for his children with the knowledge that they would one day go out into the world without him. Many of the songs he played came attached to a story and ensured that each and every person in the room felt connected and involved.

The boundless energy that Pyke is well known for fed the vibe in the room and guaranteed that each song was filled with heart and enthusiasm and that every member of the audience enjoyed his music as much as he clearly did.

As the gig came to a close, Pyke and his band left the stage to deafening cheers and applause before they returned for one last song, an oldie but a goodie, ‘Vibrations in the Air’ and a memory of writing the song when he wasn’t sure that his music career would ever take off, which served as a reminder of how far he’s come since the very beginning of his career. Transporting the audience back in time to the very first time they had heard his music, the gig came to a stunning close that left you wanting more.

This time, Pyke proved time and time again why he’s one of Australia’s most iconic singer/songwriters, and given the chance, it would be a shame to miss out on such an incredibly giving performer who manages to weave tales throughout his music and take his fans on the emotional rollercoaster of their lives.

NICOLA SHEVILLE

on gigs

the word

PHOTOS BY MARK TURNER

64 @bmamag

on gigs

the word

Guilty Simpson + Katalyst, Jimmy Pike, Corpus Colosseum, Tak-Un-Da Transit Bar Saturday January 30

Tak-Un-Da was first up on supports and – despite the crowd slowly filtering through the door – took to the stage with an introspective ferocity unmatched throughout the evening, demonstrating his continuing progress and evolution as an artist.

Corpus Colosseum was next up, and brought the relaxed backyard vibes with sincerity, complete with a couple of double pluggas. Appearances can be deceptive though and anyone who has seen these guys knows that they have some serious skills on the mic. This was no exception.

The humble double plug was obviously the order of the night as Jimmy Pike stepped on stage sporting his own and bringing a level of crowd interaction and prop use, upholding his status as one of Canberra’s most offensively fun live MCs.

Arriving on stage with little fan-fare, Katalyst began the headline affair with such an unassuming presence you’d be forgiven for thinking this was just another Saturday night at Transit. It wasn’t until Guilty Simpson took to the stage that this blasé entrance blended with the rest of the set, acting as the perfect mirror to Guilty’s typically austere Detroit attitude and style.

It’s possible to view this austerity as a reflection of Detroit’s dire economic and social ills and, if that’s the case, Guilty is Detroit hip-hop embodied. The Eric Lau produced ‘For the D’ and the invocation of the spirit of Dilla were highlights as Guilty laid bare the Stockholm syndrome that seemingly afflicts all Detroit MC’s; they love their home town, are unashamed of its many problems and proudly presenting it to the world, even on a rainy Saturday night half-way across the world.

BRADY MCMULLEN

Terrible Truths, Wives, Dog Name The Phoenix Thursday January 14

I sometimes cop flak from friends for being perpetually late to everything. On this night, I was half-an-hour late, which was enough to miss the Dog Name set. Dog Name, a.k.a. Eadie from Passive Smoke and Eadie and the Doodles, has now established herself as a solo artist. She just released a cassette, and it’s pretty bloody good, so don’t be a schmuck like me on this night and sleep on it.

Wives reluctantly lost a member recently, with drummer Tim Guthrie stepping aside for the foreseeable future. But instead of replacing him, Wives turned to an electronic solution instead – utilising a drum machine as the base of the rhythm section of the band. The result is a much colder-sounding Wives; more clinical, more direct. As a defacto launch show for their new album Devoted To You, Wives seemed firmly in control of the heaving crowd. They had a great grasp of emotion and intensity, of when to attack loudly and when to soften up slightly. A great show from a slowly unmissable band.

Originally hailing from Adelaide, Terrible Truths have been around the Oz underground for ages, but firmly on the fringes. But, as this night in question shows, that shouldn’t be the case for much longer. Plain and simple, Terrible Truths fucking rock and are worth going out of your way to listen to at any opportunity. The set they played on the night bordered on the brilliant, with blasts of indie rock and fury; angular guitar melodies offset by intense rhythms. This was a set from a band in its prime; a great night capped by a top set.

CODY ATKINSON

the word

on gigs

PHOTO BY JAMES GARCIA



ENTERTAINMENT GUIDE February 17 – Feb 20Listings are a free community service. Email [email protected] to have your events appear each issue.

WEDNESDAY FEBRUARY 17

ART EXHIBITIONS

Wendy Saddington: Underground iconUntil 17 Apr. CANBERRA MUSEUM AND GALLERYMessages from CanberraScreen Printed Posters from Megalo. 5-28 Feb.BELCONNEN ARTS CENTREA Golden Age: Canberra Jazz 2009-20145.30pm 6 Feb Launch. 5-25 Feb.THE STREET THEATRETouchCorinne Beardsley. Until 28 Feb.M16 ARTSPACEDryCaitlin Kozman. Until 28 Feb.M16 ARTSPACETalk Back and Black Site ExhibitionsOpening 6pm 4 Feb. Until 27 Feb.TUGGERANONG ARTS CENTRELetter EssBy Caren Florance. Until 27 Feb.CANBERRA CONTEMPORARY ART SPACE (GORMAN HOUSE)Exhibition Opening: The Scrawl of a Red Pen6pm. Continues until 27 Feb.TUGGERANONG ARTS CENTRELiving In The CloudsBy Jenny Orchard. Until March 1.BEAVER GALLERIESUndertoeBy Dörte Conroy. Until 28 Feb.M16 ARTSPACEDream Machine5-28 Feb. Free.BELCONNEN ARTS CENTRELove EyesSolo exhibition by Eliya Nikki CohenANCA GALLERYThe Bald Archy Prize 201610am-4pm until 14 Mar. $5/$4.WATSON ARTS CENTRESideshow AlleyInfamy, the macabre and the portrait. 5 Dec-28 Feb.NATIONAL PORTRAIT GALLERYSelf PortraitBy Mehdi Jaghuri. Until 28 Feb.M16 ARTSPACEVoyageBy Tommy Balogh. 6-21 Feb.NISHI GALLERYDrifting Past11 Feb - 1 Mar.BEAVER GALLERIES

COMEDY

Schnitz and Giggles$10. 6.30pm.DIGRESS COCKTAIL BAR

LIVE MUSIC

An Evening with Dave Rawlings Machine8pm. $83.THE PLAYHOUSE

SOMETHING DIFFERENT

BAD!SLAM!NO!BISCUIT!8pm. $39 + bf.THE PHOENIX BAR

TRIVIA

Tranny TriviaGlamour & Song questions. 8pm. Book online. POLIT BAR & LOUNGE

THURSDAY FEBRUARY 18

ART EXHIBITIONS

Living In The CloudsBy Jenny Orchard. Until March 1.BEAVER GALLERIESLove EyesSolo exhibition by Eliya Nikki CohenANCA GALLERY

COMEDY

LOL Pol $7/$10. Bookings recommended. politbar.coPOLIT BAR & LOUNGE

LIVE MUSIC

Hoodlum Shouts8pm. $12.TRANSIT BARPearlnoire Blues ShowBlues show.NATIONAL PRESS CLUBDan Melchior9pm. $5.THE PHOENIX BARJason Maynard Duo9-12pm. Free.KING O’MALLEY’S IRISH PUB

ON THE TOWN

Feminartsy presents: Meta Memoir 7pm. $10.GORMAN HOUSE ARTS CENTREThe Thursday Games5pm. Free.WESTSIDE ACTON PARK

FRIDAY FEBRUARY 19

ART EXHIBITIONS

Victorian Pursuits5.30pm. Free.NATIONAL PORTRAIT GALLERYLiving In The CloudsBy Jenny Orchard. Until March 1.BEAVER GALLERIESLove EyesSolo exhibition by Eliya Nikki CohenANCA GALLERY

COMEDY

Uni Pub ComedyTony Martin 15 Jan. Tom Gleeson 22 Jan. Jeff Green 19 Feb. $20/$25.UNI PUB

LIVE MUSIC

Robbie Mann Plays Stride Piano7.30PM. Free. Book online at politbar.co.POLIT BAR & LOUNGEThe Naughty Rhythms10.30pm. $23.CANBERRA THEATRE CENTREEtcetera Duo with Cassidy CeiliMagical mayhem interspersed with magical Irish folk music.NATIONAL PORTRAIT GALLERY

Radio MoscowWith Kings Destroy. 8pm. Tickets via Oztix.TRANSIT BARKimbo Tribute8pm. Free.HARMONIE GERMAN CLUBHorizons Edge7.30pm. $12.THE BASEMENTMassive Sherlock9pm. $10/$5.THE PHOENIX BARLive Music on the Terrace4pm.PARLOUR WINE ROOM

ON THE TOWN

Happy HourEvery Fri to 6PM.POLIT BAR & LOUNGEOscar10pm. Free.KING O’MALLEY’S IRISH PUB

SOMETHING DIFFERENT

Sex, Murder and Mayhem ToursLate night openings. 6.30pm. Tickets required.NATIONAL PORTRAIT GALLERY“Game of Drones” Detective Game$15/$20. 7pm. politbar.co.POLIT BAR & LOUNGERobyn Archer$50.CANBERRA THEATRE CENTRE

SATURDAY FEBRUARY 20

ART EXHIBITIONS

Drifting Past11 Feb - 1 Mar.BEAVER GALLERIESWendy Saddington: Underground iconUntil 17 Apr. CANBERRA MUSEUM AND GALLERYMessages from CanberraScreen Printed Posters from Megalo. 5-28 Feb.BELCONNEN ARTS CENTREA Golden Age: Canberra Jazz 2009-20145.30pm Feb 6 Launch. 5-25 Feb.THE STREET THEATRETouchCorinne Beardsley. Until 28 Feb.M16 ARTSPACEDryCaitlin Kozman. Until 28 Feb.M16 ARTSPACETalk Back and Black Site ExhibitionsOpening 6pm 4 Feb. Until 27 Feb.TUGGERANONG ARTS CENTRELetter EssBy Caren Florance. Until 27 Feb.CANBERRA CONTEMPORARY ART SPACE (GORMAN HOUSE)Exhibition Opening: The Scrawl of a Red Pen6pm. Continues until 27 Feb.TUGGERANONG ARTS CENTREUndertoeBy Dörte Conroy. Until 28 Feb.M16 ARTSPACEDream Machine5-28 Feb. Free.BELCONNEN ARTS CENTRE

Living In The CloudsBy Jenny Orchard. Until March 1.BEAVER GALLERIESThe Bald Archy Prize 201610am-4pm until 14 Mar. $5/$4.WATSON ARTS CENTRESideshow AlleyInfamy, the macabre and the portrait. 5 Dec - 28 Feb.NATIONAL PORTRAIT GALLERYLove EyesSolo exhibition by Eliya Nikki CohenANCA GALLERYSelf PortraitBy Mehdi Jaghuri. Until 28 Feb.M16 ARTSPACEVoyageBy Tommy Balogh. 6-21 Feb.NISHI GALLERY

FILM

For The Term Of His Natural Life3pm. Free.NATIONAL PORTRAIT GALLERY

LIVE MUSIC

The Acoustic SessionsSorrel Nation. 7pm. Free.IRON BARIllworth’s8pm. Free.TRANSIT BARChrome9pm. $10.THE BASEMENTNaked9pm. $10.THE PHOENIX BARSpecial K10.30pm. Free.KING O’MALLEY’S IRISH PUBHeath CullenAlbum launch.THE STREET THEATRE

SOMETHING DIFFERENT

Robyn Archer$50.CANBERRA THEATRE CENTREStumpy the Talking Tree10.30am & 1pm. $23.CANBERRA THEATRE CENTREOpera By Candlelight 2016$80 for 8 people. 5:30pm.ALBERT HALL

THEATRE

The Empire Strips Back$65-$85.CANBERRA THEATRE CENTRERufino and the Coconuts10.30pm. $23.CANBERRA THEATRE CENTRELa Clique19 Feb - 14 Mar. Circus.CANBERRA THEATRE CENTRE

ART EXHIBITIONS

Love EyesSolo exhibition by Eliya Nikki CohenANCA GALLERYLiving In The CloudsBy Jenny Orchard. Until March 1.BEAVER GALLERIES

LIVE MUSIC

The 3 Funkateers5pm. Free.A BITE TO EAT CAFE

66 @bmamag

ART EXHIBITIONS

Self PortraitBy Mehdi Jaghuri. Until 28 Feb.M16 ARTSPACEDrifting Past11 Feb-1 Mar.BEAVER GALLERIESWendy Saddington: Underground iconUntil 17 Apr. CANBERRA MUSEUM AND GALLERYA Golden Age: Canberra Jazz 2009-20145.30pm 6 Feb Launch. 5-25 Feb.THE STREET THEATREMessages from CanberraScreen Printed Posters from Megalo. 5-28 Feb.BELCONNEN ARTS CENTRETouchCorinne Beardsley. Until 28 Feb.M16 ARTSPACEDryCaitlin Kozman. Until 28 Feb.M16 ARTSPACETalk Back and Black Site ExhibitionsOpening 6pm 4 Feb. Until 27 Feb.TUGGERANONG ARTS CENTRELetter EssBy Caren Florance. Until 27 Feb.CANBERRA CONTEMPORARY ART SPACE (GORMAN HOUSE)Exhibition Opening: The Scrawl of a Red Pen6pm. Continues until 27 Feb.TUGGERANONG ARTS CENTREUndertoeBy Dörte Conroy. Until 28 Feb.M16 ARTSPACEDream Machine5-28 Feb. Free.BELCONNEN ARTS CENTREThe Bald Archy Prize 201610am-4pm until 14 Mar. $5/$4.WATSON ARTS CENTRELiving In The CloudsBy Jenny Orchard. Until March 1.BEAVER GALLERIESSideshow AlleyInfamy, the macabre and the portrait. 5 Dec - 28 Feb.NATIONAL PORTRAIT GALLERY

COMEDY


LIVE MUSIC

Collected Resonances8pm. $5.AINSLIE ARTS CENTRENo Hausfrau6.30pm. Tickets at canberratheatrecentre.com.au.CANBERRA THEATRE CENTRE

SOMETHING DIFFERENT

Noir Revue10.30am. $45.CANBERRA THEATRE CENTRE

THEATRE

La Clique19 Feb - 14 Mar. Circus.CANBERRA THEATRE CENTRE

TRIVIA


THURSDAY FEBRUARY 25

ART EXHIBITIONS

Living In The CloudsBy Jenny Orchard. Until March 1.BEAVER GALLERIESFar South25 Feb - 13 Mar. Launch 25 Feb at 6pm.NISHI GALLERY

LIVE MUSIC

Sufjan Stevens$98.40. 7.30pm.CANBERRA THEATRE CENTREThe Ol 45’sNational Press Club. 7pm.NATIONAL PRESS CLUBSex on Toast8pm. Tickets at Moshtix.TRANSIT BARSaskwatch7.30pm $15 from Oztix.UC REFECTORYCabbages & Kings9pm. $5.THE PHOENIX BAR

ON THE TOWN

The Thursday Games5pm. Free.WESTSIDE ACTON PARKChicago Charles & Danger Dave9pm. Free.KING O’MALLEY’S IRISH PUB

SOMETHING DIFFERENT

Shaken and StirredBurlesque and cabaret. 7:30pm. $20. politbar.coPOLIT BAR & LOUNGEGundaroo Comes To Town6.30pm. $95.PARLOUR WINE ROOMBugle Boys6.30pm. $45.CANBERRA THEATRE CENTRE

FRIDAY FEBRUARY 26

ART EXHIBITIONS

Living In The CloudsBy Jenny Orchard. Until March 1.BEAVER GALLERIES

LIVE MUSIC

Thank You Ma’am: KilterFeat. LO’99 & KLUE. 8pm. Tickets at Moshtix.TRANSIT BARRobbie Mann Plays Stride Piano7.30PM. Free. Book online at politbar.co.POLIT BAR & LOUNGETruckstop Honeymoon10.30pm. $35.CANBERRA THEATRE CENTRESugarcane Collins8pm. Free.HARMONIE GERMAN CLUBLive Music on the Terrace4pm.PARLOUR WINE ROOMSpooky Men’s Chorale5pm. NATIONAL PORTRAIT GALLERYThe Gypsy Scholars9pm. $10/$5.THE PHOENIX BAR


LIVE MUSIC

Pete Wild4pm. $23.CANBERRA THEATRE CENTRECBS Jam2pm. $3/$5.HARMONIE GERMAN CLUBCanberra Blues Society Monthly Jams2pm $3 CBS members/$5 non-members.HARMONIE GERMAN CLUBIrish Jam SessionTraditional Irish musicians in the pub from late afternoon. Free.KING O’MALLEY’S IRISH PUB

SUNDAY FEBRUARY 21

ON THE TOWN

Sunday Somersby Sunset Sessions3pm. Free.WESTSIDE ACTON PARK

SOMETHING DIFFERENT

Opera By Candlelight 2016$80 for 8 people. 5:30pm.ALBERT HALL

THEATRE

Rubbish with Mic Conway10am & 1pm. $23.CANBERRA THEATRE CENTREShortis & Simpson6.30pm. $35. CANBERRA THEATRE CENTRE

Fly Away Home2pm. Free.NATIONAL PORTRAIT GALLERY

MONDAY FEBRUARY 22

LIVE MUSIC

The Bootleg Sessions8pm.THE PHOENIX BAR

TUESDAY FEBRUARY 23

ART EXHIBITIONS


KARAOKE

#Karaoke LoveKaraoke. 9pm. Free entry.TRANSIT BARKaraoke Salon8PM. Book online at politbar.co.POLIT BAR & LOUNGE

SOMETHING DIFFERENT

Tarot Card ReadingBooking only 0404364820. 5-7pm.POLIT BAR & LOUNGE

WEDNESDAY FEBRUARY 24

TRIVIA

Nerd Trivia with Joe & Ali7:30pm.THE PHOENIX BAR

ENTERTAINMENT GUIDE February 20 – Feb 26


TALKS

Do You See Me In Your Own Reflection...Sandra Minchin-Delohery talks about her new body of work and the modern role of tattooing in empowerNATIONAL PORTRAIT GALLERY

MONDAY FEBRUARY 29

LIVE MUSIC

CIT Presents The Bootleg Sessions8pm.THE PHOENIX BAR

WORKSHOPS

Canberra Songwriters Workshop 6:30pm.STATESMAN HOTEL

TUESDAY MARCH 1

ART EXHIBITIONS


KARAOKE


LIVE MUSIC

Burn the Floor7.30pm. $89.90.CANBERRA THEATRE CENTRE

SOMETHING DIFFERENT

Tarot Card ReadingBooking only 0404364820. 5-7pm.POLIT BAR & LOUNGEGeorge Washingmachine6.30pm. $39.50.CANBERRA THEATRE CENTRE

TRIVIA

Nevermind Never Mind The BuzzcocksPop Music Trivia. 7:30pm.THE PHOENIX BAR

WEDNESDAY MARCH 2

ART EXHIBITIONS

The Bald Archy Prize 201610am-4pm until 14 Mar. $5/$4.WATSON ARTS CENTREDrifting Past11 Feb - 1 Mar.BEAVER GALLERIESWendy Saddington: Underground iconUntil 17 Apr. CANBERRA MUSEUM AND GALLERYFar South25 Feb - 13 Mar. Launch 25 Feb at 6pm.NISHI GALLERY

COMEDY


LIVE MUSIC

GBH8pm. Tickets via Oztix.TRANSIT BAR

ON THE TOWN

The Threepenny Opera25 Feb - 12 Mar. THEATRE 3

SOMETHING DIFFERENT

George Washingmachine6.30pm. $39.50.CANBERRA THEATRE CENTRE

THEATRE


TRIVIA


THURSDAY MARCH 3

FILM

French Film Festival 20163-29 Mar. Bookings at affrenchfilmfestival.org.PALACE ELECTRIC CINEMA

FRIDAY FEBRUARY 26

LIVE MUSIC

4th Degree10.30pm. Free.KING O’MALLEY’S IRISH PUB

ON THE TOWN

Happy HourEvery Fri to 6PM.POLIT BAR & LOUNGE

SOMETHING DIFFERENT

Sex, Murder and Mayhem ToursLate night openings. 6.30pm. Tickets required.NATIONAL PORTRAIT GALLERYHorror Show with a Magic LanternLate night opening. 6/7pm. Free.NATIONAL PORTRAIT GALLERY


ART EXHIBITIONS

Sideshow AlleyInfamy, the macabre and the portrait. 5 Dec - 28 Feb.NATIONAL PORTRAIT GALLERYSelf PortraitBy Mehdi Jaghuri. Until 28 Feb.M16 ARTSPACELiving In The CloudsBy Jenny Orchard. Until March 1.BEAVER GALLERIESDrifting Past11 Feb - 1 Mar.BEAVER GALLERIESHanging RockSat at 7pm. Sun at 2pm. Tickets at nga.gov.au.NATIONAL GALLERY OF AUSTRALIAMessages from CanberraScreen Printed Posters from Megalo. 5-28 Feb.BELCONNEN ARTS CENTREWendy Saddington: Underground iconUntil 17 Apr. CANBERRA MUSEUM AND GALLERYTouchCorinne Beardsley. Until 28 Feb.M16 ARTSPACEFar South25 Feb - 13 Mar. Launch 25 Feb at 6pm.NISHI GALLERYDryCaitlin Kozman. Until 28 Feb.M16 ARTSPACETalk Back and Black Site ExhibitionsOpening 6pm 4 Feb. Until 27 Feb.TUGGERANONG ARTS CENTRELetter EssBy Caren Florance. Until 27 Feb.CANBERRA CONTEMPORARY ART SPACE (GORMAN HOUSE)Exhibition Opening: The Scrawl of a Red Pen6pm. Continues until 27 Feb.TUGGERANONG ARTS CENTREUndertoeBy Dörte Conroy. Until 28 Feb.M16 ARTSPACEDream Machine5-28 Feb. Free.BELCONNEN ARTS CENTREThe Bald Archy Prize 201610am-4pm until 14 Mar. $5/$4.WATSON ARTS CENTRE

COMEDY

The Great Big Storybook10:30am and 1pm. $23.CANBERRA THEATRE CENTRE

LIVE MUSIC

Heuristic10pm. Free.KING O’MALLEY’S IRISH PUBHeller Sessions: Charlie Parr7pm. $33.HARMONIE GERMAN CLUBVamp8pm. $10.TRANSIT BARThe Song Company27 Feb.WESLEY UNITING CHURCHBlack Aces9:30pm. $10/$5.THE PHOENIX BAR

ON THE TOWN


SOMETHING DIFFERENT

Mikelangelo & the Black Sea Gentlemen6.30pm. $40.CANBERRA THEATRE CENTRECell Block 6910.30am. $34.50.CANBERRA THEATRE CENTRE

THEATRE


SUNDAY FEBRUARY 28

ART EXHIBITIONS

Living In The CloudsBy Jenny Orchard. Until March 1.BEAVER GALLERIESHanging RockSat at 7pm. Sun at 2pm. Tickets at nga.gov.au.NATIONAL GALLERY OF AUSTRALIA

LIVE MUSIC

Leila Gato and The Gypsy Jazz Project5pm. Free.A BITE TO EAT CAFEIrish Jam SessionTraditional Irish musicians in the pub from late afternoon. Free.KING O’MALLEY’S IRISH PUB

ON THE TOWN


SOMETHING DIFFERENT

Mikelangelo & the Black Sea Gentlemen6.30pm. $40.CANBERRA THEATRE CENTREThe Colour RunTickets at thecolorrun.com.au.STAGE 88

ENTERTAINMENT GUIDE February 27 – March 3

68 @bmamag

ENTERTAINMENT GUIDE March 3 – March 9THURSDAY MARCH 3

FILM

The Hunting GroundPresented by Summer of Respect. 6.30pm. $10 at eventbrite.NATIONAL FILM AND SOUND ARCHIVES

LIVE MUSIC

Mope City9pm. $10/$5.THE PHOENIX BARDuck Duck Ghost9pm. Free.KING O’MALLEY’S IRISH PUBPersian Rug Store8pm. Free.TRANSIT BARSteve Poltz6.30pm. $45.CANBERRA THEATRE CENTREKey GripBlues & Swing. 7pm.NATIONAL PRESS CLUB

ON THE TOWN

The Thursday Games5pm. Free.WESTSIDE ACTON PARK

SOMETHING DIFFERENT

Words on a Wire$10. 7pm.GORMAN HOUSE ARTS CENTRE“Game of Drones” Detective Game$15/$20. 7pm. politbar.co.POLIT BAR & LOUNGE

TALKS

Paul Daley 7pm.TUGGERANONG ARTS CENTRE

FRIDAY MARCH 4

ART EXHIBITIONS

Exhibition Openings4.30pm. We Are Made of Star Stuff, Covet & False Readings.BELCONNEN ARTS CENTRE

LIVE MUSIC

Night Potion5pm. Free.TUGGERANONG ARTS CENTREYum Yum9pm. $10/$5.THE PHOENIX BARThe Surrogates10pm. Free.KING O’MALLEY’S IRISH PUBAs A RivalWith The Great Awake & Sketch Method. $10. 8pm.THE FRONT GALLERY AND CAFÉRobbie Mann Plays Stride Piano7.30PM. Free. Book online at politbar.co.POLIT BAR & LOUNGELive Music on the Terrace4pm.PARLOUR WINE ROOMYana Alana10.30pm. $50.CANBERRA THEATRE CENTRE

ON THE TOWN

Happy HourEvery Fri to 6PM.POLIT BAR & LOUNGE

SATURDAY MARCH 5

ART EXHIBITIONS

The Bald Archy Prize 201610am-4pm until 14 Mar. $5/$4.WATSON ARTS CENTREWendy Saddington: Underground iconUntil 17 Apr. CANBERRA MUSEUM AND GALLERYFar South25 Feb - 13 Mar. Launch 25 Feb at 6pm.NISHI GALLERY

COMEDY

Danny Bhoy8pm. $54.90.CANBERRA THEATRE CENTRE

FILM


LIVE MUSIC

The Mighty YakLive music. 10pm. Free.KING O’MALLEY’S IRISH PUBPeking Duk$44.UC REFECTORYPearl: The Janis Joplin Show8pm.THE STREET THEATREPatrick James8pm. Tickets at Moshtix.TRANSIT BAR

ON THE TOWN


SOMETHING DIFFERENT

Pfeiffer Pfest10am. $10.PFEIFFER WINESBaby et Lulu6.30pm. $45.CANBERRA THEATRE CENTRE

THEATRE

La Clique19 Feb - 14 Mar. Circus.CANBERRA THEATRE CENTREYana Alana10.30pm. $50.CANBERRA THEATRE CENTRE

SUNDAY MARCH 6

COMEDY

Danny Bhoy8pm. $54.90.CANBERRA THEATRE CENTRE

LIVE MUSIC

The Marvellous Miz Demeanours3pm. $30.CANBERRA THEATRE CENTRE

Magic Rob5pm. Free.A BITE TO EAT CAFEAustralian String Quartet: Alleged Dances2pm. $77. $55 (concession). $30 (under 30).NATIONAL GALLERY OF AUSTRALIAJamie Oehlers6pm. Album launch.THE STREET THEATREIrish Jam SessionTraditional Irish musicians in the pub from late afternoon. Free.KING O’MALLEY’S IRISH PUB

ON THE TOWN


SOMETHING DIFFERENT

Last of the Broken Hearts6:30pm, $23.CANBERRA THEATRE CENTREPfeiffer Pfest10am. $10.PFEIFFER WINES

MONDAY MARCH 7

SOMETHING DIFFERENT

Max Gillies – Once Were Leaders6.30pm. $50.CANBERRA THEATRE CENTRE

TUESDAY MARCH 8

KARAOKE


SOMETHING DIFFERENT


THEATRE

Bojou – Secrets & Seduction6.30pm. $35.CANBERRA THEATRE CENTRE

WEDNESDAY MARCH 9

ART EXHIBITIONS

The Bald Archy Prize 201610am-4pm until 14 Mar. $5/$4.WATSON ARTS CENTREFar South25 Feb - 13 Mar. Launch 25 Feb at 6pm.NISHI GALLERY

COMEDY


FILM



ENTERTAINMENT GUIDE March 9 – March 16

OUT MAR 16

YOU ARE HERE, CELEBRATING YOUR

LOCATION

REVIEWS, PROBABLY

MUSICIANS AND THE THINGS THEY DO

THERE’LL LIKELY BE SOME OTHER STUFF

WEDNESDAY MARCH 9

LIVE MUSIC

Vince Jones6.30pm. $50.CANBERRA THEATRE CENTRE

ON THE TOWN


THEATRE

La Clique19 Feb - 14 Mar. Circus.CANBERRA THEATRE CENTREWuthering Heights8pm. $35-$55.CANBERRA THEATRE CENTRE

TRIVIA

Tranny TriviaGlamour & Song questions. 8pm. Book Online. POLIT BAR & LOUNGE

THURSDAY MARCH 10

LIVE MUSIC

Confluence7pm. $15.AINSLIE ARTS CENTREGood For YouCourtney Barnett, Fraser A. Gorman and more.UC REFECTORYHalcyon Drive8pm. Tickets at Moshtix.TRANSIT BAR

ON THE TOWN

The Thursday Games5pm. Free.WESTSIDE ACTON PARKChicago Charles & Danger Dave9pm. Free.KING O’MALLEY’S IRISH PUB

THEATRE

Wuthering Heights8pm. $35-$55.CANBERRA THEATRE CENTRE

FRIDAY MARCH 11

ART EXHIBITIONS

The Making Of Midnight OilOpens Mar 11. Until May 14. TUGGERANONG ARTS CENTRE

COMEDY

Deadly Funny Aboriginal Comedy CompetitionCanberra heats. TUGGERANONG ARTS CENTRE

LIVE MUSIC

The Cool10pm. Free.KING O’MALLEY’S IRISH PUBMy Leonard Cohen6.30pm. $40.CANBERRA THEATRE CENTRERobbie Mann Plays Stride Piano7.30PM. Free. Book online at politbar.co.POLIT BAR & LOUNGELive Music on the Terrace4pm.PARLOUR WINE ROOMBootleg Rascal8pm. Tickets at Moshtix.TRANSIT BAR

ON THE TOWN

Sparrow Folk. “Sing-a-ling-a-ding-dong”$15/$20. 7pm. politbar.co.POLIT BAR & LOUNGEHappy HourEvery Fri to 6PM.POLIT BAR & LOUNGE

THEATRE

Wuthering Heights8pm. $35-$55.CANBERRA THEATRE CENTRE

SATURDAY MARCH 12

ART EXHIBITIONS

The Bald Archy Prize 201610am-4pm until 14 Mar. $5/$4.WATSON ARTS CENTREFar South25 Feb - 13 Mar. Launch 25 Feb at 6pm.NISHI GALLERY

FILM


LIVE MUSIC

4th Degree10.30pm. Free.KING O’MALLEY’S IRISH PUBRuffhouse UK8pm. Free.TRANSIT BAR

ON THE TOWN


SOMETHING DIFFERENT

Burlesque Idol10.30pm. $45.CANBERRA THEATRE CENTRE

THEATRE

Paul Zenon6.30pm. $35.CANBERRA THEATRE CENTRELa Clique19 Feb - 14 Mar. Circus.CANBERRA THEATRE CENTREWuthering Heights8pm. $35-$55.CANBERRA THEATRE CENTRE

SUNDAY MARCH 13

LIVE MUSIC

The Naughty Rhythms10.30pm. $23.CANBERRA THEATRE CENTREMinh5pm. Free.A BITE TO EAT CAFEIrish Jam SessionTraditional Irish musicians in the pub from late afternoon. Free.KING O’MALLEY’S IRISH PUBAustralian Kingswood Factory6pm. $10.TRANSIT BAR

ON THE TOWN


SOMETHING DIFFERENT

Beautifully Mad6:30pm, $23.CANBERRA THEATRE CENTREThe Girls – Wild Voices3pm. $35.CANBERRA THEATRE CENTRE

THEATRE

All This LivingACT Seniors Week for a return season of guerilla grannies and anti-ageing ads. 13-20 Mar.THE STREET THEATRE

TUESDAY MARCH 15

COMEDY

Canberra Comedy Festival 201615-20 Mar.CANBERRA THEATRE CENTRE

KARAOKE


SOMETHING DIFFERENT


WEDNESDAY MARCH 16

COMEDY

Canberra Comedy Festival 201615-20 Mar.CANBERRA THEATRE CENTRESchnitz and Giggles$10. 6.30pm.DIGRESS COCKTAIL BAR

FILM


LIVE MUSIC

Art Vs. Science8pm. Tickets at Moshtix.TRANSIT BAR

70 @bmamag

SIDE A: BMA BAND PROFILE

THE SPINDRAFT SAGAGroup members: Chris McGrath (lead vocals and bass), Michael McGrath (lead guitar and BB’s), Danny Freeman (drums and BB’s).

Where did your band name come from? Chris (our singer) always used the phrase after rehearsals in the early days, “The saga continues.” We wanted to include our coastal roots in the band name as well, and the term ‘Spindrift’ came up on one of those thesaurus sites online. So, boom, there it is.

Describe your sound. Alt/Rock/Funk. All three of us studied contemporary music degrees and we all kinda fell in love with the early funk pioneers.

Who are your influences, musical or otherwise? Musically, we all grew up as youngsters listening to the ’90s alternative heavyweights. However, university broadened our horizons and now we are all really bloody confused.

What’s the most memorable experience you’ve had whilst performing? We supported Thirsty Merc last year in our hometown and sold nearly 800 tickets to the show. We were mid-set and I remember looking into the stage wings and seeing Merc responding really positively to our show. Our hometown crowd really got behind us that night.

Of what are you proudest so far? Our new album Badnormous, which was just released in January.

What are your plans for the future? Just keep gigging and writing and gigging and writing.

What makes you laugh? Human beings and their never-ending urge to be capitalists.

What pisses you off? Realising the music industry is as much about kissing butt as it is about performing.

What about the local scene would you change? Maybe raise the local price of a cup of coffee to $25, so that locals will be happy to pay $5 to come and see live gigs.

What are your upcoming gigs? We are on our Badnormous album tour until March.

Contact info: facebook.com/thespindriftsaga/, thespindriftsaga.com, itunes.apple.com/us/artist/the-spindrift-saga/id497689015

FIRST CONTACTAaron Peacey 0410381306 band.afternoon.shift@ gmail.com.au

Adam Hole 0421023226

Afternoon Shift 0402055314

Amphibian Sound PA Clare 0410308288

Annie & The Armadillos Annie (02) 61611078/ 0422076313

Aria Stone sax/flute/lute/harmonica, singer-songwriter Aria 0411803343

Australian Songwriters Association Keiran (02) 62310433

Back to the Eighties Ty Emerson 0418 544 014

Backbeat Drivers Steve 0422733974 backbeatdrivers.com

Birds Love Fighting Gangbusters/DIY [email protected]

Black Label Photography Kingsley 0438351007 blacklabelphotography.net

Bridge Between, The Cam 0431550005

Chris Harland Blues Band, The Chris 0418 490 649 chrisharlandbluesband @gmail.com

Cole Bennetts Photography 0415982662

Danny V Danny 0413502428

Dawn Theory Nathan 0402845132 Danny 0413502428

Dorothy Jane Band, The Dorothy Jane 0411065189 [email protected]

Drumassault Dan 0406 375 997

Feldons, The 0407 213 701

Fire on the Hill Aaron 0410381306 Lachlan 0400038388

Fourth Degree Vic 0408477020

Gareth Dailey DJ/Electronica Gareth 0414215885

Groovalicious Corporate/weddings/private functions 0448995158

Guy The Sound Guy Live & Studio Sound Engineer 0400585369 [email protected]

Haunted Attics [email protected]

In The Flesh Scott 0410475703

Itchy Triggers Alex 0414838480

Jenn Pacor Singer-songwriter avail. for originals/covers 0405618630

Johnny Roadkill Paulie 0408287672 [email protected]

Kayo Marbilus facebook.com/kayomarbilus1

Kurt’s Metalworx (PA) 0417025792

Los Chavos Latin/ska/reggae Rafa 0406647296 Andy 0401572150

Merloc - Recording Studio, Watson. Sam King: 0430484363. [email protected]

Missing Zero Hadrian 0424721907 [email protected]

Morning After, The Covers band Anthony 0402500843

Mornings Jordan 0439907853

Obsessions 0450 960 750 [email protected]

Painted Hearts, The Peter (02) 62486027

Polka Pigs Ian (02) 62315974

Rafe Morris 0416322763

Redletter Ben 0421414472

Redsun Rehearsal Studio Ralph 0404178996/ (02) 61621527

Rug, The Jol 0417273041

Sewer Sideshow Huck 0419630721

Simone & The Soothsayers Singing teacher Simone 62304828

Sorgonian Twins, The Mark 0428650549

Soundcity Rehearsal Studio Andrew 0401588884

STonKA Jamie 0422764482 [email protected]

Strange Hour Events Dan 0411112075

Super Best Friends Greg [email protected]

System Addict Jamie 0418398556

Tegan Northwood (Singing Teacher) 0410 769 144

Top Shelf Colin 0408631514

Undersided, The Baz 0408468041

Zoopagoo [email protected]


YOUTH COALITION CANBERRA SURVEY

AB PRESENTS CALENDAR

72 @bmamag

GROOVIN THE MOO

bma magazine 478 - 17 february 2016

Documents