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THE GTM 2017 LINE UP
HAS JUST DROPPED AND
BY GOLLY
We know, we get it. Canberra is
the “bush capital” of Australia.
That sometimes puts us at the
The views and butt of every joke ... or at least,
opinions expressed every joke about Canberra.
But there’s one thing we’ve got
in this magazine going for us that those city
perfectly represent slickers up in Sydney will never
those of everyone, have: Groovin the Moo (or GTM,
if you like). Yeah, that’s right,
everywhere you Sydneysiders. You’re jelly;
#490Feb/Mar we can smell the envy from
all the way down here ... also,
please come and visit us.
Fax: (02) 6257 4361
Now in its 13th year, GTM
Mail: PO Box 713
brings the party to you for a
Civic Square, ACT 2608 full day of incredible music and
Publisher seriously fun times. Touting
itself as Australia’s definitive
Allan Sko “regional music festival”, GTM is
General Manager the perfect way to get to know
Canberra with your mates.
Allan Sko
There’s plenty to experience
T: (02) 6257 4360 on the way here, and once
E: advertising@bmamag.com here you can indulge in what
makes GTM and Canberra
Editor special – a combination of our
Andrew Nardi community, artists, local food
and beverages.
T: (02) 6257 4456
E: editorial@bmamag.com For everyone who already lives
in Canberra, well, you already
Accounts Manager know why we’re great. The real
question is: who’s comin’? Well
Ashish Doshi
the line-up ain’t too shabby at
T: (02) 6247 4816 all ... actually, you could say it’s
E: accounts@bmamag.com very quality indeed.
Sub-Editor The line-up for GTM 2017
welcomes a huuuuuuuge
Sarah Naughton
contingent of some of our
Graphic Design country’s finest – just look at
Andrew Nardi the triple j Hottest 100 results!
Taking to our stages will be
Cover photo by Amy Shark (#2 ‘Adore’), Tash
Sultana (#3 ‘Jungle’ and #32
Martin Ollman
‘Notion’), The Smith Street
Entertainment Guide Band (#21 ‘Death To The Lads’),
Montaigne (#25 ‘Because I Love
Nicola Sheville
You’) and GTM alumni Violent
NEXT ISSUE 491 OUT March 14
EDITORIAL DEADLINE March 2 Soho (#14 ‘Viceroy’ plus four
other tracks!), who will close
ADVERTISING DEADLINE March 8
the outdoor stages in true “Hell
Published by Radar Media Pty Ltd
Fuck Yeah!” style.
ABN 76 097 301 730
BMA Magazine is independently owned This year, GTM will also host a
and published. Opinions expressed bunch of incredible artists from
in BMA Magazine are not necessarily
overseas. There’s a huge variety
those of the editor, publisher or staff.
on offer; from The Darkness
(UK) who will bring their
relentless mix of riffarama and
effortless haute couture, to
21-year-old emcee Loyle Carner
(UK) who is heading down under
12
for the first time. Milky Chance
(GER) will travel with a stack
of tracks from their soon to
be released album, Blossom
including current smash single
‘Cocoon’ (#12 Hottest 100).
Returning to the GTM tour
for the 2nd time are our good
friends The Wombats (UK),
who will be calling on you to
help them celebrate their 10th
anniversary.
Steve Halpin of Cattleyard
Promotions said, “We’re thrilled
with our line-up for 2017. It’s
a mixture of established,
nostalgic and breaking artists
and we think there’s something
there for everyone. And, as
always, it’s so great to be
working alongside each of our
six beloved regions to deliver a
diverse range of local delights
at every show.”
Groovin The Moo comes to
the University of Canberra
Meadows on Sunday May 7.
Tickets are now on sale
via Moshtix.
HELP MENSLINK RAISE
FUNDS AND AWARENESS
AT CANBERRA EVENTS
Local young men’s support
foundation Menslink have a
busy couple of months coming
up and could really do with
your help promoting the work
they do around Canberra and
helping them raise valuable
funds to continue providing free
services supporting young men
and their families.
Can you help out at one of the
three events coming up? They’ll
only need you for a few hours
(or more if you want!).
– Menslink will be at the
National Multicultural Festival
again this year and would
love your support! As I’m sure
you’re all aware, the National
Multicultural Festival is a
weekend full of great food and
music in the heart of Canberra.
This unmissable event is also a
major fundraiser for Menslink
and they are looking for as many
volunteers as possible to help.
They would love your help
handing out wristbands,
information cards and asking
for donations. They will
provide you with the bucket,
the handouts, a very attractive
t-shirt and a healthy dose of
feeling good about helping
Menslink. They have shifts
available on Friday night, as
well as Saturday day and night,
February 17–18.
– Menslink is proud to again be
associated with the Canberra
Raiders for 2017. On Saturday
March 11, Menslink will be at
GIO Stadium rattling buckets
to raise vital funds to continue
to support the young men of
Canberra. A grand final rematch,
so it is sure to be a fantastic
game! Volunteers will be able
to watch the Raiders vs. Sharks
game in full and have free
access to public transport to
get to and from the game. With
kick off at 7:30pm, it would be
great to have volunteers from
3:30pm to catch the crowds as
they enter the stadium.
– Handmade Canberra are
once again putting their
support behind Menslink at
their first market for 2017.
Menslink volunteers will be the
door greeters for this event,
collecting a gold coin donation
as people arrive. There will be
four volunteer shifts over the
weekend of March 18–19.
If you can help, please email
rebecca@menslink.org.au.
LOCAL PRODUCER TOYO
MAKES HIS MARK ON
AUSTRALIAN HISTORY
On Thursday January 26,
local producer TOYO (a.k.a.
Jarrod Bartlett) played at the
Australian of the Year Awards.
This is absolutely newsworthy,
because get this: he also
became the first person to ever
play amplified music in the new
Parliament House marble foyer.
The first song he played was
also one of his own, ‘Wilderness’,
which is currently unreleased.
Not bad for an up and coming
local, huh?
TOYO’s single ‘Wonderlust’
came in at #18 on BMA
Magazine’s Top 50 Canberra
songs of 2016. If you ever
needed a reason to check out
some local electronic talent,
now you’ve got it. Acquaint
yourself with his productions
and remixes at soundcloud.
com/toyomusic.
@bmamag
FROM THE
BOSSMAN Oh, well if it isn’t the peacock boy again. Come in to tell everyone
What Becomes of The Broken Hearted? (Spoiler: It Works Out
For The Best) about your little magazine, have ya? Real proud of your 64
pages of toilet paper, are ya?
Regular readers (or at least the ones who read last issue’s
column) will know I have been busting out the Honesty Electron Hey man, don’t be a dick. I don’t see you contributing to local
Pack of late and “crossing the streams” by sharing things a media. Show a little respect.
Publisher perhaps shouldn’t share in a public forum. And yeah, this mag’s a little smaller than previous ones. But you
As such, last issue I detailed in depth my path to the break up of can’t argue 64 is not a good number. It was the year The Rolling
my marriage. To those who may have scandalously missed said Stones debuted, it’s the number of bits in a Nintendo 64, it’s the
column, allow me to catch you up in two words: “Me dumb”. total number of squares on a chess board, and it’s the first whole
number that’s both a perfect square and a perfect cube.
Since then, I have found myself thrust (#phrasing) back into the
giddy world of “dating” (as I believe the kids these days say) and Anyway, our regular readers may notice that a few columns are
I report back from the field with thus: missing from this mag. We don’t have any film reviews, for one,
and we don’t have a Realness column either. That’s because we’re
Three months; three heartbreaks. currently in the process of handing over the film section to a new
film editor. As for the hip-hop column, our friend Brady McMullen
I really need to buy some mints.
has taken off for the big smoke, so we’re currently looking for a
I know, I know. You’re probably there thinking, “Cripes, Allan!” new hip-hop maestro to keep locals informed. If you or one of
(Well, you’re probably not thinking “cripes”. No one says cripes your mates likes to keep up with the local hip-hop scene, drop me
except me. Possibly one of the reasons I keep getting broken up a line at my email address below.
with...). Sorry, that was a long parenthesis, and I’ve somewhat
In the interim you’d be a fool not to get amongst local events like
distracted myself. Where was I? Oh yes! What you’re possibly
Wind It Up, Canberra Fringe, Art, Not Apart and the Multicultural
thinking. Ahem:
Festival, which are all taking place over the next month!
“Cripes, Allan! AGAIN with over-sharey, sadsack, honest crap?”
ANDREW NARDI - editorial@bmamag.com
Well worry not, dear sweet beautiful reader. This is a positive
post, not a sad one, despite what the prior content and intention
of sharing would suggest.
Am I in pain? Am I sad?
Of course I am. I’m a human person, not a psychopath. If I wasn’t
sad, I’d be worried.
But increasingly I recognise pain (emotional pain, that is) as
being an absence of something that was once good; a deviation
from a hopeful expectation.
So, in my cognitive dissonance – whilst I am sad, I am also happy.
Because this pain is a representation, and signifier, of the happy,
beautiful, wonderful time I had leading up to this point, for
which I shall be eternally grateful.
And it reminds and educates me that in the quest to be A
Better Person, there are stumbling blocks, and I’m still learning.
Ooooooo boy, am I still learning.
So find someone you love and give them a hug, y’all. Life can
suck at times, but it doesn’t mean it’s not great if you seek it.
ALLAN SKO - allan@bmamag.com

facebook.com/bmamagazine 13
 SUN-DOWN GET-DOWN Sun-Down Get-Down is a garden get-down in Gorman Arts Centre’s
WHAT: MINI-FESTIVAL beautiful courtyards, and it’s for the whole community! Featuring
WHEN: FRI FEB 24 Canberra’s finest purveyors of disco, funk and soul, you’ll also be there
for the launch of Ainslie + Gorman’s 2017 program. There’s going to be
WHERE: GORMAN
music from Playful Sound, Not Quite Disco, Sardines and
ARTS CENTRE
Mixtape Chorus. There’ll also be some interactive art and installations
on show, as well as beer from Pact Beer Co, specially created cocktails
from Mint Garden Bar and delicious eats from The Forage. Starts at
6pm (when it’s cool), and it’s totally free!

WHO: DOG TRUMPET Reg and Peter make up Dog Trumpet, and they’re also former
WHAT: TOUR members of iconic ARIA award-winning and Hall of Fame band,
WHEN: FRI FEB 24 Mental As Anything. The brothers have toured for over three
decades. Their latest album Medicated Spirits is full of wit, surprise
WHERE: POLISH WHITE
and warmth. It continues their sonic alchemy of psychedelic folk,
EAGLE CLUB
country and abstract blues, driven by Reg’s distinctive slide guitar and
Peter’s melodic acoustic guitar and mandolin. Catch songs from their
extensive catalogue, as well as Bernie Hayes on support. Starts at
8pm. Tickets start at $25 through TryBooking.com.

WHO: JACK BIILMANN After months in the studio and constant touring, we’re finally getting
WHAT: ALBUM LAUNCH the highly anticipated second solo record from Jack Biilmann. Titled
Streams, it’s the product of Biilmann’s hard work over the last 18
WHEN: SAT FEB 25
months. Now a polished songwriter and a skilled performer, Biilmann
WHERE: UC REFECTORY ties in roots, blues, reggae and even a hint of country into a highly
creative and individual album. Catch his album launch at UC with
support from Moaning Lisa (in acoustic mode) and Sara Flint. Starts
at 8pm. Tickets are $18.40 on Oztix.

WHO: SLOW TURISMO Slow Turismo have got it going on. After twelve months of sold-out
WHAT: SINGLE LAUNCH hometown shows and recording, the Canberra quartet return with
WHEN: FRI MAR 10 a slice of innovative indie rock in the form of a brand new single, the
Benjamin Woolner (SAFIA)-produced ‘You Were Dead’. With a live
WHERE: POLISH WHITE
show meticulously polished to a gleam via support slots with Holy
EAGLE CLUB
Holy, Client Liaison, Saskwatch and SAFIA, this is a band poised for
a spectacular return to form. Catch their fresh take on indie rock
at the Polish Club on Friday March 10. Starts at 8pm, tickets and
supports TBA.

WHO: MY DAD & I
WHAT: SINGLE LAUNCH
WHEN: FRI MAR 10
WHERE: THE FRONT
GALLERY & CAFÉ
My Dad & I are locals Tess (17) and her dad, Cam. They are a mocktail
of vocal harmonies, wicked acoustic and electric guitar playing that
sit in a pocket like Ed Sheeran and Missy Higgins doing a concert
together! On the back of winning local original songwriting and
performance competitions, playing in festivals and wowing crowds,
they are set to release their debut single ‘If You Love’ at The Front.
It’s a single that draws you straight into a rollercoaster swirl of indie
pop deliciousness. Starts at 7pm. Entry is $10, and all proceeds are
going to gofundme.com/a-future-for-freyja.

WHO: ALESA LAJANA Alesa Lajana is an award-winning Australian singer-songwriter,

WHAT: TOUR
WHEN: SAT MAR 11
WHERE: THE STREET THEATRE
storyteller, guitarist and banjoist. For the last eight years, she
has travelled the dusty highways of Australia, collecting oral
histories of indigenous culture, as well as stories from post
European contact history, and setting them to music. Her new
album Frontier Lullaby is a collection of songs and stories from this
wild and epic adventure, leading listeners on a heartfelt journey
through shadowy chapters of Australian history. Her tour to The
Street Theatre will commence at 8pm. Tickets are $25 and can be
purchased via thestreet.org.au.

14 @bmamag
 TRANSIT BAR

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 If you’re feeling like a big night of rock, The Phoenix has you covered
on Saturday March 4, with The Undermines, The King Hits and The
Feldons all playing from 9pm. $10 will get you in the door.

LOCALITY
I’m not going to lie: Canberra Fringe is one of my favourite times
of year, and the local line-up this year is pretty damn brilliant. You
can get a taste of what it will bring at Smith’s Alternative on Friday
February 17 from 7pm, with one of Canberra’s favourite prodigal
sons, Mikelangelo, playing a solo set, alongside performances from
Melbourne’s Lisa Skye and Jess McKerlie. Tickets for that one
are $45. If you’re a bit short on cash, don’t worry! The festival has
a whole bunch of local artists on the bill that you can see for free,
including Drumassault, Positive Feedback Loop, The Fuelers, Mr
Tim and The Fuzzy Elbows, Reuben Ingall, Prom, Alice Cottee …
it’s basically a smorgasbord of awesome local talent. Just look for it
on London Circuit on Saturday February 18 from 10am.
I’m sure you’ve heard the news by now: The Phoenix has risen just
a little bit more, with half of “Old Phoenix” reopening a few weeks
back, which means a big dose of nostalgia, but more importantly,
more room for gigs! Speaking of which, their Bootleg Sessions on
Monday February 20 has a pretty sweet lineup, with sets from Slow
Turismo, Rebecca-Maree and Guyy. Entry is free, with the night
kicking off at 8pm.
Local hard rock dudes, Triumvirate are taking a break. (Seriously,
2017? You’re taking another act from us?) Before they disappear,
they’re having not one but two last hurrahs with Triumvirate’s
Pre-Hiatus Lamentations. The first outing is on Thursday February
16 at The Basement with a killer line up of The Ansah Brothers,
Northbourne Flats and Sally Jones. That one kicks off at 8pm and
will set you back $10. After that, they’re taking to Aviary Rooftop on
Saturday February 18 from 7:30pm, with Northbourne Flats, Sally
Jones and The Wumpaz. It’ll only cost you $5 to get into that one.
Finally, The Gypsy Scholars will be kicking off their 1960’s Tour
in support of their new single at The Phoenix on Friday March 3
from 9pm. They’ll be joined by Brother Be and Ben Kelly for what
promises to be a real jolly way to end the working week, and it’ll only
set you back $10 in door charge.
Take advantage of these last weeks of warmth and go out and catch
some local bands this month, before winter hits and all you want
to do is stay in and watch Netflix (like a coward, to borrow a turn of
phrase from Chris Endrey).
NONI DOLL
NONIJDOLL@GMAIL.COM
@NONIDOLL

If you’re feeling like a mixture of punk, country and a swag of other

genre influences all mixed into one, you should pop into Smith’s
Alternative on Saturday March 4 to catch Petre Out, as he launches
his debut EP. His set of songs about finding freedom in the mundane
will be supported by No Stars, Zoe Erskine and Bernie Slater. It
kicks off at 4pm and entry will set you back $10.

16 @bmamag
 to the good
ones.’ That’s That’s something
what I try to
think when I’m
that scares me: that
writing songs.” bit in between being
Despite
really shit and it being
this self- kind of endearing and
deprecating being good
attitude to
both his writing and playing, Pete says that he doesn’t “want to put

ROCKING THE SUBURBS

too much stock in being a low virtuosity player. I want to eventually
get good at it. Actually, that’s something that scares me: that bit in
between being really shit and it being kind of endearing and being
good enough for people to like it. That mediocre bit in the middle, I’m a
PETER KRBAVAC bit worried about.”
Pete Huet really is the model interview subject: he’ll come to you, Petre Out launches his debut 7” EP and zine at Smiths Alternative from 4pm on
record the interview on his own device and even hold the recorder Saturday March 4 with No Stars, Zoe Erskine and Bernie Slater.
for the duration of the chat. The former BMA columnist, erstwhile
Waterford bassist and current zine writer recently stepped out on his
own under the PETRE OUT banner and is preparing to release his first
solo offering, a self-titled 7” EP and companion zine.
In many ways, the Petre Out songs are a
natural extension of Pete’s zines, which
favour a personal focus and handmade, DIY
approach. “I did pozines, which by definition
are really personal,” Pete says. “That’s what
I grew up reading, Cometbus and Scam. The
songwriting’s very much the same thing.
It’s solipsistic but I find that kind of
stuff therapeutic.”
While many of the Petre Out tunes ruminate
on aging, Pete identifies the common
thread as “getting well” which, for him, was
a by-product of getting older. “I now live
in the suburbs,” he says. “I have an office
job. I have a partner and a kid and a couple
of dogs, all the things that the punk in me
thought meant life was over. Paradoxically,
it’s liberated me from the depression and
self-obsession of being young.”
“My idea of freedom was freedom from
responsibility,” he continues. “I guess why
anyone gets into punk is they feel that
they don’t fit in. They look at people who
are normal, go to uni then get a job and go,
‘How the fuck does that happen?’ and then
the reactive, ‘Why the fuck would you do
that?’ Now I don’t have to worry about what
I’m supposed to do anymore. I’m supposed
to look after the kid. It’s not that whole
existential thing of being in your twenties,
which I didn’t really enjoy much.”
While Pete lists The Lucksmiths and
Weakerthans frontman John K Samson as
major influences on his music, the real spark
of inspiration came, funnily enough, from
a scene in an Eagles documentary where
the band’s late guitarist Glen Fry recalled
playing with Bob Seeger. “Bob Seeger said,
‘You should write your own songs’, and Glen
said, ‘Oh, they’re going to be shit’, and Bob
Seeger said, ‘Of course they’re going to be
shit. You’ve got to write the shit ones to get

facebook.com/bmamagazine 17
 NICOTINE
VALIUM
VICODIN
MARIJUANA
ECSTASY AND
OLIVERI
THOMAS SPILLANE
NICK OLIVERI is one of the busiest musicians in rock, and he still … when offers like that come in, especially for Australia, you jump
just does it for the love of heavy music. His career began as a at the chance,” Oliveri says. “I’ve never had any trouble in your fine
founding member of influential stoner rock band Kyuss, playing country except for a good time … I come to bring love and rock,
on legendary albums Wretch and Blues For The Red Sun. This then that’s the goodness!”
led to him being a founding member of Queens of the Stone Age The most commercially successful band Oliveri has been a part of
(QOTSA) with Kyuss bandmate Josh Homme. Although these two is without a doubt QOTSA. He played bass and contributed vocals
projects are the most recognised of his canon, Oliveri has been on two of the band’s biggest albums, Rated R and Songs For The
playing non-stop around them. “I’ve never done anything I wasn’t Deaf (arguably their magnum opus). Oliveri was fired from QOTSA
proud of, as far as music goes,” Oliveri says, when talking about his after the release of the latter and, as is typical with matters such
musical output and contribution, “I’ve always stayed true to music, as these, the story changes depending on who you ask. When
so I could travel all around and bring music with me that I can hold Oliveri talks about his time in QOTSA he does so without anger
my head up high about.” and bitterness. Instead, a tone of regrettable acceptance comes
This attitude towards making music can be seen evidently in the through in Oliveri’s story. When he reminisces on his time spent in
release of Oliveri’s new compilation album, N.O. Hits At All Vol. 1. The the band he built with vocalist/guitarist, Josh Homme, he talks with
album is the first of a six-volume vinyl series the bass player plans a fondness of good memories with his friend.
to release, consisting of songs pulled together from all ventures “I like the old stuff … what I brought to
of Oliveri’s career. The tunes will range
from being recorded in a garage, to I like the old stuff … wh at it was some heaviness, and Josh used to
play really heavy. Arguably people are
the studio and from the vault, to some I brought to [Queens of saying he’s not heavy anymore,” Oliveri
already released material. The idea the Stone Age] was some says, “I always stick up for him saying:
is to put the best of what Oliveri has
done in the same place for everyone to
heaviness ‘yeah he can’ but I’m starting to believe
them now these days, and it’s a shame
access. “It’s all different bands with me because Josh is a friend of mine, regardless of what’s happened
singing lead vocals on it, some of them are covers, some of them … I stick up for his ass.” Oliveri and Homme have been friends
are really bad recordings, really whatever I have,” Oliveri says of the since high school and were bandmates in Kyuss before QOTSA was
compilation, “some of these you guys have never really heard, ever formed. The sound they pioneered in the desert rock band was
… it’s a cool platform to release cool stuff that I’ve done.” not so popular at the time, but has since become very influential,
Oliveri has played in many different styles of rock with various influencing the sound of the first few QOTSA albums. While some
outfits, but they have all been unmistakably heavy and his. The former members of Kyuss disagree with the “stoner rock” label that
Dwarves saw the bass player focusing on punk rock, Kyuss have has been associated with their band since its disbandment, Oliveri
become renowned for trippy stoner rock jams, Oliveri-era QOTSA has nothing but gratitude and support for it.
is famous for their marriage of heavy and slick music, and Mondo “I’m very proud of the Kyuss recognition we’ve gotten, and very
Generator combines Kyuss’ stoner sound with The Dwarves’ proud of my past as music goes … better late than never.” Oliveri
urgency. The most radical act Oliveri has played in is probably the muses, “if they want to give it a name and call it stoner rock and say
one he is coming to Australia with: Death Acoustic. that we helped start it then … I’m in.” A pure, punk rock attitude
A similar idea to N.O. Hits At All in the sense of gathering material, unapologetically emanates from Oliveri, which compliments the
Oliveri’s Death Acoustic album and show consist of acoustic covers music he has made. He plays music for a job, but not for riches and
of tracks he has featured on, and those of bands he likes. Despite glory. It is evident that Oliveri is grateful for the fact that he can
featuring solely acoustic instruments, Death Acoustic still contains get by doing what he loves. Through his music and the way he talks,
an element of heaviness that is signature to Oliveri. The stoner Oliveri is always unmistakably himself, for better or for worse.
rock icon will be coming to Australia throughout March and April Nick Oliveri plays at Transit Bar on Friday March 24. Support from Blue Sky
as a part of the Mojo Burning Festival. “The good people at Beats Circus, Signs and Symbols, Renegade Peacock. Tickets are $25 + bf
Cartel asked me if I wanted to play Mojo Burning Festival, acoustic at Moshtix.

18 @bmamag
facebook.com/bmamagazine 19
 STILL BUZZIN’
JESSICA CONWAY
2017 is going to be a big year for hip-hop EDM luminaries, HERMITUDE
– I can just feel it. The Sydney-based duo spent the last year tearing
through the US, winning over yanks from coast to coast with their
critically acclaimed tunes. “Americans really get into their music
hard, you know? Getting over there and getting amongst it, it was
just a killer year,” half of the dynamic duo Angus Stuart (a.k.a. Elgusto)
enthused over the phone. But now Stuart and Luke Dubber (a.k.a.
Luke Dubs) are back to their Sydney studio, fleshing out beats and
preparing to drop more bangers on our eager ears. “We have a lot of
rough sketches of song ideas we’ve written all over the world, while
sitting on our laptops in airports and on planes, so now we’re taking all
of that back into our studio to flesh it out.”
So when can
We’re neighbours we wrap our

– you gotta have ears around

neighbourly love
their latest
offerings?
SOON! AND
FOR FREEEEE! The pair are taking the stage as part of the Australian
Surfing Open in Manly, (how’s that for an excuse for a road trip and
some beach rays?!). Sweetening the deal, not only will there be pro-
surfing and live music but also a global skate and BMX tour. Despite
dabbling in BMX in his youth, Stuart is unlikely to go pedal-to-pedal
with the pros this year. “I was a grommet in my teens and it was really
fun. I only stopped because I was getting into music and I didn’t want
to break my wrists in some horror stack,” Stuart recalled. “I think I’ll
leave it to the pros, watch them do their work, admire it from afar and
save myself any embarrassment!”
We digress, back to the music…
“We’re doing this thing where we are playing a lot of live instruments,
then sampling ourselves, and chopping that up. I’m a drummer, Luke’s
a piano player and we have some crazily talented friends, so we’ve
been jamming, taking that jam, pulling it apart, and getting the best
bits out of it.” It’s still early days in the album development process,
with Stuart keeping his cards close to his chest. “We’ve got a couple
of remixes on the boil, but nothing I can speak of publicly, and it’s too
soon to think collabs – we’re just writing the tracks and then once
that’s sorted we’ll look at who we might want to work with.”
What a tease.
One promise that could be made is that the ACT will definitely be
on the tour agenda (whenever that may be). “Last time we were in
Canberra was for the Spilt Milk festival. We had a ball, huge crowd and
incredible energy, and then we went out afterwards and had a really
fun night! You could call me a bit of a Canberra ambassador after that!
I mean why not, we’re neighbours – you gotta have neighbourly love.”
PREACH.
Make the trip to see Hermitude at the Australian Open of Surfing in Manly on
Sat–Sun March 4–5. Visit australianopenofsurfing.com for more info.

20 @bmamag
 AD SPACE

YOUR NEW FAVOURITE CHANNEL

LUCINDA NAUGHTON
The alt-soul, instrumental outfit THE CACTUS CHANNEL are coming
to Transit Bar! The band are keen for their upcoming tour as they are
showcasing their new collaboration with SAM CROMACK (Ball Park
Music and My Own Pet Radio). “I’d been a huge fan of Ball Park Music,”
explains Lewis Coleman (guitarist and occasional vocalist of The
Cactus Channel). “I went to see their album launch and came home
feeling like – oh man that was such a good gig, I want to message this
guy … I was googling and I came across this article and he’d listed us
as one of the people he was listening to and it was a very surreal thing
– like I was googling this guy and then he mentioned us!” Coleman
muses that he, “subtly wove that into the message” he then sent to
Cromack and things kicked off from there. The Melbourne-based,
seven-piece band is now set to release their EP with Cromack on
vocals in April, through Hope Street Recordings. ‘Sorry Hills’ is the
first experience of the collaboration, which came out Friday
February 10.
The band formed in
[Sam Cromack] Princes Hill High School;
fitted into the the members bonded

whole puzzle of us
over approaching the
funk and soul scene
with a different take. As
Coleman describes, “I think we got a kick out of learning the nuances
of that kind of genre of music and then expanding on that. I think
there’s a subtle kind of uniqueness of it to us, even though it’s not
necessarily like super weird, unique music – we were drawn to it in JULES
that way.”
After their successful partnership with Nick Murphy (f.k.a. Chet Faker)
GILCHRIST
on ‘Kill the Doubt’, the group was eager for future collaborations.
Working with Cromack was fluid and fun, as Coleman explains, “He
RECORD FAIR
fitted into the whole puzzle of us … You assume there’re things you
need to navigate when there’s someone new who you’re working
with. But it was just really easy.” From their first rehearsal in Brisbane,
where Cromack is based, they could already tell there was something
there. Coleman explains, “I wasn’t super sure what to expect – [but] he
just approached the kind of lyrical and melodic writing like another
part in the arrangement and was singing stuff over it that really fitted
… We came away confident that we could make something solid.”
The Cactus Channel tour in February (without Cromack) and play at
Transit Bar on Thursday February 23. They will, however, be playing
some of their newly collaborated songs, Coleman joking that, “For
now, you’re stuck with my voice.” The group is looking forward to
gauging reactions to their newest collaboration, as Coleman declares,
“I hope people like it … Sam is just a really nice guy and it’s been
fantastic to work with him … I feel like we’ve made a friend out of it.”
The Cactus Channel will drop by Transit Bar on Thursday February 23 at 8pm.
Supported by Los Chavos. Tickets are $11.70 + bf through Moshtix.

facebook.com/bmamagazine 21
 AD SPACE
DANCE
THE DROP
I just got back from Rainbow Serpent Festival in Victoria. It’s one
of Australia’s very best festivals – expertly organised and run, with
so much attention given to very small details, going far beyond just
the big stages and even bigger acts. One thing I did notice however,
besides the fabulous people in their most colourful costumes, was
the amount of ravers who looked after their hearing. Everywhere
you looked people were wearing earplugs!
One of the unfortunate (and ironic) side-effects of being a dedicated
party-goer, is the dangerous impact that exposure to amplified
music can have on your hearing. Constantly loud decibels of sound
hammering your ears over a long period of time does shocking
things to them, and if not taken under control – you will go deaf.
Tinnitus is that horrible ringing you get in your ears when you get
home from a gig, but permanent – a constant hum that never goes
away. Stress can make it worse, but once it’s there it doesn’t really
go away. After a particularly loud dubstep gig in 2010 in Manchester,
I found I had a slight hum that I could hear when it was really quiet at
night – something that comes and goes, but has never truly left.
Back in Canberra I invested in some proper professional earplugs –
the best $200 I ever spent. Moulded to your ears, they don’t muffle
the frequencies, just reduce the volume. But more than protecting
your ears, they allow you to stay longer at a gig. Loud noise can wear
you out, and whether you’re a DJ or clubber, you’ll be able to party
until dawn way more easily with some earplugs. Even if you don’t
want to splash out on the expensive pair, spend $20 at Better Music
and get some musician’s ear plugs – they do the pretty much same
AD SPACE thing, but take a little more adjusting to. Either way, protect your
hearing and you’ll have more time to enjoy the sweet gigs on offer
this month in Canberra.
First up this Friday February 17 is Spice Warehouse featuring
Sydney’s Robbie Lowe, Murat Kilic and a host of local legends
(including yours truly) – tickets available online at Resident Advisor
and on the door – the techno goes from dusk until dawn, BYO. If
you prefer your disco, Pickle is presenting an all-night shindig as
well, with Hashman Deejay and PLO Man – also BYO and tickets
at Resident Advisor. Also that night, Motez returns to Mr Wolf for
some house music. Saturday March 18, Gay Cliché returns to Transit
– as usual they’ll be donating 50% of proceeds to a worthy LGBTI
cause, this time Safe Schools ACT, which does awesome work for
addressing homophobia in schools.
Academy has some big nights coming up this month, with party boys
Bombs Away on Friday February 24, while on Friday March 3 it’s one
of their biggest gigs this year, with trance superstar Markus Schultz
coming in from the USA for Trance Capital! On Saturday March 4,
Wind It Up presents the Verity Lane Party – with not only a dance
party featuring Wax’o Paradiso (MELB), Lauren Hansom (SYD)
and Gate Five, but some industry workshops that weekend as well,
discussing music production and promotion. Enjoy the dancefloor,
and be sure to protect your ears.
PETER ‘KAZUKI’ O’ROURKE
contact@kazuki.com.au

22 @bmamag
ANDREW NARDI
You don’t have to look far to see where Canberra’s dance music
and DJing scenes are growing. We clubbers in the capital have
for years kept our ears close to Box Cutter, Pickle, Department
of Late Nights and uniVibes to know where the party’s at. These
event organisers (or ‘party people’, to use the technical term)
are committed to hosting fresh talent, showcasing the best in
underground dance music and putting on a good night; they keep
it about the music and shun the sexist booze culture that can
sometimes infiltrate more mainstream events.
As Canberra’s dance scene continues to grow however, we have
a responsibility to ensure that we keep the momentum, that the
scene won’t wither and fall flat during the winter months and that
we’re consistently welcoming new promoters and DJs to cater to
every genre niche. Where can we direct aspiring event organisers
and disc jockeys to get in touch with the key players in Canberran
dance music? How do you even throw a
Especially in the
party in the first place?
Enter WIND IT UP. It’s a two-day Canberra scene, we’re
dance music festival set to take over
really focusing on
gender equality in DJing
Canberra’s CBD, bringing in local and
interstate performers and industry
insiders for a weekend of workshops,
discussion panels and parties. Attendees can expect inside info on
the art of DJing, event photography, promo for your next party and
best of all, an insight into Canberra’s unique and evolving
dance scene.
“We want to help people who want to put on events, or people
who like partying, to get on the other side of the party.” That’s
Isaac Dugdale, Wind It Up’s founder. The recipient of an In The City
grant, Isaac is putting on Wind It Up to help grow the Canberra
scene, or as he puts it, “contribute to the nightlife scene.”
For a city that cops so much flak for its nightlife, Isaac is
committed to building on Canberra’s strengths. “The difference
between Canberra and Sydney is super striking, for promoters, DJs
and clubbers,” he explains, noting that Canberra’s relaxed stance
towards its nightlife is a strength rather than a weakness. “There’s
less aggression; it’s a much nicer, more chilled out attitude. Putting
on gigs in Sydney is really hard because the political climate over
the whole state is pretty anti-party at the moment. And venues are
often really expensive to book, whereas in Canberra, you can start
your own thing a lot easier, because there’s a lot more room to get
things going.”
Even Canberra’s DJing community is starting to rival the other
cities’. Isaac says we have a tight-knit group that isn’t afraid
to welcome in newcomers and give everyone a go. “It’s a very
cooperative rather than a competitive scene. Even if people are
putting on parties on the same night, there’s never any anger
or beef with that,” he says. “What I really like, especially in the
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Canberra scene, is that we’re really focusing on gender equality in
DJing. All the promoters for major parties in Canberra are focused
on not having all-male line-ups and creating a more gender
inclusive scene.”
It’s for that reason that Wind It Up will emphasise the importance
of feminism and inclusive attitudes in Canberra’s dance scene
with a discussion panel about gender issues in club culture. Isaac
says this panel will set the overall tone of Wind It Up. “Going
clubbing, especially when I’d just turned 18 and was just hitting up
mainstream clubs, the culture in there was just really confronting,”
he says. “As soon as you get into a club and these dudes are all
drunk, they seem to have absolutely no problem grinding on
girls from behind without asking them if that’s okay. It creates
an environment that’s really unpleasant for guys and girls … it
shouldn’t be normal.”
“When I started going to the more
underground parties like the Box Cutter
parties, it was so refreshing to not
have to feel the pressure to be a gross
dude and hit on people … The vibe at
those parties is so much better because
people can dance by themselves and not
turn away guys every five minutes.”
With Wind It Up, Isaac wants to encourage event promoters to
counter this sexist culture; they’re even setting an example at
their own parties over the weekend. “We’ll have a text-in line,
which is something that we’ve seen in Melbourne’s Cool Room
series. We’ll post a phone number on our Facebook page and put
up signs around the event, saying if you see anything [that makes
you feel uncomfortable], just text it in to this line. Then we’ll send
in volunteers or security, depending on the situation, to make sure
that people are not doing things they shouldn’t be doing.”
As for the parties themselves, Isaac says the Saturday night in
Verity Lane will be an opportunity for aspiring producers, DJs and
promoters to meet industry insiders on the lookout for new people
to know. It will also be a chance to get down to some underground
tunes from outside the mainstream. “Earlier in the night, it’ll be
disco and disco-influencing stuff like soul, funk and afrobeat. As
the night progresses, we’ll go heavier and harder, it’ll be house and
techno … It’s going to be something Canberra doesn’t see very
often and will be a really good, big party.”
Wind It Up takes place in various locations around the CBD, Fri–Sat March
3–4. Tickets are $10 for a two-day workshop pass, $10 for the Friday Night
Party at Suke Suke and $10 for the Saturday Night Party at Verity Lane.
There will also be a record fair at Garema Place on Friday March 3 from
12pm-6pm. Tickets are 16+ and available from winditupcbr.com.
23
 METALISE
Thrash! Blast! Grind!, the festival brainchild of one Youngy of
headliners King Parrot, hits The Basement the day this issue hits
the streets – Wednesday February 15. So I hope y’all can read this
at the show also featuring the wonders of Psycroptic, Revocation,
Whoretopsy and Black Rheno. It’s a great bill and it’s a smart move
for me on Youngy’s behalf to feature a strong line up of domestic
and foreign produce to give it a chance to build and grow. I wish him
all the best and offer only my strongest encouragement for you all
to attend.
Blackie from the Hard Ons recorded and released a song EVERY
DAY in 2016, including a cover on January 1, 2017! It’s like the greatest
arting achievement that ever arted! I’m not sure he will be able
to do all of that material in his set at Smith’s Alternative, also on
Wednesday February 15, but you should always go to see him.
While on the strong encouragement for you guys to go out on a
Wednesday night, the best way to deal with the mid-week hangover
is to back up on Thursday night at the Transit Bar with 80’s gods
D.R.I., who play their first show since 1987 at the Old Canberra Inn.
I think we can rest assured that the Thursday February 16 show
with Wolfpack, The Vee Bees and Kid Presentable won’t go down
with the infamy that their last show did – descending into a massive
all-in brawl with some unwanted skinheads who showed up and
then passed into Canberra gig folklore (check out the Massappeal
reissues who supported that night; some of the fracas is on the live
recording). If you like your tunes fast and furious, it’s a must-see
show – if you’re gonna “couch slouch”, then “fuck off”.
“Front loading” this issue’s gig news is that following Wednesday and
Thursday nights’ big touring action, Friday February 17 and Saturday
18 are just a cavalcade of local favourites for the tenth anniversary
Shananigans event at The Basement. There’s too much to cover
this issue to go through the whole line-up again, but it’s headed
by Frankenbok on Friday and Insurge on Saturday. You can get a
Moshtix ticket for $28.60 for a single night or $54.21 for both. Huge
celebration of local talent and kudos and congratulations to the
team on their decade. Bravo.
Frozen Planet…1969 are a unique act comprising of the Attards
from Sydney stoner band Mother Mars and local bass lord Lachlan
Paine from Looking Glass. Their fourth album Electric Smokehouse
came out through Bandcamp on January 11 and is a great piece
of psychedelic instrumental experimentation. Every show the
band does is unique as the entire performance is an improvised
performance of top flight musicians and more than worth your
attention. There will be a show in the near future, but check the
album ASAP. Melodic heavy lads Twelve Foot Ninja from Melbourne
will be at the Basement on Wednesday March 8.
So Superheist didn’t have the greatest start to 2017. A flurry of
social media activity saw recent addition, drummer Bennie Clark
and Drew Dedman, out of the band; all this a week out from a 20-
date national tour. Somehow in less than seven days they have a new
touring line-up featuring former bassist Si Durrant (ex In:Extremis
for the oldies), whom Dedman replaced 17 years ago. Also joining the
fold is John Sankey, the man behind organising the Legion festival
after Soundwave collapsed under its own weight. There’s two sides
to this story that are yet to come out, but the band will be back this
year and their tour continues.
JOSH NIXON
doomtildeath@hotmail.com
24
INSANE IN THE MEMBRANE
JOSH NIXON
MENTAL CAVITY comprises of three local musicians and one ex-
patriot by way of Melbourne-Canberra. All four have made significant
contributions to heavy music here in the capital since taking their
first musical actions. The rhythm section is made up of long-time
collaborators Alex Young (bass, vocals) and Simon Murphy (drums),
who have been making music together for well over ten years with
bands like Hard Luck and A Stab in the Dark. The twin guitar assault
comes from Canberra musician Rohan Todd, who has been working
on a myriad of projects from hardcore to eclectic blends of black
metal; and Aaron Osborne, Melbourne resident, but still a Canberra
boy at heart. Aaron started out life as a drummer with stints in acts as
diverse as Reign of Terror to Slow Burn, before moving to guitar and
starting I Exist in 2008.
Todd is no stranger to working with the three I Exist alumni; he joined
as a touring member for the 2013 European tour, which took in 30
shows all over England and the continent. In addition to being long-
time friends, the four enjoyed a pretty intuitive musical relationship
from the outset of this project. The fact that the band only started
writing in Autumn last year and have already dropped an eight track-
EP is a strong sign that the partnership is already bearing fruit. The
band blend a hearty hats-off to early 90s death metal influences, from
that Sunlight Studio’s sound championed by bands like Entombed and
Grave, but with a little bit more subtlety than the buzz saw HM-2 tone
of the forebears. Still, the influence is there to be heard, while the
drums and vocal delivery lend a more modern hardcore style.
Vocally, Young inflects enough melody and variation by Osborne
and himself swapping lines to keep it interesting. The result is an
aggressive heavy blend that will appeal to fans of slightly crusty
influenced hardcore, with a good does of riff heavy death metal
that is more Sunlight Studios’ influenced than Gothenburg polish.
Alex elaborated, “We had a really productive start and writing has
just come really quickly and easily. We were all keen to seize the
moment so we got some time at The Black Lodge and MTD Studios
in Melbourne with Mike Deslandes.” Deslandes is the guitarist for
Melbourne band High Tension, whom also have ex-Canberra vocalist
Karina Utomo in their ranks. “Working with Mike was amazing, he has
worked with everyone from Cosmic Psychos to Hoodlum Shouts. He
has also worked with bands like COLOSSVS and High Tension, so after
sending him some demos he had some good ideas.” The self-titled EP
was dropped on Bandcamp on January 10.
More live shows will follow, but the focus for this year is making more
music and recording a full-length to be released hopefully by the end
of the year. “We wrote the EP quickly, but the songs are all very short,
direct, heavy and simple. Rohan has been writing a lot more material
and the direction is heading into more complex and technical parts
from him, with Aaron and I balancing with straighter rhythms to help
bring it out with a solid contrast. We are definitely going to go back
down and do the next one with Mike again as it was so good and easy
to work with him, and we are really happy with the result.”
The result is well worth a listen and you can catch the guys’ first Canberra show
at The Basement on Friday March 3 with Agency, Slave Birth and Panic Burst.
Starts at 8pm, $10 on the door.
@bmamag
facebook.com/bmamagazine 25
 like discovering fresh, spicy, local talent (and why wouldn’t you), get
down there.
On Friday March 3, the Pheeno is hosting The Gypsy Scholars –
indie roots rock reminiscent of bands like Credence Clearwater
Revival. Supporting them will be Brother Be and Ben Kelly.
The night after, a couple of personal favourites are playing; The
Undermines – ultimate purveyors of dad rock – with The King Hits
and The Feldons. Come down and have a few, it’ll be a ripper.
Hey, how are ya. It’s the second column of 2017, and it’s shaping
up to be a great year for gigs and local music. Let’s start at The Next up, The Front. I only have one gig to shout out, but it’s about
Phoenix, shall we? First up we have local punk act Marlon Bando quality, not quantity. ampON, Marlon Bando, Teen Jesus and The
with Propeller and B.L.T on Thursday February 16. The following Jean Teasers and Bleach It Clean. Y’all know them. It’s a stellar line-
Monday 20 are the famous Phoenix Bootleg Sessions, featuring up (and just a gold coin donation to get in), so get in quick to make
indie rockers Slow Turismo with Rebecca-Maree and Guyy. The sure you’re not part of the crowd standing outside.
following Bootleg Sessions are taking place on Monday 27, and this
time will be presented by CIT. Acts include Naked Scientist, The Another show I’m particularly excited about is D.R.I. (Dirty Rotten
Treehouse Children, Wandering Ghosts and Zebra. So if you feel Imbeciles) with Wolfpack, Vee Bees and Kid Presentable (who
you may recognise from our list of Top 50 Canberra songs of 2016).
All you really need to know about
D.R.I. is that their site bio is written
in Comic Sans. The hardcore punk
thrash act has been playing since
the early 80s, and know how to put
on a show. Catch them at Transit on
Thursday February 16.
Last, but not least, The Basement
have two hectic shows coming up.
On Wednesday March 8, Twelve
Foot Ninja are playing. Nominated
for an ARIA Award for best hard
rock / heavy metal album, they also
played with Disturbed a couple of
months ago, whatever, no big deal,
it’s nothing. Nah but really, go see
them. I wouldn’t lead you astray.
Finally, on Saturday March 11,
The Basement are hosting the
Raucous Porpoise MS Festival
Fundraiser. Supporting a good
cause, listening to great artists, and
watching a few stand-up comics.
What’s not to love (apart from
the stand-up)? Catch Wretch, Ten
Years Too Late, Taliesin, Red aRjA,
Hence The Testbed, The Culture
Industry, Cockbelch, Lions of the
Underground, Dylan Hekimian,
Georgia Davis and John Wickham
play on what’s sure to be a hell of a
night. Give to charity, don’t be a c**t.
Also, one more shout out before
I leave you – Teen Jesus and the
Jean Teasers, up-and-coming punk
goddesses, have recorded their
first EP. You’ll be able to listen to
it very soon, and you absolutely
should, if you love yourself. That’s
all for now. I almost got through a
whole column without writing ‘c**t’.
Maybe next month.
ELEANOR HORN
e.trs.horn@gmail.com

26 @bmamag
TEAR IT
DOWN.
JARROD MCGRATH
“We do seem to have been in Canberra a bit lately,” explains
THE LIVING END bass player Scott Owen when discussing the
band’s touring. While we may be a little spoilt, no one should take
for granted the opportunity to see one of Australia’s premier live
acts, especially on this tour, titled Staring Down The Highway,
where The Living End will become one of the final acts to play at
ANU Bar before its closure.
“Aww what?! What a shame. I remember playing there many
years ago with Suicidal Tendencies. That was like 15 years ago or
something.” Thinking back on The Living End’s performance history
in Canberra, I reminded Owen that the ANU would become the
second Canberra venue they have played that will be torn down,
(the other being the Civic Youth Centre where I first saw them
supporting Millencolin and Bodyjar in 1997). “Oh Jesus it was that
long ago, I’m losing my memory with age.”
This set of regional shows will see the From
three Melbourne boys play at a list of beginnings back in the What’s it like looking back on their
smaller venues, and it will give fans the suburbs of Melbourne, early days and how far they’ve come
opportunity to experience the band in
some of their most intimate shows in
this is a big box ticker since
years. “We haven’t done a big regional tour
like this for a long time,” Owen explains. “We’re looking at it as an
opportunity to play songs off the new record because people seem
to be digging it and wanting to hear them. We also like to play the
old favourites, the singles from the back catalogue, so it will be a
mixed bag.”
This tour will be an opportunity for the band to showcase their
2016 release Shift, an album that demonstrates the band is
maintaining their high-octane energy as their career progresses.
However, the recording process for this album was quite different
from their other releases. “When we made Shift we thought we
were just going into a small studio in Melbourne that we’d used to
do demos and stuff,” Owen explains. “Rather than get a producer
– like we’ve usually gone overseas and got a producer or whatever
to make the record – instead of doing that, we used our live front
of house guy.”
It turns out that the band’s front of house manager, Woody
Annison, is also a producer who’s made lots of records, and he’s a
part of The Living End family. “We thought we were just going to
go into this little studio with him, knock out an album in a couple
of weeks, make it raw and fresh and keep it simple, but it didn’t
end up happening that way at all. We kept on going back to it for a
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few weeks here and there over the course of 12 months, polishing
it up and reshaping and remoulding,” Owen explains. “A lot of the
writing was done in the studio and we were actually experimenting
in the recording studio rather than the rehearsal room. So it was a
different experience for us making this record and I’m really happy
with it … Now it’s time to go out and play it live.”
Another highlight of 2016 for the boys was performing at the AFL
Grand Final. “Actually playing it, man, I don’t even know if I can put
it into words. It was a spinout, it was just amazing – it was really,
really, really good. It was an epic day,” Owen recalls. But what made
the opportunity so special for them? “I grew up right near VFL
park and worked there when I was a kid. My mum, Chris’s mum
and Andy’s family were all born in Footscray so that made it extra
special … Just thinking, far out man, from humble beginnings back
in the suburbs of Melbourne, this is a
humble big box ticker.”
their debut self-titled in 1998?
“I remember what it was like 20 years
ago for us, when we had bands that
we loved and idolised and were fortunate enough to get to know.
We were always trying to pick their brains for information … And I
guess it’s kind of come full circle and now we’re in that role.”
Performing at sport events became a sort of theme for this
interview, after I asked Owen about the support act for this tour,
The Bennies. “They were on the bill at The Australian Open that we
did yesterday and I got to meet them. I’ve seen them play before,
love the band, but we got to meet them and it was a laugh.” The
Bennies are promising to bring their brand of punk rock on the
tour, and are sure to wow The Living End fans with their stage
antics. “It seems like it’s gonna be pretty fun having them on all
these gigs. They’re just bloody funny.”
Don’t miss this night of fun, rock and history when The Living End play at
the soon non-existent ANU Bar on Wednesday March 8. Support from The
Bennies. Tickets are $45 + bf through Moshtix.
27
 PLANET OF SOUND
Planet of Sound is our column celebrating the wide history of music, our
favourite musicians, genres, movements, bands and artists, and how they have impacted
our lives. In this month’s entry, resident BMA writer Dan Bigna compares his experience
at a Nick Cave gig to that of being forced to listen to the triple j Hottest 100.

I can accept the appeal of the annual Triple J Hottest 100
countdown as a good excuse to get some friends together and
sink beers but I would much prefer not listening to it if I have a
choice. The fact that Beyoncé made it into the poll this year simply
confirms that the term ‘alternative music’ is now completely
meaningless. I also don’t know who Flume is and am not all that
keen to find out. So, it was a tad unfortunate that the dudes living
next door decided to hold a Hottest 100 party with a ‘pumping’
boom-box set up in the backyard that blasted the likes of Beyonce
and Flume across the neighbourhood. I decided to retaliate by
cranking the volume on the mono version of the Rolling Stones’
1968 album classic Beggars Banquet; music that represents free
creative expression if ever I heard it.
I was further fortified from having seen Nick Cave perform in
Sydney the previous week. This was one of the most rewarding
shows I’ve seen in a long time from a great Australian artist
who once said that current trends in popular music were
completely irrelevant to him. Cave and
his band The Bad Seeds played at the new
The term
Cave opened the show with a number of songs from Skeleton Tree
and the Bad Seeds aptly fleshed out the stark minimalism of this
record to further accentuate the weighty themes. Other relatively
recent gems from the 2013 album Push the Sky Away were given
an airing including ‘Higgs Boson Blues’ with its rolling swamp
groove and apocalyptic rock ‘n’ roll narrative that includes cutting
lines like, “making the hot cots in the flophouse bleed.” Stuff like
that will fire up an audience and Cave had decided he wanted to be
where the action is.
The heightened stage in the vast space was reduced with the
placement of smaller steps at the front that, from a distance,
made it seem that Cave was about to meld with the front rows
whenever he leant forward. At one point I thought the 59-year-old
singer was going to let loose and execute a stage dive so that he
could fulfil the ultimate rock ‘n’ roll fantasy and be carried aloft by
the adoring throng. This potential coming together of performer
and audience was the vital punk ethos once again sinking the boot
into the corporate ideal of the rock
star joyfully exploiting the unwitting

‘alternative music’
entertainment centre in Darling Harbour,
a somewhat impressive looking building.
The ticket collection had proceeded in is now completely
an orderly manner except that, for some
bizarre reason, the hired security were meaningless
swiping people with metal detectors
and I kept setting it off. Turned out the tin foil lining a cigarette
packet was the culprit and as the hired hand suspiciously eyed the
distasteful off-green box he said, “I thought you might have drugs
in there.” I smiled and responded, “No mate. I’m just a good law
abiding citizen like yourself.” I was then waved through.
We had come to see Cave perform songs from the beautifully
melancholic album Skeleton Tree and were set for an evening
of harrowing emotional release. But Cave was in a jovial mood,
making tongue-in-cheek comments about the devotional
enthusiasm from an audience that once upon a time treated the
extreme rock ‘n’ roll of Cave’s early group The Birthday Party
with either indifference or contempt. This had contributed to
the decision to find exile in the UK where the underground music
scene there had become swamped with preening new-romantic
electro pop – a double blow. But Nick Cave’s popularity steadily
grew so that he can now perform in spaces somewhat larger than
inner city pubs, while the music and words continue to forcefully
explore those hidden sides of the human condition in a post-
punk setting steeped in murder ballads and the delta blues. For
any artist with a similar sensibility, the lightweight dance pop
dominating the Hottest 100 might as well be weird alien signals
from beyond the solar system.
masses through the cult of celebrity.
Cave will have none of this. His trip
is all about art providing the right
kind of nourishment with consumer/
product ratios, an unfortunate
commercial by-product.
In any case, an artist who explores obsessive desire on early
Bad Seeds song ‘From Her to Eternity’ with such consistent
intensity many years after writing it was probably never going
to try that hard to crack the top 10. I really like those earlier
songs and because I often seem a lot happier living in the past,
it was completely satisfying that The Bad Seeds ranged across a
distinguished body of work throughout the show. This included the
Old Testament firestorm ‘Tupelo’, the heart wrenchingly beautiful
‘The Ship Song’ from the similarly beautiful 1990 album The Good
Son and the harrowing crime and punishment tale ‘The Mercy
Seat’ that has been a mainstay in Cave’s set lists and remains as
powerful in concert as it ever did. This was a typically arresting
and memorable performance from Nick Cave and his band that I
enjoyed a lot. I only wish I could say the same about the
Hottest 100.
DAN BIGNA

28 @bmamag
LEATHER
FOREVER
ANNA FRANCESCHINI
SUZI QUATRO answered the phone on Thursday night with a
husky “hello”. With a career spanning 53 years, the leather cladded
bassist doesn’t seem to be slowing down. “I always, from a tiny
girl, wanted to be a performer,” she notes, reminiscing on her long
career of music, radio, theatre and television. “It’s just something
you feel inside of you, and I knew that as a young child.” In the
midst of touring and writing a new novel, Quatro has also found
time to gain an honourary doctorate in music from the University
of Cambridge. “It’s a big honour,” she eagerly adds. Quatro, who
has been touring Australia on a regular basis since 1974, is coming
back this February for the 31st time. “It’s a little bit like a second
home for me,” Quatro laughs. “We understand each other. The
tours are always great. You’re like family to me.”
“Every tour I treat as special,” she replies
when asked what we can expect out of this
tour. “But this one has the added bonus of My dad never put up
the super group that I formed with Andy any barriers about
Scott and Don Powell.” Scott, from The gender and what we
Sweet, will be on guitar and vocals; while
Powell, from Slade, will be playing drums.
could do
Together, the trio has combined their last
names to become QSP. “We made an album, and it’s out January
20. So, you’re witnessing the birth of this band in Australia … I’m
pretty excited.” QSP will act as Quatro’s support group, “opening
the show with something a little bit different”. And if it goes well
do you think you’ll do more of it? I ask quizzically. “Well it’s a brand
new act so we’ll see how we go. We’re hoping to kick start this
group on this tour.”
Throughout our chat, Quatro appears to look at things through
fearless eyes and open-mindedness. I ask her what it was like
starting off on bass guitar at a time when bass players were
predominantly male. “Well I mean it wasn’t normal,” she states. “I
started in 1964, but … I came from a musical family – that gave
me a head start in the business – and there were four girls and
one boy,” she explains. “So we were brought up with the attitude
that we could do whatever we wanted. My dad never put up any
barriers about gender and what we could do. So I didn’t really
think about it – I didn’t realise how odd it was ‘til I got a bit older.” exciting night.
With loving nostalgia in her voice, Quatro goes on to describe
her discovery of the bass. “I already played piano and I already
played percussion, then I picked up the bass and … I found my
instrument. It’s one of those epiphanies. When I strapped it on I
went, ‘OK’.”
facebook.com/bmamagazine
So is the bass your favourite instrument? “It is on stage,” she says.
“I tend more to write on piano because you have access to the
entire orchestra on the piano. Sometimes I write on guitar, but
most of the time on piano. But on stage, the bass … it just fits.” On
the subject of writing and performing, I ask her where she draws
her musical influences from. “Well first of all it was definitely Elvis
Presley, who I saw on television at the age of six.” Quatro lists her
love of Motown music and Otis Redding, and says that Bob Dylan
was an influence for her lyric writing. Do they continue to influence
you today? I wonder. “All the time,” she quickly replies. “The new
album [QSP], it’s got six covers and six originals. We’ve made good
music together. I’m actually writing more than ever right now …
I need to writes songs.” She asserts with passion. “I need to write
poetry and I need to write songs. It’s a part of me you know?”
Can you ever tell if a piece of writing
is going to become a poem or a
song? “Not always. A poem … has
a different … stance. Sometimes
when I’m looking for inspiration
I go through my poetry book,
and something will stick out as
something I can actually transfer from the poetic style into the
song style,” she says. “But usually a song is a song. You know it
from the first time. Often I’ll think of a title or I’ll sing a line and
think, ‘oh that’s the line of a song’. So it … suggests itself. If it’s
going to be a basic rock and roll one I’ll write it on guitar. If it’s
more complicated I go to … piano.”
I note that Quatro has mentioned that one of her greatest
achievements has been to stay normal. I ask how she has managed
this throughout her career. “I just separate the personas,” she
explains. “I’ve done many different things, but I keep them in
separate categories. The main thing is I have my ‘ego room’ up on
the third floor where you keep all your paraphernalia – this is an
analogy, so you have to go up two flights of stairs to get to this
room. Then you go in there, do what you need to do, come out and
you shut the door. That’s kinda how I get through life.” Suzi Quatro
will be hitting the Canberra stage in late February for one
Suzi Quatro brings her Leather Forever Encore Tour to Canberra Theatre
Centre on Thu February 23. Support from QSP. Starts at 8pm. Tickets and
more info at canberratheatrecentre.com.au.
29

RORY MCCARTNEY
On the surface it seems an unlikely pairing, of ex-Powderfinger
frontman Bernard Fanning and country artist KASEY CHAMBERS.
However, it’s not such an odd couple, following Fanning’s solo
career swing to a more folk/blues style. Fanning and Chambers
have been collaborating for many years, playing together on stage,
contributing to each other’s records and even co-writing songs,
including Fanning’s contributon to the title track from Chamber’s
LP Bittersweet. Now they are touring together and BMA caught
up with Chambers after her appearance at the Tamworth Country
Music Festival, where she had introduced Fanning to his first ever
Tamworth Festival. The event was a treat for them, as they had
a few days to chill in one spot, instead of experiencing the usual
hectic times that come with life constantly on the road.
Entitled the ‘Sooner or Later’ tour, the
I learnt from Paul Kelly was produced by Chambers’ brother
moniker sounds like a statement that the
shows were an inevitable product of their
musical work together. However, Chambers how to craft a song that Nash, done in conjunction with
explains it came from elsewhere. “You is not necessarily about her live band, while the other was
know what, that was just a happy accident,
but it certainly helped. It’s Bernard’s single
myself
out at the moment, called ‘Sooner or Later’,
and I happen to sing on it. Not that we talked about it heaps, but
it was kind of inevitable that we were going to tour together.”
The pair has a love of working together and, even though their
musical styles are quite different, they have the same approach to
touring and making records. Chambers admits, “We actually don’t
remember the first conversation about it, it’s almost like it
just evolved.”
Supported by Byron Bay singer-songwriter Garrett Kato, the tour
will see both artists perform independent sets with their own
bands, then combine for a jam session at the end. The script for
the shows is not set in stone. “We don’t do the same songs every
night. One of the best things about the tour is that it’s not just the been strong on rural touring, is looking forward to taking Fanning
product of an agent putting two acts together to separately do
their own things. Bernard and I are used to working together. I’ll
sing backups for him, we’ll do some duets and we might even do
some covers together.”
The composition of the band for the jam session is fluid too,
avoiding a scripted format that follows the same nightly pattern.
The format means that the set list will differ from the collection
of songs that Chambers’ fans are used to. However, she assures
punters that their favourites will be included. “I actually really
30
See The
Country
love going back and playing all the old songs, such as ‘The Captain’,
‘Not Pretty Enough’ and ‘Barricades and Brickwalls’. I feel like they
are such a big part of me. I also have a new album out which I’m
pretty excited about, so I’ll play a few songs from that.” The set list
is likely to include a couple of songs from Bittersweet, which the
pair worked on together, with Fanning involved in keys, guitars and
harmonies.
Chambers has just released Dragonfly, which she played songs
from at the Tamworth Festival. The double album goes in two
musical directions. Apart from including some new sounds that
Chambers has not dabbled in before, it also contains features that
go all the way back to her debut LP The Captain. “It’s the beauty
of having a double record, where you get to try out a few different
things and include a fair bit of
variety.” In an unusual move, one disk
produced in Melbourne by Paul Kelly.
“He’s one of my biggest inspirations,
so that was like a dream come true,”
she recalls. “The album captures two different pieces of my life,
which I wanted to fit separately on the record, but I also wanted
them both to come out at the same time as I felt each piece was
as much me as the other one.” The song themes take different
directions too. “This is a big difference on this record. Some of the
songs I don’t think I could have written 20 years ago, as I didn’t
have enough life experience to write songs like that. Some songs
are story based, using characters that are closer to listening to
Paul Kelly. I learnt from Paul Kelly how to craft a song that is not
necessarily about myself.”
The tour will take in rural areas, and Chambers, who has always
to places he has never been before. She will take the family along
for some dates too, although opportunities for that are more
limited now as they are all in school. However, there’s a big thrill
coming later in the year, when Chambers will take her kids on
a music safari touring Africa in May, combining a holiday with
opportunities to jam some music along the way.
Kasey Chambers and Bernard Fanning, supported by Garrett Kato, will play
at Canberra Theatre Centre at 7:30pm on Tuesday February 21. Tickets are
$92.15 + bf. See canberratheatrecentre.com.au for details and tickets.
@bmamag
 AD SPACE

YOUR JOURNEY WITH US

THOMAS SPILLANE
After 25 years of playing their unique Australian take on folk and
blues, THE WAIFS are still all about their fans. To celebrate a quarter-
century of making and performing music, the Western Australian
band are doing what they enjoy most – playing for their fans far and
wide. They’ve planned an extensive tour of our great brown land,
playing shows not only in major cities, but many regional towns such
as Albury, Bendigo, and of course, Canberra. “I think it might be more
fun now,” vocalist and multi-instrumentalist Joshua Cunningham says
of performing live, “we’ve enjoyed every step of the way … but the
fact now is that everyone has a family … so we don’t get to do it as
much … we certainly don’t take it for granted.”

There’s something Anybody who has

real about our music

listened to The Waifs
or has seen them
that appeals to real live can testify to
people the fact that their
music comes from
a place of love and appreciation. Cunningham attributes a simple
passion and gratefulness to the longevity of his band’s career. “We’ve
always enjoyed what we do and feel very blessed and lucky to be able
to make music and make that our livelihood…” Cunningham claims,
“we generally love each other as well … it’s sustained us in many ways
than become physically a burden.”
This immense love of music can be felt through The Waifs’ songs
and has transcended generations. Cunningham believes that their
AD SPACE
intergenerational appeal comes from parents playing their music
to their kids and the cycle continuing. “It’s an interesting thing,”
Cunningham says, “even at the very beginning I’d remember playing
festivals and have the whole range of age groups there … kids at the
front singing, grandma and grandpa on the picnic rug and everything
in-between.” Cunningham speculates another reason for their success
across ages is the simplicity of their music. “We don’t get too deep
and meaningful in our music,” Cunningham says, “they’re just simple
songs about everyday life that seem common across the board …
there’s something real about our music that appeals to real people.”
On top of their massive tour of Australia, The Waifs are curating
another project that puts the spotlight on their fans again. Instead of
focusing on The Waifs’ personal story, they have asked their fans to
send in stories of their relationship with the band. “It’s just something
over the years we’ve noticed by bumping into fans and talking to
them after gigs,” Cunningham says, “we’ve been really touched by the
stories we’ve heard … we thought it would be a good thing to turn the
focus of the story of our 25 years onto other people’s journeys
with us.”
The Waifs will be serenading fans @ The Canberra Theatre on Thursday March
16 at 7:30pm. Tickets available on their website for $61.50 + bf.

facebook.com/bmamagazine 31
ART
NOT APART
ALLAN SKO
Few events are as pivotal to developing the local arts scene as Why is Art, Not Apart important?
ART, NOT APART. Covering everything from music performances,
Within a few hours, anyone can freely experience a strong cross-
art installations, food stalls, theatre, cinema, dance parties and
section of Canberra art, presented well. The artists are there, with
everything weird and wonderful in between, the festival makes
their exemplifications of today, to connect ideas and emotions to
an outstanding example of Canberra’s rich, creative minds, and is
anyone in our city. I see the festival as a forum of meaningful ideas
open to the entire community to join in and celebrate.
shared via cinemas, galleries, stages and conversations. With
But an event for the local community begs complete transparency kick. We care about impact. Everyone can find something that will
for the local community. It’s for that reason that BMA Bossman impact their experience of Canberra as a place for people, not just
Allan Sko has spoken with Festival Producer DAVID CAFFERY, who planning and politics.
has laid everything bare regarding Art, Not Apart’s funding, its
Funding. It got cut for a while, then reinstated. Tell me more
significance for local artists, and the ups and downs that go into
about that, and your opinion of funding of the arts.
making it happen.
We’re very transparent about our funding. Here’s the quick
OK badboy; hit me with some stats. How many artists are there
version: the budget will be released on our website after we
this year? What’s the expected turnout? What was the turnout
know the real costs. And we’re having a panel discussion on the
out last year? And anything else you can think of. Sell, sell, sell!
big stage with the most relevant people to the wildly unsettled
We’ve presented over 500 artists in the history of the festival debate, called ‘Shaken Up: Canberra Arts Funding’. The whole
(this is our seventh). We’ve now got six curators (music, country’s art scene is in a state of emergency at the moment
performance art, visual art, film and moving image, street art, because all forecasts are unfounded. This puts arts organisations,
interactive and multi-disciplinary works). The most artists we’ve whom support artists, in an unsustainable position.
hosted is 250 in a day/night, but we’re pulling it back to focus on
People may have seen some social media lobbying for Art, Not
quality presentation and deeply integrating each work. Gathering
Apart. That was the tip of a 30-month process of formal proposals
the gamut of great local artists into beautiful spaces is an endless
to stabilise the festival. We got a commitment of $500,000 over
but exhilarating job – the interconnections and impact can
four years thanks to our chief minister. This year, it’s the same as
be breathtaking.
last year, and the next three years will get another $20,000 each.
This year we’ll present about 150 artists, aimed at 15–20,000 That’s over doubled by private inputs each year, most of which is
people. That’s the same number of artists to a slightly increased Molonglo Group, because they honestly care about culture.
crowd, but this festival will be better than last year. The 1920’s
$60,000 will go directly to artists – we pay properly and have
National Film and Sound Archive is a new focus; we’re dropping
increased some applications, because Canberra needs sustainable
the lake and Westside to create a more intimate vibe, better
arts opportunities.
food, a series of local wineries, a local brewery, a new stage and
later afterparties. Both the dance and performance art parties We’re trying to do our bit but are part of a much bigger ecosystem.
were absolutely pumping when they closed at 11pm last year, so In our panel, we hope to provide artists and arts organisations
we’re moving them to fly late. We should have been done for false with a unified pathway to become sustainable.
advertising – F_ck Art, Let’s Party had 2,000 people pumping to a
wild set-up, but an 11pm close? That’s not a party. So, we’re
fixing it.

32 @bmamag
What’s your favourite memory of all the Art, Not Aparts you’ve Access Canberra used Art, Not Apart as a test-pilot event. We
overseen? pushed them and they could not have been more supportive of our
ridiculous artworks and their legislative frictions. Access Canberra
There’s a journey we try to facilitate for each artist that, when it
is now well-established and accommodates the whole city’s crazy
works, is my highlight: we meet a passionate artist, they explain
event and business ideas. No one realises how important they are
their patchy but heart-felt idea, they make their work with trials
to the creative growth of Canberra – Art, Not Apart wouldn’t be
and tribulations, they show it at the festival, they wear themselves
possible without them showing us a legal pathway to realising
to the bone talking about the ideas and meaning with so many
new ideas.
people, they think about collapsing after a huge day … then they
party. That party feels SOOO good. They have made a heartfelt Frustrations. Do you have any? Want to talk about them?
contribution to our city, they gave it their all in a human and unique
We have been denied the proposal to host a dance party in the
way, and then we celebrate. It’s an important ritual to dance and let
basement of a multistorey carpark. Regulations, which MusicACT
go, and it’s enhanced when you’ve made a positive contribution to
has been trying to free-up for two years, block events from
the people around you.
happening in ‘non-assembly’ buildings, like the carpark would have
What’s your proudest Art, Not Apart moment? collapsed or something. So now we’re running with the mystery
and making it public: F_ck Art, Let’s Party will pump with over 30
I never wanted to spend existing arts money on a new arts event.
DJs and a ridiculous set-up for free, but we’re not saying where.
Excluding for two $25,000 arts grants that leveraged much more,
Follow us on Facebook.
after March 18 the festival will have contributed $735,000 to
the arts economy that did not exist without this event, affirming What else would you like to say?
the value of the arts in new areas. This is money that was never
Sam Dignand is the new weapon of the festival, curating ‘film
allocated to anything to do with arts until we made it so.
and moving image’. Expect big projections and an absorbing
People don’t understand – and why should they? – the amount of program of film at Arc Cinema, one of the country’s best places to
work and effort that goes into such an enterprise. Give us a break experience film. Part of this program will be the silent horror film,
down of a typical day working on Art, Not Apart. Tell us also about Nosferatu, with local musicians Tess Said So playing grand piano,
the week leading up to the event, and the day itself. How many vibraphone and tubular bells. Sam has also programed the premier
hours? Do you sleep? of Whiteley, a documentary on the life and art of Brett Whiteley.
It’s a crazy experience: thousands of hours per event, never A new stage in front of the National Film and Sound Archive
enough time for deadlines, copping criticism for things people will unite everyone around big sounds and lots of dance. We’re
don’t understand and damaging the programming this stage around the idea
whole reason we do it, falling in love
Everyone can fin d of ‘Shake Your Body’.
with new artworks, throwing ourselves
something tha t wil l The theme of the festival is ‘Shake It
at ideas that don’t come to fruition,
seeing the ACT government enable impact their experience Up’ to reflect the shaken up feeling
a much smoother delivery of events of Canberra as a place of today: new approaches to art, shit
within two years, and seeing the for people , not jus t politics, a new festival site and constant
instability in the arts. The idea is for the
collective impact of hundreds of artists
sharing their impressions of life to
planning and politics festival artists to reshuffle today for a
better tomorrow.
thousands of people.
Sound and Fury is the performance party you don’t want to miss.
I have a relentless determination to make each event better no
Chenoeh Miller, the amazing performance curator of the festival,
matter how hard it is. Last year we worked with some incredible
says the opening act is, “the best theatre I have ever seen.” She
artists to make a ‘Class-A electrocution risk’ litigation minefield,
saw the work by Julia Croft at Edinburgh Fringe last year and
complete with a chemically monitored swimming pool shaken by
Julia was keen to get here from NZ, so it’s been really affordable
subwoofers and lit by delicate, high-powered lights that didn’t like
and a perfect fit. A truly world class opening to a liberating
water. It was to make a lasting impression on individuals about
performance-based party like no other. That’s in the 1920’s gallery
tipping points and not-knowing what’s going to happen. We got
of the NFSA and tickets are available through our website.
a lawsuit against us because some idiot thought he could swim,
head first, through a surveillance camera window. Thankfully, he Music makes the world go around. We’re showing a whole world of
dropped it (maybe when he saw we have no money). it this year: the fabulous Frank Madrid has curated Arabic, African,
Latino and so much more in over ten spaces throughout the day.
No, we don’t sleep, but we feel very alive. The only issue is
That guy’s got serious flair in programming.
worrying that people misinterpret our work as something other
than contributing to an artistic culture – that always burns in the We are honoured for Emeritus Professor David Williams to be
back of my head. We’re actually dedicated to a better world. working with our program manager, Anna Trundle, on the visual
arts program. The Nishi Gallery exhibition Shake It Up will do
Give me three good news stories from all the Art, Not Aparts
exactly that, with the care you’d expect from such an experienced
you’ve run.
and forward-looking curator. They’re also working on installations
Dear Pete Filmer got lots of commissions from presenting his and pop-up live art pieces throughout the day.
animal drawings at the festival. We love Pete. Last year we showed
Art, Not Apart goes down on Saturday March 18 in the NewActon Precinct,
a collaborative work by him and his son, Geoff. Geoff is one of West Basin, the National Film and Sound Archive and more venues to
Canberra’s most prolific street artists. be announced. It runs from 1–7pm, plus afterparties. The Art, Not Apart
festival program will be released at artnotapart.com on Friday February 17.
We’ve shown a lot of artists early in their career before they left
town and have influenced the national scene. Hannah Quinlivan
(visual arts) and James Batchelor (dance) are two examples.

facebook.com/bmamagazine 33
E X H I B I T I O N I S T
ARTS | ACT

WHAT IS CANBERRA FRINGE?

SHARONA LIN
Based, like other Fringes worldwide, on the Edinburgh model, success. This makes more sense to me than reinventing the wheel
CANBERRA FRINGE has been running for a decade. In that time, with all these new festival ideas.”
festival director Chenoeh Miller says it has struggled to find a
Whatever the reasoning, at her core, Chenoeh is an artist and
consistent identity – changing in location, length, and even name. “But
director of performance. To maximise the funding they do have, she
one thing has remained the same – The Fringe is an abundant mix
has curated a polished programme on just one day – as opposed
of experimental performance and music.” The core idea of a fringe
to a programme that runs over a week or longer. That one day of
festival is its inclusiveness and lack of curatorship, allowing anyone
concentrated performance is bookended by the Canberra Fringe
to perform anywhere in the city at any venue, permeating the city
Curtain Raiser on Friday – featuring Melbournians Lisa-Skye and Jess
with a “palpable energy”. In bigger cities, “everyone from your mum
McKerlie with one-woman shows Spiders Wearing Party Hats and
to your Uber driver knows it’s on.” Last year, Edinburgh Fringe went
Gender Spanner, (“they explore sexuality and alternative lifestyles in
for 25 days with over 50,000 performances and over 3,000 shows.
a way I’ve never seen”) and the Canberra Fringe Aftermath with Queer
Edinburgh’s is the biggest and oldest in the world, while closer to
Speed Dating, also hosted by Lisa-Skye, on the Sunday.
home, Adelaide Fringe boasts the second-largest Fringe in the world.
Looking at the programme, it’s amazing to see what has been packed
Canberra Fringe has a small budget, Chenoeh says, “so creating
into such a short timeframe. Chenoeh prefers original, highly visual
that kind of infrastructure is impossible”. That means Canberra
works that seek “a genuine human connection” – so there is a great
Fringe is necessarily curated. In recent years, when it was known as
deal of dance and physical theatre. And since most of the festivities
Canberra Multicultural Fringe and sat on the fringe of the National
take place in one venue, Fringe tends to be heavily music-oriented,
Multicultural Festival, there was a focus on cultural diversity. This
“to keep the party rolling”. When I ask her what she’s most excited
focus was noble, but ultimately limiting, Chenoeh thinks. “All festivals
about for this year’s Fringe, Chenoeh says: “So much – everything!”
should be representative of the community they exist within. Here in
But when pushed, she names a few. “The Mother Tongue Multilingual
Australia, we just are diverse,” she says. “So all of our festivals should
Poetry event is a beautiful example of Canberra’s cultural diversity
be showing that anyway.” Removing the word “Multicultural” from the
through poetry and music. We launched it last year to great acclaim,
festival title allowed for a greater spectrum of diversity, opening the
and in the last 12 months, it has become a popular event – producer
festival’s programme to more cultures and lifestyles than ever before.
Jacqui Malins really takes the time to explore and communicate with
“As directors, we should make it a priority to reach out to all sorts of
Canberrans from all walks of life.”
performers and audiences.”
Chenoeh is also excited for the opening sequence on Saturday, which
Canberra Fringe is just one of the many arts festivals Canberra
will feature excerpts from Rohallah, an upcoming dance show she is
hosts during the year, and the strongest are created and run by
directing with Fresh Funk dance: “It is a vibrant and beautiful physical
Canberrans – Noted, Art, Not Apart and You Are Here amongst them.
theatre piece inspired by the life of an Uber driver that I met called
Unfortunately, Chenoeh says, many are serially underfunded by the
Rohallah. He will also come along and speak a little on his experiences
government. Also weighing on her mind is the potential defunding
as a refugee, and his assimilation to Australia.” Although the future
of Canberra Fringe. “These newer Festivals that our government
of Fringe is uncertain, and the festival is small compared to in the
supports are copies of others, or they are not locally run,” she says.
past, Chenoeh is full of optimism: Canberra’s arts scene is flourishing.
But to her, that doesn’t make sense: “For some absurd reason,
“Local artists have risen to the challenge of creating something new
whoever is coming up with these ideas thinks that they will increase
for the Fringe.”
tourist numbers. But there is no way that is possible! Why come to
Canberra when you can get the same thing elsewhere?” “It completely Canberra Fringe is on Saturday February 18 at London Circuit near Petrie
baffles me as to why the powers that be wouldn’t opt to invest funds Plaza. The Canberra Fringe Curtain Raiser is on Friday February 17 at
Smith’s Alternative at 7pm. Visit facebook.com/CanberraFringe for
into a larger-scale, Canberra-defining event with a proven record of
more information.

34 @bmamag
 A R T | C O M E DY | D A N C E | L I T E R AT U R E | T H E AT R E

IN REVIEW
Jazida presents High Brow at the Lobrow
Lobrow Gallery & Bar
Saturday January 28

Photo by Damien Geary

This event is the first of an ongoing variety night presented by

Canberran superstar Jazida. Featuring fifteen performances with
four headlining performers, the show sold out and the 95-strong
audience happily packed into Lobrow. Squishy but comfortable, the
no reserved seating meant the majority of the crowd happily sat
with their friends. First-time emcee John Lombard opened with a
quick chat about rules and etiquette, then Jazida’s Fabulous Fanveil
Dancers started the show with a silk fan group routine. Gorgeous
smiles radiating, they thoroughly enjoyed themselves and the
thunderous applause. Two more group routines were performed
with feather fans and light up umbrellas. Catch them at the
upcoming Multicultural Festival.
Mandy Bandersnatch performed three times – a tribal Amazonian
routine in traditional Horror Hammer theatre style, a Captain
America cabaret showgirl striptease number, and a baton twirling
shimmy striptease tribute. Camilla Cream was the interstate guest
from Melbourne. Her jazz cabaret style of performing is different to
the classical style Canberra so frequently sees. With a great singing
voice, she was funny, energetic, made a better emcee and held the
crowd’s attention easily. She tap-danced, sung, stripped and fan
danced throughout the evening. Créme De La Crop performed twice,
her first routine a classy classic striptease from a trench coat to
lingerie. Her facial expressions joyous and her peek-a-boob section
very flirty. She later on performed her well-known circus
clown routine.
Jazida performed in two solo routines as well as all of the group
routines. The first solo featured LED light up silk fans – she morphed
into a trance style of body popping whilst wrapped in a shawl of
black feathers. It looked amazing in the dark. Her second routine
was her well known classic striptease in her green and white
gown, described in my Creatures of the Night review. Roxie Ravish
performed a very nerdy, lusty lap dance to a mannequin with the
face of Donald Trump. Hilarious, political and full of taboo moments,
the crowd thoroughly loved it. A big thank you goes to Jazida and
John for acknowledging the troupes that all performers
started with.
Criticisms: With only one or two staff working the bar, it took 25
minutes to get service. A side stage mechanics spotlight was the
only lighting, so it cast terrible shadows on performers, creating
ugly expressions. Lack of shoes worn by performers, including the
plainly dressed stage kitten meant that we watched really dirty
black feet all night. And again I am disappointed by the performers
who ended their gorgeous routines with a five second flash and
then dash off stage. I do look forward to seeing what the next event
brings to the stage.
SAM INGHAM

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E X H I B I
DON’T BE FAMOUS, BE INFAMOUS
SHARONA LIN
If you’re a musical theatre buff, chances are you’ve watched CHICAGO,
a vaudevillian, satirical take on murderesses turned celebrities.
Based on true characters, these criminals gain celebrity status
through notoriety – all with a song, dance and a nod to the fourth wall.
And if you’ve watched Chicago, chances are you haven’t watched a
production based on the original Broadway production, but rather,
one based on the 1996 revival. Jim McMullen, director of Canberra
Philharmonic Society’s forthcoming production of Chicago, wants to
change that. “The original Chicago was in a vaudeville setting, which
was really big from the turn of the century through ‘til around 1932.
And every song in the show is a tribute to a different style of cabaret
performance – burlesque, comedy acts, freak shows, solo singers…”
The tremendous success of the 1996 revival means that most
productions now retain that minimalist, stripped down aesthetic, but
McMullen wants to bring it back to its roots: “We want to stay faithful
to the original.” Canberra Philharmonic Society is the oldest musical
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T I O N I S T
theatre company in Canberra, and the production of big main stage
musicals is baked into their charter. “I think we do the best shows in
Canberra,” McMullen says, and certainly the shows with the biggest
sets and costumes. This desire to be the biggest and best means that
Philo is going all out: instead of choreographing numbers with a cast
of eight, there are twenty in the ensemble. And instead of minimalist
black costumes, they will be in full costume. That’s what sets this
Chicago apart from other productions: “It’s the big
production numbers.”
Philo is a community organisation – McMullen has been involved
since the early 80s in various capacities: on the board, the president,
a show director, and so on. And you also have someone like ensemble
member Rhys Madigan, who dabbled with musical theatre in high
school and then came back to it. He finds that the community spirit
keeps him coming back each year – everyone helps build sets and gets
involved. Something else that makes Philo special is the commitment
to the art: “When I go to a show, I want to see the essence of the show.
When you do cabaret, you need to delve into all the things that happen
in cabaret.”
McMullen says that increasingly, people don’t want to deal with
nastiness, “so productions are all froth and bubble.” The “nastiness”
that Chicago depicts is obvious: “for starters, everyone is a
murderess,” and a little more metaphorical. “And there’s the celebrity
status of criminals. You only have to look at what happened with the
Trump campaign – it was all media hype and all played up to make
things out of what they’re not. You make presidents out of that. It’s
very topical, and people will get a bit of a spark out of it.”
Chicago shows from Thu–Sat March 9–25 at Erindale Theatre. There are
8pm and 2pm matinee shows. Tickets start at $25 from
philo.org.au/Tickets.
@bmamag
 LIGHTS! CANBERRA! ACTION! 2017

A new wave of storytelling is emerging in

Canberra. Lights! Canberra! Action! champions
this unique approach to sharing stories, ideas and
experiences through film. Via strict competition,
filmmakers are given ten days to write, shoot and
produce a seven minute film exploring a given
theme. What is created is beautiful, and worth
a watch.

The creativity and innovation which flows from

this short film competition astounds audiences
and the film industry each year. Renowned for
introducing talented, emerging artists to the
scene Lights! Canberra! Action! also acts as a
platform to allow established filmmakers to
experiment with the boundaries of film.

It is this diverse range of contestants that leaves the audience spellbound, never knowing what to expect next. Crowd favourites
in past years have explored everything from what happens when you fall in love with your best friend to how the world changes
when your sleeping bag becomes a time machine.

Past contestants have gone on to have great success within the film industry. Notably Blue World Order, a finalist in 2012, has
gone on to become a feature film starring Billy Zane, Stephen Hunter and Jack Thompson.

One aspect which remains the same each year is the atmosphere of this short film competition. As the big screen lights up,
framed by the stunning landscape of the Senate Rose Gardens, the night air is full of anticipation. Excitement takes over as the
first film comes onto the screen before the audience are entranced by the stories unfolding before their eyes.

Now in its fourteenth year Lights! Canberra!

Action! will return as part of Enlighten 2017.
Entries will explore the theme ‘right’. Right/left,
right/wrong, moral rights, your right to vote – it
is anticipated that filmmakers will interpret the
theme in a variety of creative ways.  The top 12
films will be screened outdoors under the night
sky at Enlighten, with the winning film announced
on the night. You can also be part of the action
and vote for the favourite film.

Lights! Canberra! Action! will be held on Friday

10 March at the Senate Rose Gardens, Old
Parliament House. There will be live music from
7pm, with films screening from 8pm. Bring some
popcorn and a picnic blanket and enjoy this
celebration of short films.

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E X H I B I
IN REVIEW
Shadow House Party
Courtyard Studio
Tues–Sat January 17–21
Photo by Reid Workman
Shadow House Party comprised of three distinct theatre shows
linked by each show’s common emphasis on the physical and visual
elements of theatre, and each show’s use of theatre as a platform
to voice political and social commentary. The first show, A KREWD
Incarnate, featured six animal-like creatures performing to a high
energy sound track, each encaged in a spotlight. After collecting
my complementary drink, I sat near an ostrich-like bird that would
randomly give me one of its feathers and say, “I am God, I am divine.”
Created by Bambi Valentine, this show explored the idea that
beneath our well-crafted political and social hierarchies we are
all just animals; and that by denying this, we are trying to re-cast
ourselves as gods or divine beings. I particularly enjoyed Benjamin
Russell’s performance as a dog and Bambi Valentine as a gorilla.
The show finished with a loud burlesque inspired piece that was
engaging and entertaining.
Next was Trinculo’s Bathtub 2: Annihilation, created and performed
by Joe Woodward. This show was a little more obscure than the
first with references to French revolutionary Jean-Paul Marat, who
was murdered in his bathtub; Donald Trump; and I’m sure others. A
central idea seemed to be that the less you know about something
the easier it is for you to have a “revelation” about that thing. To
demonstrate this Trinculo jumped into a bathtub and invited the
audience to ask him philosophical questions. I found this to be the
most engaging part of the show and I would have liked more of it –
Woodward’s pseudo-intellectual sparring was funny and engaging.
The final show was Lucy Matthews’s Ophelia’s Shadow. For this
show, Matthews rearranged Shakespeare’s Hamlet to make Ophelia
the central character, and wrote a punk-rock score to accompany
the story. I understood Matthews’s interpretation of Ophelia’s
story to be about a woman who, because of societal constraints on
how she should behave, is not able to fully express and act on her
feelings, and is then held responsible by others for the contradiction
that ensues. This issue of course is still relevant. However, one of
the problems with using Shakespeare’s text as the basis of this play
is that that the character of Ophelia is not well-developed within
Hamlet. This meant that rather than the text driving the narrative
it was the strong performance of Miriam Slater as Ophelia, and
the chemistry between Ophelia and Luke Middlebrook’s Hamlet
that really demonstrated Matthews’s interpretation of the text.
The music and the performances of Frances McNair and Bambi
Valentine also gave this show a great energy. Straight after
Ophelia’s Shadow, the theatre turned into a dance floor, with the
cast encouraging the audience to get up and dance. A great idea,
but I probably needed a longer moment between watching Ophelia’s
death and jumping up on the dance floor!
ZOE PLEASANTS
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T I O N I S T
IN REVIEW
Paradise Lost – Bare Witness Theatre Company
Belconnen Arts Centre
Thursday January 26
Photo by Richard Lennon
Bare Witness Theatre Company’s Paradise Lost, is an intense and
intriguing mix. Including excerpts from John Milton’s 350-year-old,
80,000-word prose poem on the primal saga of western civilisation
and philosophy; an almost naked, Irish Shakespearian actor in
passive-aggressive, full-body, white Japanese Butoh makeup; and
a prop-less, sound-less stage; opening to an Australian audience.
Performer Christopher Samuel Carroll’s professionalism, born of
long contemplation of Milton’s poem and his discipline in western
and oriental theatre arts, takes this curious recipe and conjures with
it a strenuous, single-handed, physical theatre – thick with words
and rich in evocative mime.
Carroll frames his narrative around edited selections from Paradise
Lost’s voluminous text, which intentionally highlight the parts of
Satan, Eve and Adam in Milton’s epic. His performance projects
galactic scale war between Heaven and Hell and epitomises Satan’s
evil, self-justifying victimhood, as he writhes with the twists and
turns of tumultuous treachery and wrathful vengeance. Carroll
inhabits the slickest serpent salesman, urging Eve to the apples of
knowledge. He then personifies the couple’s perplexed awakening
to the serpent’s malignant duplicity and the wrenching, ‘inexplicable
justice’ of expulsion.
Using his whole body Carroll skilfully contorts through these
physical, spiritual and emotional clashes with counted vertebrae
and writhing muscles beneath the Butoh white. Evoking in his
portrayal of Satan Giger’s implacable, sci-fi Alien then sinuously
sidling as Eve’s serpent seducer. Whilst most know the story of
Satan’s fall and the Garden of Eden in outline, dealing with the scale
and archaic phrasing of Milton’s epic – the intense pressure of
language and Carroll’s stylised movement – required the audience to
make a considerable effort to stay with him.
Considering its length, scope and complexity, Carroll’s targeted
editing and unusual dramatic approach was successful. Combining
his prowess as a Shakespearian actor with his skills in the Japanese
Butoh form, which emerged post World War II as a rebellion against
rigid tradition, makes Paradise Lost an accessible piece. With his
commitment to further refinement, Paradise Lost can only improve
as Carroll continues to build his relationship with the work.
The great tales of heroes and anti-heroes, vengeance and
redemption, good versus monstrous evil, of being “seduced to
the dark side”, are as old as campfires and as new as next week’s
cinema releases. In its 350th year, Bare Witness Theatre Company’s
unique perspective on Paradise Lost will revive audience curiosity
about Milton’s work and its place among the panoply of ancient and
modern epics.
ANTHONY PLEVEY
@bmamag
 A R T | C O M E DY | D A N C E | L I T E R AT U R E | T H E AT R E

IN REVIEW
Tammy Paks presents Creatures of the Night
National Portrait Gallery
Friday January 20

Photo by Sam Ingham

The National Portrait Gallery has a series of free-entry late night

events happening on Friday evenings in January and February from
5pm to 8pm. This event was hosted by Canberra’s own drag queen
extraordinaire Tammy Paks and featured roaming models from Miss
Kitkas House of Burlesque, fire twirling by Tobias Price, burlesque
performances by Jazida and Seker Pare and performances by jazz
band Josh Knoop Trio.
150 people attended the two-and-a-half-hour event, settling into
the couches, stools, foldup seats and on the floor, with wine and
beer in hand; enjoying the view of the stage that was set up in front
of the massive windows. Tammy floated throughout, welcoming all
in a beautiful jewelled embellished dress, opening the event with
a beautiful love song. Jazida performed in a stunning lilac dress
with purple fan veils; she made wonderful work of the ample space,
flitting skilfully through the crowd like a beautiful bird. Tobias
wowed everyone with a spectacular fire twirling display in the
outside courtyard as the crowd watched through the glass wall. His
skill is making poi twirling look so easy.
Tammy and Jazida sung a duet, while Jazida played keyboard;
their voices together were lovely and complimentary. Jazida came
back out and stripteased to a jazzy cabaret number, wearing
black fringing; the routine was high impact and her high kicks and
backbends while dancing and were amazing. Seker Pare performed a
gothic sultry striptease, looking phenomenal in a horned headdress
and covered in black feathers ending with a back-bending floor arch
tassel twirl; it was absolutely spectacular. The John Knoop Trio sung
and performed lounge style jazz, the crowd eagerly refilled their
wine glasses and mingled and chatted with the models from Miss
Kitka’s House of Burlesque.
Jazida’s final performance was her award-winning classic striptease
routine. Starting in a stunning green and white jewelled gown, she
glamorously strutted across the space and stripteased down to a
traditional panel skirt and bra, taking sections off the panel to fan
dance with and ending in a spectacular back-bending tassel twirl.
Another fire twirling routine was given by Tobias; with a long staff
expertly spun around all over the place, he made easy work of his
space and interacted with the crowd through the glass. A final song
by Tammy Paks was well received, the final performance by Seker
Pare had her come out in classic lingerie with a large purple feather
boa, dancing, bumping and grinding in a classically beautiful style.
Ending the event was another set by the John Knoop Trio; the cast
then came back out for a final bow to a very long applause, mingling
with the crowd afterwards and posing for photos. The entire event
was glamourous with high quality entertainment. I really hope
Tammy presents another show like this again soon.
SAM INGHAM

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E X H I B I T I O N I S T
ARTISTPROFILE:
TONY CURRAN
What do you do? I draw and paint. I love colour and I love drawing
people and things but I also have a compulsive habit for the
seduction and luminosity of screens. I use computers, tablets and
phones as sketching tools to make paintings, videos and programs.
Lately I’ve been collaborating with poets, printmakers and
computer scientists.
When, how and why did you get into it? I’ve been drawing since
forever but seriously drawing since about 2007 when I started
art school. Once I realized my dependence on pixels and bits I’ve
accelerated my interest in how digital media can inform drawing
and painting.
Who/what influences you as an artist? Figurative painters such
as Lucian Freud and David Hockney have been massive influences,
computer artists such as the great Harold Cohen with his robotic
collaborator AARON, web and app artist Rafael Rozendaal, and early
modernist artists like Jean Arp are indispensable to me. Electronic
music is another huge influence in my work.
Lately though I’ve deliberately been following the influence of the
poet Lachlan Brown. My latest exhibition at ANCA Gallery here in
Canberra features paintings which are responses to Brown’s poems
in a call and response collaboration we’ve been doing since 2015.
There’s something rapid, candid and intense about his poetry that
I’ve been trying to match in this new series of paintings.
Of what are you proudest so far? Having developed a series of
great collaborative relationships that have generated some of my
best work to date.
Tony Curran, Just not enough blue to hold it down, 2017, Oil on linen, 113.5 x 83.5cm
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ARTS | ACT
What are your plans for the future?
Lately I’ve become really interested in the
possibility of exploring the role of ethics and ideology further
in my work. I’d love to keep exploring what my work stands for in a
moral sense. I think that’s important.
What about the local scene would you change? When I moved to
Canberra I was so impressed that there were so many supports for
artists to stick around after they finish art school. They could get
residencies and exhibitions and it has produced a very strong and
unique art scene where the work feels distinctly like Canberra as a
city, it’s vibe and rhythm. I’m concerned that defunding is going to
undermine what Canberra artists and institutions have developed
over the years and result in a gradual exodus to other cities with
more artist-run spaces and commercial galleries. If I had the funds
and influence I would refund all the programs that lost funding as a
result of recent federal arts budget cuts and the ArtsACT budget
cuts. I love the Canberra scene so I’d just support it further.
What are your upcoming performances/exhibitions? There’s a
show of Visiting Artist Fellows’ work at the School of Art and Design
Gallery at ANU running until Saturday February 25. This features my
collaborative work with Dr Ben Swift from the School of Computer
Science at ANU. There’ll be lots of wiggles against grids in a series
of computer programs that run as infinite generative videos.
Continuing the spirit of collaboration, on Wednesday March 1 I have
an exhibition, Limiting Entropy, at ANCA that is a collaboration
between myself and Wagga Wagga-based poet Lachlan Brown.
That’ll feature poems and paintings that are a calm and response
between us.
Contact info: www.tonycurran.net, tony@tonycurran.net,
facebook.com/tonycurran, instagram.com/tonycurran,
twitter.com/tonycurran
@bmamag
 A R T | C O M E DY | D A N C E | L I T E R AT U R E | T H E AT R E

the Move up to the Views

PhotoAccess (Huw Davies Gallery)

word Until Sunday February 26

on local art
David Flanagan, Untitled #12 (detail), 2015,
C type print, 2000 x 660mm
“The reality is not so alluring,” says photo artist David Flanagan of
the subject matter for his new exhibition Move up to the Views,
which is open at PhotoAccess, Manuka Arts Centre. David’s work
is however extremely engaging with his large format photographs
drawing you in to the dynamic, physical landscapes of suburban
development work in Northern Canberra.
David’s work reminds us that the graphic art of photography, so
easily dismissed in our selfie, snapagram world, has real power and
requires creative and technical skill. He shows us this by capturing
the nativity of a new community with a series of challenging, high
quality images up to two metres wide – featuring stark earthworks,
brooding machines, moody fogs and storm clouds rolling across the
torn land, ploughed and furrowed to be seeded with possibility.
With the calm of an attendant midwife, David’s images somehow
soothe this wrenching, spasm of suburbia’s birth. His ochre
moonscapes – echoing ancient bones wilfully ripped and exposed,
out-posted with site-huts – are softened by nature. Panoramic
golden sunlight, rolling storms, veiling fogs and dappled puddles
on infant roads, reassure us that this transitory gouging pain that
creates living space and generates opportunity will pass, leaving the
land washed and ready.
David’s work brings together the fleeting nature of the weather and
the passing parade of earthworks to create “never to be repeated”
images, that have their own short exposure time. His precise
photographic decisions, technical control and simple, crisp framing,
establish the viewer as a presence in the landscape making this
exhibition a rewarding experience.
ANTHONY PLEVEY

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

HONEST TO GOODNESS LAUGHS

RORY MCCARTNEY
Canberra Comedy Festival regular JEFF GREEN is returning again
with his latest show Honestly. Born in Britain but now an Australian
resident, he claims that he is always welcome as he helps bolster its
claim to be an “international” festival and his PR says he is returning
“hairier” than ever.
Green denied he had gone hipster and sprouted a beard, but said
it referred to back hair. “It’s an ageing thing, not a fashion thing.
At my age I stay cleanly shaven, as when you go grey, you look like
an alcoholic.” His reason for emigrating was not as prosaic as “the
weather” or even because Australians provided better fodder for
comics. It was for love, as he married an Australian. Green recited a
surprisingly long list of pommy comedians who had married females
from the antipodes and said, “There’s a thing about Australian women
and British comedians that just makes them fall for them.”
Green notes that, while Australia and the UK share a similar sense
of humour, they do have a notable difference. “I feel that Australians
have more of an Irish sense of humour. They like a narrative and
stories, whereas British audiences like gags.” Notably, Green’s
material impresses in that he does not rely on expletives to get
laughs, possessing a true sense of what is funny. “The older I get the
less I need to swear. When I started I swore because it was a novelty
in comedy, but now it’s everywhere.” Green believes he can actually
be ruder by not swearing, and people will think he is clean! He has the
ability to take everyday situations and expose them in a new light,
something he put to good use in a series of books including The A-Z
of Being Single. “My job is to verbalise everyone’s subconscious and
I get the most pleasure by pointing out things we’ve all noticed that I
can bring to life in people’s minds. That’s what got me into comedy in
the first place.”
Green has found that his comedy has changed over time as his life
and environment have changed; from childhood, to holidays, to
relationships, marriage and children. “My jokes are like my notebook
to my life.” In an unusual stance for a comic, Green’s upcoming
show Honestly takes a retrospective look at when he first came to
Australia in 2008, when his life was full of family change and turmoil. “I
look back at my material and try to work out if I should have been able
to see those problems from the jokes I was writing. It’s in the caves
of shame that a comedian will get his best material.” It sounds deep
but Green confirms it will be hilarious and should have people rocking
with laughter. “If you can unlock a deep truth and make it funny, then
it’s ticked all the boxes for me.”
Part of this year’s Canberra Comedy Festival, Jeff Green plays at Uni Pub
on Saturday March 25 at 7pm. Tickets are $30 + bf through Try Booking.
Full details at canberracomedyfestival.com.au.

42 @bmamag
 CANBERRA COMEDY FESTIVAL

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E X H I B I
POLITICALLY
INCOHERENT
☺ Politically Incoherent is our column all about parties, drugs, sex,
general misconduct and counterculture. This month’s entry is
The Hitchhiker’s Guide To Acid Tripping.
I feel like the prevalent theme of my columns thus far have been
about new experiences, so I’ve decided to continue along that
vein. Last week I became acquainted with a friend named Lucy.
Depending on who you ask, she’s described as a dose of yellow
sunshine. To some, her personality is akin to battery acid. During
my encounter, I allowed her to dissolve underneath my tongue
for twenty minutes and although I am a cunning linguist, it was
not cunnilingus. The experience swept me down the rapids back
to my childhood when I was cornered into Catholicism and the
local priest used to place the Eucharist ceremoaniously on my
tongue for consumption. Okay, I’ll stop speaking in abstracts now.
In laymen’s terms, I trialed LSD. Lucy’s actual identity is a street
walking Psychonaut.
If you would ever consider breaking into delectable psychedelics,
I’d recommend trying it with a friend in
a safe and enclosed environment with
I vie we d [Da vid
Bowie] as some kind
plenty of hydration available. You also
need to undertake it with a generally
positive mind-frame otherwise there’s of omnipotent higher
the potential for a bad trip. Although it’s power watching over us point because I couldn’t tell if it
ill-advised, I was thoroughly intoxicated
when I suggested doing it because I just happened to have a few
tabs casually laying around from a previous occasion waiting
to be eaten. It was like something out of Alice’s Adventures in
Wonderland. I’m sure Lewis Carroll would be proud of my valiant
efforts. In my opinion, the alcohol diminished my inhibitions but
also my capacity to remember the trip in vivid detail.
When Stefan* came over for some casual beverages, it was with
the intention of getting to know each other because we were fairly
new acquaintances. At least for me personally, I came out of it
feeling like I’d known him my entire life – even before my arrival in
the uterus. I don’t think he was expecting the tumultuous journey
to follow. We sat on the balcony surveying the resplendent sunset
when I drunkenly suggested it and he lulled me into a sense of
security by speaking of his past experience. It was reminiscent
of a job interview, only I was in no position to be hiring anyone.
We decided that it would be better to lie down before we actually
started tripping and lost all spatial awareness. It normally takes
between 30 to 45 minutes to take effect, depending on the
dosage and your individual physiology. It hit Stefan very abruptly
and he tumbled off the bed, hitting the dressing table as a result.
It was like watching an imbalanced gazelle being tackled by an
invisible lioness.
I didn’t hallucinate as such because the dosage was only 120ugs,
but my vision definitely became wavier with vibrant colours like
a kaleidoscope. Even though I was laying still for the most part,
I experienced the sensation of falling. Tumbling through my own
thoughts into what I perceived to be a different dimension of
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T I O N I S T
sorts. Acid has a reputation for making people very self-analytical
and in some cases making it easier to detach from your ego.
Stefan mentioned that because my hair is the same shade as my
bedsheets, they both started melting into each other. Even my
tattoos began resembling a Salvador Dali painting. My brain was
obsessing over Stefan’s face and how his features looked as if
they had been superimposed from a cartoonised cherub. Due to
this, I was laughing until the point of being bleary-eyed from tears
for roughly six hours. When you take acid, you’re in it for the long
haul. It lasts between 8 to 12 hours all up.
I made the mistake of booking a hair appointment the next day
at 12:30pm and I was absolutely delirious. Making my way there
in such a state was like an exceptionally disorientated hobbit
trekking to Mordor, but I prevailed in my stubbornness. The
appointment time was cemented in
my head the entire trip and although
it kept me grounded in reality to
an extent, I had to be reassured
that it was 9 hours away at one
was day or night, not to mention
what was up versus down. My bedroom is filled with plenty of
visual stimulation and so Stefan spent most of the time locking
eyes with my Noel Fielding poster in a state of nervousness. For
yours truly, I couldn’t escape the downward gaze of David Bowie.
Although I’m an athiest, I viewed him as some kind of omnipotent
higher power watching over us. Another thing I would advise
against is tripping in a room filled with mirrors, as it increases your
introspectiveness tenfold. Of course, my bedroom is brimming
with them. I have a few ornaments sitting on my dressing table,
such as a geisha doll and Jigglypuff. For reasons that escape
me, I became ashamed of myself and felt the need to rotate my
figurines so they couldn’t bask in my secret shame. As if I was
some kind of Homer Simpson figure masticating on flowers in the
privacy of my own bathroom.
Until you are sufficiently sober, stay away from cellular devices
and the kitchen environment in general. I was only able to cook
bacon with closely guided supervision, but for some reason it was
my main priority. I viewed Stefan as some kind of shamanistic
spirit guide due to his previous experience and at some points I
wasn’t entirely convinced he was a real person. If you ever want to
accelerate the bonding process with one of your new friends, the
consumption of acid is one avenue that works swimmingly. I see
now why Steve Jobbs endorsed it so fervently.
*Name has been changed to respect privacy.
LEANNE DUCK
@bmamag
 A R T | C O M E DY | D A N C E | L I T E R AT U R E | T H E AT R E

LITERATURE IN REVIEW
No Quarter: The Three Lives of Jimmy Page
Martin Power
[Omnibus Press; 2017]
“There are riffs. And then there are riffs.” – Jimmy Page. If the ‘60s
were the era of the Beatles then the ‘70s were all Zeppelin, claims
journalist Martin Power. Power, having authored biographies of Jeff
Beck, Blur, and the Manic Street Preachers, now turns his pen to
Jimmy Page – revered guitarist and mastermind of the supergroup
Led Zeppelin. The three titular lives of Page make for a Zeppelin
sandwich, with one slice dedicated to a skiffle-loving young session
guitarist, and the post-Zep slice a middle-aged curator of the band’s
legacy. Of course, it’s the tasty blues-inspired armadillo-trousered
Les Paul-shredding filling that we’re here for, and Power shovels it
in liberally.
No Quarter reads like a textbook in some respects, not least the
sheer volume of information. It also begins with an account of Page’s
parents and childhood that’s equal parts dry and twee. The twee
tone lingers throughout No Quarter, clashing oddly with the rock ‘n’
roll subject matter (cocked a snoot lately? Corking!). Happily, Power
hits his stride as soon as young Jimmy makes it into a recording
studio, clearly at ease with chronicling the soap opera of band make-
ups, break-ups, tours and recording.
Power casts Page’s career against local and global developments
in music, taking us through the appropriation of blues by rock and
pop, with a few choice detours around early experiments in fuzz,
distortion and the rave-up. And the descriptions of Zep’s music are
bang on, with much love given to the iconic improvisational solos,
the soaring rock anthems, the boundary pushing, the textures, the
lurching mayhem. Power effectively captures Page’s pioneering
mindset, painting him as one of music’s classic visionaries – driven,
talented, and obsessed with realising a muse.
At his best, anyway. The third life of Jimmy Page is less slice of
bread and more soggy sao, as the aging rocker slides into a cycle of
re-releasing Zeppelin albums, rehashing ‘whoa sexy mama I want to
put my [euphemism for a penis] in you’ type songs. As excellent as
the performances remain, cock rock as a genre is a sad place to be
stuck while the music scene – and your own bandmates – move on
around you.
Power’s focus on the musicians and the music is highly detailed,
running to myopic. Drugs, family life, girlfriends, broader cultural
and political movements,
and Page’s fascination
with mysticism
sometimes don’t appear
until well after the band
is living their effects.
Treating these elements
by topic instead
of chronologically
contributes to the
textbook vibe of
the thing, artificially
divorcing Page’s life
and music from integral
influences for chapters
at a time. An academic
love letter to the unholy
union of technical
mastery and raw blowzy
fuzz. One for the musos
and fanatics.
CARA LENNON

facebook.com/bmamagazine 45
E X H I B I T I O N I S T

bit PARTS
COLD LIGHT
WHAT: Theatre production
WHEN: Sat–Sat Mar 4–18
WHERE: The Street Theatre
Adapted by Alana Valentine from the novel by Frank Moorhouse, Cold
Light is the racy and entertaining epic story of iconic literary character
Edith Campbell Berry. Returning from the heady freedoms and liberal
tolerance of Post-War Europe, Edith, played by Sonia Todd, slams
into conservative 1950’s Canberra with a thud. With all her experience
working at the League of Nations, and with a husband in the diplomatic
service, Edith thinks it won’t be long until she is snapped up to work as
an Australian ambassador or similar prestige public service position.
But Edith has a wait on her hands. Tickets and show times are available
from thestreet.org.au.
Photo (above) by Shelly Higgs
THE AGE OF BONES
WHAT: Theatre production
WHEN: Wed–Sat Mar 8–11
WHERE: Gorman Arts Centre
The Age of Bones is a heartfelt and darkly funny tale inspired by the
real-life stories of 60 Indonesian boys imprisoned in Australia for
working on refugee boats. It traces the story of Ikan, an Indonesian
boy who goes fishing one day and fails to return. Fearing the worst,
his family hires a famed seafarer to track him down – he finds nothing.
Combining Indonesian puppetry, music and digital projection, The Age
of Bones follows Ikan’s fantastical story from Indonesia to his eventual
imprisonment down under and his fight to get home to his family. Show
times and tickets are available from agac.com.au.

ST PATRICK’S DAY
WHAT: St Patrick’s Day
WHEN: Fri Mar 17
WHERE: Canberra Irish Club
What better place to celebrate St Paddy’s than at Canberra’s chief
venue for all things Irish? The Irish Club are planning a day of fun,
festivities and giveaways. There’s going to be some Irish style dishes
available in the bistro throughout the day. And get this – they’ll have
green beer! Green. Beer. It doesn’t get much more Irish than that.
There’s also going to be Irish dancers performing, and live bands from
noon ‘til late. You can buy yourself a Paddy’s Day 2017 polo shirt for $35,
but get in quick because there’s limited stock available. Starts at 12pm
and goes ‘til late. Entry is free.

MUTUAL SPLIT
WHAT: Comedy
WHEN: Sat Mar 25
WHERE: Novotel Canberra
To settle a score, Sean Morgan and Ian Worst are banding together for
a split-bill show at the Canberra Comedy Festival. Through the show
they will sit down with a guest host to sort their differences. By the
50th minute, we’ll all know who’s the better comedian. The wager? The
loser must close the show by performing a joke written by the winner.
Sean and Ian are both Canberran ex-pats, but they’ve since picked up a
nine-show run with the Melbourne International Comedy Festival. This
show may contain strong language and adult concepts. Tickets are $18 +
bf from TryBooking. Starts at 7pm.

46 @bmamag
 ? Questioning
Technology
Recently an Australian security company suggested that sexual assaults at
gigs could be stopped with the deployment of drones. But this isn’t the only way that
technology has slowly invaded music, other than, y’know, speakers, microphones, stage
lights and the like. This month, Questioning will look at the delicate balance of the role of
technology in enhancing live performance.
CODY ATKINSON Yep, I get it. How about those hologram things, what happened
So let’s get it out of the way, tech is critical to live performance, to them? Wasn’t Tupac a hologram a few years back? Yeah, at
yeah? Yeah, pretty much. Without some basic forms of technology, Coachella in 2012 with the ghosts of Snoop Dogg and Dr Dre (who
the live music industry as we know it would probably not exist. All aren’t dead). It seemingly marked the start of a new resurgence
we would be left with would be brass bands, drum circles and John in hologram projections of dead artists, which it kinda sorta did.
Butler-esque folkers playing by campfires. And as anyone who has There was a Michael Jackson hologram at an award show in 2014,
been on a camping trip with someone armed with a shitty guitar and and a Patsy Cline hologram did a world tour in 2016, which is the
a handful of Jack Johnson covers knows, that would end in imminent first time those words have ever been written in BMA. Last month
murder. a French Presidential candidate, Jean-
Luc Melenchon, even held a political
Yep, and we’ve all been there and Live performance is campaign via hologram, which seems
subsequently beat those charges of meant to get us off the like a very desperate attempt to avoid
justifiable homicide. Getting back to
the non-killing point at hand, a very large
couch and enjoying the kissing babies. But…
proportion of the live performance real world But what? Technically they weren’t
industry is heavily reliant on technology. holograms, but “Pepper’s Ghosts”
Even looking beyond the obvious stuff normally present on stages, instead, which is totally a thing that I didn’t just make up. You can
technology plays a role in the creation of venues, the writing and even Google that shit. But in reality, it’s more like watching a video
production of material performed, publicising any events with killer of someone than a true hologram, which apparently is an important
posters and the production of this very magazine. Hell, even hacks difference according to the internet.
like me write up missives on typewriters in log cabins in the woods. The internet always has problems with things. So how about
None of this longhand crap for ol’ Cody. other amazing forward leaps in technology that potentially
(Hits return, turns feed roller.) infringe on people’s liberties? Well I assume you’ve heard
about Yondr?
Right. Well recently an anonymous Tasmanian security company (in
the Launceston Examiner) suggested that sexual assault at festivals Nah, what’s that? Yondr is a basically a sock that locks up people’s
could be stopped by the use of drones at festivals. phones during live events, rendering them practically useless
throughout. This serves the benefit of not seeing like a billion shitty
Drones? Um, how? Well you see they could use drones to fly over mobile phones filming a given performance, and some pretty big
the mosh pit to monitor behaviour, and if someone threw their hands acts have used it in the US, such as Chris Rock, Alicia Keys and Guns
in the air, specially positioned plainclothes security guards could N’ Roses. For the performer, it gives the opportunity to increase the
swoop in and stop what was happening. interaction and attentiveness of the audience, and perhaps connect
on a deeper level with their fans. For punters, it means they won’t
Right. But isn’t that potentially dangerous? Couldn’t people just
fondle their phones every 12 seconds.
hurl stuff like beer cans at the drones? I mean they could, but most
people surely wouldn’t do that. I mean there are still dickheads But … what happens in the case of an emergency? An emergency?
who would… Ah … shit, I don’t think they’ve thought through that. I think you’d be
stuffed, yeah, if someone needed to contact you immediately, like
And how would the drones be any more effective than say, several
if a family member went to hospital or something. Yeah, not a really
fixed cameras from the top of the stage and the sound booth?
good idea for that. May as well just leave the phone at home or in the
Better range I guess? It would be an improvement in being able to
car…
see where people are trying to do bad stuff while hiding?
Yeah. On a similar not, how about those silent disco things?
The key element here seems to be the deployment of extra
Ah yeah, the answer to “I want to be in a room full of people half
trained security with a constant communication system, not
dancing, but hate everyone else’s taste in music,” which is actually
the drones themselves… Hey, don’t question the expert. Are you
the correct point of view. Soon in some cities it’s going to be the only
a trained security advisor? No. He is. Probably. You know, we could
way to listen to music, with ever-encroaching development around
check that if he disclosed his name. Which we can’t.
long standing venues with poor live music legislation and endless
Yeah, you don’t say. So what other great/ludicrous ideas have noise complaints.
people had to “enhance” the live performance experience? Well
So tech is a good thing in live entertainment, right? Yeah, but
in 2013 drones were used to deliver beer at the OppiKoppi festival
there is a limit. Live performance is meant to be a visceral beast,
in South Africa. This is amazing and dangerous and beautiful and
something to get us off the couch and enjoying the real world. If we
terrible all in one. The drones dropped beer at random from 15m in
somehow devolve it to a bunch of people wearing VR goggles on
the air, with a very small parachute to slow the delivery down a little.
comfy seats with personal headsets whilst someone performs on a
But, despite the early progress, I don’t really see the idea TAKING
stage, I think the entire endeavour will have failed. Humanity that is.
OFF. GET IT? It’s a play on words.

facebook.com/bmamagazine 47
 the word
on albums into the mix and the band played
more to a sense of space, letting
each layer of sound sit more
isolated on its own. Whereas
O Soundtrack was more frenetic and
claustrophobic at times, Church let
things breathe, especially on the title
track and also on standout single,
‘Window’. Three years after that, on
Homosapien, PVT went kinda pop, whilst
retaining their somewhat left-field
edge.
There’s a point to this extensive history,
I swear. You see, New Spirit is sort of
an amalgamation of all these different
CHILDISH GAMBINO
elements at different times, although
“AWAKEN, MY LOVE!”
[GLASSNOTE]
under a firmly electronic gaze, with an

album extremely synthetic sonic palette

at times.

of the issue
PVT
NEW SPIRIT
[CREATE/CONTROL]
Since their first album, the critically
acclaimed 2005 record Make Me Love
You, PVT have seemingly made it their
mission to constantly reinvent just what
it is they do. New Spirit, their fifth album
in the last dozen years, builds on that
past, but also works to tie all of their
previous work together.
You’d be forgiven for forgetting that
Make Me Love You is from the same band
as New Spirit. For one, the band name is
slightly different; it was changed from
Pivot in 2010 after a legal claim by an
American nu-metal band of the same
name, which is a depressing sentence
to write. Also, just after Make Me Love
You was released, the band shrunk from
five members to just three, perhaps
foreshadowing the later shortening
of the name. There’s just two holdover
members from that first album; brothers
Richard and Lawrence Pike, who were
joined by Dave Miller.
More importantly, Make Me Love You
is an entirely instrumental album
influenced by jazz and math rock, and
less overly reliant on technology than
anything they’ve done since. And as the
years progressed, the experimentalism
with form didn’t lessen. 2008’s O
Soundtrack My Heart found a harder
edge as they started to flirt with a more
post-rock, even at times dance-punk
style, especially on album standout
‘Didn’t I Furious’.
A couple of years later, on 2010’s Church
With No Magic, they introduced vocals
For example, the post-rock elements
shine through a little on ‘Spirit Of
The Plains’, albeit with some shrill
synths to break it up. Second single
‘Morning Mist, Rock Island Bend’ is a
slow burner like some of Make Me Love
You, a nine-minute evolution of an
idea, progressing slowly from repeated
elements. The vocals on ‘Morning Mist’
are pretty bent out of shape, warped
into an alien form, which is shared with
other tracks on the album. It adds a
layer of technological distance to the
mix, not dissimilar to The Knife.
But not all of Richard Pike’s vocals are
altered, nor are they always altered
in the same way. Album highlight
‘Kangaroo’ has a motorik beat married
to pulsating synths and a post-rock
breakdown, which is a little bit odd for
something sung more like a new
wave song.
This is where New Spirit succeeds
more than its straighter dance-pop
predecessor Homosapien – it has much
more variety, depth and willingness
to reveal extra layers throughout the
course of the album. Almost nothing on
the album is what it first seems, and it
almost always evolves for the better.
The album sees PVT having a crack
at a number of different things, and
succeeding at most. New Spirit might
see the most coherent evolution of the
band, a sign of what they were always
seemingly working towards. But, given
their history, it is unlikely to be their
last distinctive form; so enjoy it while
it lasts.
CODY ATKINSON
If “Awaken, My Love!” was a fruit it would
be a mango. A big, ripe mango. You take a
bite and the sweet nectar fills your insides
and trickles down your chin, its juiciness
awakening all your senses.
At first listen, fans of Childish Gambino
will be confused. “Um, excuse me, where’s
the hip-hop, the fast rhymes?” It’s true, this
album is a completely different direction
from his previous work and at first it’s
confusing. But 20 seconds into listening and
the doubts vanish. The opening track, ‘Me
And Your Mama’, is the perfect beginning.
The rumbling falsetto, the ripening guitar
lines, the cosmic chorus; it all comes
together to create an alluring beat. From
there the album dives head first into
funkiness. Other highlights include playful
track ‘Zombies’, the powerful croons of ‘Riot’
and the soulful ‘Redbone’, which tantalises
with its waves of paranoia and lusciousness.
The vague lyrics and fuzzy guitar riffs
create a smooth mystic that helps set the
album apart from what’s been heard before.
Gambino builds of nostalgic sounds, giving
his own twist. His music exerts this charming
arrogance that allows him to do whatever he
wants. If he wants to completely change his
style, then he will do it and it will be amazing.
You can try and hate him but the sounds
will infect you like a virus, making your
body move and transforming you into a 70s
Motown funk lord.
GISELLE BUETI

48 @bmamag
LABRADOR LAND
FLUKE ARTIST
[ISOLATION RECORDS]
Melbourne folk four-piece Autumnal (worlds
away in style from the doom metal mashers
of the same name) put out three LPs
based on bleeding heart tales of emotional
torment. Having had enough of that self-
inflicted pain, the band swapped out two
members, rebadged itself and issued a
debut album, Fluke Artist. The outfit retains
Autumnal’s core membership of Wez Prictor
and Richard Besley whose rather nasally
singing is a key part of the band’s
signature sound.
The new band has broadened its catalogue
to embrace other genres and new messages,
which move on from navel gazing to issuing
life advice. Lyrics offer such suggestions
as don’t be too opinionated, look beyond
yourself and catch plenty of sleep. The
opening title track blooms suddenly from
an acoustic beginning into a more heady,
electro sound. Rather than sharp notes,
key strikes advance like expanding ripples
in a pool. Political views compare national
leaders to baboons and crocodiles. ‘Anything
for Peace’ brings the antique honesty of
colourful Hammond organ music, while
‘Punch Above Your Weight’ is painted in
purple and gold psychedelic guitar. ‘Mr
Cranky Pants’, propelled along by Prictor’s
banjo, emphasises the necessity of a good,
long nap.
The band keeps it varied with funky trilling
keys in ‘Beer and Skittles’ and lazy rock
licks in ‘Stitched Up’. There’s another switch
in ‘Love Multiples’ where a reggae rhythm
powers along a comparison of Hawking’s
theories about the universe with the
qualities of love, where “gravity’s the force
that drives the clockwork of the universe.”
While not lo-fi, the vibe is very casual, with
an unpretentious urbanity that is reflected
in the CD art.
RORY MCCARTNEY
facebook.com/bmamagazine
IMPERIAL BROADS
WHO ARE WE TURNING INTO?
[INDEPENDENT RELEASE]
Imperial Broads might sound serious from
their name, but don’t let this deceive you
– Who Are We Turning Into? packages up
some of the most delightfully melody-laden
and rocking tunes of the summer.
Imperial Broads are a four-piece from
Sydney, driven by three women making up
the core base. Forming during the depths of
winter and playing in an unheated garage,
the results of their perseverance and
potential frostbite is this dreamy debut
album, which was released late last year.
Who Are We Turning Into? is filled with
pop-bliss moments that are effortlessly
balanced out by surf-garage rock riffs.
Imperial Broads are unashamed about their
girl-group influences – the silky smooth
three-part harmonies are just glorious – but
there’s still an edge thanks to their socially
astute lyrics. It’s a timeless sort of sound,
taking musical cues from the 60s, 70s and
80s, and making them sound fresh today.
It’s hard to pick a single standout from
the many good moments on this album.
It could be the kicker on the sweet album
opener, of secrets shared between friends:
“I know how many people you’ve slept
with”. Or it could be the woozy tempo-play
on ‘Room For Love’ that morphs into an
upbeat proclamation, “I got no more room
for love, yea-yea-yeah!” The track that
best encapsulates the essence of Imperial
Broads is perhaps ‘You’re Scared’, with
its killer catchy riffs and now-trademark
harmonies.
Who Are We Turning Into? is such a lot
of fun to listen to. While the world is so
serious and damn hot, it could add a touch of
magnificence to your day.
MEGAN LEAHY
DENIZ TEK
MEAN OLD TWISTER
[CITADEL RECORDS]
Radio Birdman frontman Deniz Tek goes
back to his US roots for his LP. Having
released a plethora of records with a variety
of bands, this one is his sixth solo effort,
although done with the aid of a two-piece
core backing band and add-on specialist
musos.
If this album was a car, it would be a 1967
Mustang, weather-beaten and scratched
but with a top of the line stereo and plenty
of oomph under the hood. The music draws
heavily on ‘60s and ‘70s rock, but with hints
of punk, grunge and garage. There is a lot
of attitude in Tek’s casual drawl. In opener
‘Burned Black’ he drags out the lyrics in the
chorus. Slowed down and elongated, they
give a stretched magnetic tape effect. His
US accent comes through clearly in the
lo-fi ‘Corner Conversation’. Complete with
nice angular licks, there is an Iggy Pop vibe
to the song. Tek wears a cool aloofness in
‘Somewhere’, with its saxophone squealing
‘70s fashion in the bridge.
‘Crossroads’ adopts a Ramones punk style
delivery for its lyrics, from which the CD
gains its title. The track list is replete with
fast, supercharged tracks such as ‘Prison
Mouse’, adorned with its raspy harmonica
slashes. However, ‘Table for One’ provides
an opportunity for contemplation, with
an alt-country flavoured, laidback mood.
There are hints of The Rolling Stones in the
smoky singing of ‘New York Confidential’.
The music swings through with a heavy gait,
loaded with references to turnpikes and
Queens (the borough). Tek rests his voice in
the instrumental ‘Comanche’, with its jungle
drum rhythm and spaghetti western guitars,
while ‘Cranbrook’ serves up a dark message,
folk-pop style.
RORY MCCARTNEY
49
 album
in focus
THE GRATEFUL DEAD
THE GRATEFUL DEAD 50TH
ANNIVERSARY DELUXE EDITION
[RHINO]
When punk rockers appeared in droves
in the mid 1970s, The Grateful Dead
was lumped in with the likes of Pink
Floyd, Led Zeppelin and all those other
‘dinosaur’ bands that had become
renowned for excessive musical prowess
and alienating stadium gigs. This was
perceived as diluting the energy and
attitude of raw rock ‘n’ roll. Around
then, The Dead was indeed heading
towards stadium superstardom with
an ever-growing fanbase turned on by
lengthy instrumental workouts that
preserved blues and folk roots while
also steeped in a finely crafted cosmic
Americana that furthered consciousness
expansion. Punk dudes had a point when
it came to extended song lengths that
dispersed the raw energy of rock music
in its elemental form, but an enduring
commitment to fresh and meaningful
creative expression was similar for both
the original psychedelic bands and the
punk rockers that followed. With this in
mind, music fans predisposed towards
short and sweet rock ‘n’ roll would have
been well pleased with the Grateful
Dead’s self-titled debut album, hastily
recorded over a few days in early 1967.
The music comes across as sizzling
garage rock and nowhere near as
expansive as it would become. For this
reason, the more I listen to it the more
I like it. Prior to this freshly mastered
reissue I had chosen to take the advice
of music critics by passing on the band’s
debut in favour of the sophomore effort
50
Anthem of the Sun from 1968,
a leading example of late 60s
psychedelic music that was totally
adventurous in its referencing of
modern compositional techniques
and by incorporating wild live
snippets into uninhibited studio
experimentation. That album
travelled the astral plane in
the most satisfying way and
set the Dead up for the unique
psychedelia to come. The debut
album is, however, more reflective PAUL KELLY & CHARLIE OWEN
of the earliest incarnation of DEATH’S DATELESS NIGHT
the group when it was openly [GAWD AGGIE]
flaunting its R&B leanings on
the blues standard ‘Good Mornin’
Little School Girl’ and offering What music would you like played at your
high octane garage rock on ‘Cream funeral? ‘The Dead Eyes Open’ by the
Puff War’. Severed Heads is a personal favourite.
However, Paul Kelly and Charlie Owen have
Album opener ‘The Golden Road (To
assembled a line-up of their picks, which
Unlimited Devotion)’ is a melodically
they have used to farewell family and
tight rock ‘n’ roll nugget and not quite
friends. The album Death’s Dateless Night
the hippified dream pop that the
was named after a line in a Shakespearean
song title suggests. The way forward
sonnet and it is destined for a concert tour,
is captured on ‘Viola Lee Blues’ with
which will play exclusively in churches.
improvisation stretched out for a
bit and the cover of Bonnie Dobson’s The emotions in the songs cover a broad
beautiful folk song ‘Morning Dew’ that range: from regret, to acceptance, to a
would remain in the Dead’s live set for welcome release from troubles, to fond
years to come. messages of farewell. There’s a frequent
folk/country feel, with an emphasis on an
At this early stage, the group mind
acoustic delivery, and pared-back window
meld that would conjure some outright
dressing from other instruments. With Kelly
astonishing live performances later
on vocals/guitar and Owen on everything
on was still developing. Jerry Garcia’s
else, the collection is not what you may have
improvisational leanings are curtailed
expected. Of the selection, many of them
here and the band mines a heavier
venerable tunes by well-known songwriters,
blues vibe which suggests keyboardist
‘Let It Be’ is the only song that listeners may
Ron ‘Pigpen’ McKernan as a dominant
have anticipated, and only the closer ‘Angel
influence in the band. The remaster
of Death’ has a sinister halo.
opens up the sound and the liner notes
from Dead authority and fan Jesse Some have no literal connection with death
Jarnow aptly captures the early touring but speak of freedom, like ‘Don’t Fence Me
days of a group that always thrived on In’, which was sung with Kelly’s daughters.
live performance. Opener ‘Hard Times’ wears a sombre hat,
with its slow keys and wisps of harmonica,
The bonus disc on this edition features
but ‘To Live is to Fly’ brings a brightness
a 1966 show in Vancouver that reflects
to a sad occasion and the catchy tune
the laconic rhythm and blues on the
‘Pallet on Your Floor’ wears a grin. The Irish
studio album with the much looser
farewell ‘The Parting Glass’ warms the
improvisations of later years nowhere
heart, but it is the songs with an Australian
in sight. The tongue-in-cheek comment
connection that really stand out. There is
from bassist Phil Lesh that, “our
a special elegance to the haunting ‘Pretty
fame has preceded us,” in response to
Bird Tree’, telling of walks with ancestors,
the non-applause from the audience
while Kelly’s own song ‘Nukkanya’ (meaning
indicates that fame and fortune
‘see ya’) contributes a more upbeat vibe.
was some way off, but the doors to
The collection offers alternatives to
perception had been well and
contemporary funeral soundtracks.
truly opened.
RORY MCCARTNEY
DAN BIGNA
@bmamag

THE ORWELLS
TERRIBLE HUMAN BEINGS
[ATLANTIC]
The Orwells formed in high school,
immediately pursuing a career in music upon
graduation. The garage rockers have since
released two albums but have been keeping
a fairly low profile in Australia. Terrible
Human Beings is their third effort to date
and their most accomplished.
Finding a balance between the raw
garage-jams of 2012’s Remember When and
polished punk of 2014’s Disgraceland, the
Chicago natives have matured their sound.
Arena rock drums and shrieking guitars
sit perfectly next to infectious melodies
and catchy fifties-style chants. Vocalist,
Mario Cuomo, is lyrically at his best on
this album. Spinning hard luck stories and
cynical truths, his silky baritone transforms
from smooth crooning to maniacal shouting
within seconds. “Just because you took the
easy way out/Don’t mean you know what
you’re talking about!” Cuomo deliriously
sings on ‘Hippie Solder’. Cheeky one liners
such as this are found throughout
the record.
Opening track, ‘Body In The Bayou’ shows
The Orwells at their most explosive with a
simple but catchy guitar riff that opens up
into a squealing guitar solo. ‘Last Call (Go
Home)’ shows their knack for reviving 50s
garage ballads with longing chords and a
smooth guitar solo.
The most accomplished track on the
album is the closer, ‘Double Feature’: a
seven-minute burner that contains some
of the catchiest lyrics on the album and an
extended jam at the end, the likes of which
we haven’t seen from the band until now.
Terrible Human Beings is another crowing
instalment in the career of a criminally
overlooked band.
THOMAS SPILLANE
facebook.com/bmamagazine
REGINA SPEKTOR
REMEMBER US TO LIFE
[WARNER MUSIC/SIRE RECORDS]
Regina Spektor’s 2012 release What We Saw
From the Cheap Seats was disappointing.
Songs were too quirky, too cheesy or just
plain annoying. Happily, her seventh studio
album sees more of a return to form. Gone
are the overdone theatrics and strange
guttural noises that distracted from the
magic that Spektor’s voice possesses.
Songs retain a piano centred format, with
extensive use of strings and synths to
enrich the sound. Spektor is in love with
words, and her songs are full of them.
Sometimes she is a character in songs, and
sometimes she’s the narrator, such as in
‘Grand Hotel’. Themes are steeped in either
nostalgia or sentimentality. However, there
is a place for a deeper message, hammered
home with leaden key strikes, too, with ‘The
Trapper and the Furrier’ observing that
exploiters always seem to get rewarded at
the expense of ordinary folk.
While the theatricality is toned down,
there is still plenty of room for artistic
expression with the best tracks brought
together in the first half dozen songs.
Bright indie pop opener ‘Bleeding Heart’ is
an instant winner, with plenty of variance in
the arrangement and vocal delivery. ‘Older
and Taller’ maintains a cheery spring in its
step while ‘Small Bills’ turns the mood on
its head with choppy verses, dark strings,
syncopated beats and a floating chorus. The
sombre tone of ‘Black and White’ is swept
away by ‘The Light’ with its uplifting chorus,
“The light comes shining in my eyes”. Then
there’s a lull in the overly long and rambling
‘Obsolete’ and ‘Sellers of Flowers’, but the
album lifts again with the beguiling
‘The Visit’.
Spektor has retained her alternative
credentials, while offering songs with
real appeal.
RORY MCCARTNEY
AL
LOC SIC
MU
JACK BIILMANN
STREAMS
[INDEPENDENT RELEASE]
Only having a vague idea what roots music
was exactly, I reviewed this album with an
open mind and was pleasantly surprised.
This gem is something great to come out
of Canberra’s artistic community and I was
very glad to be introduced to the work of
Jack Biilmann.
Jack is a Canberra based blues/roots
musician who in the last 18 months has
released four singles, achieved a #1 on the
iTunes singles chart and released his second
record. This album, Streams, is set for
release on Thursday February 23 with a tour
to promote the record throughout 2017.
The album opens with the cruisy and flowing
title track, ‘Streams’. A perfect way to start.
This is closely followed by ‘Walkabout’ with
a reggae feel, sparse and clean buildups
to changes. My head was like a plastic dog
on the dashboard with a spring neck. The
album continues with The Battler, which
features Jack’s strong vocals that continue
into the groovy track, ‘Don’t Complain’,
which has a cracker opening riff. ‘Empty
Bars’ has a moody, Toad the Wet Sprocket
guitar feel and is a fantastic, stripped back
song. ‘Own Worst Enemy’ didn’t grab me so
much but I was brought back into the fold
by ‘From the Start’, which is a simple and
elegant track with some lovely touches of
brass. ‘Candle’ and ‘Quit’ are two tracks that
feature fantastic dynamics both in volume
and thickness of instrumentation. ‘Forever
Unbeaten’ is a fitting end to the album that
flowed and ebbed throughout and had your
head gently moving to the rhythm.
Get on this Canberra, you won’t be sorry.
MARK TURNER
51

LOC
MUS AL
IC
THE LOWLANDS
THE LOWLANDS
[INDEPENDENT RELEASE]
The project of locals Ella Hunt, Joel Davy
and Sammy O’Brien, The Lowlands bear
a sound that’s as swamped in folk as it is
bleeding with jazz and blues. The blend
of Davy’s crooning cello with O’Brien’s
jazz percussion and Hunt’s sombre vocals
conjure a world that’s half Canberra and
its surrounds, and another half something
uncanny and unsettling.
The 20-minute EP was recorded at Harvest
Recordings in the Kangaroo Valley, about
35km from Berry, NSW. Bringing the project
together in an off-the-beat-track locale
works enchantingly in its favour; this EP is
hardened by the Australian bushland and
the result is that the listener can taste the
wood that the band’s instruments are made
from. It’s remarkably easy to lose oneself in
The Lowlands’ sonic portraits of lost souls
wandering the lonely Australian wilderness.
In one of our previous issues, we described
The Lowlands as “the musical equivalent
of a hug”. That’s especially true for ‘Leila’,
the EP’s soft-spoken jazz-folk opener. Its
tempo change mid-song brings the listener
in close, empathising with their desperation
to belong somewhere. Similarly, ‘Mama’
embraces the listener through blues.
Alongside O’Brien’s pounding drums, Hunt’s
voice soars to a great crescendo as she
sings, “Mama, I ain’t going down with you /
Mama, don’t go the way of your man
from you”.
‘Release Me’ is a personal standout. A
song about children in detention centres,
Hunt pleads compassion from the listener,
“Little lips they move apart / And for the
thousandth time pray to the stars / Release
me”. Shaded in blues and Davy’s bleak mid-
song cello solo, it carries itself tirelessly
and hopelessly. Like the rest of the EP, it’s
equally impactful, intimate and harrowing.
ANDREW NARDI
52
RUN THE JEWELS
RUN THE JEWELS 3
[RUN THE JEWELS, INC.]
A friend recently described Run The Jewels
as ‘El-P making beats for Killer Mike to
body him on’. That doesn’t really have much
to do with this review but I thought it was
funny. In reality, both Killer Mike and El-P are
probably two of the most underrated MCs in
the game, or at least they were before they
teamed up to drop Run The Jewels and Run
The Jewels 2, two of the most successful
experiments in collaboration in
recent memory.
On the surface, it sounds as if this is just
another run-of-the-mill RTJ record, which
isn’t a bad thing. It’s chock full of the
low-fi, futurist beats that have become
synonymous with El-P’s production, and
they’re executed just as tastefully as ever.
Lyrically and thematically however, Run
The Jewels 3 is a definite progression.
Sure, there are still plenty of the tongue-in-
cheek lines that are a staple of RTJ’s music,
but ultimately the album is an aggressive
criticism of the ruling classes, culminating
in a call to arms. “Fear’s been law for so
long, rage feels like therapy,” El-P spits on
‘Thieves (Screamed the Ghost)’. The duo are
clearly unhappy with the political state of
the world, and they have a clear solution,
as Killer Mike raps on ‘A Report to the
Shareholders,’ “It could all be over tomorrow,
kill our masters and start again.”
IAN MCCARTHY
v
singles
in focus
WITH CODY ATKINSON
APHIR
‘DEEPER IN’
Aphir, the project of
Melbourne-based
ex-Canberran
Becki Whitton, produces ethereal
downtempo pop, heavily focused on
varying vocal textures. ‘Deeper In’
utilises much of the common pop
palate, but it shifts and shapes in a
slightly unfamiliar way. If you feel
like floating in a cloud about three
feet above where you are currently
sitting, have a listen to this one.
YOUNG FATHERS
‘ONLY GOD
KNOWS’
Since they broke
through a few years
ago, Young Fathers have been shaping
their own way with sloganistic,
melodic, underground hip-hop from
Scotland of all places. This track,
featuring a full choir, has bursts of
euphoria interspersed with points of
real introspection. As long as they
keep making music like this, they are
well worth listening to.
FATHER JOHN
MISTY
‘BALLAD OF THE
DYING MAN’
It’s hard to tell when
Father John Misty is being earnest,
playing homage or playing the fool
sometimes. The lyricism is rife with
irony, and the music sounds like
it was ripped from the guitar-pop
annals of time past. But, it’s good.
I mean the tune is really tight, the
lyrics well thought out, and Misty’s
delivery just brings it all together.
MACHINE GUN
KELLY & CAMILA
CABELLO
‘BAD THINGS’
What’s the opposite
of both fire and ice? Lukewarm
water? Machine Gun Kelly spits
lukewarm water on this track, with
the standard good girl/bad boy trope
being played out here. Some pretty
average sex rhymes on show here
too, nothing to write home about for
anyone. The hook is based around
a Fastball song from 1999 (‘Out Of
My Head’), but even that has been
watered down here. Avoid.
@bmamag
 the Googfest
word Rockely Oval, Googong
Saturday February 4
on gigs
I feel like Googfest is gathering momentum. I arrived in time to hear
the second half of Lucy Sugerman’s set, the first artist on the line
up, and there was already a good-sized crowd spread out across the
oval. More, I would say, than at that point in the festival the previous
year. This momentum is pleasing given the festival’s commitment to
putting local bands on stage: four of the five bands were local.
First up was Sugerman, a fifteen-year-old musician and songwriter,
who seemed very comfortable on stage. She played a mix of
originals and covers in a relaxed, folk style. One of her original songs
she wrote in response to people telling her that she can’t just be
thinking of doing music; she needs to come up with a plan B. But with
maturity beyond her years, Sugerman already knows that to make it
in an industry like music she needs to give it her all, and that the act
of pursing a plan B would necessitate her need for that plan.
Next up was Teen Jesus and the Jean Teasers, a high-energy group
of five sixteen-year-old girls from Canberra’s Steiner school. The
band takes their inspiration from 90s grunge music. They took a
couple of songs to settle into their set but when they did, rather
than being transported back to the 90s, it was the early-naughties
that came to mind, with lead singer Anna Ryan’s voice reminiscent
of Patience Hodgson from The Grates. They finished their set with a
great version of The Killer’s song, ‘Mr Brightside’. The crowd loved it.
It was a hot day (when hasn’t it been hot this summer?) but there
was a cool breeze blowing, making it perfect weather for kicking
back with a drink and picnic, and listening to the next band,
Slow Turismo. With their beautiful vocals, melodies and harmonies,
Slow Turismo is an accomplished band with a diverse set of songs.
They had some new song jitters, which quickly settled, and lead
singer Sam Conway commented that this was biggest crowd they
had ever played in front of. But none of this affected what was an
impressive performance that I’m sure won them a lot of fans.
The Young Monks eased into their set with a mellow track before
building the energy with their upbeat, indie pop. Like Slow Turismo,
Young Monks are an accomplished band, and thankfully they are
getting more and more attention around town. The crowd really got
into their set which included last year’s single ‘Bad Bad Freddy’.
The headline band was Sneaky Sound System. I thought the energy
dropped a little bit when they first hit the stage, but they certainly
built it up again and put on a great performance which everyone
enjoyed. One thing I love about family festivals like Googfest is
the diversity of people enjoying the music, especially people who
don’t get to enjoy live music regularly. There were young kids there,
dragging their parents up to the firetrucks, awkward pre-teens
and relaxed retirees getting in the thick of the mosh pit. Audience
diversity fosters a great vibe. The night ended with a fireworks
display which started a couple of spot fires but, of course, there
were firetrucks on hand to quickly put them out!
ZOE PLEASANTS

PHOTO BY MEGAN LEAHY

facebook.com/bmamagazine 53
 the The Gooch Palms, Pist Idiots, Little Lunch

word
The Phoenix
Friday February 10
on gigs Local three-piece Little Lunch opened up the night with a set of
low-key rock; sort of indie-garage type stuff. Most of the hooks are
carried in the offsetting male and female vocals, but there’s a bit
more to them than that. They don’t fly with a bunch of blazing guitar
solos at every turn, but there’s no need to be over-the-top when you
can just churn out a bunch of good songs instead.
Coming down the Hume from Sydney, Pist Idiots seemed
determined to put The Phoenix in a guitar haze, which (spoiler alert)
they kinda did. Slashing so hard at their instruments that they
shredded two strings, the band crafted a constantly chugging set
of garage punk, keeping the crowd moving even on a stinkingly
hot night.
The Gooch Palms have slowly built a solid fanbase over the past
three years, especially in Canberra. Their set up is deceptively
simple (two mics, two drums and one guitar), but the sound that
they manage to squeeze out of it is incredibly engaging. With The
Phoenix packed to breaking point, the Goochies constantly varied
their angles of attack through the night. From the out-and-out croon
of ‘You’ to the sing-along pop-punk of ‘Novos’ and even the straighter
pop of ‘Living Room Bop’, the duo covered all bases pretty damn
well. Talk of free entry for those with mullets, Jarrod Mullins and the
(not Canberra) greatest city in the world, Newcastle, broke up the
epic tunage of the night. It’s very hard not to like the Gooch Palms,
PHOTO BY MEGAN LEAHY perhaps near impossible.
By the end of the night both the band and the crowd were shedding
their clothes and letting loose, instead of melting as the night
wanted them to.
CODY ATKINSON

the The Screaming Jets, Tonk

The Basement
word Saturday February 4

on gigs Canberra, well done in surprising me yet again. I’d assured some
mates that there was “no way Screaming Jets would sell out” and
there would be tickets on the door. When walking towards The
Basement at 8:30pm amongst quite a few other groups of people,
I even thought there must have been another event on nearby. At
the door I discovered the ‘sold out’ notice over the gig poster and
had to apologise and farewell my ticketless pals. With little space to
move and exhaustive bar lines I made my way towards the stage to
check out Tonk. It’s been awhile since I had seen these guys so the
night seemed to have a bit of ACT hard rock nostalgia to it. This was
matched by a few in the crowd who could be seen singing along to
a few numbers. With a Gunners cover thrown in for good measure,
they got the crowd nicely warmed.
The Screaming Jets hit the stage and Dave Gleeson immediately
jolted around and stared down the crowd in between belting out
vocals. He showed his age (and possibly played to the crowd) in his
banter between songs, with comments such as, “we prefer Twister
to Tinder”, asking for “more cowbell” and expressing his disdain
for Flume. They saved all their hits for the second half of the set,
pleasing the crowd with ‘Better’ as a closer, before an encore that
included ‘Shivers’. Another great night at the Basement and a lesson
learnt in underestimating Jets fans and Canberra, and discouraging
pre-purchasing tickets.
PHOTO BY ROD HORAN JARROD MCGRATH

54 @bmamag
 the Moaning Lisa, Capes, The Lowlands, Dog Name
The Phoenix
word Monday January 30

on gigs A friend who knows things dropped me a line the weekend before,
and told me that I should get down to The Phoenix on Monday night,
as something big might be happening.
A little short of three years ago a blaze started in Coo restaurant
and spread throughout the Sydney building, covering the CBD in a
smoky haze. The flames and smoke hit several parts of the historic
building, causing several affected businesses to close either
temporarily or permanently, including The Phoenix. Scaffolding
scarred the side of the building for months, wood panels covering
the damages. Slowly, over time, the damages disappeared and
businesses started moving in again.
A couple of doors down from where the fire started sat the Pheno
– who had just expanded into two separate parts of the building
connected by a large, open door in the middle. The Phoenix had
long been a refuge for both music lovers and “good people” – folk
who don’t necessarily fit into other parts of the Canberra nightlife.
In a city that often gets called “souless” and “boring”, the Phoenix
is nearly the perfect antidote; a bit grimy, dirty and real, but pretty
welcoming to all. But for the last nigh-on three years the pub had
been constricted into just one half – with little to no reliable news on
when the other half would re-open.
I run into my friend on the way home from work, tired as hell. They
twisted my arm into coming in for a beer, just to check it out. Just
one, I reply, just one.
When stepping through the old/new doors, everything looked the
same and yet a bit different, and distorted memories started to
flood back. Somewhat familiar faces filled the room, and the gig
guide from three years ago was stuck to the wall. Word started to
slowly filter through about the re-open, and the place slowly started
to fill up.
Eadie from Dog Name wears quite a few hats in a few local bands,
but it was her solo stuff on show to kick off the night. Different
parts of her songwriting get to shine in this environment, notably
the balance between her at times expressive vocals and full guitar
sound. It also brings a bit more of a pop element out of her material,
which works well early on a Monday night.
Up second on the night, The Lowlands brought a relatively lush
sound compared to Dog Name. Throughout their set the band
changed up their sound, with jazz flourishes and folk-ish tinges
complementing Ella Hunt’s voice. The Lowlands really hit their peak
however when things slowed down, and emotion bled into the room.
Watching people go apeshit to a rock and roll band is one of the
simple pleasures in life, and Capes managed to provide that to
the packed crowd. With the line for the pub going down East Row,
Capes launched into a set of skate punk, with boat loads of riffs and
banging drums. It got a touch loose at times at the front, but that’s
how this type of stuff is meant to be enjoyed.
Moaning Lisa had a hell of a 2016, capped by winning the National
Campus Band Competition and a bit of press attention along the
way. If you were only half listening to them you could call the four-
PHOTOS BY PATRICK COX piece 90s-grunge revivalists, but upon closer inspection their sense
of melody gives them a bit more purpose. There’s definitely pop
hooks, but covered rightly behind layers of noise; the accessibility
PHOTO BY MEGAN LEAHY tempered with a bit more depth.
It might be only a pub, but it’s good to have The Phoenix back.
CODY ATKINSON

facebook.com/bmamagazine 55
 the The Amity Affliction, Hellions, Ocean Grove,

word
Autumn
ANU Bar
Saturday January 28
on gigs
A surprisingly early start and a long queue meant many were still
outside for the opening set from Autumn. What we could hear
through an open door sounded pretty brutal, with music crunching
down in great slabs.
Melbourne metal/punk band Ocean Grove kicked off a hip-hop intro
with just the frontman and drummer on stage, before the three
guitarists (in character as the psychedelic, hippy, shirtless metaller
and bib n’ braces punk) joined in. They got the punters doing circle
work early, creating a sudden space in the packed floor, with some
amazingly acrobatic moves from one participant. On the command
“jump, jump”, a sea of heads rose and fell in unison.
Hardcore punkers Hellions took Ocean Grove’s mayhem and
turned it into a more orchestrated, melodic frenzy. The gentle licks
and cymbal taps of the intro collapsed into the rapid fire, barking
delivery of vocalist Dre Faivre. The mosh responded well to new
songs drawn from their latest LP The Rhapsody Tapes.
Taking a leaf out of AC/DC’s book, The Amity Affliction set began
with a solemn tolling bell before Joel Birch shook the mic with ‘I
Bring the Weather With Me’. While the show was bookended by
songs from the latest LP, the band shaped the set list to include
a wide range of their material, keeping the punters happy. Rising
PHOTO BY GABBY MARSHALL swells of thundering choruses were raised further by the crowd, as
the set became a series of epic singalongs. The tragedy written into
the genetic material of the lyrics was overridden by the smiles of
the audience as they joined in with the bouncy chorus of closer ‘This
Could Be Heartbreak’.
RORY MCCARTNEY

the Holy Serpent, Witchskull

Transit Bar
word Friday January 27

on gigs
PHOTO BY STELLA-RAE ZELNIK
It is safe to say that those who were at Transit Bar the night after
Australia Day, now know what the end of the world sounds like.
Touring in support of their debut album, Temples, Holy Serpent’s
deafening guitars moved at a horrifyingly morbid pace, almost
tearing the walls down. The Melbourne outfit proved they truly
are a monolith of impending doom. Canberra doom-metal kings,
Witchskull started the night off with a set that can only be
described as awe-inspiring. Starting maybe a little too fashionably
late, vocalist/guitarist, Marcus De Pasquale’s warm up of running on
the spot gave the crowd no idea of what was to come. Soon enough
Pasquale’s voice was heard soaring above a marching rhythm
section and blistering guitar solos. Drummer Joel Green talked to
the crowd in between songs with an attitude too humble for his
band’s prowess.
Holy Serpent then hit the stage like a lucid locomotive roaring all
around you. The band’s crushing riffs writhed along at a hypnotically
slow speed. Dave Bartlett’s rumbling bass saturated everybody
throughout the bar, as Scott Penberthy’s Sabbath-y wail was
heard from somewhere far above the crowd. Obnoxiously and
unapologetically loud, Holy Serpent had everybody in Transit
mesmerised from the moment they stood on stage to the moment
they stepped off. Not for the fainthearted, the doom band are
helping to bring mystic danger back to heavy metal. From the first
slugging riff to the last molasses-paced drum beat, Holy Serpent’s
live show felt like being stuck in a K-Hole during the apocalypse.
THOMAS SPILLANE

56 @bmamag
 the The Front Bottoms, The Hard Aches, Revellers

word
The Basement
Thursday January 26
on gigs There was a great turnout for this Australia Day gig. This worked
well for locals Revellers who were able to draw more attention to
their breed of punk rock. The trio may have a bit more screaming
than our other acts tonight, but they balance this with some solid,
punchy melodies and got the night off to a good start.
We were lucky to have Adelaide’s awesome The Hard Aches back in
town for a third time in under a year. On top of their regular tight set
of top tunes they treated us to two great newbies, indicating that
we may hopefully have a new recording from them in the near future.
Our headliners The Front Bottoms hit the stage and the singalongs
and moshing went into full gear. The fervour with which the crowd
were yelling Brian’s lyrics back at him showed just how well fans
connect with his honest, heartfelt outlook on life. The bounce in
the rhythm section combined with Kieran’s multi instrumentation
ensured there was a solid sound and vibrant mosh with crowdsurfing
included. I was surprised at the amount of older songs in the set
compared to Back On Top material, but the audience didn’t mind
at all. Highlights of the set included ‘Skeleton’, ‘Twin Size Mattress’,
‘HELP’, ‘Joanie’, ‘West Virginia’ and encore song, ‘Twelve Feet Deep’.
Due to high expectations, I was a little disappointed with the show
but this had nothing to do with the music (Brian had promised a
raffle in our interview, and the merch options could have been
better). It will be a mosh to beat for the rest of 2017 now.
PHOTO BY DAVE MCCARTHY
JARROD MCGRATH

facebook.com/bmamagazine 57
ENTERTAINMENT GUIDE February 15 – February 19
Listings are a free community service. Email editorial@bmamag.com to have your events appear each issue.
LIVE MUSIC Sorrel Nation/The Steel Caps LIVE MUSIC
WEDNESDAY FEBRUARY 15 5pm/10pm. Free.
Triumvirate’s Pre-Hiatus KING O’MALLEY’S IRISH PUB 4th Degree
ART EXHIBITIONS Lamentations I All The King’s Men 10:30pm. Free.
With The Ansah Brothers, Northbourne Tributes to BB King, Albert King, Freddie KING O’MALLEY’S IRISH PUB
Orpheus Island Flats, Sally Jones. 8pm. $10. King & Earl King. 8pm. $25/$30. Shananigans 10
By Kurt Brereton. Feb 9 - Feb 26. THE BASEMENT HARMONIE GERMAN CLUB 27 bands over 2 stages. 5pm. $25 for
M16 ARTSPACE Marlon Bando Will Campbell & Natalie one night, $50 for both from Moshtix
Defining Moments With Propeller & B.L.T. 9pm. $10/$5. Prevello Duo + bf.
Guest Curator: Aimee Frodsham. THE PHOENIX BAR 5pm. Free. THE BASEMENT
Artists: Matthew Curtis and Harriet D.R.I. UNI PUB John Paul Young & The Allstar
Schwarzrock. Jan 26 - Mar 26. With The Vee Bees, Wolfpack, Kid Shananigans 10 Band
CANBERRA GLASSWORKS Presentable. 8pm. Presale via Oztix. 27 bands over 2 stages. 5pm. $25 for The Vanda & Young Songbook. $89 +
I see Re(a)d TRANSIT BAR one night, $50 for both from Moshtix bf via canberratheatrecentre.com.au.
Until 26 Feb. + bf. THE PLAYHOUSE
ANCA GALLERY ON THE TOWN THE BASEMENT Ellipsis – Bulwayo Album
Coincidences Lennon: Through a Glass Onion Launch
Exhibition of contemporary architectural Chicago Charles & Danger Dave Concert biography of John Lennon. $55 7pm. $10/$15.
photography. Until 17 Feb. 9pm. Free. + bf via canberratheatrecentre.com.au. DRILL HALL GALLERY
NISHI GALLERY KING O’MALLEY’S IRISH PUB THE PLAYHOUSE Lyn Dale and Diversity
The Plate Show The Thursday Games RÜFÜS 9pm.
Featuring Alyssa Bagley, Emma Beer, Crazy ass games including tournaments 8pm. $61.20 via Oztix. VIKINGS CLUB (ERINDALE)
Byrd, Adele Cameron, Fiona Edge and and prizes, and all things Sangria & UC REFECTORY The Justin Yap Band
more. Feb 9 - Feb 26. FUN. 5pm. Free.
AVIARY ROOFTOP BAR Jungle City Info at multiculturalfestival.com.au.
M16 ARTSPACE With Signs & Symbols, Loud So Clear. CIVIC SQUARE
Interior Landscapes Vault Thursdays 8pm. VAMP & Alternative Music
By Elisabeth Cummings. Top 40 Party Tracks + Student prices. TRANSIT BAR
Free from 10pm. Genres
DRILL HALL GALLERY Rock Or Be Rocked With DJs Robot Citizen, Datacipher &
Ontogenesis UNI PUB
Classic rock and blues. 8pm. Free. Lady K. $5. 7pm.
ANU Glass Workshop graduates. More information at bandmix.com.au/ LOBROW GALLERY & BAR
Jan 21 - Mar 5. Free. TALKS
mac11943/
BELCONNEN ARTS CENTRE
Fight Like a Girl with ROSE COTTAGE ON THE TOWN
Clementine Ford Spice Warehouse
LIVE MUSIC Tickets at residentadvisor.net. Vault High Flyers
Fight Like a Girl is an essential Canberra’s best DJs every Saturday.
manifesto for feminists new, old and VARIOUS LOCATIONS
Thrash, Blast and Grind Festival Free from 10pm.
2017 soon-to-be. 6pm. $15. UNI PUB
NATIONAL LIBRARY OF AUSTRALIA ON THE TOWN
Feat. King Parrot & Revocation. Tickets Gay Cliché
at Oztix. $10 Express Lunch All girl lineup - 50% of door proceeds
THE BASEMENT FRIDAY FEBRUARY 17 Pizza and a soft drink for $10. 12pm- going to Mental Illness Education ACT.
Peter Black 2pm. Tue-Fri. 8pm, $10 on the door.
Tickets at smithsalternative.com. ART EXHIBITIONS TRANSIT BAR TRANSIT BAR
SMITH’S ALTERNATIVE Fridays From Five
Intrinsic Properties, Inherent DJs spinning Old Skool, Hip Hop, R&B. SUNDAY FEBRUARY 19
ON THE TOWN Vice Free from 5pm.
Glass exhibition with Stevie Fieldsend, AVIARY ROOFTOP BAR
$10 Express Lunch Michaela Gleave, Anna McMahon and ART EXHIBITIONS
Pizza and a soft drink for $10. 12pm- more. Jan 21 - Mar 5. Free. SOMETHING DIFFERENT
2pm. Tue-Fri. BELCONNEN ARTS CENTRE Polarising Colour
TRANSIT BAR Power Pussies David Keany & Georgiy Potopalsky
Coincidences (Ukraine). Feb 9 - Feb 26.
Hump Day Exhibition of contemporary architectural Cabaret, burlesque and circus. 9pm. Tix
Get over the hump with drink specials from EventBrite. M16 ARTSPACE
photography. Until 17 Feb.
after 5pm. NISHI GALLERY POLIT BAR & LOUNGE Lost Horizons: Frank Capra’s
TRANSIT BAR
Seek America
SATURDAY FEBRUARY 18 Book at TryBooking.
SOMETHING DIFFERENT Textiles by Gabriella Tagliapietra. Opens NATIONAL FILM AND SOUND ARCHIVE
Thu Feb 2 @ 6pm. Free.
TUGGERANONG ARTS CENTRE Finlandia Hymn
Fun and Games with Tammy ART EXHIBITIONS Documented performance pieces by
Paks Move up to the Views Anja Loughhead. Free.
Salacious entertainment, laughs and Large scale photos by David Flanagan, Ontogenesis PHOTOACCESS
prizes! 8pm. Free. exploring the outer areas of Northern ANU Glass Workshop graduates.
Canberra. The Plate Show
POLIT BAR & LOUNGE Jan 21 - Mar 5. Free. Featuring Alyssa Bagley, Emma Beer,
PHOTOACCESS BELCONNEN ARTS CENTRE
BAD!SLAM!NO!BISCUIT! Byrd, Adele Cameron, Fiona Edge and
Poetry slam. 7:30pm. The Plate Show 3 Memories, 3 Animals and a more. Feb 9 - Feb 26.
THE PHOENIX BAR Featuring Alyssa Bagley, Emma Beer, Hunk of Wax M16 ARTSPACE
Byrd, Adele Cameron, Fiona Edge and Reflections on animals, death,
more. Feb 9 - Feb 26. experience and curiosity by Julia Higgs. LIVE MUSIC
THURSDAY FEBRUARY 16 M16 ARTSPACE Opens Thu Feb 2 @ 6pm. Free.
TUGGERANONG ARTS CENTRE Recovery Sessions: Betty Slim
ART EXHIBITIONS COMEDY Orpheus Island & Friends
Show Us Your Roots By Kurt Brereton. Feb 9 - Feb 26. Recover in style with a session curated
3 Memories, 3 Animals and a M16 ARTSPACE by blues-folk-rockers Betty Slim. Free.
Hunk of Wax Multicultural stand up comedy. $44/49
via canberratheatrecentre.com.au. Defining Moments 4pm.
Reflections on animals, death, Guest Curator: Aimee Frodsham. OLD CANBERRA INN
experience and curiosity by Julia Higgs. CANBERRA THEATRE CENTRE
Opens Thu Feb 2 @ 6pm. Free.
Artists: Matthew Curtis and Harriet Chase The Sun
TUGGERANONG ARTS CENTRE FILM Schwarzrock. Jan 26 - Mar 26. Canberra Blues Society jam. 2pm-
CANBERRA GLASSWORKS 6:30pm. $3/$5.
Polarising Colour Under Electric Clouds I see Re(a)d HARMONIE GERMAN CLUB
David Keany & Georgiy Potopalsky Until 26 Feb. Irish Jam Session
(Ukraine). Feb 9 - Feb 26. 7pm.
NATIONAL FILM AND SOUND ARCHIVE ANCA GALLERY Traditional Irish musicians in the pub
M16 ARTSPACE
Interior Landscapes from late afternoon. Free.
Finlandia Hymn LIVE MUSIC By Elisabeth Cummings. KING O’MALLEY’S IRISH PUB
Documented performance pieces by DRILL HALL GALLERY Lagerstein
Anja Loughhead. Opening Thu Feb 2. The Guitar Cases With Darker Half, Keggin, Beast Impalor.
Free. 7pm. Free. COMEDY 8pm. $15 + bf via Oztix.
PHOTOACCESS CANBERRA IRISH CLUB THE BASEMENT
Anh Do: The Happiest Refugee
$54.90 + bf via canberratheatrecentre.

58 com.au.
CANBERRA THEATRE CENTRE @bmamag
ENTERTAINMENT GUIDE February 19 – February 24
LIVE MUSIC WORKSHOPS
SUNDAY FEBRUARY 19 FRIDAY FEBRUARY 24
Bernard Fanning and Kasey A Home for Un-Loved Animals
LIVE MUSIC Chambers Create art using recycled soft toy ART EXHIBITIONS
$92.15 + bf via animals. 10am. Free.
Aviary Live Sessions canberratheatrecentre.com.au. TUGGERANONG ARTS CENTRE The Plate Show
3pm. Free. Local musicians step in to CANBERRA THEATRE CENTRE Featuring Alyssa Bagley, Emma Beer,
entertain us for a Sunday Session. Beer London Klezmer Quartet THURSDAY FEBRUARY 23 Byrd, Adele Cameron, Fiona Edge and
& Cider specials. Info at smithsalternative.com. more. Feb 9 - Feb 26.
AVIARY ROOFTOP BAR SMITH’S ALTERNATIVE M16 ARTSPACE
Canberra Blues Society Jam ART EXHIBITIONS 3 Memories, 3 Animals and a
2pm. $5/$3. TALKS Hunk of Wax
HARMONIE GERMAN CLUB The Plate Show Reflections on animals, death,
State of Hope: Griffith Review Featuring Alyssa Bagley, Emma Beer, experience and curiosity by Julia Higgs.
SOMETHING DIFFERENT Explore the economic, social, Byrd, Adele Cameron, Fiona Edge and Opens Thu Feb 2 @ 6pm. Free.
environmental and cultural challenges more. Feb 9 - Feb 26. TUGGERANONG ARTS CENTRE
Games In The Pub facing South Australia. 6pm. M16 ARTSPACE
Intrinsic Properties, Inherent
Lots of board games on offer! 2pm. NATIONAL LIBRARY OF AUSTRALIA Seek Vice
RELOAD BAR & GAMES Textiles by Gabriella Tagliapietra. Opens Glass exhibition with Stevie Fieldsend,
TRIVIA Thu Feb 2 @ 6pm. Free. Michaela Gleave, Anna McMahon and
TUGGERANONG ARTS CENTRE
MONDAY FEBRUARY 20 more. Jan 21 - Mar 5. Free.
Christo and Jon’s Thick n Rich Move up to the Views BELCONNEN ARTS CENTRE
Trivia Large scale photos by David Flanagan, Gone to the Dogs
ART EXHIBITIONS 7.30pm. exploring the outer areas of Northern Ken Done relates many a tall ‘tail’ about
THE PHOENIX BAR Canberra. his furry companions. 5pm. Free.
Seek PHOTOACCESS
Textiles by Gabriella Tagliapietra. Opens WORKSHOPS NATIONAL PORTRAIT GALLERY
Polarising Colour
Thu Feb 2 @ 6pm. Free. David Keany & Georgiy Potopalsky
TUGGERANONG ARTS CENTRE Growing a Medicinal Garden COMEDY
(Ukraine). Feb 9 - Feb 26.
Move up to the Views 6pm. $25. M16 ARTSPACE Wil Anderson: Work In Progress
Large scale photos by David Flanagan, CANBERRA ENVIRONMENT AND
SUSTAINABILITY RESOURCE CENTRE $40 + bf via canberratheatrecentre.
exploring the outer areas of Northern COMEDY com.au.
Canberra. THE COURTYARD STUDIO
PHOTOACCESS WEDNESDAY FEBRUARY 22 Wil Anderson: Work In Progress Ramshackle Fiasco
$40 + bf via canberratheatrecentre. Presented by Comedy ACT.
COMEDY com.au.
ART EXHIBITIONS THE COURTYARD STUDIO
UNI PUB
Wil Anderson: Work In Progress
$40 + bf via canberratheatrecentre. Finlandia Hymn KARAOKE FILM
com.au. Documented performance pieces by
THE COURTYARD STUDIO Anja Loughhead. Free. Karaoke n Kegs Mahana
PHOTOACCESS 7pm.
9pm. NATIONAL FILM AND SOUND ARCHIVE
LIVE MUSIC Interior Landscapes THE PHOENIX BAR
By Elisabeth Cummings.
The Bootleg Sessions DRILL HALL GALLERY LIVE MUSIC LIVE MUSIC
8pm. Free entry. Ontogenesis
THE PHOENIX BAR Eighth Blackbird Dog Trumpet
ANU Glass Workshop graduates. 8pm. Bookings at TryBooking.
Jan 21 - Mar 5. Free. 7pm. Tickets at THE POLISH WHITE EAGLE CLUB
TALKS BELCONNEN ARTS CENTRE tickets.musicaviva.com.au.
LLEWELLYN HALL Hit and Run
Orpheus Island 7pm. Free.
Meet the author: Kate Grenville By Kurt Brereton. Feb 9 - Feb 26. The Cactus Channel
The award-winning writer discusses CANBERRA IRISH CLUB
M16 ARTSPACE With Los Chavos. 8pm. Tickets at
her latest book The Case Against Moshtix. Mother’s Cake
Fragrance. 6pm. $15. Defining Moments Support from Renegade Peacock,
Guest Curator: Aimee Frodsham. TRANSIT BAR
NATIONAL LIBRARY OF AUSTRALIA Tundrel. 7pm. $23.50 via Oztix.
Artists: Matthew Curtis and Harriet Asta THE BASEMENT
Schwarzrock. Jan 26 - Mar 26. 8pm. $20 + bf via Moshtix.
TUESDAY FEBRUARY 21 CANBERRA GLASSWORKS ANU BAR KNiKi & Mike Beale
Dynamic, vibrant and refreshingly
I see Re(a)d Silentia different take on blues, roots and rock.
ART EXHIBITIONS Until 26 Feb. 8pm. 8pm. Free.
ANCA GALLERY THE BASEMENT
HARMONIE GERMAN CLUB
3 Memories, 3 Animals and a Hard Cover Huntly
Hunk of Wax COMEDY 9pm. Free.
KING O’MALLEY’S IRISH PUB With p a r k s & Aphir. 9pm. $10/$5.
Reflections on animals, death, THE PHOENIX BAR
experience and curiosity by Julia Higgs. Open Mic Comedy at The Suzi Quatro
Opens Thu Feb 2 @ 6pm. Free. Phoenix $139 + bf via canberratheatrecentre.
Dana Hassall/Oscar
TUGGERANONG ARTS CENTRE 7.30pm. 5pm/10pm. Free.
com.au. KING O’MALLEY’S IRISH PUB
Intrinsic Properties, Inherent THE PHOENIX BAR CANBERRA THEATRE CENTRE
Vice Wil Anderson: Work In Progress Shag Rock Frenzal Rhomb
Glass exhibition with Stevie Fieldsend, $40 + bf via With Totally Unicorn. 8pm. Tix via Oztix.
Info at smithsalternative.com. THE BASEMENT
Michaela Gleave, Anna McMahon and canberratheatrecentre.com.au. SMITH’S ALTERNATIVE
more. Jan 21 - Mar 5. Free. THE COURTYARD STUDIO benjamindrury
BELCONNEN ARTS CENTRE ON THE TOWN ‘Sentence Fragment: Consider Revising’
ON THE TOWN album launch. 7pm. $10/$5.
COMEDY The Thursday Games DRILL HALL GALLERY
Hump Day Crazy ass games including tournaments Katy Steele
Wil Anderson: Work In Progress Get over the hump with drink specials and prizes, and all things Sangria & Tickets $20/$25 at Moshtix/door.
$40 + bf via canberratheatrecentre. after 5pm. FUN. 5pm. Free. TRANSIT BAR
com.au. TRANSIT BAR AVIARY ROOFTOP BAR
THE COURTYARD STUDIO Vault Thursdays ON THE TOWN
SOMETHING DIFFERENT Top 40 Party Tracks + Student prices.
KARAOKE Free from 10pm. Bombs Away
Fun and Games with Tammy UNI PUB With Neon Giants. 9pm.
#KaraokeLove Paks ACADEMY NIGHTCLUB
9pm. Free entry. Salacious entertainment, laughs and SOMETHING DIFFERENT Fridays From Five
TRANSIT BAR prizes! 8pm. Free. DJs spinning Old Skool, Hip Hop, R&B.
POLIT BAR & LOUNGE Nerdlesque Issue #2 Free from 5pm.
Cosplay burlesque. 7pm. Tix from AVIARY ROOFTOP BAR
EventBrite.
RELOAD BAR & GAMES

facebook.com/bmamagazine 59
ENTERTAINMENT GUIDE February 24 – March 3
WORKSHOPS The Byzantines + The
FRIDAY FEBRUARY 24 SUNDAY FEBRUARY 26 Montreals
Intro to Composting Support from Duck Duck Ghost, Pat
TALKS ART EXHIBITIONS 6pm. $25. McKinney. 8pm.
CANBERRA ENVIRONMENT AND TRANSIT BAR
Sun-Down Get Down Orpheus Island SUSTAINABILITY RESOURCE CENTRE Roses in Hand
Get down in Gorman’s little village By Kurt Brereton. Feb 9 - Feb 26. 9pm. Free.
green. 6pm. M16 ARTSPACE WEDNESDAY MARCH 1 KING O’MALLEY’S IRISH PUB
GORMAN HOUSE ARTS CENTRE Lost Horizons: Frank Capra’s The Séamus Begley Trio
Musical Theatre Confessions #3 America 8pm. $32.
Confessants reveal secrets about Book at TryBooking. ART EXHIBITIONS
GORMAN HOUSE ARTS CENTRE
themselves and also sing a duet. 8pm. NATIONAL FILM AND SOUND ARCHIVE Lyn Dale and Diversity
$16.67/$20. Interior Landscapes
By Elisabeth Cummings. 5:30pm.
POLIT BAR & LOUNGE LIVE MUSIC DRILL HALL GALLERY THE DICKSON TRADIES
Irish Jam Session Ontogenesis
SATURDAY FEBRUARY 25 ANU Glass Workshop graduates. ON THE TOWN
Traditional Irish musicians in the pub
from late afternoon. Free. Jan 21 - Mar 5. Free.
BELCONNEN ARTS CENTRE The Thursday Games
ART EXHIBITIONS KING O’MALLEY’S IRISH PUB Crazy ass games including tournaments
Aviary Live Sessions Limiting Entropy and prizes, and all things Sangria &
Interior Landscapes 3pm. Free. Local musicians step in to Opens 6pm Mar 1- Mar 19. A FUN. 5pm. Free.
By Elisabeth Cummings. entertain us for a Sunday Session. Beer collaboration between poet Lachlan AVIARY ROOFTOP BAR
DRILL HALL GALLERY & Cider specials. Brown and painter Tony Curran.
Vault Thursdays
Ontogenesis AVIARY ROOFTOP BAR ANCA GALLERY
Top 40 Party Tracks + Student prices.
ANU Glass Workshop graduates. Free from 10pm.
Jan 21 - Mar 5. Free. COMEDY
BELCONNEN ARTS CENTRE MONDAY FEBRUARY 27 UNI PUB
Defining Moments Cameron James
Guest Curator: Aimee Frodsham. ART EXHIBITIONS With support acts. Book at FRIDAY MARCH 3
Artists: Matthew Curtis and Harriet comedyact.com.au.
Schwarzrock. Jan 26 - Mar 26. Intrinsic Properties, Inherent CIVIC PUB
ART EXHIBITIONS
CANBERRA GLASSWORKS Vice Frank Woodley: Work In
I see Re(a)d Glass exhibition with Stevie Fieldsend, Progress NEON NIGHT
Until 26 Feb. Michaela Gleave, Anna McMahon and $35 + bf via Part of Enlighten Festival. $26.55 adult;
ANCA GALLERY more. Jan 21 - Mar 5. Free. canberratheatrecentre.com.au. $16.35 concession. Tickets at Ticketek.
BELCONNEN ARTS CENTRE THE COURTYARD STUDIO CIVIC SQUARE
Seek
Textiles by Gabriella Tagliapietra. Opens COMEDY FILM
Thu Feb 2 @ 6pm. Free. COMEDY
TUGGERANONG ARTS CENTRE
Frank Woodley: Work In Jumpcuts Frank Woodley: Work In
Polarising Colour Progress Local independent short films. 7:30pm.
David Keany & Georgiy Potopalsky Progress
$35 + bf via Free. $35 + bf via
(Ukraine). Feb 9 - Feb 26. canberratheatrecentre.com.au. THE PHOENIX BAR
M16 ARTSPACE canberratheatrecentre.com.au.
THE COURTYARD STUDIO THE COURTYARD STUDIO
ON THE TOWN
COMEDY LIVE MUSIC LIVE MUSIC
Hump Day
Wil Anderson: Work In Progress CIT Presents The Bootleg Get over the hump with drink specials
$40 + bf via Matt Dent
Sessions after 5pm. 7pm. Free.
canberratheatrecentre.com.au. With The Treehouse Children. 8pm. TRANSIT BAR
THE COURTYARD STUDIO CANBERRA IRISH CLUB
Free entry. BaBa ZuLa
THE PHOENIX BAR SOMETHING DIFFERENT
LIVE MUSIC 6:30pm. $40/$30
THE ABBEY
Fun and Games with Tammy
The Never Ending 80s TUESDAY FEBRUARY 28 Paks Agency
Info at thebasement.com.au. Salacious entertainment, laughs and With Slave Birth, Panic Burst, Mental
THE BASEMENT ART EXHIBITIONS prizes! 8pm. Free. Cavity. 8pm. $10.
She-Riff: Vol 5 POLIT BAR & LOUNGE THE BASEMENT
Dalmacia, Rumblr, Sally Chicane, The Ontogenesis Don’t Change – The INXS Story
Colours Are. 8pm. ANU Glass Workshop graduates. THEATRE INXS tribute show. 8pm. Tix via Oztix.
TRANSIT BAR Jan 21 - Mar 5. Free. THE BASEMENT
PTSD BELCONNEN ARTS CENTRE Wait Until Dark Guy Lilleyman/ Special K
9pm. $10/$5. Feb 23 - Mar 11. canberrarep.org.au. 5pm/10pm. Free.
THE PHOENIX BAR COMEDY THEATRE 3 KING O’MALLEY’S IRISH PUB
Plump Bride Squad The Gypsy Scholars
10pm. Free. Frank Woodley: Work In 7.30pm. $15/$12 at the door. With Brother Be & Ben Kelly. 9pm.
KING O’MALLEY’S IRISH PUB Progress THE FRONT GALLERY AND CAFÉ $10/$5.
Jack Biilmann $35 + bf via THE PHOENIX BAR
canberratheatrecentre.com.au. HARPER & Midwest Kind
Streams album tour. 8pm. $18.40.
THE COURTYARD STUDIO
THURSDAY MARCH 2
UC REFECTORY 8pm. Free.
HARMONIE GERMAN CLUB
ON THE TOWN KARAOKE ART EXHIBITIONS
ON THE TOWN
Vault High Flyers #KaraokeLove Intrinsic Properties, Inherent
Canberra’s best DJs every Saturday. 9pm. Free entry. Vice Fridays From Five
Free from 10pm. TRANSIT BAR Glass exhibition with Stevie Fieldsend, DJs spinning Old Skool, Hip Hop, R&B.
UNI PUB Michaela Gleave, Anna McMahon and Free from 5pm.
TALKS more. Jan 21 - Mar 5. Free. AVIARY ROOFTOP BAR
THEATRE BELCONNEN ARTS CENTRE
Author talk with Madeleine SOMETHING DIFFERENT
Wait Until Dark Thien COMEDY
23 Feb-11 Mar. Canberrarep.org.au. Exploring her novel about the effects of The Salt Room
THEATRE 3 China’s revolutionary history. 6pm. $18. Frank Woodley: Work In 7.30pm. $10/$5.
NATIONAL LIBRARY OF AUSTRALIA Progress GORMAN HOUSE ARTS CENTRE
$35 + bf via
TRIVIA canberratheatrecentre.com.au. THEATRE
THE COURTYARD STUDIO
Nerd Trivia with Joel Barkam Cold Light
7:30pm. LIVE MUSIC Frank Moorhouse’s novel adapted by
THE PHOENIX BAR Alana Valentine. 7:30pm. $55 + bf via
Cumbia Cosmonauts thestreet.org.au.

60
With guests. 8pm. $10. THE STREET THEATRE
THE PHOENIX BAR
@bmamag
ENTERTAINMENT GUIDE March 4 – March 11
LIVE MUSIC SOMETHING DIFFERENT
SATURDAY MARCH 4 SUNDAY MARCH 5
Twelve Foot Ninja Naked Girls Reading - Terry
ART EXHIBITIONS ART EXHIBITIONS Tickets at oztix. Pratchet
THE BASEMENT Beautiful women read out loud ...
Interior Landscapes Intrinsic Properties, Inherent The Living End naked. 8pm. $15/$20.
By Elisabeth Cummings. Vice Tickets at Moshtix. POLIT BAR & LOUNGE
DRILL HALL GALLERY Glass exhibition with Stevie Fieldsend, ANU BAR
Ontogenesis Michaela Gleave, Anna McMahon and FRIDAY MARCH 10
ANU Glass Workshop graduates. more. Jan 21 - Mar 5. Free. ON THE TOWN
Jan 21 - Mar 5. Free. BELCONNEN ARTS CENTRE
BELCONNEN ARTS CENTRE Hump Day LIVE MUSIC
Limiting Entropy LIVE MUSIC Get over the hump with drink specials
Opens 6pm Mar 1- Mar 19. A after 5pm. Veronica’s Boyfriend
collaboration between poet Lachlan Merry Muse Folk Club Band TRANSIT BAR 7pm. Free.
4pm. $3/$5. CANBERRA IRISH CLUB
Brown and painter Tony Curran.
ANCA GALLERY CANBERRA IRISH CLUB SOMETHING DIFFERENT Holly Throsby
Irish Jam Session Tickets at Moshtix.
COMEDY Traditional Irish musicians in the pub Fun and Games with Tammy ANU BAR
from late afternoon. Free. Paks Tess/Woodface
Frank Woodley: Work In KING O’MALLEY’S IRISH PUB Salacious entertainment, laughs and 5pm/10pm. Free.
Progress Aviary Live Sessions prizes! 8pm. Free. KING O’MALLEY’S IRISH PUB
$35 + bf via 3pm. Free. Local musicians step in to POLIT BAR & LOUNGE Slow Turismo
canberratheatrecentre.com.au. entertain us for a Sunday Session. Beer Info at facebook.com/
THE COURTYARD STUDIO & Cider specials. THEATRE events/677779915736381/.
AVIARY ROOFTOP BAR THE POLISH WHITE EAGLE CLUB
LIVE MUSIC Wait Until Dark
Feb 23 - Mar 11. canberrarep.org.au. Lyn Dale and Diversity
SOMETHING DIFFERENT 11pm.
Unity Floors THEATRE 3
THE BURNS CLUB
Cost of Living tour. Games In The Pub Cold Light
CROSSROADS CHRISTIAN CHURCH Lots of board games on offer! 2pm. Frank Moorhouse’s novel adapted by HighView
RELOAD BAR & GAMES Alana Valentine. 7:30pm. $55 + bf via Local heavy rockers launching their
Amanda Palmer debut EP. With D.I.E.F.M, Organic
$66/$86 via You Can Jive: 40 Years of thestreet.org.au.
THE STREET THEATRE Mechanic. 8pm. Free.
canberratheatrecentre.com.au. ABBAmania TRANSIT BAR
THE PLAYHOUSE 3pm. Tickets at TryBooking. Bride Squad
7.30pm. $15/$12 at the door. Stormcellar
The Surrogates NATIONAL FILM AND SOUND ARCHIVE 8pm. Free.
10.30pm. Free. THE FRONT GALLERY AND CAFÉ
HARMONIE GERMAN CLUB
KING O’MALLEY’S IRISH PUB THEATRE
The Undermines THURSDAY MARCH 9 ON THE TOWN
With The King Hits & The Feldons. 9pm. Cold Light
$10/$5. Frank Moorhouse’s novel adapted by Fridays From Five
Alana Valentine. 4pm. $55 + bf via LIVE MUSIC
THE PHOENIX BAR DJs spinning Old Skool, Hip Hop, R&B.
thestreet.org.au. Free from 5pm.
ON THE TOWN THE STREET THEATRE Canberra Wind Symphony
7.30pm. $35. AVIARY ROOFTOP BAR
DRILL HALL GALLERY
Vault High Flyers TUESDAY MARCH 7 SOMETHING DIFFERENT
Canberra’s best DJs every Saturday. ON THE TOWN
Free from 10pm.
KARAOKE Festival Muse 2017
UNI PUB Chicago Charles & Danger Dave A celebration of everything Muse.
9pm. Free. MUSE: FOOD, WINE, BOOKS
THEATRE #KaraokeLove
9pm. Free entry. KING O’MALLEY’S IRISH PUB
Wait Until Dark TRANSIT BAR Sorry Mum I’m Going Out to SATURDAY MARCH 11
23 Feb-11 Mar. Canberrarep.org.au. Dance 4 Dystrophy
THEATRE 3 WEDNESDAY MARCH 8 Underground house music, club LIVE MUSIC
Cold Light classics, garage and nu-disco. 8pm.
THE BASEMENT Raucous Porpoise MS Rock
Adapted by Alana Valentine from the ART EXHIBITIONS
novel by Frank Moorhouse. $35-$55. The Thursday Games Festival
Info at thestreet.org.au. Crazy ass games including tournaments Rock and comedy fundraiser. Wretch,
Interior Landscapes and prizes, and all things Sangria &
THE STREET THEATRE By Elisabeth Cummings. Cockbelch and more. 5pm. $15.
FUN. 5pm. Free. THE BASEMENT
DRILL HALL GALLERY AVIARY ROOFTOP BAR
Limiting Entropy Xylouris White
Vault Thursdays Tickets from $25.00 via eventbrite.
Opens 6pm Mar 1- Mar 19. A Top 40 Party Tracks + Student prices.
collaboration between poet Lachlan com.au.
Free from 10pm. HOTEL HOTEL
Brown and painter Tony Curran. UNI PUB
ANCA GALLERY

IF IT WAS THE LAST

OUT DAY ON EARTH WE’D
MAR 14 SPEND IT WITH KATE
MILLER-HEIDKE
WE CAN’T SEEM TO
MAKE BONNIE RAITT
LOVE US
WE ASK PROTEST THE
HERO TO CLARIFY A
FEW THINGS

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 FIRST CONTACT
SIDE A: BMA MUSICIAN PROFILE Aaron 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
WOAH-NUT
Australian Songwriters
a.k.a. Callum Selmes Association
Keiran (02) 62310433
Where did your name come from? One day I was walking through a
Back to the Eighties
Kmart where they had a huge cage of plush food items like burgers,
Ty Emerson 0418 544 014
strawberries and stuff with little smiley faces on them. I saw a doughnut
and said to myself, ‘Doughnut, more like a “Woah-Nut”’. And thus, my Backbeat Drivers
embarrassing, stupid, excellent name was born. I still carry the plush Steve 0422733974
backbeatdrivers.com
doughnut to gigs with me.
Birds Love Fighting
Describe your sound. Future bass/trap/hip-hop all sewn together into a
Gangbusters/DIY
spacey mass of bass and soaring chords. shows-bookings@
Who are your influences, musical or otherwise? Let’s just get the birdslovefighting.com
obvious one out of the way: Flume, and by extension What So Not. Tracks Black Label Photography
like Flume’s ‘Tennis Court (Lorde Remix)’ or What So Not’s ‘Divide and Kingsley 0438351007
Conquer’ truly made me rethink what I knew about electronic music,
blacklabelphotography.net
about the kind of expression and sounds that could be made. But people Bridge Between, The
like Seven Lions, Moby and deadmau5, with their evolving and melodic Cam 0431550005
chord structures really gave me insight into how a track lives or dies on Chris Harland Blues Band, The
its groundwork. Structure is king. Chris 0418 490 649
chrisharlandbluesband
What’s the most memorable experience you’ve had whilst @gmail.com
performing? Birth, Write, Beats; Season 2 Round 2. It’s a little
Cole Bennetts Photography
competition where producers try to make a track using pre-selected 0415982662
samples in 30 minutes. Before competing, I didn’t really see myself as
Danny V Danny 0413502428
any decent at writing music. It was more of a low-key hobby. I was pretty
nervous ‘cause I had a bunch of friends and family watching earnestly Dawn Theory
to see what my competitor and I had made. When my drop kicked in Nathan 0402845132
Danny 0413502428
everyone reeled back, stunned. I swear I heard a guy up the back just
losing his mind. It was such an amazing moment; like all the work I’d done Dorothy Jane Band, The
up to that point had been justified. Dorothy Jane 0411065189
dorothy-jane@dorothyjane.com
Of what are you proudest so far? Definitely competing in Birth, Write,
Beats Season 2. Like, there was some exceptional talent competing Drumassault
Dan 0406 375 997
for the top spot and the very final round against Poolroom. was so
tough, each of us came out swinging with our best work. Being basically Feldons, The 0407 213 701
unknown and winning against some top notch Canberra talent – top Fire on the Hill
music moment so far. Aaron 0410381306
Lachlan 0400038388
What are your plans for the future? On Thursday February 9, I have an
EP coming out called Prints on the Cover that’ll be mint. Otherwise I’m Fourth Degree Vic 0408477020
just chilling out, taking whatever comes, writing beats. Gareth Dailey DJ/Electronica
What makes you laugh? Going crate digging with mates to find samples, Gareth 0414215885
but we end up walking out with 10 different copies of Gheorghe Groovalicious Corporate/
Zamfir records. weddings/private functions
0448995158
What pisses you off? Normies and their four chords.
Guy The Sound Guy
What about the local scene would you change? More diversity in what Live & Studio Sound Engineer
music is available. Unless you can plan and organise your own event it 0400585369
guy@guythesoundguy.com
can be really difficult to break out onto a stage, especially if your sound
doesn’t line up with any one genre. Haunted Attics
What are your upcoming gigs? I’ll be having a mess around at the next band@hauntedatticsmusic.com
Handmade Markets (Sat–Sun March 18–19), but I tend to not do many In The Flesh Scott 0410475703
gigs. That said, if you feel the need to test how far you can push your sub- Itchy Triggers
woofer feel free to call me.
Alex 0414838480
Contact info: woahnutmusic@gmail.com, soundcloud.com/woahnut, Jenn Pacor Singer-songwriter
facebook.com/Woahnut. I’m pretty quick to reply, but Facebook will avail. for originals/covers
guarantee a fast response. 0405618630
62
Johnny Roadkill
Paulie 0408287672
paulie_mcmillan@live.com.au
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. sam@
merlocrecords.com
Missing Zero
Hadrian 0424721907
hadrian.brand@live.com.au
Morning After, The
Covers band
Anthony 0402500843
Mornings Jordan 0439907853
Obsessions 0450 960 750
obsessions@grapevine.com.au
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
stonka2615@gmail.com
Strange Hour Events
Dan 0411112075
Super Best Friends
Greg greg@gunfever.com.au
System Addict
Jamie 0418398556
Tegan Northwood (Singing
Teacher) 0410 769 144
Top Shelf Colin 0408631514
Undersided, The
Baz 0408468041
Zoopagoo
zoopagoo@gmail.com
@bmamag
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