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welcome to the frontline: whats goin on around town...with Therese Watson, Olivia Kadir, Mina Kitsos

rock music news

1.What Do You Look For In A Band?We look for talent, songwriting ability and style in other bands. We especially love when a band is slightly unusual or has an interesting stage presence. And us? We are Tully On Tully, an indie-pop band from Melbourne. We sound like fi ve mates doing what they love, experimenting with different sonic sound scapes, and creating unique and inspiring music together. When were not making music we like watching local bands, going to the drive-ins, travelling the world and getting loose with mates.

2.Keeping BusyWe have been working hard preparing for the launch of our debut EP, Weightless. We will be heading up the east coast of Australia in support of the EP, with shows in Adelaide, Canberra, Sydney, Brisbane, Byron Bay, and fi nally a hometown show in Melbourne. We have also been writing and demoing new songs that we hope to debut while were on the road. Earlier this year we played some shows in South East Asia and we were invited to play Wanderland Festival in Manila, which was awesome.

3.Best Gig EverThe best gig we have ever played was at Wanderland in Manila, the Philippines. It was such a surreal feeling to be playing to such a

large and attentive crowd, and to be playing alongside The Temper Trap, Neon Trees and Nada Surf. It was the fi rst year for the now-annual Wanderland Festival, and the vibe on the day was really amazing.

4.Current PlaylistI have been listening to the new Bonobo album, The North Borders the production is absolutely pristine and really inspiring, not to mention the incredible songwriting. In a totally different vein, I have also been listening to the new Big Scary album Not Art. Im in awe of the amount of talented bands that are in Melbourne at the moment. I recently saw Purity Ring at Meredith Music Festival, the sound and the light show were something that must be experienced. Mind-blowing stuff!

5.Your Ultimate RiderEvery item from the 12 days of Christmas. Ten bottles of Hendricks Gin. Two bottles of Hennessy VSOP. Louis CK doing stand-up in the dressing room.

speed dateWITH GREG RIETWYK FROM TULLY ON TULLY

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AWESOME INTERNS: Mina Kitsos, Rachel Eddie, Therese Watson, Charli Hutchison, Olivia Kadir

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AU REVIEW BIRTHDAY BASHFive years on, the AU review have established themselves as leading tastemakers on the local scene. If thats not worth a party, nothing is. So theyre throwing one at Oxford Art Factory on Thursday August 22 featuring Cogel, Fanny Lumsden, Maples, Richard Cuthbert and more, with further announcements to come. Any volunteers to jump out of the giant novelty birthday cake on the night? We pick Cuthbert.

STEVEN WILSONProg-rocker and metal man Steven Wilson is headed down to Oz. The frontman and founder of British progressive metal band Porcupine Tree, Wilson is touring his latest solo album The Raven That Refused To Sing (And Other Stories). But this wont be your usual, run-of-the-mill album launch hell be delivering the show through a four-channel surround sound system. Instruments will be isolated to fi ll the room with

music from all angles. A saxophone will come from one corner while the lead guitar rages from another. Sounds like hard work the tour stops in at the Metro Theatre on Thursday October 3.

GROUND CONTROL TO MAJOR TOMMajor Tom & The Atoms are just about ready to combust. They think. Confusion is the fi rst single from their debut album Heroes, Villains, Boom Boom Boom!, due for release this October. Frontman Tom Hartney (formerly of Little Red fame) heads his fi ve Atoms as they belt out hearty and foot-stomping rhythm and blues with a live show to boot. Catch them when they launch Confusion at The Backroom on Friday September 6.

PSYCH FESTPsychedelia lives on. Bad Vibrations have hooked up with the Tokyo Psych Fest to put together the inaugural Sydney Psych Fest, set down for Petersham Bowling Club on Friday September 13 and Saturday September 14. Heading the bill are Kikagaku Moyo, Dreamtime, Ride Into The Sun and Dead China Doll.

Where: Brighton Up BarWhen: Saturday August 17And: Weightless out Friday August 16

Geoffrey Gurrumul Yunupingu

GURRUMUL TO BIGSOUNDAlready boasting a program of over 80 live artists including Megan Washington, The John Steel Singers, The Trouble With Templeton, Stonefi eld and Xavier Rudd, industry showcase BIGSOUND has announced Gurrumul as a keynote speaker at the September event. Hell join Amanda Palmer, Billy Bragg, Regurgitator and Nick Cave (beamed in via satellite like the omnipotent overlord he is) at the lectern to share a few pearls of his immense wisdom. The Fortitude Valley conference takes place Tuesday September 10 until Friday September 13.

PARAMOREAmerican alternative rockers Paramore are hitting our shores early next year and bringing their energetic and electric live show with them. After their wild appearance at Soundwave the band released their fourth studio album Paramore in April. Its the fi rst without the bands co-founding brothers Josh and Zac Farro. But theyre ripe and ready to bring on the new era. They are set to take on the massive Allphones Arena on Saturday January 11. Joining the pop punk party will be You Me At Six and Twenty One Pilots. Tickets on sale Thursday August 22 at 9am.

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welcome to the frontline: whats goin on around town...with Therese Watson, Olivia Kadir, Mina Kitsos

CRAWFORDS FOR THE WINLast weekend seventeen hopeful bands were flown to Sydney from across Australia and New Zealand to compete in the Australasian Final of the Global Battle of the Bands. The pick of the bunch were Newcastle alt-rockers the Crawford Brothers, whove taken out the 2013 title and will be flown to Bangkok in December. Theyll battle against winning bands from over 30 countries and try their luck at the prize of US$100,000. Go Crawford Brothers, go! Second place was given to Adelaides Pistenbroke and third place to Newcastle group New Black Shades.

STARTING TO SHINEContrary to their name, Rainy Day Women are fi ve dudes all about bright indie pop. After their debut EP release, Friends, the band toured alongside the likes of Hungry Kids Of Hungary, Big Scary, San Cisco, Loon Lake and The Rubens. Their latest single Aint It Time? came out last week and to mark its release theyll be hitting the road and spreading their sparkling riffs and melodious tunes near and far. After showcasing at BIGSOUND, Rainy Day Women will head back down south and stop in at the Beach Road Hotel alongside Peace (UK) and Millions on Wednesday September 18, and at Upstairs Beresford on Friday September 20.

SONS OF THE EASTHomegrown indie-folksters Sons of the East are hitting stages in support of their debut, self-titled EP release. Catch the trio at The Steyne on Thursday August 29 and Thursday October 31 as well as Upstairs Beresford on Friday September 27.

VILLAINYFresh new rock quartet Villainy is set to grace Australian shores for the very fi rst time this September. After the success of their fi rst single Alligator Skin in their home country, New Zealand, the band is looking to spread their

wares, beginning with their tour of Australia. Check them out at Spectrum on Friday September 20, supported by Self Is A Seed.

LIKE A ROLLING STONEWhats life like inside Rolling Stone magazine? The Rolling Stone Live Lounge might be the closest youll get to living those Almost Famous fantasies this year. The pop-up newsprint-plastered venue opens Wednesday August 21 and runs for three weeks, with appearances booked from Boy & Bear, The Preatures, Tonight Alive, Paul Dempseys Shotgun Karaoke and more.

DAVEY LANEYou Am I lead guitarist Davey Lane has gone solo with the release of his debut single, Youre the Cops, Im the Crime. The electro-rock ditty is the very fi rst taste of Lanes solo debut EP, The Good Borne of Bad Tymes, due next month. Accompanying the release of his debut single, Lane will embark on a headline tour throughout September, starting off at BIGSOUND and hitting Spectrum on Saturday September 28.

BEARS WITH GUNSIts a Bears With Guns double-up at FBi Social this week, with the community radio darlings lined up for Lunchbreak on Wednesday August 14, and a full night-time set on Friday August 16. In support on the Friday are Lepers and Crooks and UASCSC. Meanwhile, Saturday August 17 at the same venue features Melbourne shoegazers Pretty City, with Gnome, Gang Of Youths and She Rex along for the ride.

THE STANDARDPlenty to see at The Standard this week, including Glass Towers appearance on their Halcyon Days tour (Friday August 16, with supports Sures and Jordan Lesser). On Thursday August 15 its local rocknrollers Scarlet Hearts playing material from their upcoming debut EP; and Newcastle four-piece The Owls headline on Saturday August 17.

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1.Growing UpMy earliest music memory is my Mama taking me to a kids percussion group at the Conservatorium of Music I would have been about four at the time. When wed get home we would play percussion on the pots and pans in the kitchen to the radio. There was also a lot of

classical music around the house growing up and I learnt violin from when I was four or fi ve years old. There was also lots of Fleetwood Mac, Dire Straits, Nat King Cole and Traveling Wilburys too.

2.InspirationsStevie Nicks I could listen to her sing and tell stories all day.

There was always a Fleetwood Mac CD around the house theyve been there since the beginning. I cant really remember a time without them.I used to go and see the Australian Chamber Orchestra and Sydney Symphony Orchestra at the Sunday matinees with my Mama. She started taking me when I was really small, about fi ve. I used to fall asleep to the classical music, but as I got a little older I started to enjoy it more. Richard Tognetti is an amazing violinist and conductor but Aiko Goto was always my favourite!

3.Your BandI met MC through a brilliant case of mistaken identity. She was already in a band with Dirk and when their bass player left I ended up joining them. I didnt actually know how to play bass back then but they kept me around and I played violin instead. When that band wrapped up few years ago we decided we wanted to keep playing together, so the three of us started Bloods. The three of us are family now.

4.The Music You MakeThe EP were about to

release, Golden Fang, was recorded in a warehouse in Marrickville and a house up in the Hunter Valley. We worked with producer Liam Judson (Cloud Control/The Laurels) and hes got this amazing recording set-up that he packs into the boot of his car and can set up anywhere. We spent a weekend up in the Hunter getting a bit boozy and recorded two tracks. When we got back to Sydney, we knuckled down and spent an intense 14 hours in a rented warehouse space recording four tracks back to back.

5. Music, Right Here, Right NowI think Sydney has a brilliant scene crazy diverse with the likes of Movement, Palms, Rainbow Chan, Fishing, Gang of Youths, Naughty Rappers Collective. Plus so many amazing people who support those local bands, put on great nights, run ace live music venues and generally foster the music scene.

fi ve thingsWITH SWEETIE OF BLOODS

rock music newsTHE MELODIESResurrect your denim fl ares and lace up your brogues The Melodies are striding in with their era-transcending stage show, complete with 1940s swing classics and shamelessly groovy 70s hits. After years of pining over girl groups of the past (who have since tragically drowned in glitter, or equally tragically joined a judging panel on a talent-search TV show), the trio melded their sass and soul to craft the ultimate setlist of dancefl oor-dominating tunes. They boogie into Marrickvilles Red Rattler on August 23 and we have two double passes to give away. Tell us which girl group member (dead or alive and not Beyonc) youd choose to be reincarnated as to win. Email [email protected] for the chance to be in the running.

MLODIE FRANAISEWe know how much youre missing your ex-housemate Pierre, who was forced to move out because you made him sing all your favourite hits in smouldering French into a baguette microphone while wearing a beret. Friend, meet Mlodie Franaise, a sanity-salvaging compilation of Australias crme de la crop of musos performing famous French songs, from Edith Piafs Les Feuilles Mortes to Sonny Bonos Bang Bang. The record includes renditions by Gossling, Oh Mercy, Lisa Mitchell, The Jezabels, Jinja Safari, Big Scary, Thelma Plum and Deep Sea Arcade. Sacrebleu! We have four copies to spoil you with email [email protected] and tell us the French word for snail.

KATCHAFIRENew Zealand reggae heroes Katchafi re have announced their return to Australian shores to celebrate the release of their new album Best So Far. Katchafi re have just returned from another sold-out worldwide tour including an appearance at Glastonbury. The Kiwi luminaries will be accompanied by Hawaiian feel-good reggae outfi t Common Kings. Save the date: Coogee Bay Hotel on Friday October 18.

What: Golden Fang out Friday August 16 through ShockWhere:Brighton Up BarWhen:Friday August 16

AIM HIGHThe Australian Institute of Music is set to hold its Open Day on Saturday August 17.Complete with live music, workshops, masterclasses and campus tours, Open Day is the perfect chance to find out about the entertainment management and dramatic arts degree and diploma courses, as well as AIM High School, Open AIM short courses and Young AIM music courses.For more information, see aim.edu.au.

NEW SHOWS FOR NGAIIREWith a name on everyones tongues (but with a pronunciation everyone panics over), Ngaiire has announced a string of shows to accompany the release of her debut album Lamentations. Ngaiire, pronounced Nigh-re (like diary but with an N), has received praises galore for the album and is ready to showcase the songs live. Combining dramatic costumes and a captivating soul sound, we hear her performances are enchanting. Shell be gracing the stage at Oxford Art Factory on Thursday September 12.

Ngaiire

Katchafi re

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MICHAEL TAYLOR PROMOTED AT UNIVERSALMichael Taylor has been appointed Executive VP of A&R at Universal Music and Island Records Australasia. The one-time drummer started out in New York with Madonnas Maverick Recording Company and Epic Records. Taylor moved to Australia to head A&R for Sony Music, signing Delta Goodrem, Pete Murray, Something For Kate, Killing Heidi and Paulini. He moved to Universal Music to set up Island Records Australia in 2007, building a roster including Boy & Bear, Hilltop Hoods (through Golden Era Records), Havana Brown, The McClymonts, Gin Wigmore, Maxi Priest, Clare Bowditch, The Redcoats, Brian McFadden and The Naked And Famous.

JAGWAR MA UP FOR TWO WINS IN AIM INDIE AWARDSJagwar Mas success abroad translated into two nominations at the AIM (Association of Independent Music) awards, to be held in London on September 3. The Throw is up for Independent Track, against Passengers Let Her Go, Youths Daughter and Palma Violets Best Of Friends. The Sydney duos Howlin battles Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds,

Vampire Weekend, The xx, David Byrne & St. Vincent, Daughter, Ghostpoet, John Grant, Jon Hopkins and Public Service Broadcasting for Independent Album honours.

OH SAY CAN YOU SCREAM: US ALBUMS DOWN 5.6%Total US album sales were down 5.6% in the fi rst half of 2013 but digital albums were up 6.3%. CD sales declined 14.2% but vinyl LP sales were up 33.5%. Digital tracks were down 2.3%. Digital albums now comprise 43% of all album sales in the US, up from 38% at this time last year. Streaming was up 24% compared to the same period last year, to 50 billion audio and video.

INERTIA BUYS INTO GAGA MUSICInertia has brought 50% of Grant Gillies Melbourne-based Gaga Music. Gaga is a music publisher, licensing agency and rights management business representing over 20,000 copyrights in Australia and New Zealand. Gagas full team will remain in Melbourne with Inertia directors Ashley Sellers and Colin Daniels joining the companys board.

IHEARTRADIO ARRIVES IN AUSTRALIAAmerican digital music service iHeartRadio is available in Australia on the Australian Radio Network. [It] offers access to hundreds of live radio stations and the ability to easily create your own customised radio stations based on your favourite artist, song or even what mood you are in, said National Director Kate Beddoe. Next month, Australians will also get 850 US stations and those from New Zealand, as well as its mobile service in time for the star-studded iHeartRadio Music Festival in Las Vegas (festival.iheart.com).

NEW SIGNINGS #1: JACKIE ONASSIS AT SONY MUSICSony Music Entertainment Australia signed Sydney hip hop duo Jackie Onassis, AKA MC Kai and beatmaker DJ Raph. Uncovered by triple j, the track Crystal Balling received UK airplay on BBC Radio 1. Meeting at school (also attended by Spit Syndicate and Horrorshow), they picked the name while studying about President John F. Kennedy at American History tutorials in college. They are managed by Myles Cooper for Phat Planet Music.

NEW SIGNINGS #2: MIND OVER MATTER AT PERMANENT/SHOCKShock Records signed Sydney hip hop duo Mind Over Matter to their imprint Permanent Records. Willow (Rowan Lockyer) and Smiles Again (Martin Brown) began freestyling together at St Pius X College. Currently working on their third album, lead off single Real Life (with K.I.K.I) hit the iTunes Hip Hop charts. Theyre doing a national tour behind new single Somebodys Love.

NEW SIGNINGS #3: LOON LAKE TEAM WITH CAROLINEMelbournes Loon Lake are the fi rst local act to join the new Caroline Label Services. They release their debut album Gloamer (the time after sunset and before dark) in October, produced by Steven Schram with band drummer Nick Nolan. The second single lifted from the album is Carolina out on August 16. Established in June, Caroline has already released albums by She and Him (Spunk), Laura Marling (Virgin) and City and Colour (Dine Alone).

NEW SIGNINGS #4: KOBALT RIGHTS PACTS HAVANA, CORBYKobalt Neighbouring Rights, a division of Kobalt Music Group, signed Australias Havana Brown and Matt Corby, as well as Thirty Seconds To Mars, Train and star A*M*E.

NEW SIGNINGS #5: MODULAR PACTS SHINE 2009Modular Recordings picked up Finnish duo Shine 2009 for Australia, UK and Europe. Sami Suova and Mikko Pykri released their debut album Realism in 2011 through their own label. The fi rst Australian release is the single Eurozone, followed by an album later this year.

PULSELOCKER LAUNCHES FOR DJSAfter a soft launch last November, music streaming and locker subscription service for DJs, Pulselocker, has gone active with a new interface. It allows customers to use songs theyve added to their locker (the

amount depending on the tier of the subs) on various programs popular with DJs like Serato Scratch Live, Traktor and djay, and which they can buy. Copyright owners get money when their work is streamed, rented (kept in locker) or bought.

FIRE AT LIZOTTES KINCUMBERLizottes Kincumber had a fi re in the kitchen during Abby Dobsons show, which was contained by emergency services. We were once again reminded what a wonderful community we are lucky enough to be a part of, with offers of help and support fl ooding in and we thank everyone for their well wishes. Theyre contacting those who bought tickets for shows, or call 4368 2017. They hope to have the restaurant operational this week for Ian Moss (August 16, 17), Black Sorrows (18) and PCYC Bateau Bay showcase (20).

BIG NAMES FOR VANDA & YOUNG COMPThe 35 fi nalists for the 2013 Vanda and Young Songwriting Competition include names such as Josh Pyke, Bertie Blackman, Thelma Plum, Mama Kin and Robert Conley. There were 3300 submissions. First prize is $50,000 from APRA and Alberts Music, second place $10,000 from AMPAL and third place $5,000 from UBISOFT. See vandayoungsongcomp.com.

Music Industry News with Christie Eliezer

Industrial Strength

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This WeekJust Announced Coming Soon

Tonight AliveThu 5 Sept: All Ages

Supernova U18s Fest feat. Wasted Penquinz, Toneshifterz + MoreSun 15 Sep

Stratovarius (FIN)Fri 25 Oct

RfsFri 13 Sep

Victor Essiet & The MandatorsSat 12 Oct

Blues & Grooves feat. Phil EmmanuelFri 16 Aug

Rap City 2013 feat. Talib Kweli (USA)Sun 6 Oct

Disclosure (UK)Tue 1 Oct: All Ages

Alexander Abreu & Havana D Primera (CUB)

Fri 6 Sep

Anberlin (USA)Sat 7 Sep

The Mavericks (USA)Fri 23 Aug

For The Fallen Dreams (USA)Fri 20 Sep: All Ages

RegurgitatorFri 4 Oct

Spit SyndicateSat 2 Nov: All Ages

Build Your Music Empire TodayOpen Day Sun 18 Aug 1:00pm

Hits & Pits 2.0 feat Black Flag (USA ) Sun 17 Nov

THINGS WE HEAR From this week, Channel [V]s The Riff show goes daily, from 5pm weekdays and 10.30am on Saturdays. Robin Thicke admits hes spent more than 320,000 on marijuana. Bluejuice member Stav Yiannoukas partner, heavily pregnant Fiona Stuart (30 weeks), is demanding an apology from Jetstar. She and two-year-old son Yiannis had taken their seats on a fl ight to the Gold Coast when a hostie asked if she had a medical certifi cate allowing her to fl y, as required by anyone over 28 weeks. Stuart said the rule was not on the website, nor had staff brought it up when she checked in, and shed had a check-up with the doctor the day before. They pulled her off

and got her doctor to fax an okey-dokey before she could take a later fl ight. No apology from the airline as yet, but they have shifted the policy announcement up front on their site. Sony Australia (the electronics division, not the music label) was hit with $32 million in back taxes and $21 million in penalties after a tax office investigation. Its already suffered a 23% decline in revenue. Result: the fi nancial and administration duties will be outsourced to Asia, and according to ChannelNews, the locals will be pink-slipped. Nicholas Foster, chief operating and fi nance officer, is a victim. The 12-month ATO investigation related to tax returns for the years 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008 and 2010. Publicity stunt #1: Dutch DJ Tisto ran

a competition where hell officiate at the marriage of two fans in Las Vegas this weekend. Fans had to email him and tell him why they should have the honour. Publicity stunt #2: DJ Khaled proposed to Nicki Minaj via a video message, offering a $500,000 ring. Minaj, who at fi rst was puzzled at the proposal (seeing as theyd never even dated), said she had a good chuckle once she realised the joke. Dan Sultan will fl y from Nashville, where he is recording, to Cairns to appear at the indigenous Big Talk One Fire concerton Friday August 16, and then return to the United States the next day, catching connections in Brisbane and Dallas. A celebration of the life of folkie Gary Shearston is held this Sunday 18 August from 4pm at Petersham Bowling Club

with Pat Drummond, Warren Fahey, Mic Conway, Jim Low, Jon Wolfe and Barbara Morison. Sticky Fingers recap that on their 30-gig European tour, Jimmy lost his luggage, then had his passport, wallet and phone nicked from their van. The van broke down two kilometres out of Amsterdam and had to be pushed. They spent a day smoking hash with a guy called Truck. Dizza went a week without showering. Caress Your Soul was added to rotation on Amsterdams 3FM and Frances RTL2, and the band picked up agents in France, Germany and England. Pludo inked a sync deal with Southern Cross Austereo to use their current single/video Haywire in Southern Cross Ten TVs promo which gives them exposure in 30 regional areas.

Xxxx

LifelinesInjured: Beady Eye guitarist Gem Archer hospitalised with severe head trauma following a car accident.

Injured: Dead Daisies and Noiseworks frontman Jon Stevens fi nished with a broken leg, dislocated thumb and facial injuries after wrestling a giant marlin on a recent fi shing trip in North Queensland.

Injured: Taylor Swift chipped her tooth after hitting her mic onstage.

Diagnosed: Bob Spencer, guitarist with The Angels, Skyhooks and Finch revealed a cancerous tumour had been discovered on his left kidney.

Ill: Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark drummer Malcolm Holmes suffered a cardiac arrest because of the heat at a Toronto show.

Recovering: Anthrax drummer Charlie Benante from hand surgery for carpal tunnel syndrome, a condition that could have left him unable to play.

Died: Bill Putt, bass player with iconic 70s bands Spectrum and Ariel, of a heart attack while chopping wood at his home in Melbourne.

Died: James Gray, keyboardist with Canadas Blue Rodeo, 52, heart attack.

Died: ex-Pere Ubu and DNA bassist Tim Wright, suspected drug overdose.

Died: Grammy-winning jazz and funk keyboardist and producer, George Duke, 67, from chronic lymphocytic leukemia.

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ave Hosking is a relieved man. At the time of our interview, its the fi rst chance hes had to discuss Boy & Bears second album, Harlequin

Dream, outside his inner circle label reps, family and fl atmates but at last the date has arrived to release another record unto an eager and ever-growing audience.

If it was up to me Id just want to release it yesterday and get on with it, Hosking says cheerily, in spite of the recent bout of tonsillitis thats temporarily rendered his voice husky and timid. I love recording and I like writing, so the quicker this is out, the quicker I can emotionally move on and do something else. Still, theres a touch of apprehension probably healthy, admits Hosking over how Harlequin Dream might match the immense critical and popular goodwill afforded Moonfi re in 2011.

Theres a minor shock factor [to Harlequin Dream] in that its a little bit different, probably not as high-energy as the last record; the production values are quite different, says the singer and founding member of the Sydney fi ve-piece. But I think once people are getting their head around that and starting to understand what the records about, they seem to be really warming to it.

Warm is the word for it, too: on Harlequin Dream, Boy & Bear present a comforting, upright brand of throwback pop, sketched around guitar, banjo and even saxophone. Lead single Southern Sun is the perfect gateway into the album a rock-solid slice of hook and melody that revisits the sounds of the 60s and 70s; of Fleetwood Mac or Creedence.

I started listening to a lot of old pop music again, Hosking explains. I had this realisation that so much of the groove on those old records and the accessibility of those songs is really fantastic, and its really great quality pop music and at least

personally I felt like there wasnt a lot of people at the moment doing pop like that. I got a little bit fed up of turning on the radio and hearing indulgent, moody music, and I had a really strong urge to just go back and write stories in classic structures; in verse/chorus. And knowing what those structures generally were, [to] have fun with that do things that were musical and had grooves and hooks, just completely embrace that without any fear of whats cool and whats not.

Actually, maybe Hosking was never cool in the fi rst place. His fi rst musical memory apart from his father playing guitar around the house is James Taylor, on repeat through my entire childhood, he laughs. But it was to Nashville, where Taylor joined Neil Young in 1971 to record the latters Harvest, that Boy & Bear travelled to cut Moonfi re the debut that went on to net fi ve ARIA awards including Album of the Year. Soon afterwards amid an avalanche of tour dates and deafening praise for that record Hosking started work on new material.

Nashville was an interesting experience and at times was quite challenging I think that in itself acted as motivation to make sure that next time we did it, we could really do it the way we wanted to do it. I fi gured the earlier I could start working on that, the better the record would be.

Stranger was the fi rst of these tunes that makes it to Harlequin Dream; a lilting ballad built on simple guitar arpeggios and vocal harmonies. Three Headed Woman came next the rhythm section taking charge this time, boosted by the addition of new bassist David Symes. Crucially, at no stage did the band feel undue pressure to reproduce Moonfi re, successful though it was.

We were asked the same question off the back of the [With Emperor Antarctica] EP, going into the [fi rst] record, and I think you want to just take that in your stride. If youre going to do this as a career, thats just part and parcel of the job, that theres always pressure. This is our livelihood and this is what we do if pressure is based upon the fact that your last record was successful, thats a fairly good problem to have [laughs].

Put together in a number of sessions over eight months at Sydneys Alberts Studio, Harlequin Dream was as much about getting back to normality as anything else. There was a lot of collaborative discussion around all this, and as a band we hit a great point where it all made sense to do it at home. But on a personal level, one of the things I realised was, working overseas and working with an international producer is fantastic, [but] the danger is, you dont want to lose the personality of the band, says Hosking. This

time round, there was an urge to drive this ourselves, and in doing that, lets remove all romanticism from this process and just get in there enjoy recording, and do it in a way where we didnt feel pressured, do it in a place dont get me wrong, Alberts Studio is amazing, its a fantastic space, but its not ostentatious, its not intimidating and I think that was a really healthy step for us going into this record.

A poignant early passage on the album is Old Town Blues, in which Hosking sings: I want to be an old man too / I want to be a role model to my kids. He recalls a dark period on tour in Europe. I think we had four or fi ve days off and we went across to Prague in between shows I was exhausted. I hit a point where I just didnt want to be there and you get used to that on the road, but it really just knocked me around, and that was the song I wrote at that moment. I had this overwhelming thought of: what happens if you feel like this and youve got kids and a family and you cant just sit in a hotel room with a guitar and indulge in this? So I think the end of that song, or that line, is a sense of pining to be responsible and look after the people I need to look after.

The album title itself, meanwhile, is lifted from the song of its same name. The whole idea of Harlequin Dream may have just fallen out of my mouth when I was writing that song and I defi nitely had to Google harlequin to fi nd out what the fuck it was but it seemed to make sense, says Hosking. That song is balanced between giving yourself over to what is an exciting, creative world to live in, in terms of what we do and being able to write and play music, but theres also a slightly cynical side to it as well and maybe the record is also a little bit about that. At times that has its highs and its a fantastic journey, and other times that means a lot of sacrifi ce and hurting people close to you because youre never at home, or turning introverted for two weeks because youre not talking to anyone, youre playing guitar.

And then youre on stage, with thousands of people yelling your lyrics back to you as is certain to happen on the bands album launch tour this spring? Thats it, yeah, says Hosking, perking up at the thought. Its an interesting life we get to lead.

What: Harlequin Dream out Friday Augus t 16 through Island RecordsWhere: Enmore TheatreWhen: Friday October 25

I got a little bit fed up of turning on the radio and hearing indulgent, moody music.

At Home Under A Southern Sun

By Chris Martin

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isotonic

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Who: Is This How You Feel? EP out Friday August 9 through UniversalWhere: Oxford Art FactoryWhen: Friday September 6

More Than a Feeling By Jody Macgregor

Isabella Manfredi is sitting in her backyard, drinking tea in her pyjamas. Its early in the morning by musicians standards, which means normal people have been at work for an hour, but The Preatures singer has had plenty to do on this particular morning. The edits for their latest video, Manic Baby, have to be gone over, and theyve just found out that previous single Is This How You Feel? has been named Pitchforks Best New Track. Everythings going a bit mental, she says.

The new clip features a troupe of dancers performing moves inspired by Hot Gossip, the dancers from the kitsch classic TV series The Kenny Everett Video Show. Manfredi calls it really dated, daggy, risqu dancing, and although the band are present they dont join in. The boys were very interested in putting leotards on but we stopped them at the last minute.

It sounds like it slots neatly into the aesthetic The Preatures have created for themselves; the 1970s Fleetwood-Mac-via-Bryan-Ferry vibe of their newer songs, and the way they pull such serious faces that you assume they

must be joking at least a bit. Weve been watching a lot of old Prince videos and Roxy Music and theres a bit of that in the Is This How You Feel? video as well, Manfredi says. That slight Young Talent Time awkwardness about it. Its cool but theres something slightly off and amateurish about it as well. Its not really tightly edited and slick and everything makes sense. Youre looking at it going, Really? Is this a joke? Is this for real?

In spite of the old-fashioned elements of the bands look and sound, Manfredi says she spent a lot of time listening to newer music while they were working on their second EP. Its funny, I was listening to Chairlift, Metronomy, the new Cat Power record Sun was a big infl uence on that record that we did I suppose you cant really call it a record, an EP. But Unknown Mortal Orchestra we really love as well. Who was the other person I was listening to a lot? Pretenders are always a big one. I listen to a lot of Pretenders. I grew up on Chrissie Hynde, and Chrissy Amphlett as well is a big infl uence on me.

The bands previous EP, Shaking Hands, was recorded in LA thanks to a strong Australian dollar letting them afford a producer and book a fancy studio to work in. After that, they felt like a change of pace. When we came to do the next EP we kind of reacted against what wed just done. Wed done this record, and we were very happy with it, but we wanted to do something completely different after that. Weve got our own space in Sydney, its just a little rehearsal studio space that the boys have turned into a semi-recordable space, and we did the EP there by ourselves. We wanted to work with a producer but we didnt end up going that way because Jack [Moffitt, guitar] had particular views about the way he wanted to do it, so we got in the space and did it ourselves. It was a lot of trial and error but it was good.

Creating their own semi-recordable space wasnt easy though, with the cheap warehouse room they rented needing more than just some egg cartons on the walls before it was useable. Its a very old warehouse space and its graffiti all over the walls stinks like shit, theres rats everywhere but you get into the individual spaces and its basically, dont ask dont tell. You do whatever you want. You dont have any protection if something goes wrong, but we got in there and sanded the fl oors and coated the fl oors; painted the walls, cleaned it, washed the windows. Jack got a console desk sent down from Brisbane and hes got a couple of microphones and its a lovely little space. Weve got fairy lights and stuff in there. Its good, its our little place.

That was where they came up with Is This How You Feel? which began with a groove provided by the rhythm section and a chorus that appeared spontaneously, though the rest was written four days later. If something comes naturally you know that its got something good, but then the rest of it was just structuring it and editing it. I love that part of the process. For me structuring and having all your defi nite parts really makes me quite turned on its my favourite part of the whole thing.

What makes the editing tricky is being a band with two very different lead vocalists, whose contrast adds variety but can also pull a song in multiple directions. Weve got two singers so were already in the shit because weve got to make it all work, but Gideon [Benson] and I are very different songwriters. When we approach songs in the band we got very used to just accepting songs for what they are and treating each song individually, and not so much as part of a bigger picture. I think for the album well have to get to the stage where were looking for an album as a complete story, but at the moment its great to have this freedom to treat every song as its own entity, its own little world, and I love that. I really love that about the band that were open to doing that.

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The Preatures

Its a very old warehouse space and its graffiti all over the walls stinks like shit, theres rats everywhere.

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TRISTAN (NANO, UK)

PANPOT (MOBILEE RECORDS, DE)

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The mythical halcyon days derived from the ancient tale of Alcyone and the seven days in winter when storms never occur have a long and illustrious place in pop culture. Countless books, songs, albums and orchestral movements have embraced the concept and the latest to take ownership of the title are local indie rock four-piece Glass Towers.

Frontman Ben Hannam wrote most of the songs for Halcyon Days, his bands debut album, while still in high school. The album captures his adolescence and in doing so captures a moment in time that were all so familiar with the reckless abandon of youth that couples so earnestly with a wide-eyed enthusiasm for the future.

I came across the writer Jack Kerouac when I was a teenager and started writing like he does from experience so most of the songs are really about my life during high school, Hannam says. I grew up in Alstonville and although its near Byron Bay, there wasnt a very large arts faculty or anything at my school; it was all about sports and water polo, stuff like that. Thats probably why I found music, because I needed to fi nd something that I could prove myself at and be comfortable in that wasnt sport or academic.

While the tunes are primarily written by Hannam, Glass Towers is certainly not just his project, and he genuinely gushes over the skills of his bandmates. We were all in the same music class in high school and Ive been friends with them since primary school, so it just made sense for us to do this together. Theyre all such amazing players and basically, yeah, the fi rst album was me writing the songs in my bedroom but moving forward its going to be a lot more collaborative. Were defi nitely a band in this together.

With the help of producer Jean-Paul Fung (Silverchair, Last Dinosaurs, Snakadaktal)

Glass Towers slowly crafted Halcyon Days in between an impressive touring schedule.It all took about a year actually, Hannam says. We started recording in January last year and we were doing it on and off because we were touring so much. The single Halcyon was probably the only song that was really changed in production. It started off as a seven-minute song that eventually got refi ned down to three minutes. Other than that, things stayed fairly similar to the initial ideas.

Despite the fact these songs have been hanging around for the best part of fi ve years, and considering the band have already begun

work on their second album, Hannam says hes still just as excited (perhaps even more so) at the prospect of playing these songs live on the forthcoming tour. I think last year we had been touring so much that we were fatigued, and fatigued by the songs we were playing, he says. Now were just so excited by the album coming out that the songs somehow have become fresh again.

For such a young band, things seem to be moving quickly, and Glass Towers are tackling local and international audiences at the same time. We played The Great Escape festival and got signed by a Japanese label so well

be releasing it there as well, he says. Were hoping to head back to the UK this year; Japan and America as well. We toured with The Kooks here last year so it was great to play with them again in the UK. We dont have anything locked in with any bands overseas just yet; well just kinda latch onto some support slots when they come up.

This year, Beasts of Bourbon turn 30. However, as guitarist Spencer P. Jones is quick to remind me, half the band are over 50 now. It all started back in August 1983, when their frontman Tex Perkins had booked a run of shows for his then-band, Tex Deadly & The Dum-Dums, but was left high and dry. Forced to fi nd replacements at the last minute, he did pretty well rounding up Jones as well as James Baker from the Hoodoo Gurus and two members of The Scientists, Kim Salmon and Boris Sudjovic. That version of the

Beasts had their debut album The Axemans Jazz in the can by October the same year; a swampy Australian take on American blues and country thats still among the best records ever to come out of this land. Although theyve been through plenty of changes in the years since, two things have remained constant: Tex Perkins growling the words and Spencer P. Jones making his guitar churn.

Weve had our ups and downs over the years, like everyone else, Jones says with a little

understatement. I think I was gonna quit the band one time, and then I thought about it and I rang everyone up a few days later [and] said, Look, uh, Im not gonna quit the band. I had my moment but I didnt stick to my guns, I decided to go back to the group, and Im glad I did because there were more adventures to be had.

Jones puts the bands longevity down to the fact that though many years have passed since their formation, there were plenty of side

projects and gaps along the way. We didnt [continuously] exist for any long period of time. When we got together and played, it was always very briefl y and thats kept it all interesting for everybody. Each time we got together thered be fresh ideas, new material; that kind of thing.

To celebrate their 30th birthday, three different incarnations of Beasts of Bourbon will play songs from different eras over three nights the original crew, the version of the band who recorded The Low Road in 1991, and the current lineup. That original version got together earlier this year for their re-formation gig at All Tomorrows Parties, a well-received set overall though it did include one surprise in the middle. Their thudding, discordant Playground had people cringing and white-knuckle gripping the chairs, as Jones relates with glee. Its our big industrial number. People were like, That was a really great set but there was one song in the middle I really hated, he says, barely able to keep himself from laughing at the memory. And Im thinking, This is great, this one tune that has this effect on people. They really dislike it! Weve always enjoyed confronting people like that, so that song stays in. Im looking forward to playing that one in fact; looking forward to seeing the disappointment and annoyance on peoples faces.

The ATP gig was originally slated as a one-off reunion, but the Beasts are still together seven months later. Jones says theres no plan to stop now, although its just the current lineup that will carry on. But whether or not theyll record again is another matter. That depends how creative everyone gets, you know? Ive always been able to pull a couple of new songs out of the hat. If you give me a date that the Beasts are supposed to be in the recording studio, I assure you that I will turn up with six songs, no problem.

Beasts of Bourbon

Where: Factory TheatreWhen: Thursday August 22 (original lineup), Friday August 23 (Low Road lineup), Saturday August 24 (current lineup)And: Three-disc live album 30 Years Of Borrowed Time will be available at the concerts

Where: The StandardWhen: Friday August 16More: Halcyon Days is out now through HUB The Label/Inertia

Xxx p

hoto by Xxxx

Glass TowersStone-Free Zone By Krissi Weiss

Survival Of The Fittest By Jody Macgregor

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Dead Letter CircusThe Revolution Will Be Televised By Tom Valcanis

Brisbanes Dead Letter Circus attained alt-prog titan status after releasing their debut, This Is The Warning, certifi ed Gold by ARIA and named one of triple js Hottest 100 Albums of All Time. The Catalyst Fire is its follow-up and the story begins in the Amazon rainforest, as vocalist Kim Benzie recounts.

Once we got a hint of where the album was going, we were just the vessels for it arriving in peoples ears, Benzie explains. At the end of 2010, the band and our producer Forrester Savell travelled to the Amazon and Peru. We went to a jungle city called Iquitos. We went right up the river and trekked into the jungle and we stayed at this retreat there with this tribe. I had this incredible experience there drinking ayahuasca. In tribal lore, ayahuasca is a psychedelic healing medicine, discovered and used by Peruvian Amazon tribes. It breaks down the ego, giving insights into consciousness and beyond.

I met the most incredible woman there, Klara, Benzie continues. Shes a shamanic artist there and an apprentice shaman. She made this symbolic artwork and it has these lines and patterns that dont repeat; it was the most intricate artwork Ive ever seen. It was like seeing the language of an alien race. I told her what we sing about, and it was one of those meant to be moments.

Klara agreed to tattoo Benzies chest with one of her unique mandala artworks. Benzie, joining ranks of philosophers and psychologists, believes mandalas are expressions of a collective consciousness.

I came back and showed the guys. We asked her to do our artwork for us. We started with Cameron Gray, our artist on the last album, to create the DLC mandala. We wanted to tie it into the theme of the album. We wanted people from any walk of life, from the yoga guru to the bricklayer, to stand in front of it and have some kind of experience. That way everyone can know what our albums about.

The Catalyst Fire took three years to spark and catch fl ame. Taking swathes of time off to explore the jungle and themselves, the band dangled scraps of the record on their website throughout 2012. Ever the community process builders, DLC kept fans in touch with their meticulous writing and recording. By records end, they had layered countless instruments atop an undulating ocean of sound. Did they cling to a raft of deadlines? Not likely. Making The Catalyst Fire took as long as DLC saw fi t.

We are of the persuasion that you dont get through a shit bit [of a song] to get to a good bit, Benzie says. If youre trying to be deep and meaningful within the boundaries of rhyme and rhythm and a limited word set, its a mega challenge. We couldnt force it; we just had to let it happen.

Dead Letter Circus proudly wear their hearts on their guitar strings and keyboards. Their last album shot to number one on the ARIA charts in 2010. This Is The Warning was Benzie and the bands awakening; a realisation an anti-nature, anti-human structure traps our world underneath its soulless veil. Benzie thinks we should reject the roles society dictates for us.

Three years ago, we tried to plant signposts, Benzie says. We tried to say, Look around you, theres defi nitely some kind of construct at work here. Theres something guiding us on a way to live. Bricklayers around a barbecue are even talking about it. They see whats wrong but think, What could I possibly do about it?

If Warning tore blinkers off, The Catalyst Fire is DLCs call to arms. It affirms that change is possible. Its not a Malcolm X, standing on the podiums, screaming at the masses kind of thing, Benzie says, putting the album into context. Its more like youre the guy in the crowd, listening to someone speak or having that little revelation within yourself. Thats the way this album comes across. Im not well-spoken enough to do political rants between songs on stage, he laughs.

In our most paranoid delusions, we think the government spies on us. We have nightmares of earpiece-wearing stuffed shirts tuning into our phone calls while theyre reading our emails. With Edward Snowdens revelations about Prism and

the NSA, it turns out our inner Oliver Stone was right.

I dont think anyone trusts the government I think we have to get over the thought that nothing can be done, Benzie says. Have you ever seen that movie, [Antz]? All these ants are controlled by a small group of grasshoppers. One of the ants is an awakened individual and he has a go of putting some positive thoughts into these programmed minds. He shows them theres so much more to life. Benzie pauses to collect his thoughts.

Everyones waking up to the fact were not separate. Right now, if you hear someone screaming, youd lock the door. In the old days, youd come roaring out there to help. Were becoming more of a community. As soon as that community spirit can happen again, we can all walk out on to your front lawn and stand together.

I dont think anyone trusts the government I think we have to get over the thought that nothing can be done. Have you seen [Antz]?

What: The Catalyst Fire out now through UNFDWith: Closure in Moscow, Sleep ParadeWhere: The Metro TheatreWhen: Thursday September 5

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After emerging in 2001 with a distinct brand of politically-charged garage rock, Nebraskan outfi t Desaparecidos made like the Spanish translation of their title and disappeared for the good part of a decade. Following on from what could well have been a one-off reunion in 2010, the band have built their momentum to become a vitalised touring and recording outfi t once again. As such, lead singer Conor Oberst will once again perform at Harvest Festival last time was with a revived Bright Eyes, this time its with Desaparecidos. Speaking ahead of the bands Australian debut, songwriter-guitarist Denver Dalley runs us through Desaparecidos return.

Wed been talking about getting together and playing again for years, then that show came up in 2010. Everything went so well, he recalls. We really felt like we picked up where we left off and had a lot of fun in the band room. Were back to just cracking jokes and it didnt feel forced or anything. So after that show in 2010, we were really determined to be a band again.

With all band members enjoying a diverse range of projects since the initial 2002 Desaparecidos break up, they still managed to settle into an equilibrium in the ranks. As far as our dynamic and chemistry, we all just jumped right back in. Three of us live primarily in New York, but we all have another place. The band is based in Omaha, were all from Omaha, and two of the guys live in Omaha full time. There was some scheduling we had to work out were all still involved in other things, so there was some ironing out of the schedule. So when we got together for band practice or a little tour here and there, it was like summer camp, Dalley enthuses. Its become a little bit more of a band procedure Just throwing in and contributing a little more equally than before. [A song] defi nitely still starts off as one persons idea, but were building the songs more as a band now.

Despite the long time between drinks, Dalley still sees OG fans out in the crowd at each performance as well as a new generation of followers. Its a pretty big mix; its about half-and-half between fans that were there at the beginning and newer fans. Sometimes on message boards or Facebook there will be people saying, I cant get in the show, its 18 and up. You kind of do the math and realise they were six when the fi rst album came out.

Last years fully-fl edged reunion saw the release of the double A-side MariKKKopa / Backsell, backed up by this years seven-inch Anonymous / The Left Is Right. Even in the space of a year, says Dalley, the band have refi ned their songwriting focus. In 2012, it was a little bit more general in making commentary about how people were living their lives and how areas and neighbourhoods were changing, and what the expectations of a person in life are. But now were pinpointing specifi c issues and going after them. Its more directed and not as general.

Though the material is politically charged, the band manage to avoid any semblance of heavy-handed, overly preachy hubris. There are some times at a show where Conor will get on the mic and say something, and we all get behind it, but then after it he will say he doesnt want to talk so much or sound preachy. We never feel like it comes across that way maybe hes just overanalysing it. Maybe its the dream to have a song that people enjoy musically, but then the lyrics get someone to go home and look something up online or in a book. Starting a conversation thats the dream.

DesaparecidosLost And Found By Lachlan Kanoniuk

Since stoner rocks inception in the 1980s as the USAs response to the British metal of the 1970s namely Black Sabbath it has achieved a timeliness in which the proponents of the genre always pay tribute to what has come before. This continuity of the stoner rock sound has resulted in longevity as per Orange Goblin, but also the fertile grounding for a rebirth in genre monoliths like Kyuss and Sleep.

Evolving out of sludge doom metal band Asbestosdeath, Sleep released its fi rst album Volume One in 1991. This release has developed over the years into an underground phenomenon, with bands from all genres crediting it as an inspiration. Sleep guitarist Matt Pike took time out from rehab (but not the rehab youre thinking), preparations for the bands new album and his work as frontman for stoner rockers High On Fire to chat to the BRAG.

I just had knee surgery, so Im chilling out at home at the moment. So Ive been sitting on my arse for the last week, says a predictably laconic Pike. We did our last Sleep show in France, and then did a couple of High On Fire shows just to make a little bit of money for me to sit around on my butt, he laughs warmly.

It would be fair to infer that after thirty-plus years on the road plus his current knee recovery, Pike may have had second thoughts about committing to this years Australian tour but even the crustiest of rocknrollers gets a bit sentimental now and again. Our fans in Australia kind of deserve to see Sleep, fi nally. Obviously Ive been over in Australia with High On Fire quite a bit and Al [Cisneros singer and bassist] came with OM recently, but it is really important to us that Sleep plays in Oz.

Weve had some hard times in the past, you know. We made some really youthful albums, with probably the most well-known being Holy Mountain it was really full of piss and vinegar. We really became good at playing right around Holy Mountain. It had a big impact, but not until a little later.

What we were doing at the time, which was in the early 90s, was really not that popular, Pike adds. We were doing Sabbath-y, doom sounds; a few people kind of got it, but it wasnt popular. Not like the death metal thing at the time. Like Napalm Death and Carcass; they were doing the popular thing. We were this weird Sabbath band out of the punk scene. We went from Asbestosdeath to Sleep and transitioned musically. It made an impact on people but it seemed like it took a long time to sink in. Almost to the point where at the end, just before we fi rst broke up [1998], people started catching on to it. We only just started getting some fans then.

It is refreshing now that Pike is willing to grapple with why Sleeps material is so cool nowadays but struggled to make a commercial impact when it was released. I think nowadays Sleeps music is kind of something different [to whats on offer]. A lot of kids these days are smarter thinkers. If something is really underground, outspoken or different they all want to have an identity thats not so MTV. I know what used to be underground hip hop in my day has now turned into a big corporate smear. Im happy theres kids out there that arent so attached to this corporate spew and know about something thats a bit better, in the musical context.

Nightmares Of Noise By Denver Maxx And Jess Willoughby

Sleep

What: Harvest FestivalWith: Massive Attack, Franz Ferdinand, The Drones, Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, Goldfrapp and moreWhere: The DomainWhen: Saturday November 16

Drenge didnt have a very auspicious beginning. The band two brothers from a tiny English village called Castleton played their fi rst gig in nearby Sheffield, at what was essentially an open-mic night. All my friends who said they were coming didnt turn up, says frontman Eoin Loveless. We were just playing in this quite small pub called the Red House. No-one was there apart from this space-metal wizard who sat in the corner waiting to go on the stage and then we played for half an hour and then left. And we missed our bus back home so we had to go and get this train which took ages. It was a pretty disastrous fi rst show, really.

Loveless doesnt sound too traumatised by the memory. Things have obviously improved, and Drenge have moved on from opening for a space-metal wizard to bands like The Cribs and Deap Vally, as well as signing to Infectious for their debut album. Theyve played Glastonbury, where they impressed British politician Tom Watson so much he bizarrely name-checked them in his resignation letter; and Roskilde, where they confused locals by not being Danish in spite of being named after the Danish word for boys. The name was chosen more for

the way it sounded than anything else. Its quite nice to have a band name that doesnt mean anything, says Loveless, that doesnt have any imagery or connotations or anything. Like, it implies something, but its not a band name that is really obvious [about] what the bands gonna sound like. That said, if drengey were an adjective, you could see it fi tting the fuzzed-out, punky garage rock Drenge play. Imagine Japandroids crossed with Tumbleweed: being a guitar-and-drums duo, you dont have much choice but to play garage rock.

The songs themselves dont matter to Loveless so much as the opportunity to play them. I get really excited before shows because weve got week-long gaps in between them, so I really want to get back to being on stage and playing music again. Hes impatient for their album to come out, mainly because itll give them an excuse to tour again and an audience that knows the songs better. Theyre hearing these songs for the fi rst time if they come and see us live, but theyre kind of, like, dancing along, and theres this strained expression on their face while they try and understand whats going on and see if theres any lyrics they can pick out that get repeated. Im just

excited about when theres this common ground between the crowd and us. Im really looking forward to doing shows after people know the album a bit.

The fi nale of this album is very different for Drenge entitled Fuckabout, its a morbid slice-of-life thats a bit slower and could easily be an Arctic Monkeys album track, with witty observational lyrics like, When I put the kettle on / You put heavy metal on. Loveless is looking forward to trying the song out more often. We dont play that much because it doesnt make sense in what we do as a band at the moment but when the albums out thatll hopefully make a bit more sense. Even in the lyrics of the song, hes self-deprecating about the worth of his music: This song is a fuckabout / Not one to write home about. But Loveless isnt particularly interested in the popularity of his songs beyond giving Drenge more audiences to play for. I just like doing it because I get to hang out with my brother, he admits. Im not too fussed about taking my own songs out there.

The Humble Bundle By Jody Macgregor

What: Manning Bar, Sydney UniversityWhen: Sunday October 27

What: Drenge out Friday August 16 through Liberator/Infectious Music

Xxx

Drenge

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Lizottes Sydney629 Pittwater Rd

Dee Why

Lizottes Central CoastLot 3 Avoca Dr

Kincumber

Lizottes Newcastle31 Morehead St

Lambton

GREAT FOOD AND MUSICMARRYING TWO

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LIZOTTES SYDNEY

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Lambton High School

Kotara High School

The Legendary Moving Pictures

Joe Camilleri and The Black

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Belmont High School

Lionel Cole - Cole Soul &

EmotionThe Idea of North 20

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Anniversary Concert

Jason Singh (Taxiride)

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Calling all artists for Live and Locals!

Contact: [email protected]

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Ian Moss

The Black Sorrows

PCYC Bateau Bay 2013

Music Showcase

Central Coast Grammar School

Fairplay Entertainment presents

Young Emerging Artists

Lionel Cole - Cole Soul & Emotion


Lazy Sunday Lunch

with The Mason Rack Band

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Fairplay Entertainment

Presents Coopers LIVE & LOCAL

Tim Finn

The Black Sorrows

Shane Nicholson

Fairplay Entertainment

Presents Coopers LIVE & LOCAL

Alex Gibson


The Mason Rack Band

Weekend Warriors Big Gig

presented by Mall Music

On Saturday night during Abby Dobsons

performance at Lizottes Kincumber, a small

fire broke out and the restaurant was evacua

ted.

Thanks to swift and professional reaction of

the staff and the very prompt response from

emergency services, the fire was contained.

We were once again reminded

what a wonderful community we

are lucky enough to be a part of,

with offers of help and support

flooding in and we thank everyone

for their well wishes.

To all of our customers... things are

moving forward. The phones are

operational, if you need to speak

to one of our staff please call

4368 2017.

We are contacting all ticket holders

for any of the shows which may

be affected and hope to have the

restaurant back up and running in

time for Ian Mosss shows on the

16th & 17th August.

Thank you again for everyones

concern and support. We look

forward to getting back to

taking care of your social life

very soon!

Shine a lantern of hope at this inspiring twilight walk to help cure leukaemia,

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a lantern of hope at this inspiring ght walk to help cure leukaemia,lymphoma and myeloma forever

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THE AU REVIEW TURNS 5COGEL // FANNY LUMSDENHAYLEY FROM TWINCEST (DJ SET)LITTLE FOX // MAPLES MESSRS (ADELAIDE)THE GUPPIES // FUTURE LOVE HANGOVER (DJ)RICHARD CUTHBERTAND MORE TO BE ANNOUNCED...

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JACK QUARTETReady to see a string quartet bend boundaries and defy musical constraints? Look no further than JACK Quartet at Carriageworks on August 16-17. Hitting Aussie shores for the fi rst time, the New York group perform with a traditional string quartet lineup, but are renowned for their experimental and daring live performances. With a two-night program theyll fi rst perform G.F. Haass String Quartet No. 3 in iij. Noct. in complete darkness before entertaining listeners with the works of Luigi Nono, Jason Eckhardt and emerging Sydney composer Jack Symonds. Visit carriageworks.com.au for further details.

THIS FELLA, MY MEMORYMoogahlin Performing Arts and cultural consultants Aboriginal Elders Aunty Christine Blakeney and Uncle Max Harrison are brining a new work to Carriageworks from September 4-7.This Fella, My Memory directed by Frederick Copperwaite, looks at the lives of three older women to explore the tenuous relationships between friends, family and each other. Deep connections to people and place remain at the thematic centre of the work, recalling Aboriginal NSWs past and present relationship to the land. This Fella, My Memory comprises a cast of Elaine Crombie, Linden Wilkinson, Lily Shearer, Matt Edgerton, Rosealee Pearson, Katherine Beckett and Guy Simon. carriageworks.com.au for more.

ULTIMO SCIENCE FESTIVALCalling all scientists! Next month Ultimo will host a huge variety of exhibitions, shows and talks about all things science. The Ultimo Science Festival will spread itself across the Powerhouse Museum, ABC Centre, TAFE Ultimo and UTS Buildings from September 12-22 for eleven days of hypotheses and fascinating scientifi c spiels. Get interactive by freezing your shadow or dodging laser beams at Playing with Light at the Powerhouse Museum. Listen and learn about great white sharks and how police dogs are learning to detect cadavers at UTS Science in Focus talks. For program and event details head to ultimosciencefestival.com

BODYTORQUE.TECHNIQUEBodytorque is a regular program on The Australian Ballets event calendar designed to showcase emerging choreographers. The deal? Six choreographic stars in the making are selected to work alongside company dancers to push the boundaries of the artform further into imaginative territory while gaining valuable industry exposure. This editions theme? Technique. The choreographers have really had to focus on reinvigorating the classical form and creating something innovative, said Artistic Director David McAllister. Participating choreographers include Ty King-Wall, Joshua Consandine, Alice Topp, Halaina Hills, Richard House and Benjamin Stuart-Carberry. Bodytoruqe.Technique will run

from October 31 through November 3 at Sydney Theatre. Head to australianballet.com.au for more information.

DIDO & AENEAS FOR SYDNEY FESTIVAL 2014BRAGs got some exciting news for you and it involves an opera partially performed underwater. Yes, thats right. Underwater! Sydney Festival 2014, running from January 9-26, has made an early announcement: contemporary dance-theatre choreographer Sasha Waltzs epic retelling of Henry Purcells Baroque opera Dido & Aeneas is coming to town for an Australian exclusive. In one of the most ambitious theatrical stagings, Waltz opens the show with an aquatic prologue where a giant water tank, raised several metres off the fl oor plays host to diving and weaving dancers who stay submerged for impossibly long times. The oldest love story in English opera will be brought to life by 60 dancers, singers and musicians at the Sydney Lyric from January 16-21. For upcoming announcements keep an eye on sydneyfestival.org.au. Tickets on sale now through ticketmaster.com.au

MOOD INDIGO! TIX! WIN!Finally! A chance to add another French fi lm to the collection of name-droppable titles! Mood Indigo is Michel Gondrys latest feature, known to those who speak the language of love as Lcume des jours. It tells the tale of Chlo (Audrey Tautou) and Colins (Romain Duris) idyllic marriage that falls on the way-side when a water-lily is discovered growing in Chlos lungs. This visual poetry hits the big screen onSeptember 5, but all the more exciting is a chance to catch it for free.

For your chance to win one of 10 in-season double passes, just email [email protected] with the name of one other fi lm Tautou has starred in.

arts frontline free stuff

This week Janet Clayton Gallery opens Abstractions, an exhibition showcasing emerging painters united by a desire to explore elusive states of being. Featuring works by Emma Coulter, Seann Brackin, Sam Holt, Susan Foster and Rowan E Robertson viewers can expect to explore how each artist grapples with colour, form and composition in diverse ways. BRAG caught fi ve with one of the featured artists Emma Coulter to learn more.

Tell us about your background in painting. While I have experimented with many genres, painting has always been my preferred

medium. I discovered this early on in at art school, where painting was discouraged. Despite this teaching method I continued to pursue it and taught myself much of what I know today.

I believe that I have always had an intrinsic understanding of how to manipulate paint to convey my ideas. My method of painting affords a constant evolution to the work during the making, which is an essential part of my creative process. I experiment a lot before achieving a realised outcome. My process involves hovering between spontaneity and discipline. I fi nd the medium of paint to be quite forgiving in this process, where other mediums may require complete resolution prior to commencement.

Who inspires and infl uences your style as an artist?Interestingly, the artists who I admire mostly have a spatial-based practice.These include, Louise Bourgeois, Yayoi Kusama and Eva Hesse. Its the themes and concepts that underpin their work that interest me, and the distinct feminine and autobiographical connections in the work that I relate to.

Tell us about your work in Abstractions.My new work engages colour and composition in a more resolved manner. The simplifi cation has evolved through a maturity of experience and a desire

to be more disciplined in my approach. Tessellations, the series of work showing at Jane Clayton Gallery, explores the concepts of spatial interrelationships within an ongoing autobiographical narrative.

How does your Tessellations series relate to other work on show?Abstractions was curated by Jessica Holburn with the intention of making a statement about a combined theoretical approach to abstraction. While each of the artists physical outputs are quite varied, there is a relationship between our methods of exploring abstraction in the context of the self and engagement with our surroundings.

Exciting future projects?Im very busy at the moment juggling a number of new bodies of work. My upcoming exhibition Transportation explores the boundaries between painting and the built environment, which will be on display at Pieces of Eight gallery in Melbourne from August 20 through September 28. My work will also be on display in the Art Month Finalists group show at Depot II Gallery, Danks St from September 3-7.

email: [email protected] news...what's goin' on around town...with Therese Watson and Lily White

WITH EMMA COULTER

What: Emma Coulter for AbstractionsWhen: August 14-24Where: Janet Clayton GalleryMore: janetclaytongallery.com.au

TONY ALBERTLaw enforcement and racial discrimination two very loaded discussions contemporary artist Tony Albert doesnt shy away from exploring in his work. From August 15 to September 7, Sullivan + Strumpf will host Brothers, Alberts latest series documenting 18 uniformly photographed young men with red target painted on their bare chests. These men are defi ant and strong, they stand resolute, bathed in a pool of warm light but surrounded by darkness. At the core of Alberts artistic agenda are stark oppositions his subjects are seen but unseen, understood but misunderstood. Had to sullivanstrumpf.com for more details.

A SILK ROAD SAGAYu Hong was a Turkic-speaking central Asian man from Chinas Shanxi province who was interred in 592 CE. Hongs white marble sarcophagus was excavated in 1999 and marked a discovery unlike anything previous; its detailed carved scenes of hunting, entertaining and religious worship not traditionally associated with Chinese culture in the same period. Highlighting life along the provinces famous Silk Roads, the ancient marvel will be on display at the Art Gallery of New South Wales from August 22 through November 10 alongside 16 other sculptures, fi gurines and ceramics from the tomb or from burials of the same period and province. Visit artgallery.nsw.gov.au for more information.

fi ve minutesEmma Coulter, Folding Out, 2013

SYDNEY LATIN AMERICAN FILM FESTIVALHola mis amigos! Get it? You pass. From September 4-11, the eighth Sydney Latin American Film Festival will span 12 days and two venues screening a slew of features, documentaries and short fi lms from Argentina, Brazil, Cuba, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Guatamala, Mexico, Panama, Peru, Uruguay, Venezuela, the United States and Australia. Argentina and Mexico no longer have the monopoly on innovation in the Latin American fi lm industry right now some of the best new independent cinema is coming out of Brazil, Colombia, Peru and Venezuela, said Festival Founder Mark Taylor. Cinematic inspiration will be dished out at Dendy Opera Quays and Bankstown Arts Centre. For more info, tickets and full program head to sydneylatinofi lmfestival.org

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KICK-ASS 2! PRIZE PACKS! WIN!

The good-natured Stephen Lynch never really imagined a stand-up comedy career for himself in the beginning, his ambitions stretched no further than making his college buddies laugh. I was a theatre major at a state university, he explains, living in a house in Kalamazoo, Michigan, with about eight or nine of us. It was a big old place in what was insensitively referred to as the student ghetto. I lived with a mix of theatre people, like me, and dirty punk rock people. Lynch found himself drawn to the punks and to the guitars that they left lying around. I knew how to play the piano, but theres not a whole lot of that in punk, he says with a laugh. Living there is where I fi rst learned to play the guitar. Comedy soon followed.

There were many times, Lynch tells me, when the bong was being passed around, and everyone was trying to crack one another up as, lets face it, is an unbeatable form of entertainment at that age. Id pick up a guitar and start making up funny songs, he says. I did it just to amuse myself and those around me, and never thought it would be anything but a hobby, then I woke up a decade later and realised it was my career, so I quit my job and decided to go for it full-time. It just happened it was never my intention to get into the world of comedy. I dont know much about comedy, to be honest with you, but I love playing music, so I got to sneak in the back door of a life where I get to play songs for people. No matter the subject matter, Im happy.

Lynchs debut album A Little Bit Special was released in 2000 it featured an array of comedy songs both affectionate and mocking, with subject matter ranging from testicular anxiety to Jim Henson. He has written songs about abortion, and about the Special Olympics, and I ask if, over the course of his career, hes found any subject too touchy, or perhaps one thats just plain off-limits. I defi nitely have that feeling about songs Ive written, he says. I mean, I wrote that song about the Special Olympics when I was 19 or 20. I would never write something like that today, but youre a different person when youre young. Ive learned form that song, and as Ive gotten older, my focus is more on directing the humour in the music at myself, or at least at someone deserving.

Though comedy is his trade, Lynch sees himself as a musician fi rst and a joke-teller second. I have a stable of singer-songwriters who Ive listened to since I was a kid, and I add to that periodically, he tells me, of his direct musical infl uences. When I was a kid, it was Paul Simon, and when I got a bit older, I added Bob Dylan and Joni Mitchell and Neil Young great musicians with something to say, who can express emotions as well as ideas in songs. These days I listen to Patty Griffin and Iron And Wine and Ryan Adams and still Neil Young. A few years ago, it occurred to Lynch that since he listened to and loved this kind of music, he might as well take a crack at writing it himself. Though it seems obvious in retrospect, Lynch was amazed at how much his new approach changed his song-writing technique.

In the past, Lynch would start a song

with a joke, or at least a lyrical idea, and would then build a song around it. After growing tired of this approach, he decided that instead, hed start by writing music he loved and let the lyrics fl ow from there. His most recent album, Lion, is his fi rst to be written this way. It was a very difficult process, he says, and I dont think Ive perfected it yet, but I fi gured it out enough along the way to write 13 songs I feel are pretty good, or at least pretty representative of where I am in my life. Thats why it took three years between the last two records. I threw away the old template, which had become stale

and predictable and obvious, and challenged myself. I wanted to do something creatively satisfying.

Lion was recorded in the country music capital of Nashville, and working there had been a dream of Lynchs for some time. I would drive to Nashville from where I live in Michigan, he explains, mostly because I wanted to take a big collection of instruments with me. Its an eight-hour drive that I did probably three or four times, but I loved it, because I drove through some beautiful parts of the world. He was drawn to the city to work with producer Doug Lancio,

whose credits include the likes of Patty Griffin and Steve Earle. You cant spit without hitting an incredible musician down there, Lynch laughs. I wanted to work with a producer I admired and trusted, someone who could add the textures and layers I wanted to my music, and Doug was the guy. It was a thrilling process, not just to work with him, but to hear my music in the bands of some of the players I so greatly admire.

Lynch has visited Australia several times over the years, and I ask what exactly we can expect when from his

show when he returns. Its been a while since Ive been down there last, he says, so Ill probably play a very healthy combination of songs from the new record, and old ones that I know people will want to hear. Im bringing a big group of people with me funny people and great musicians so it should be a really great show for everyone.

Remember leaving the cinema after Kick-Ass feeling so incredibly relieved that you begged your mum to help with the fi nal stitches in your mask and matching underwear? Well that was three years ago so maybe its time you moved on. Or perhaps not, because guess what? Kick-Ass 2 is here! Jim Carrey leads the new wave of self-made masked crusaders as Colonel Stars and Stripes who joins costumed high school hero Kick-Ass (Aaron Taylor-Johnson) and Hit Girl (Chlo Grace Moretz) in an epic battle against the Red Mist that is reborn as The Motherf%&*^r.

To celebrate the return of the

costumed high school crew, BRAG has 10 pretty kick-ass prize packs to give away which all include a Kick-Ass DVD, the Kick-Ass 2 soundtrack and a double in-season pass to catch the latest fl ick.Email [email protected] and tell us what your superhero name would be and why.

What: Stephen Lynch LiveWhere: Enmore TheatreWhen: Tuesday August 20More: stephenlynch.com

WIN!

ARTS FEATURE

Stephen LynchMusic And Lyrics By Alasdair Duncan

GIVEAWAYS

22 :: BRAG :: 525 :: 12:08:13

Youd think that when you work on a classic play, youd be working with a fi nished script. But such is not always the case Brendan Cowells upcoming production of August Strindbergs Miss Julie is still missing a few pages.

Were in week three of rehearsals, about a month from openingand we have an Act 1 and were apparently getting an Act 2, says Cowell. Our writer is wandering through a cherry orchard in Melbourne somewhere so were trying to drag him out.

Said writer is of course Simon Stone who is currently in Melbourne directing his latest adaptation, Chekhovs The Cherry Orchard. Stones reworkings of classic texts have turned him into one of the most recognisable theatre forces in Australia so while for this show the original plot and structure might be Strindbergs, most of the words in Cowells production will have come from Stone or the actors.

Simon had a broad sheet draft and then we looked at the original and we all improvised, says Cowell. Stone then works with a combination of his own ideas, the original script and the actors improvisations to create the adaptation. Simons in no rush to fi nish the

script He kind of believes that actors are going to come up with a better line than the writer so he just waits and waits and waits until it comes out of their mouths. It really empowers the actor.

Miss Julie is a story of power and class with a bit of lust and betrayal thrown into the mix. The titular Julie is the daughter of a wealthy nobleman, rendered here by Stone as a politician. Alongside his fi anc Christine, Jean (played by Cowell) works in the house of this rich man and its not too long before sparks begin to fl y between Jean and Julie. The pair feel trapped in their positions and see in the other an opportunity to break free.

Unlike most of Stones adaptations, hes not in the directors chair this time round. Miss Julie is headed up by Leticia Cceres, whose production of The Dark Room (also starring Cowell) stunned Belvoir audiences in 2011 with its visceral power.

For Cowell, the opportunity to work with Cceres again is a no-brainer. If Im going to stand up for 50 shows I want to make it worth my while and I know if I work with Leticia well be saying something and Ill be pushed as an actor and itll be worth turning up every night and itll be worth it for the audience as well.

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