ballarat // bendigo // geelong // surfcoast // warrnambool // werribee issue 565 // 22 AuGusT 2013 // next issue: 5 seP

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Sup peoples far and wide!?

Another fortnight, another amazing lot of stuff going on around the place. It’s the time of year where things in the touring and entertainment world get really busy – not sure exactly why this is, it just is. Regional Victoria is not missing out; lots of acts and artists are driving through the cow pats and across gravel roads to bring it to a live venue near you.

This issue is jam-packed; it’s hard to keep up with everything. We have the Gangsters’ Ball on our cover, an institution which we share a long and happy history with. We are proud to see it growing even bigger this year. We catch up with Spit Syndicate as they prepare to hit up regional locations, as well as Shaun Kirk and Little Wise. We also had a chat with Michael from Queenscliff Music Fest to get the inside scoop on what is happening this year at QMF; changes, bands, special surprises…

We are comprehensively covering ‘Spin Cycle’, a venue-based festival being held in Geelong. It is the first one, so get out and support what the crew from Spinning Half are doing ATM. We got to chat with The Getaway Plan as they dipped in and out of reception on their national tour ahead of their headline performance at Spin Cycle. We also have bios written up for the locals who are getting up too!

So set aside a couple of hours – you will need it to take it all in!

Peace!

PUBLISHER ..........................Anton Ballard

gEnERAL .............................enquiries@fortemag.com.au

EDITOR/SALES MAnAgER ...Luke Mcnamara luke@fortemag.com.au

COVER DESIgn ....................James Dulce

PRODUCTIOn .......................James Dulce David Di Cristoforo

SCEnE PHOTOgRAPHER ......April grenfell

Stefan Young

ADVERTISIng .....................Anton Ballard aballard@fortemag.com.au

Marc Wilkins marc@thegeelongtimes.com.au

Dan Hyndman dan@fortemag.com.au

COnTRIBUTORS ..................Anthony Morris, Adem Ali, Ben Schultz, Chris Cruz, Chris Lambie, Cyclone, Daniel Meagher, Lucas Skinner, natalie Rogers, nekita Roberts, nina Bertok, Ophelia Symons, Paul S Taylor, Phil Hickey, Renee Abbott, Sam Eckhardt, Sam Fell, Stephanie Zevenbergen, Tex Miller, Wylie Caird, and Tony Montana

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A WORD FROM THETEAM

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the highlights: Where the sun comes uP over santa monica Boulevard. coming uP you have…

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MAcHinE Gun KElly DEbuTRichard Colson Baker is a fine name indeed, but it just doesn’t cut it as a rapper’s name. So instead we are introduced to Machine Gun Kelly. Born in Texas to missionary parents, Baker spent the first four years of his life in Egypt. In 2011 he performed at SXSW where he was approached by Sean Combs, and in 2012 he released his debut album, Lace Up. Black Flag is his new mixtape. The Hi-Fi, Melbourne – September 5.

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lETTinG GO OF SiETTAProducer/instrumentalist James Mangohig and vocalist Caiti Baker are the souls behind electronic soul duo Sietta. Hailing from Darwin, both James and Caiti have had a rich music life; Caiti travelled the country visiting blues and folk festivals with her father while James sat on church pews listening to gospel music bounce off the walls. With their new single ‘Let it Go’ out now, they’re taking it around the country. Worker’s Club – September 7.

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THE HOliDAyS, cElEbRATEGeez those fellas The Holidays have kept us waiting in 2013, haven’t they? The dream-pop weavers will change that with their first shows for the year on the back of new single ‘Voices Drifting’. Simon Jones gives an insight: “It’s a combination of disparate elements, blankets of fuzz, really ethereal pretty sounds, choir voices, angelic female voices, it’s heavy but it’s not.” Northcote Social Club – October 3.

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THE SuRES’ SuRE THinGWith their new EP The Night Hero Waste Time Getting Better set for release tomorrow (August 23), Sydney’s Sures have announced a handful of dates with mates Go Violets. The newie is the follow-up to their Stars EP which was drenched in indie dream-pop. The new EP was produced by Dann Hume while single ‘Waste’ comes with a video directed by newcomer William Colvin. The Workers Club – September 12.

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SAMpOlOGy’S ROyAl cOnnEcTiOnSam Poggioli is Sampology, a “Super Visual” AVDJ who has earned a reputation as one of the country’s leading forces in his field. His resume boasts appearances at festivals locally and abroad including Splendour in the Grass, the Big Day Out, SXSW, the Berlin Music Festival and Edinburgh Fringe. The end of the month sees the release of his new single, ‘Dancehall Queen’. Espionage @ Brown Alley – October 19.

pARAMORE RETuRnS Paramore may have been in Australia as part of Soundwave early in the year, but they seem to love it here and have announced they will return at the beginning of 2014. They’ll even be bringing You Me at Six and Twenty One Pilots along for the ride. Following their well-publicised line-up change, the band returned with a bang earlier in the year with their fourth album, Paramore. Myer Music Bowl – January 12.

THE HiGHliGHTSTHE LATEST ON iNTErNATiONAL & NATiONAL NEwS & TOurS

THE HiGHliGHTSTHE LATEST ON iNTErNATiONAL & NATiONAL NEwS & TOurS

EMMA lOuiSE’S HOME RunThe musical journey for songbird Emma Louise has been quite remarkable over the past 12 months or so, and now the Brisbane singer-songwriter has announced a handful of shows to say thank you to those who have taken the ride with her. Releasing her breakout single ‘Jungle’ in 2011, her profile has been on the rise since. In March this year she released her debut album, Vs Head Vs Heart. Ormond Hall – October 25.

DOn’T GRiEvE FOR nGAiiRE Ngaiire (pronounced ‘nyrie’ for those in need of a little phonetic help) has announced a tour in support of her debut album, Lamentations. Born in Papua New Guinea, Ngaiire moved to Australia at the age of 16. She would later spend a healthy period touring locally and abroad as part of roots collective Blue King Brown. Lamentations is a collection of songs written between Sydney and Japan. Northcote Social Club – September 21.

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iREnE cARA’S GOnnA livE FOR EvER Grammy, Academy and Golden Globe winner Irene Cara has announced a small run of Aussie dates for later in the year. Cara came to our attention through the 1980 film Fame, while her recording of the song ‘Fame’ was an international hit. She would have another hit a few years later when she co-wrote ‘Flashdance... What a Feeling’, earning an Academy Award along the way. Palms @ Crown – November 6.

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interesting one. And so we welcome Raul Midón, the New Mexico-born, New York-based singer-songwriter and guitarist who skips effortlessly from genre to genre. Blind from infancy, Midón began his musical career as a session muso for artists including Shakira. The Corner – November 21.

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THE u.K. SubS FinAl SHOWSNext month legendary punk rock outfit The U.K. Subs hit Australia for their final-ever run of shows on our soil. Formed in 1976, the band was part of the original punk rock movement in England. Combining the fury of punk with a rock n’ roll edge, the band may have had many members come and go, but leading the way has always been Charlie Harper. Last year they released their 24th album, appropriately titled XXIV. The Bendigo – September 26.

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SAME Ol’ luRcH & cHiEFYou take a little 60s surf-garage, throw it in a pot with some 90s-influenced grunge and add bits and pieces of this and that as you go and you get Lurch & Chief. The six members that make up the group all come from different backgrounds, meaning their sound takes in a little of everything. They played their first shows in 2012 and have been going along nicely since. Wiped Out is their new EP. Ding Dong – October 5.

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WE DEMAnD MORE STiRlinGViolinist, dancer, performance artist and composer Lindsey Stirling has tagged on a second Melbourne show after her first sold out. In 2007 Stirling introduced her YouTube channel Lindseystomp, a channel which has seen her rack up more than two-million subscribers. In 2010 she made it to the quarter finals of America’s Got Talent. She released her self-titled debut album last year. The Corner – August 26.

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FOllOWinG THE WAy OF THE EAGlE Jan Skubiszewski is a talented fella. You may know him as one half of Jackson Jackson. You may know him as having scored and composed for films including Two Hands, Bran Nue Day and Bootmen. You may know him in other ways. And now you’re going to get to know him as Way Of The Eagle. Rattlesnake is his EP. It features a single of the same name starring Dan Sultan. Ding Dong Lounge – September 27.

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iT’S TiME FOR RAiny DAy WOMEn Classic pop specialists Rainy Day Women make the kind of music that feels like the sun is shining. The band has had a cracker of a year so far with appearances at Southbound, Big Day Out and Laneway, not to mention their own tour in support of their second EP, Friends. The

vEvO TO GET A biTE OF THE ApplEEarlier this month reports surfaced that popular video streaming service Vevo is developing an app for the Apple TV set top box. AdAge broke the story (at the time of writing both Apple and Vevo declined to make comment), and if true the 24-7 music video channel could be a major blow for the subscription TV music channels. In March of this year the ad-supported internet channel Vevo TV launched in the US and Canada.

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WOODFORD EARly biRDSRunning for 28 years on Queensland’s Sunshine Coast hinterland, Woodford has become a favourite way to soak up some tunes and see in the New Year. Although the program for the festival is not announced until October 19, early bird tickets have been made available. Last year 100,000 music lovers spent time in the Woodford sun, enjoying over 2,000 bands across six days. If you’re the early bird type hit woodfordfolkfestival.com.

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pARAnORMAl AcTiviTy DOublE THE ScARESAudiences were expecting for another dose of Paranormal Activity scares this year, but things were pushed back. The reason? A film called Paranormal Activity: The Marked Ones which will precede the fifth instalment of the popular franchise. Very little is known about the film at this point – no director or cast has been announced – but it looks as though 2014 is going to double up on the scary stuff.

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THE FuTuRE OF bETWEEn THE buRiED AnD ME Good news if you’re a fan of Between the Buried and Me with the band set to perform last year’s The Parallax II: Future Sequence in its entirety. A bit of a favourite here in Australia, Between the Buried and Me formed in 2000 and released their self-titled debut in 2002. The Parallax II is their sixth full-length effort and the continuation of their 2011 album The Parallax: Hypersleep Dialogues. The Corner – November 19.

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THE DAnGERS OF TExTinGSome of you may have heard about the documentary From One Second to the Next that is getting some major praise. From German filmmaker Werner Herzog, the doco explores the perils of texting while driving. Commissioned by American multinational telecommunications corporation AT&T, From One Second is told from both the victims and perpetrators’ experiences. It can be viewed online.

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RAul MiDón THE ADvEnTuRiSTYou hear all sorts of clever phrases being thrown around in music circles, but “Electric Adventurist” is a pretty

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RESTAURANTS – BARS – ENTERTAINMENT

Friday night drink promos5.30 til 6.30 and 9 til 10.30 Saturday night Bulmers and Carlton Draught promos

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THE nExT STEp FOR DOn WAlKER Don Walker is about as cool as they come. For a decade he played keys for Cold Chisel, writing many of their hits along the way. He continued his fine form as part of Tex, Don and Charlie as well as his solo work. Referred to as “the most Australian writer there has ever been”, Walker has just released his third solo album, Hully Gully. Caravan Music Club – November 29 & Flying Saucer Club – November 30.

MinD OvER MATTER STRiKE A DEAlWillow (Rowan Lockyer) and Smiles Again (Martin Brown) are the talented twosome behind Sydney hip hop duo Mind Over Matter, and they’ve just signed a deal with Shock Records. Good on ya! That is the good news for them; for fans the good news is a new single and tour. ‘Somebody’s Love’ (featuring Ernst Carter Jnr) is the name of the new single. The Workers Club – September 27.

five-piece is far from putting their feet up and will hit the road next month with new single ‘Ain’t it Time?’ The Espy – September 26 & Grace Darling – September 27.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

MAnTRA On THE ScEnENext month sees the release of Telling Scenes, the third album from one of Australia’s most respected MCs, Mantra. Mantra was picked up by Obese Records in 2010 for his first album, Power of the Spoken. He followed that one up with Speaking Volumes the following year. His new album features singles ‘Loudmouth’ and ‘Break Tradition’ featuring the talents of Cisco Tavares. The Evelyn – October 11.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

lADy JAnEllE MOnáE Prince, Erykah Badu and Solange all make guest appearances on The Electric Lady, the forthcoming new album from R&B soulstress Janelle Monáe. The album if the follow-up to her 2010 Grammy-nominated debut The ArchAndroid. Already a rising star, Janelle’s star power was given a major boost when she featured on ‘We Are Young’, the massive hit from New York’s fun.

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Thursday augusT 22ndTHE MAX HOTEL: $12 Parmi All Day All Night, Inquizitive Trivia from 7.30pmELEPHANT & CASTLE: $20 Asahi Seafood & Chips Night BARWON CLUB HOTEL: Artist Proof, Bill Parton Trio, The Karmens BARWON HEADS HOTEL: Open Mic Night w/ Dave DormanGPAC: Australian Youth Classical Music Competition THE KAROVA LOUNGE: Bob Evans w/ Laura Imbruglia GOLD DIGGERS ARMS: Bogan Bingo Its Bingo with Balls! From 7.30pm Free Entry BEAVS BAR: Andy Forster BLACK HATT: Hardrock Triple Header with Audemia, Hail Mary (WA) and The Deep End plus Tradies Night in the Bar from 5pm till 7pm CITY QUARTER BAR: Unplugged Series THE SPHINX HOTEL: Schnitzel Night from $13 EUREKA HOTEL: Theme Parties and Headline acts open til late.LIGHTHOUSE THEATRE (WARRNAMBOOL): Everything Must Go

Friday augusT 23rdCITY QUARTER BAR: Friday Unwind from 5pm. Live with live entertainment and DJ THE GROVEDALE HOTEL: Figjam TORQUAY HOTEL: Bob Evans The KAROVA LOUNGE: Midnight Juggernauts THE WOOL EXCHANGE ENTERTAINMENT COMPLEX: SnakadaktalTHEATRE ROYAL (Castlemaine): Cosmic Psychos: Blokes You Can Trust (M) 6pmSPHINX: Retro Ago-Go EDGE GEELONG: Live entertainment plus DJ THE BARWON HEADS HOTEL: Rach Brennen THE MAX: Adventure Playground BARWON CLUB HOTEL: Barbarion, Stormtide THE CAPITAL (Bendigo): 37 Degrees South GPAC: Neil Diamond’s Hot August Night - The Concert w/ Peter Byrne

MARTIANS CAFE: Litle WiseBLACK HATT: Fistful of Steel Free Entry from 9.30pm BRIDGE HOTEL (CASTEMAINE): Karaoke (9pm - Free) OLD HEPBURN HOTEL: Buck Jr (EP Launch) w/ Bridge Water BARKING DOG: Flashback Fridays with live band Juke Box Hero BEAVS BAR: Rosco Live ELEPHANT & CASTLE: Thank Guinness It’s Friday LAMBY’S BAR & RESTAURANT: Live band & DJs Main Room and Terrace, open from 9pm AT THE HEADS: Live music from 5pm till 7pm (Barwon Heads)

saTurday augusT 24ThELEPHANT & CASTLE: Live Bands 9:30- Midnight - with Regular Boys live THE KAROVA LOUNGE: Midnight Juggernauhts DIGGERS HOTEL: live music BARWON CLUB HOTEL: Hollow Everdaze, Contrast, Sleep Decade, Attois THE BRIDGE HOTEL (CASTLEMAINE): Long Holiday W/ Mammoth Mammoth BARWON HEADS HOTEL: Local Ketchup SPHINX: Rock DogsPIPING HOT CHICKEN SHOP: The LucillesThe KAROVA LOUNGE: Bel AirTHE GROVEDALE HOTEL: Tim Tonic Hulsman OLD HEPBURN HOTEL: Mark Hughes Band (70’s-00’s covers) THE CAPITAL (Bendigo): The Bendigo Writers Festival HOME HOUSE: Djs Josh & Dale (from TVs The Block) and George from Block Sky High upstairs and Downstairs open til late THEATRE ROYAL (Castlemaine) Ed Kuepper live in concert 7pm dinner/8pm showCHINESE WHISPERS: Danny T & Jamie Vlahos & YasumoTHE MAX: Hey Charger EDGE: Live entertainment plus DJ CITY QUARTER BAR: Footy on The Big Screen BEAVS BAR: Steve Pianto LAMBY’S BAR & RESTAURANT:

Live Band & DJs Mainroom and Terrace. Open from 9pm

sunday augusT 25ThELEPHANT & CASTLE: Andy Pobjoy BRIDGE HOTEL (CASTLEMAINE): : Broderick Smith W/ Richard Tankard from 4pm. OLD HEPBURN HOTEL: Sarah Wilkinson (Covers and Originals) The KAROVA LOUNGE: The Smith Street BandHARVESTER MOON: Little wiseUNIVERSITY OF BALLARAT: Open DaySPHINX HOTEL: Carvery from $11.00 BARWON CLUB HOTEL: Test Pilot Molly, Front bar. Second Hand Heart Mountain Goat Winter Sessions. GEELONG RSL: Peter Allen Allstars – Jazz EDGE GEELONG: Live entertainment plus DJ THEATRE ROYAL (Castlemaine): Cosmic Psychos: Blokes You Can Trust (MA15+) 1.45pm FINAL LAMBY’S BAR & RESTAURANT: Student & Industry Night (Free entry all night) w/ Live band & DJs in the Mainroom and Terrace

Monday augusT 26ThBARWON CLUB HOTEL: $10 Parmis SPHINX HOTEL: 11 Meals for $11 ELEPHANT & CASTLE: $20 Steak & Drink night LORD NELSON HOTEL: Steak/Parmi & Pot for $15 on presentation of student I.D THEATRE ROYAL (Castlemaine): Cosmic Psychos: Blokes You Can Trust (M) 6pmLIGHTHOUSE THEATRE (WARRNAMBOOL): Emily Eyefinger

Tuesday augusT 27ThELEPHANT & CASTLE: $20 Steak & Drink night THE SPHINX HOTEL: 11 Meals for $11, Poker Night (free) GEELONG RSL: Steak Night $13 THEATRE ROYAL (Castlemaine): Paul Kelly live in concert 8pm (SOLD OUT)

The geTaway plan @ spin cyclesaTurday augusT 31 aT The wool exchange, geelong

ForT-nighTly calendar & gig guideThe

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wednesday augusT 28ThBEAVS BAR: Karoke Open Mic with Andy ForsterBARWON HEADS HOTEL: Trivia Night from 7:30pmCITY QUARTER BAR: Industry Night THE BRIDGE HOTEL (CASTLEMAINE): Open MicTHE LOFT: The Go Set, The Alamo & The Real McKenzies LIGHTHOUSE THEATRE (WARRNAMBOOL): Karen KnowlesGPAC: Act Up for Sustainability THE MAX: $12 Steak Nights ELEPHANT & CASTLE: Trivia Night – great prizes from 8.30pm till 10.30pm THE SPHINX HOTEL: Steak Night from $16, Poker Night ($10 buy in) GEELONG RSL: Parma & Pot Night $13

Thursday augusT 29ThEUREKA HOTEL: Clash of The TitansDownstairs with Hey Sam, Combo, Max McKay, Tim Dawson, Vickers, Toppa Upstairs Simon One, Shorty J & PInky, The Lounge, Aybakez, Hey Spency, Rave Cave, Matt Black, Boy Ill ELEPHANT & CASTLE: $20 Asahi Seafood & Chips Night CITY QUARTER BAR: Unplugged Series BEAVS BAR: The Stiffys, Uday Tiger, RDJJB, plus Dave Anderson main bar. KAROVA LOUNGE: The Getaway Plan BLACK HATT: Tradies Night in the Bar from 5pm till 7pm, Open Mic from 8pm with acoustic, bands, solos & duets THE SPHINX HOTEL: Schnitzel Night from $13

THE MAX HOTEL: Parmi All Day All Night $12, InnQUIZitive Trivia from 7.30pm till 10.30pm, amazing prizes, call to book your team’s spot

Friday augusT 30ThBEAVS BAR: Rosco LiveEUREKA HOTEL: Eskimo JoeSPHINX: Retro Ago-Go, Michael Stangel (bookings Required)THE GROVEDALE HOTEL: 80’s R Us BARKING DOG: Flashback Fridays Fulltilt night with live band RockstarTHE WOOL EXCHANGE ENTERTAINMENT COMPLEX: Dead Letter CircusTHE BRIDGE HOTEL (CASTLEMAINE): SunGod Replica w/ Electric Guitars THE BARWON CLUB: Building Jerico, The Grunes, High Fidelity, Cosmic TrashTHE BARWON HEADS HOTEL: Ben drew THE LOFT: Anna Smyrk and the Appetites BLACK SWAN HOTEL (BENDIGO): Seth Sentry OLD HEPBURN HOTEL: Boppin Bingo (Free Jukebox) THE MAX: 3 On The Tree CITY QUARTER BAR: Friday Unwind with live music then DJ EDGE GEELONG: Live music plus DJ ELEPHANT & CASTLE: Thank Guinness It’s Friday BLACK HATT: Drink promos from 5pm till 7pm (free entry) Live Band Blackshaw’s Beat performing live free entry from 9.30pm LAMBY’S BAR & RESTAURANT: DJs Mainroom & in theTerrace plus live band AT THE HEADS: Live music from 5pm till 7pm (Barwon Heads)

saTurday augusT 31sTSPHINX HOTEL: Rock Dogs THE GROVEDALE HOTEL: Thom THE MAX: Frequency THE BARWON CLUB HOTEL: Outright, WLFNSTN, Break The Wall THE BARWON HEADS HOTEL: Dave Johns THE KAROVA LOUNGE: Seth Sentry BRIDGE HOTEL (CASTLEMAINE) : Sheriff w/ Seedy Jesus DIGGERS HOTEL: Live music THE CAPITAL (Bendigo): The Umbilical brothersOXYGEN COLLAGE: Open DayTHE WOOL EXCHANGE ENTERTAINMENT COMPLEX: Spin Cycle W/ The Getaway Plan, Jerrico, Empra and a host of Local bandsGPAC: FM - Super Speedy Sound Shed - A Live Radio Play, The Adam Harvey & Beccy Cole Show MARTIANS CAFE: Anna Smyrk & The Appetites THE LOFT: Shaun Kirk CHINESE WHISPERS: Rob Pix & Torren Foot & Some Blonde DJHOME HOUSE: Upstairs: Joel Fletcher. Downstairs: DJ Kay Z EDGE GEELONG: Live music and DJ OLD HEPBURN HOTEL: Untapped (70’s-00’s covers) BEAVS BAR: Steve Pianto GEELONG RSL: Ronnie Charles Slik Lix (Stones Tribute Band) band Free Entry from 8pm ELEPHANT & CASTLE: Live music with Rhthm Kitchen - 9.30 till midnight CITY QUARTER BAR: live music and DJ

Footy on The Big Screen LAMBY’S BAR & RESTAURANT: Live band with DJs Mainroom & Terrace open from 9pm

sunday sepTeMber 1sTELEPHANT & CASTLE: Des Cam Jazz Band BARWON CLUB HOTEL: Hello Springton! Front bar Good Faces for Radio with DJ Bodz BLACK HATT: Sunday Hown Grown Session Audemia Duo Free Entry from 6pm. BRIDGE HOTEL (CASTLEMAINE): The Bell Wethers from 4pm THE COURTHOUSE: A Conversation in the Key of… with Stephen Cummings and Sophia Katos, 5pmTHE CAPITAL (Bendigo): The Umbilical brothersSPHINX HOTEL: Carvery from $11.00 OLD HEPBURN HOTEL: Bianca Berto & Mother & Son LAMBY’S BAR & RESTAURANT: Student & Industry Night (Free entry all night) w/ Live band & DJs in the Mainroom and Terrace GEELONG RSL: New Orleans Night Owls Jazz Band EDGE GEELONG: Live music plus DJ

Monday sepTeMber 2ndBARWON CLUB HOTEL: $10 ParmisELEPHANT & CASTLE: $20 Steak & Drink night

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SPHINX HOTEL: 11 Meals for $11 LORD NELSON HOTEL: Steak/Parmi & Pot for $15 on presentation of student I.D

Tuesday sepTeMber 3rdBRIDGE HOTEL: Trivia Night hosted by Lifon Uranus from 7.30pm, free event ELEPHANT & CASTLE: $20 Steak & Drink night SPHINX HOTEL: 11 Meals for $11, Poker Night (free) GEELONG RSL: Steak Night $13

wednesday sepTeMber 4ThELEPHANT & CASTLE: Trivia Night from 8.30pm till 10.30pm BARWON HEADS HOTEL: Trivia Night from 7:30pm CITY QUARTER BAR: Industry Night THE BRIDGE HOTEL (CASTLEMAINE): Open MicTHE COURTHOUSE: Burke and Wills: The Expedition with Ash Davies, 7.30pmTHE LOFT: The Docter

KAROVA LOUNGE: Cloud Control BEAVS BAR: Karoke, Open Mic and Dave Anderson SPHINX HOTEL: Steak Night from $16, Poker Night ($10 buy in) THE MAX: $12 Steak Night GEELONG RSL: Parma & Pot Night $13

Thursday sepTeMber 5ThBARWON HEADS HOTEL: Open Mic Night w/ Dave Dorman EUREKA HOTEL: Theme Parties and Headline acts open til late. GPAC: St Mary’s Primary School Concert 2013BLACK HATT: Tradies Night in the Bar from 5pm till 7pm, Open Mic from 8pm with acoustic, bands, solos & duets ELEPHANT & CASTLE: $20 Asahi Seafood & Chips Night THE MAX HOTEL: Parmi All Day All Night $12, InnQUIZitive Trivia from 7.30pm till 10.30pm, amazing prizes, call to book your team’s spot BARWON CLUB HOTEL: Hungry Kids of Hungary, Little Scout, Baptism of Uzi CITY QUARTER BAR: Unplugged Series

The ForTe Venue guide!the barking dog126 Pakington St. Geelong West. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

bar pizza137 Pakington St. Geelong. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

barWon club509 Moorabool St. South Geelong. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

barWon heads hotel1 Bridge Rd. Barwon Heads. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

the baseMent 159159 Moorabool St. Geelong. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

beavs bar77 Little Malop St. Geelong. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

black hatt54 Little Myers St. Geelong. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

the bluestone103 Marr St. Ballarat. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

bridge hotel castleMaine21 Walker St. Castlemaine. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

the carlton hotel21 Malop St. Geelong

chinese WhispersCnr. Shorts Place. Geelong. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

city QuarterCunningham Pier, Geelong. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

cloud 996 Pakington St. Geelong West. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

club titaniuM99 Ryrie St, Geelong. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

eastern station81 Humffray St Nth. Ballarat. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

the edge1/6-8 Eastern Beach Rd. Geelong. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

elephant and castle158 McKillop St. Geelong. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

the eureka 98 Little Malop St. Geelong. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

the gateWay hotel218-230 Princess Hwy. Corio. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

the grovedale hotel236-258 Surfcoast Hwy. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

the gateWay hotel218-230 Princess Hwy. Corio

geelong rsl50 Barwon Heads Rd. Belmont. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

groWlers23 The Esplanade. Torquay. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

hoMe house40-42 Moorabool St. Geelong. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

irish Murphy's30 Aberdeen St. Geelong. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Jack and Jill247 Moorabool St. Geelong. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

laMbysCnr of Moorabool & Brougham St. Geelong. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

the MaX hotel2 Gheringhap St. Geelong. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Mrs. hyde11 Malop St. Geelong . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

odyssey611 Surfcoast Hwy. Mt Duneed. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

old hepburn hotel236 Main Rd. Hepburn Springs

opiuM bar15 James St. Geelong. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

peter lalor hotel331 Mair St. Ballarat. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

ruMors5 James St. Geelong. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

slate pool lounge50 Little Ryrie St. Geelong . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

the sphinX2 Thompson Rd. North Geelong . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

toast114 Moorabool St. Geelong. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

torQuay hotel36 Bell St. Torquay. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

the Wool eXchange entertainMent coMpleX 44 Corio St. Geelong. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

the unicorn127 Sturt St. Ballart. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

the yarra hotel120 Lydiard St. Ballarat

bob eVansThe KaroVa, ballaraT – augusT 22

Torquay hoTel, Torquay – augusT 23 beaV’s bar, geelong – sepTeMber 26

The loFT, warrnaMbool – sepTeMber 27

FORTEMAG.COM.AU 17

18 FORTEMAG.COM.AU

Let me set the scene: the air is thick and hot as the band begins to play, and the dancehall fills with modern-day mobsters and their molls. The men are sharply dressed in three-piece suits; hair greased and combed to perfection, while the women flaunt their femininity with kitten heels, garters, red lips and false lashes. Have you stumbled onto the set of the new Baz Luhrmann spectacular? Better still, you’ve found your way to the sixth annual Gangsters’ Ball! To help us get into the swing of things we managed to wangle the stars of this year’s event, the Pretty Things Peepshow, into letting Forte behind the curtain to get the skinny on the world-class, one of a kind act. Our guide is the producer and founder of Pretty Things Peepshow, Go-Go Amy.“I’m the burlesque dancer and the creator of the Pretty Things Peepshow,” Amy began. “We have three other performers with us for this tour. Since I’m sort of the mastermind behind this menagerie of the beautifully bizarre, all the acts have come through me in some way. Mr Donny V is our host and an amazing sideshow performer in his own right. I picked him up in Coney Island after being introduced by a sword swallower who worked on our show. He does whip cracking, human blockhead, sword swallowing, juggling and more.“Rachel Renegade is our pain-proof princess who will defy death on a bed of nails. She’s English and was our ticket girl for Ozzfest [a music festival founded by Ozzy and Sharon Osbourne] where she started learning her unusual skills. The Vivacious Miss Audacious is our circus seductress. She does acro-balancing, hula hoops and burlesque. She’s from Michigan and was a guest star in our show a few years back. She was so good we just had to keep her!”So, now we know the gang; what do they have in store?“This will be our first time at the Gangsters’ Ball and we couldn’t be more excited about it. We’re putting together a slew of new acts for this show, sticking with the theme of the 1920s while risking our lives and flashing some skin whenever possible. I’ve been sewing up a storm making new costumes, and I’m currently in Scotland with Rachel Renegade working on some new acts. I don’t want to spoil the surprise, but you can expect to see 450 razor-sharp nails, 30 pounds of broken glass, 3 hula hoops, 2 whips, a cucumber, 2 machetes and over 50,000 rhinestones in our show.”Amy said she finds inspiration for the show just about anywhere, and you could be the muse she’s looking for! “As a show producer I get most of my inspiration

from the audience. I always pay close attention to what they respond to the most and try to talk to as many of them as I can about what acts they did or didn’t like. I try to fine-tune the show to what they’re saying. I’m not doing this show for me; I’m doing it for the people who shelled out their hard-earned money to see it, and I want to keep them happy! “As a performer I get inspiration from everywhere I can. I try to go to as many different kinds of shows as possible. I don’t just frequent other cabaret shows and try and do the same things they’re doing; in fact, I find that counterproductive. I try to see operas, plays, heavy metal bands, puppet shows and anything else I can to see how I can use something from another genre to make my acts look unique.”Since January 2009 the Pretty Things Peep Show has performed over 400 hundred shows, travelled to more than ten countries and shared the bill with big names. “We’ve toured with some pretty serious rock stars, but after they’ve all been married and had kids etc., so touring with Ozzy Osbourne in 2010 is a lot different to the ant-snorting tours of the 1980s. “On those festival shows we’re doing 8-12 shows a day in a boiling hot circus tent, then we have to drive 8 hours to the next gig, so you’re a bit too exhausted to get up to any real trouble after the show. I must be ruining your article by confessing that we’re not really that wild backstage, but the truth is when you put swords down your throat and smash cinderblocks on each other when you’re at work, you really don’t have any need to be crazy in your off time.”When your day job involves swords and smashing cinderblocks, things are bound to go wrong sometimes. “That’s part of being in a live show – if something goes wrong, you just have to power through it or try and make it look like it was part of the act. The trick is never to lose your cool. If you’re asking if anyone has been hurt in the show, then the answer is yes, but we can normally cover it so as not to upset the audience, and we have first aid kits backstage for all the acts. After an injury we may choose to change the setlist or adjust our acts; like how I had to wear ballet slippers instead of heels to hide my bandages when my toe was broken on one tour. “As they say, ‘the show must go on’. Thankfully no-one has ever been seriously injured, and we’re working hard to keep it that way. All of it is mind over matter and a high pain threshold. I guess the one thing we don’t do is drink before we perform because of the risk involved in all our acts, but we do drink after the show (a lot) so feel free to buy us a drink after the show! Trust me, we’re going to need it!”Sidenote: Go-Go Amy will be teaching vintage pin-up hair and make-up workshops in each city. For more details head to prettythingsacademy.com.

Staff and Management of the EMC Group Geelong strongly enforce a no-drug policy. Enjoy great music & drinks whilst staying drug-free.

When&Where: THe FORUm – SEPTEMBER 14. HIT GANGSTERSBALL.COM.AU FOR FURTHeR INFORmATION.

preTTy Thingspeep show

BY nATALIE ROgERS

FORTEMAG.COM.AU 19

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20 FORTEMAG.COM.AU

ARIA Award-winning singer-songwriter, and in 2007 he was awarded Best Male Artist by Rolling Stone Magazine – but his success hasn’t gone to his head. “I wish that everything I touched turned to gold, but it doesn’t; though I’ve been fortunate because I’ve managed to just do enough to get my boat afloat and continue doing this for a living.”Though he’s as humble as pie, those who know Bob also know he has a social and political conscience, using social media to encourage music lovers to fight for their right to party at a local live music venue. “Ever since I started playing in a band, since the mid-nineties, there’s been the issue of small venues struggling against the licensing laws and all this bureaucracy that is applied to them. Fortunately, it seems there might now be a chance for these issues to be addressed at a national level. Of course that depends on what happens at the next election. “I heard a statistic that over a million Australians aren’t enrolled to vote. That scares me! If even half of those people enrolled and voted, that could decide who wins government for the next three years! I just think it’s so important. People need to be engaged, otherwise we’re going to let a minority of people make these decisions for us, and I think that’s incredibly dangerous. The outcome of this election will shape the way the country is for the foreseeable future.”So get out and support the Australian music industry by backing your local venue, and why not start with Bob’s ‘Welcome Stranger Tour!’

“The process of writing and recording this album was the same. I always want to maintain the essence of Chimaira in that every musician puts their own personal stamp on it. That’s something that’s been important since the beginning of the band. The noticeable difference is the fact that everybody in this band is an extremely talented musician; everyone can come together and just knock it out of the park and bring their A game, and no-one has to pick up the slack for anybody else! It is the most fun experience I’ve ever been a part of, for sure.”As for headlining Soundwave 2014, that remains to be seen. But an Australian trip is definitely on the cards. “We love Australia! From the zoos to the beaches to hanging out with the locals, we’ve done it all! We’ve explored the cities, sampled the food and we’ve made quite a few friends, so when we return it’s good to see familiar faces. It makes us feel a little more at home. So until we’re back I just wanna say thanks to the fans for continually supporting us, and hopefully we’ll be back there soon enough – and you guys enjoy the album!”

across Australia. People seem to dig it, so in that sense we’re living the dream!“The recording of Sunday Gentlemen was an entirely enjoyable process. It was the first time we recorded at our own studio – we share a studio with the guys from Horrorshow [Sydney hip hop act]. We’re very close friends – we live around the same area. To have that space of our own to work on music and record was much more creative and productive, and we felt a sense of freedom we hadn’t had before.”This tour is to celebrate the release of ‘Amazing’, the third single off Sunday Gentlemen. The clip for the single pays homage to their most recent tour and is a big thank you to their fans. “In Aussie hip hop there’s a level of connection between the artist and the fans. One of the best things about touring is being able to meet the people that buy your music and really connect with it. “People are drawn to honesty in music, and I think being vulnerable makes for the best music – it’s something we’ve always done. Jimmy and I will often reference things that we don’t even talk about very much in real life. There’s a therapeutic sense of comfort that comes from letting it out in a song or a verse, and people respond well to it.“So we’re very excited about our headline show in Geelong, and something else that’s special is that we’re going to have Joyride, who’s normally our deejay, but for this tour he’s our support as well. He’s quite incredible. He’s not strictly hip hop music – there’s a lot of soul and RnB in his set too. These shows will be unique.”

When&Where: THe KAROVA, BALLARAT – AUGUST 22; TORQUAY HOTeL, TORQUAY – AUGUST 23; BEAV’S BAR, GEELONG – SEPTEMBER 26; THE LOFT, WARRNAMBOOL – SEPTEMBER 27

When&Where: THE BARWON CLUB, GeeLONG – SePTemBeR 20

The delightful Mr Bob Evans is heading our way, playing a string of shows that will culminate at Warrnambool’s charming venue The Loft at the end of September. This regional tour follows on from a recent tour which included all the capital cities and saw Bob perform with a full band. Aptly titled the ‘Welcome Stranger Tour’, these dates will see Bob riding solo – something he plans to relish. “This is a grassroots tour with small intimate shows. I want people to be involved in what I play. I’ll have the freedom to change the set every night and try out a bunch of new things – maybe playing some new songs or some old songs that I haven’t played before. I’ll want to go way back to the first record [Suburban Kid, 2003]. “Hopefully I’ll be able to finish songs I’ve been working on while I’m travelling around. As the tour continues I’ll keep working up more and more songs, so by the time I get to the end of the tour I’ll have thirty songs to choose from. I think I’ll just play for like five hours and pretend I’m Peter Frampton or something!” he laughed. “All the Victorian dates are with Laura Imbruglia. She played a tour with me and Josh Pyke back in 2006, so this’ll be the first time we’ve played together since then. It’ll be like a little reunion – I can’t wait!”Bob Evans is the alter ego of Kevin Mitchell, and a hell of a likeable guy, who first burst onto the scene in the nineties as frontman of Jebediah and later as one quarter of the Basement Birds. He’s an

“My favourite track to play live off Crown of Phantoms is ‘Wrapped in Violence’. Lyrically it’s an anthem for us. It has nice tight heavy riffs that breathe, so you can hear it for miles. I can’t wait to play it on a really massive Soundwave PA in front of thousands of people! So maybe your readers can relay the message that we want to come to Soundwave. We want to headline – so let’s start bugging the promoters incessantly until they get the picture.” This is Chimaira frontman Mark Hunter’s call to arms. “We’re really proud of the album. It was an uphill battle but it feels good to stand on top of the mountain for a minute and check out the view.”

Crown of Phantoms is Chimaira’s seventh studio album, despite much controversy, numerous line-up changes and increasing band tension. “It’s no secret Chimaira did self-destruct, although I tried to disconnect myself from it. It was like I had a wall on my back that started to crumble, but I didn’t knock the whole wall down, I just tried to pick up some of the bricks and build it back up only to have the wall fall down again!” Mark laughed.

“I’m just thankful I had a lot of support, not only in the band but within the industry from other bands, family and friends. There are a lot of people rooting for us and hoping that we stay together, and with our current line-up we’ve progressed to be a stronger band and a tighter unit,” Mark insisted. “We’re light years ahead of where we were in 2009 when everything started to crumble.

2013 is shaping up to be the busiest year yet for Sydney’s hip hop duo Spit Syndicate. After not one, but two successful tours on the back of the latest LP Sunday Gentlemen, emcees Nick Lupi and Jimmy Nice are set to embark on a third national tour next month. “The lucky punters from Geelong can expect a killer show!” Nick announced proudly to Forte recently. “To be honest, in all of the touring we’ve done, we’ve only played a handful of shows down that way, so I feel like this is going to be our first proper show. The others have just been warm ups,” he added.“We bring a lot of energy to our live shows – we like to involve the crew and try to keep the energy up the whole time and just have fun. We’re always joking around and talking shit to each other, paying each other out. I think with the three of us on stage – myself, Jimmy and our deejay Joyride – it’s bound to be a good time. We just hope that the feeling is infectious and the people that come out enjoy themselves. We hear a lot of stories about other bands or hip hop groups that, after they play, go their separate ways and book separate seats on the plane. We’d never do something like that. When we’re not on tour we’re hanging out together in Sydney.”Growing up in Sydney’s inner-west, Spit Syndicate is in it for the love of music. “We work other jobs to support ourselves. In between these shows we’ll be coming back to Sydney to work our day jobs during the week, and we still have regular life shit to deal with, but we have the opportunity to make music and take it all

bOb EvAnS

cHiMAiRA

SpiT SynDicATE

By Natalie RogeRs

By Natalie RogeRs

By Natalie RogeRs

FORTEMAG.COM.AU 21

TalK oF TheTown!

Keepin' it Regional! hungry kids of hungary shaun kirklitle wise

22 FORTEMAG.COM.AU

talk of the toWn: We have the chance to turn the Pages over. coming uP you have…. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

THE SOciAl SiGniFicAncE OF DAviD ROvicSUS songman David Rovics is a man of principles as much as he is a man of music. Born in New York, Rovics grew up in Connecticut in a family of classical musicians. By the early 90s he was working full-time as a busker in the subways of Boston, and by the mid-90s was travelling the world as a muso. His interest in activism was also piqued early, leading to his performing of what he refers to as “songs of social significance”. His music has tackled subjects including George W. Bush, the 2003 Iraq War and anti-globalisation, and he has lent his voice to many movements including Occupy and the Greek resistance to austerity policies. He has also written numerous essays for CounterPunch, a publication widely regarded as America’s best political journal. Music wise Rovics has made available over two-hundred songs. His last two albums, Into a Prism and Everything Can Change, can be streamed for free or downloaded for a donation of $1 or more. Rovics: “Feel free to download these songs. Use them for whatever purpose. Send them to friends, burn them, copy them, play them on the radio, on the internet, wherever. Music is the Commons.” As part of his world tour the indie singer-songwriter will be dropping in on Australia. Trades Hall, Geelong – September 3.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

bEll STREET FiESTA 2013The idea for Bell Street Fiesta began in 2007 when a handful of local traders (Gallery, WaterMarks Photo Gallery, Bell Street Print Works & Gallery, Nadz Arts and Imperial Rhino) came together to workshops ideas that would market Bell Street as Torquay’s art precinct. In 2012 the event made its debut, with the street closing to traffic throughout the duration of festivities. Live music was provided by Red Whyte, Corey Hargreaves and Sunset Dukes among others, while the street’s many and varied shops showcased their goods. This is a head’s up to let you know that Bell Street Fiesta returns in 2013. Details are minimal at this stage, but it looks as though Palace of the King will be among those providing some sweet tunes. The blues and soul-infused rock band’s debut EP is out now. This is sure to be a ripping day. Bell Street, Torquay – October 12. Hit bellstreetfiesta.com.au for more. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

l-FRESH THE liOn SinGS TOniGHTHailing from South-West Sydney and currently based in Melbourne, L-Fresh the Lion has a hip hop heart as true as they come. Honesty and integrity drives his lyricism, impressing artists including Nas, Public Enemy and Chali 2na along the way. He has appeared on TV, spoken at TED and is the founder of The Power to the Peaceful Community. Check out his single ‘One’. Or hit him up at facebook.com/LFRESHTHELION. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

THE MiRTH OF MEREDiTH MuSic FESTivAlThe Meredith Music Festival line-up is in and it’s a ripper. You have: Chic (featuring Nile Rodgers), The Brian Jonestown Massacre, Deerhunter, Melvins, Derrick May, Spiderbait, Clairy Brown & the Bangin’ Rackettes, Beasts of Bourbon, Joey Bada$$, The Bamboos, Tim Sweeney, Stonefield, Vance Joy and a truckload more. meredith Supernatural Amphitheatre – December 13 through 15. For the full goods hit mmf.com.au... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

bAllARATcAT cOMEDyIf you don’t like to laugh, then you’re dead inside. Dead, dead, dead. On the other hand, if you enjoy a good hearty laugh, then BallaRatCat Comedy is for you. What’s it all about? Well, it’s the newest and funniest night in Ballarat. The fresh event is the brainchild of producer and long-time comedy fan Beth Lamont. Beth has over eight years of experience in the entertainment industry and is thrilled to present these comedy capers courtesy of her own

production company, BTLamont Entertainment. So, who do we have this month? We have Justin Hamilton, Karl Chandler, Tegan Higginbotham and Daniel Connell. It all takes place at The Lounge @ The George this Friday night, September 6. Doors open at 7pm and tickets are a sweet $20. Start your weekend off on a funny note. Dinner available.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

MATHESOn KnOWS AbOuT THE WORDIn 2010 Ballarat’s Matheson released their debut album These Are My Horses and the music community took note. Recorded with Cam McKenzie (Horsehead, Mark Seymour, Things of Stone and Wood), the album bubbled along with alt-country grace and found itself receiving its fair share of praise. Now the band is thrilled to welcome album number two, The Word is on the Wire. The band spent 18 months crafting the album before taking to crowdfunding site Pozible to come up with the moolah to finish things off. The recently released album was recorded by Jarrod ‘Wizard’ Ferguson and produced by the band. You can have a little listen to it through their Bandcamp page. The Karova, Ballarat – August 30. Guests on the night include Dead Salesmen Duo, Shifty Dunbar and Matt Malone. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

A pAlM READinG bRinGS DEATH You may or may not have heard that Japan’s Palm will be touching down on Aussie soil next month for a large run of shows with Gold Coast outfit A Secret Death. And we’re talking big: 18 shows in four weeks covering all states and territories, from cities to regional spots. Palm has been a major force in the Japanese metal and hardcore scenes for a decade. After doing as much damage as they could on home soil, the band made their way to the US for the first time this year to perform at the Chaos in Tejas fest. The latest release from the Osaka-based four-piece is My Darkest Friends. Inactive since 2010, A Secret Death has returned with a slightly tweaked line-up. They are currently at work on their second album. This tour is about two bands, one tour manager and one cameraman to capture it all for a forthcoming release. The Newmarket, Bendigo – September 26. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

HuGO RAcE FATAliSTS lOSES cOnTROlThe name Hugo Race is synonymous with a rich part of the Australian music landscape. The multi-instrumentalist, producer, performer and songwriter was a founding member of Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds who later formed The Wreckery with Nick Barker and Robin Casinader in the 1980s. But his music history is much richer than that. He has lived in Italy, France, Germany, the UK and the US, collaborating with artists including the French-American band Lilium, the Brazilian project Moses Complex, Berlin-based Rogall’s Electric Circus Sideshow and the Malian Tuareg group Tamikrest. Hugo Race Fatalists is the collaboration between the singer-songwriter and the Italian instrumental band Sacri Cuori. Last year saw the release of their latest album, We Never Had Control. The Bridge, Castlemaine – September 21.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

THE (METAl) MEn OF bARbARiön One could easily write a book about the stories that have come out of Melbourne’s Cherry Bar. One such story is the formation of the mighty Barbariön. The beast that is the band is seven long-haired, bearded men who take to the stage decked out in fur, leather and armour. They play metal. Not sissy metal, but real heavy metal that rattles your bowels. Or so the rumour goes. The band recently took to Europe after winning a Facebook competition that scored them a spot on a festival’s bill. That festival was cancelled, but the band was picked up elsewhere. Their album is Ram the World. Their new single is ‘Metal Man’. And earlier in the year they described their live show mission to The Age: “It’s not a good show unless you sort of collapse backstage afterwards and crawl around on all fours thinking you’re about to vomit.” The Barking Dog, Geelong – August 23 & The Bridge, Castlemaine – September 27.

THE WOOHOO REvuE HAvinG A bAllThe Woohoo Review is far more than just a sextet of horns, strings and drums. They are an adrenaline-fuelled celebration that evokes a sense of romance and bravado. They are a band that would be at home in a 1920s Speakeasy where anything goes and the party only ends if there is a police raid. And even then you could bet your bottom dollar they’d charm the law enforcement. Their journey into musical debauchery began in 2008. Their debut album, Dear Animals, attracted regular national airplay and on its release was called a “landmark documentation of Melbourne’s gypsy music scene.” Their second album, Moreland’s Ball (produced by The Cat Empire’s Adam Rhodes), is an instrumental album inspired by the dance floors of the world. The band regularly clocks up over 100 shows a year, setting foot on stages large and small including WOMAD, the Australasian World Music Expo and Woodford. The good folk at The Dwarf sum things up, saying: “It’s not music made for iPods. It is social music. Every song holds such a strong sense of occasion. So make like the animals on the cover; grab a group of friends, go out under the sky and throw a party that lasts for days and dance to The Woohoo Revue.” Theatre Royal, Castlemaine – August 31. *Dinner and show packages available.

bALLArAT / bENdigO / gEELONg / SurfcOAST / wArrNAmbOOL / wErribEETAlK OF THE TOWn!

clOuD cOnTROl SuppORTSBlues Mountains-born, London-based psych rockers Cloud Control have just hit the road in support of their new album, Dream Cave. Their second effort is the follow-up to 2011’s Bliss Release. As part of their tour the band has charmed Palms and Gang of Youths into helping them out, and we’re gonna meet them. Sydney outfit Palms will release their debut album Step Brothers at the end of the month, a release they call “a collection of short, mostly loud songs written in one bedroom, recorded in another, about wanting someone else to let you into their bedroom.” The band has already racked up an impressive run of shows alongside bands including Children Collide, Surfer Blood and King Kahn. Fellow Sydneysiders Gangs of Youths are five men bursting with raucous energy and in search of absolution. The Karova, Ballarat – September 4 & Star Bar, Bendigo – September 5.

SHAun KiRK KEEpS On ROllinGQuick bite: Readers of this fine publication would have noticed the name Shaun Kirk popping up frequently. That is because he seems to spend the better part of his life on the road. Kirk could be considered a relatively late bloomer. The young blues songman picked up the guitar after he found himself in hospital with a banged-up leg. After testing the music waters, the emerging star quit his job at a music store and hit the road all guns blazing in 2010. The years since have seen him earn a reputation as one of the country’s most entertaining solo performers. The Loft, Warrnambool – August 31.

cORy bRAnAn MAKES HiS DEbuTMississippi-bred, Nashville-born singer-songwriter Cory Branan has announced a healthy Australian tour to follow his appearance at Melbourne’s sold-out Poison City Weekender next month. It will be his first tour Down Under. Branan is a storyteller who has drawn comparisons to the likes of Ryan Adams, Pete Yorn and Bright Eyes’ Conor Oberst. He has released three albums to date including last year’s acclaimed Mutt. He is also a touring workhorse whose name is sure to reach new levels once his Aussie tour dates wrap up. Nashville Scene: “Cory Branan is like a particular breed of bad boyfriend – never around when you need him, wildly inconsistent with his emotions, arrogant, vulnerable, quixotic, brilliant and, of course, ultimately irresistible.” The Karova, Ballarat – September 18 & Beav’s Bar, Geelong – September 19.

nOT SO innOcEnT DAvEy lAnEWhen Davey Lane released a demo version of single ‘You’re the Cops, I’m the Crime’, it was met with a healthy amount of buzz. Now a studio version of the single has been released complete with a swanky video clip. In case you’re not up to speed the new single is a sampler of his forthcoming debut EP, The Good Borne of Bad Tymes. It marks an exciting new chapter for the muso who has earned his stripes in You Am I and The Pictures. With a maturity moulded through his years in the game, the time seemed right to step out on his own, and Lane recently spoke about the experience with X-Press Magazine. “I wanted to get to the stage where I could get my songs away from being pastiches of other things that I love and trying to spend a bit more time on the lyrics and spend time to try and fucking sing properly. I have done a fair bit of different stuff musically over the past few years and that has started to bleed into what I did with this record.” The Good Borne is out now while ‘You’re the Cops…’ can be found through YouTube. The Wool Exchange, Geelong – September 20; The Bridge, Castlemaine – September 21; The Karova, Ballarat – October 3.

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A plAy OR TWO AT GpAcTwo plays will feature at GPAC next month that are certainly worth a look at. The first is The Haunting of Daniel Gartrell. The play tells the story of celebrated bush poet Daniel Gartrell and an incident which affected his work, and subsequently his life. Now living as a recluse, his only contact is with his daughter. That is until an actor cast to play him in a biopic comes to visit to gain insight into the mysterious man. The Haunting of Daniel Gartrell comes from the pen of Reg Cribb (Last Cab to Darwin, Krakouer). Playhouse Theatre – September 5 through 7. Next up we have The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie. Based on the novel by Muriel Spark, The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie tells the story of a teacher at a school for girls in Edinburgh. She learns as much about life as she teaches to her students. Woodbin Theatre – September 6 through September 21. Bookings and information through gpac.org.au. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

FOOTpRinTS ExHibiTiOn HiTS EcHucAAt its core, Footprints: The Journey of Lucy and Percy Pepper is a story of family standing strong in the face of adversity. While that may sound like a familiar scenario to many readers, this story is particularly fascinating. The book traces the lives of an Aboriginal family in the first half of the 20th century. It is a story that is able to be told because of the careful detective work of researchers at the Public Records Office of Victoria. The Peppers’ story is set in Protection Era in Australia, a time when laws controlled where Aboriginal people lived and worked. Their story is pieced together by letters and government files found in state records. A best-selling book, Footprints is also a stunning photographic exhibition. Echuca Museum/Archive – September 1 through September 15. *Viewers should be advised that the exhibition features images of deceased Indigenous people. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

lOREn KATE MOvES On Adelaide Hills-based songwoman Loren Kate announced a bumper tour recently which will keep her pretty busy throughout the months of spring. The tour is in support of her forthcoming new album, Moving On. It’s also a rather unusual tour with the singer-songwriter set to perform in a wide variety of venues including markets and house concerts. Moving On was made possible after a successful crowdfunding campaign through Pozible. Production, engineering and mixing duties were handled by ARIA award-winning producer Paul McKercher (Augie March, Pete Murray, You am I, Sarah Blasko). The album features an appearance from Bill Chambers. Harvester Moon Café, Bellarine – November 9. It’s a while off yet so make sure you set a reminder.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

cHEcKinG in WiTH MARTHA DAviS It has been a long and interesting history for The Motels.

The first incarnation of the band formed out of Berkeley, California in 1971. They released their debut self-titled album in 1979 before releasing their breakthrough, All Four One, in 1982. In 1987 Martha Davis, a founding member of the group, released her debut solo album, Policy. Single ‘Don’t Tell me the Time’ cracked the Australian Top 10. In 1997 Davis began performing with a bunch of different players, christening the group Martha Davis and The Motels. At the end of 2012 the group performed at the famous Hollywood Bowl. Supporting The Go-Go’s, the performance saw a resurgence of the band’s popularity. Make sure you catch this re-born band on their November/December tour. Gateway, Geelong – November 30. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

GEElOnG FRinGE FESTivAlDon’t forget good readers that the inaugural Geelong Fringe Festival kicks off at the end of the month. Deakin University and Courthouse ARTS have teamed up to

clOuD cOnTROl SuppORTSBlues Mountains-born, London-based psych rockers Cloud Control have just hit the road in support of their new album, Dream Cave. Their second effort is the follow-up to 2011’s Bliss Release. As part of their tour the band has charmed Palms and Gang of Youths into helping them out, and we’re gonna meet them. Sydney outfit Palms will release their debut album Step Brothers at the end of the month, a release they call “a collection of short, mostly loud songs written in one bedroom, recorded in another, about wanting someone else to let you into their bedroom.” The band has already racked up an impressive run of shows alongside bands including Children Collide, Surfer Blood and King Kahn. Fellow Sydneysiders Gangs of Youths are five men bursting with raucous energy and in search of absolution. The Karova, Ballarat – September 4 & Star Bar, Bendigo – September 5.

MATT cORby FinDS RESOluTiOnWhen the year ticks over to 2014, songman Matt Corby will be able to raise a glass and toast to another big year. Things had been steadily building for Corby by the time he released his runaway hit ‘Brother’. It was a song that struck a chord with people, particularly the triple j crowd who voted the song into the #3 spot on 2011’s Hottest 100 count. The song was only behind Gotye’s Somebody That I Used to Know’ and The Black Keys’ ‘Lonely Boy’. Things have continued to bubble along nicely since. His latest single, ‘Resolution’, has well and truly proved he is no one-hit wonder and helped lead the songman to scoring one of the biggest crowds at Splendour’s GW McLennan Tent. Corby used the opportunity to introduce the crowd to a couple of new singles, ‘Water & Wine’ and ‘Runaway’. About his performance, MTV’s Leni Andronicos wrote: “An intimate set, Matt was joined on stage by dark blue lights that intensified as his vocals grew stronger. The perfect visuals, almost hypnotic, that you couldn’t help but stare. Prior to his Splendour gig, the singer-songwriter had been in L.A. and London working on his full-length debut. With more people falling in love with his tunes by the day, Matt will hit the road in October playing his biggest venues to date. GPAC Playhouse, Geelong – October 23.

shine a spotlight on the Geelong arts sector through a series of performances, workshops and exhibitions. Highlights of the event include Burke and Wills: The Expedition and two fantastic Conversation in the Key Of performances (Stephen Cummings and Ross Hannaford), Geelong’s popular music and story series. The fringe festival will also feature a week-long series of creative developments put together by local artists dubbed The New Wilderness as well as two Melbourne productions, The Unspoken Word is Joe and Insomnia Cat Came to Stay. August 31 – September 8. Hit courthouse.org.au for further information and bookings.

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THE KAROvA REMinDERSAs always, Ballarat’s band hangout The Karova is bursting at the seams with great music. Songman Bob Evans checks into the venue tonight, August 22. We loved him leading Jebediah as Kevin Mitchell, and as Bob Evans he has continued to charm us. His latest is Familiar Stranger. Melbourne’s Midnight Juggernauts take their newie Uncanny Valley to the venue on August 23 in what is sure to be a perfect way to say goodbye to the working week and hello to the weekend. The Smith Street Band leads a big night of tunes on August 25. Their album Sunshine & Technology is firing and the band is red-hot. They’ll be joined by Cheap Girls, Clowns and Foxtrot. Finally, The Getaway Plan hits the venue on August 29 as part of their biggest run of dates in five years. With plenty of new material fans won’t want to miss this one. Bookmark karovalounge.com to keep up to speed... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

THE FEROciTy OF HiDDEn vEnTuRE At the beginning of 2010, Dan Fox (vocals, guitar), Alex Hayes (bass, vocals) and Ben Thomas (drums) gave birth to The Hidden Venture, a band formed through the ashes of prog/dub/electro outfit A Planet in Space. Dale Brimblecombe would later join the ranks. With a salute to The Mars Volta and Queens of the Stone Age, the band set out to combine the stoner riffs of Californian desert rock, the guitar wizardry of Hendrix and the gutter stories of soul. It may have sounded ambitious, but as soon as the band made their debut at the Northcote Social Club, people took notice. Speaking about their EP launch in 2011, Beat Magazine wrote: “If Hendrix was resurrected, then enlisted into Queens of the Stone Age’s desert recordings, The Hidden Venture would probably be the result... At their best, they’re simply ferocious.” The Loft, Warrnambool – September 6.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

DivA DEMOliTiOn WAnnA ROcK Prepare to have your butts handed to you by Diva Demolition and Bellusira when they check into The Newmarket, Bendigo on September 1. The all-female Diva Demolition have had a killer year warming crowds up for Motley Crue, KISS and Aerosmith; now they’re thrilled to welcome their wild ride album, Like It Too Much. Guitarist Sherree Newton: “This album has been the soundtrack to our life for the last year. To launch it, tour around Australia and play these tunes live is bound to be an adventure we won’t forget. We will be collecting Toy Boys and spreading Diva Disease no doubt. We’re looking forward to playing to hometown audiences (in all

our hometowns) and seeing what the live scene is like in the big cities.” Joining them at the show will be Bellusira whose debut album is Connection. This is one for those who love their rock loud. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

cAnDicE MclEOD GETTinG lOuDERQuick bite: Years from now singer-songwriter Candice McLeod is sure to recall December 7, 2012 as a key moment in her life. It was that day she released her debut single, ‘Whispers’. Following its release she spent six months touring the single around the country, performing from Tasmania to Byron Bay. Candice has been playing piano since she was three. Later down the track, as is so often the case, she found herself attracted to the guitar and began writing and singing her own songs. In 2007 she was a finalist in the Q Song Awards for her songwriting skills. The Loft, Warrnambool – September 19.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

21 yEARS OF DREADnAuGHT Quick bite: Dreadnaught is one of Australia’s longest-serving servants of metal. They have been in the game since 1992, during which time they have seen bands come and go; fads come and go. The band released their debut album Body.Blood.Skin.Mind in 1996, re-releasing it the following year after some record label troubles. Dreadnaught would later catch the attention of Roadrunner Records who signed the band in 1999. The band has continued to evolve, and 21 years later continues to win new fans. Music Man Megastore, Bendigo – September 6.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

TiM HulSMAn FiRES upQuick bite: Towards the beginning of last month Forte ran an article about Geelong songman Tim Hulsman. Not only a carpenter by trade, and a volunteer firefighter, Tim’s musical output has drawn comparisons to Tom Waits and Billy Bragg. His latest release, ‘Firestorm’, is available through iTunes with all proceeds going to the CFA. He has only lived in Geelong a couple of years, but he fits in like a local. Best of all, he wants to make music that makes you want to dance and laugh. Grovedale Hotel – October 24; Wool Exchange – October 31; Martians Café, Deans Marsh – September 7.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

bEnDiGOAT METAl FESTQuick bite: Okay, this one isn’t happening until November but there is no harm in giving you some advanced notice,

particularly when it’s going to be a massive metal day out. Taking place at Bendigo’s Newmarket Hotel on November 2, Bendigoat Metal Fest welcomes Noûs, Scar the Surface, Bronson, Adamus Exul, Path of Destruction, Terra Australis, Internal Harvest, Myridian, Internal Nightmare, Sewercide, Terror Strike, Order of Torment, Mardraum, Agave Maize, Severity, Evil Intent, ManiaXe, A Greed Science and AVirus. All proceeds to go towards the Breast Cancer Foundation and the Prostate Cancer Foundation. Hit f acebook.com/events/182317055271281/ for more.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

cOunTDOWn TO JinJA SAFARi Quick bite: As we countdown to when Jinja Safari hit the road for their latest run of dates, it’s time to revisit the reason for their latest tour. The Bay of Fires tour gives the band a chance to take their self-titled debut to the stage. The album has been described as “12 postcards from a fantastical pop world”, given it was inspired by

the travelling adventures of members Marcus Azon and Pepa Knight. They’ve got a chilled-out sound and a feel-good live show. The Loft, Warrnambool – September 25; The Barwon, Geelong – September 26; The Karova, Ballarat – September 28. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

THE 39 STEpSQuick bite: Based on the Alfred Hitchcock spy thriller movie and novel by John Buchan, The 39 Steps is a fast-paced comedy featuring over 100 characters played by four actors. It is currently the longest-running comedy in the West End and the winner of numerous awards including the 2007 Laurence Olivier Award for Best New Comedy. Richard Hannay meets a mysterious woman with a big secret to share. When she is founded murdered in his apartment, Hannay must solve the mystery of the man with the missing finger. main Stage @ COPACC – September 5. Hit colacotway.vic.gov.au for further information.

TAlK OF THE TOWn!

THE DElTA RiGGS: THE AMERicAn WAySimon & Garfunkel, Neil Diamond, Marcy Playground and Barry White: these artists all have a song named ‘America’ under their belt. Now Melbourne’s ‘The Delta Riggs’ can join the club. The new single is the second to be lifted from their increasingly loved album HEX.LOVER.KILLER which was released earlier this year. It also follows a well-received support for Deap Vally, so things have been going pretty good all round. The band has been going strong together for a few years now, over which time they have performed at festivals including the Big Day Out, Peats Ridge, Pyramid Rock and the Queenscliff Music Festival. They have also shared time with Primal Scream (UK), Devin (NYC) and Stonefield. The Karova, Ballarat – September 20. You never know what you’ll get at a Delta show.

THE EDucATiOn OF JunGlE GiAnTS Once upon a time, Sam Hales, Cesira Aitken and Andrew Dooris were in opposing bands. That was high school. Come university and Sam decided to form a new band, and wouldn’t you know it, Cesira and Andrew were up for it. Combining their musical talents, The Jungle Giants was formed, and later completed when Keelan Bijker joined the lads. For six months Sam worked his butt off, working two jobs to get the coin together to record their debut EP. Was it worth it? You betcha, for Hales was awarded the 2011 Billy Thorpe scholarship for his songwriting skills. The EP, She’s a Riot, did very nicely indeed and has set the bar high for their debut full-length effort Learn to Exist, which is due for release at the end of the month. They’ve recently played Splendour; now they’re doing their own run of shows. The Karova, Ballarat – October 5.

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Snakadaktal is a band on the rise, but it didn’t always seem that way. “We had no idea what we were doing really at the beginning. We were just playing in pubs around Melbourne and simply writing music for the sake of writing music together. We met as friends, and that’s how we look at it as a band, but we’re constantly surprised at what we’re doing and why we’re doing it.”

In 2011 they got their big break when they won triple j’s Unearthed High competition, in which they were named the best high school band in Australia. In that week, their single ‘Air’ was the third most played track on the national radio station, making the band a household name. I asked Phoebe about triple j’s part in the band’s success, and she had this to say: “We’re really grateful for the support that triple j have given us. They’ve helped us so, so much, and they still continue to be a really great support. I think radio play is fairly important in Australia, so we owe them a big, big ‘Thank You’, and probably always will.”

Being Australia’s best high school band comes with an obvious complication: touring while still at school. “That was a little bit difficult. The boys were all out of VCE, but I was still finishing my last year, so we had to be very careful about what we did plan, and the order that we had all of our shows and all the things we were organising. We were touring during my final year of VCE, so that became quite a juggle. But we got through it, and it’s nice to be over.”

So go out, buy the album, try to get a hold of their 2011 self-titled EP, and most importantly, get a ticket to Friday night’s show. Oh, and try not to egg the band this time.

When&Where: THE WOOL EXCHANGE, GEELONG – FRIDAY AUGUST 23

You’d have to have been living under a rock the past few years to not know who Snakadaktal are. Not only do they possess one of the best band names in Australian music, but they’ve had quite a meteoric rise since they formed in 2009. They’ve just released their first LP, Sleep in the Water, to a great reception from critics and fans. I caught up with synth player and vocalist Phoebe Cockburn to discuss their album and the upcoming tour.

By CameRoN BRogdeN

snaKadaKTal“We did want to start quite afresh with this first record and move forward in terms of songwriting,” Phoebe said, but went on to add, “‘Hung on Tight’ was actually written about three years ago, and we jammed it out one day in a live setting, and we really enjoyed it, and we wanted to work on it and pursue it for the record. And it ended up being our first single.”

When we spoke the tour was only a week away, so I had to ask how the band was feeling coming up to their biggest tour yet. “[We’re] so excited. It’s a bit nervy, a bit of a nervy time, but we’re really excited and really grateful to be playing such great venues,” Phoebe said. “It’s daunting. We’re not really used to such huge venues, especially as a headline show. We’ve played some amazing venues as supports for great artists like The Jezabels and Alt-J, but we’ve never really headlined such large venues, so it’s daunting. But at the same time it’s really, really exciting.”

Snakadaktal’s history in Geelong is quite varied. “We have played on a couple of tours in the past – on our EP tour, and a different single tour. We like it there, although once Joey [Joseph Clough] from the band and I got egged about an hour before our show. That was a pretty hilarious experience.”

“It feels really lovely to have [the album] off our shoulders finally, because it was ready to be released for a couple of months, and we were just in that limbo-land waiting for it to be out. So that feels really nice. We’re very busy rehearsing and getting all those things prepared for the album tour. It’s a lot of fun, but it’s quite tiring at times,” Phoebe told me.

Next, I asked about the band’s approach to making the album. “We started writing for it about a year and a half ago, and we started recording it in November last year with a few demos and a few ideas recorded. We’ve probably spent about two to three months in the studio altogether. We were living in Gisborne in a house/studio and we became very secluded and isolated in that place, and that was quite a big influence on what the record ended up being,” Phoebe explained.

Most bands release their debut album and it’s chock-full of all the songs they’ve been saving up since they started out, but Sleep in the Water has almost none of that – with one big exception.

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Insygnia are an alternative rock outfit with a slightly dark edge but will still have you singing along by the end of each song. Shades of Foo Fighters with elements of Seether, smashed together with a bit of The Butterfly Effect is what you can expect from the Insygnia sound.Big guitars, solid grooves, thumping bass and memorable melodies is what moulds Insygnia. Settling for nothing less than perfection, this band will leave an impression!”

inSyGniA

Having sold out iconic Sydney venues like The Bald Faced Stag and The Annandale Hotel, Marlow have also toured the country with the likes of Closure In Moscow, MM9, Sleepmakeswaves and industry veterans Mi-Sex. Marlow released their first single 'I Can Breathe' in 2011, which saw the band achieve national air play across the major radio networks of Australia including the Austereo Network (2DayFM, TripleM) and DMG Radio (Nova). The accompanying video received television airplay nationally through the ABC's Rage program.Marlow is about to release their successfully crowd funded and highly anticipated eP 'SeVeN' through MGM, spanning 2 years in the making and offering a colourful and robust snapshot of their current sound and ethos.

MARlOW

With a mergence of crunching heaviness and beautiful, flowering melodies saturated with delay enriched guitar over a dense rhythmic base, The Soulenikoes have transformed their music over the years since their initial inception in 2006, to what it has become today.The band's music relates to individual experiences that the members combine in their song writing to create a formidable progressive rock sound.The Soul-en-eek-ohs - unique name, unique sound.

THE SOulEniKOES

Von Stache is a solo Electro-pop artist/producer/one person party machine from Geelong, Victoria.Since beginning in 2011, Von Stache has already received airplay on PBS and both Triple J Unearthed Digital Radio, and Triple J. Triple J Music Director Richard Kingsmill hand picked Von Stache’s Roman Kingsmill (Italian Richard Kingsmill Remix) from thousands of entries Australia wide, as the best. Triple J Music news reported the remix as being one of the station’s most requested tracks last year. Recently Von Stache collaborated with Sydney’s acclaimed The Immigrant to perform feature vocals on the track “Pay The Debt” from The Immigrant’s RESET EP. “Pay The Debt” is a dark dance tune that has been described as a “rather smooth and deliciously sexy collaboration” - ADAMNOTEVE.With unique vocals, fun live shows, thought provoking lyrics, and a fresh quirky sound, Von Stache is undoubtedly one to keep an eye on.

vOn STAcHE

It would be a generalisation to group 21 year old Alister Turrill with other young roots players. His style blends a true form of blues with complex song writing seldom seen in someone so young.Alister won the 2011 Melbourne Youth in Blues award and as a result has been taking guidance from Australia's most respected blues artists. He's shared the stage with Jeff Lang, Geoff Achison and Lloyd Spiegel on several occasions and has supported the likes of Ash Grunwald, Tim Freedman and Shane Howard.In his two years of performing, Alister has performed right across Victoria and played a bunch of festivals including The Queenscliff Music Festival, Apollo Bay Music Festival and Port Fairy Folk Festival.

AliSTER TuRRill

Driven by the rock'n'roll spirit, emPRA are riding a wave of buzz across Australia and the world after completing a massive 24 date Australian tour and a successful stint in LA where they were crowned the winners of the Live Nation International Band Competition 2013. Their debut self titled album released in May 2012 has since spawned four singles which hit high rotation on Triple m's Radar Rock, Radar Music & 23 community radio shows Australia wide. The album also featured three time Grammy award winner Gotye whose soaring keyboards can be heard on the epic ballad 'Sabrina' . The band's self-titled album was inspired by a chain of events including broken hearts, broken bones, friends loved and lost and a botched album recording on the first try.EMPRA have an unapologetically high-energy rock sound and a louder is better attitude. Meld this with raw, honest lyrics that manage to electrocute hearts and supercharge spirits into euphoric sing-a-longs, and you have emPRA's unmistakable sound and captivating live show.The band has just finished recording some new material and are gearing up for an upcoming EP release and two national tours later this year.

EMpRAAltitude is a 4-piece garage rock band hailing from the sunny surfcoast of Victoria.Cultivating their craft in numerous venues in Aireys Inlet, Anglesea, Geelong and Winchelsea; Altitude has now turned its attention to the city scene in Melbourne.With numerous festival appearances such as ‘Homeake’ (Sydney) and ‘Push Over’ (Melbourne) under their belts the Altitude boys are proving themselves as an exciting new live act likened to sounds also made by The Vines and The Fratellis to name a few.To hear the bands self titled Debut EP and to see what’s what in the world of Altitude follow the links provided below.

AlTiTuDE

Henschke is a Singer/Songwriter from Geelong, Victoria who comes from a solid national and international touring Rock n Roll background.Henschke draws inspiration from the likes of Passenger, Stu Larsen, Tim Hart (Boy & Bear), Patrick James and Jack Carty to create his own brand of acoustic driven folk music.

HEnScHKE

Artilah’s sound may-be best described as melodic-heavy-rock.Yet disintersted in labels or trends of the moment, it’s five members gather in an undefined space where memorable melodies and punishing riffs seamlessly co-exist.After building a buzz playing any and every show off the back of a seven track self produced demo, the first official release ‘Prisons’ dropped in March this year. The launch of the single/video saw the band playing to receptive audiences alongside Electric Horse, Sydonia, These Four Walls and Abreact.Writing has now commenced for the debut album to be birthed at the tail end of 2013.

ARTilAH

Rabid Zulu are a four-piece alt/rock band hailing from Bendigo, Australia.Inspired by Australia's own Baby Animals, The Living End, and AC/DC, as well as international acts such as the Foo Fighters and Led Zeppelin, Rabid Zulu have impressed audiences all over regional Victoria and inner-city Melbourne with their live performances. "Rabid Zulu are easily one of the most exciting young Rock & Roll bands on the live circuit." - mick Griffin. mickeymusic.Reaching #6 on the Triple J Unearthed rock chart with their home recorded demo One and Only (Only Tonight) and having released their first single, Powerline, the band are staying busy and have just released their debut EP Feed the Creature.

RAbiD Zulu

THE GETAWAy plAnThe Getaway Plan (TGP) are back. Currently on the road all around the country in support of a new single, the band is headed this way with a headline gig at the inaugural Spin Cycle at the Wool Exchange on August 31. After a hiatus that caused much speculation between fans about whether the group would ever reform, they are back stronger than ever. I recently caught up with Matthew Wright, the guitarist from the band, in the middle of their soundcheck for their Coffs Harbour gig to find out what the future of The Getaway Plan has in store. “Mate! It’s fantastic to be back on the road once again,” Matt said. “It’s been really freakin’ awesome. It’s still really early days into the tour, and this is show five out of about twenty-five, so there is plenty more miles to go. We released our new single ‘Lovesick/Mirrors’ on Monday and everyone has been singing along to those tracks all this week, so it’s a great atmosphere in the band at the moment.” After forming in 2004, The Getaway Plan’s rise to stardom was quick, and on the back of the release of one of their biggest singles, ‘Where the City Meets the Sea’, which came off their debut record, Other

Voices, Other Rooms, the band played one of their best shows at Big Day Out – which remains a favourite show many years later. Talking about the origins of the track, the exact details were a little bit fuzzy to Matt given that the tune was written in the early days of the band. “We wrote that track nearly eight years ago and it really just started out from just a simple little chord progression that Clint [Ellis] came up with. From there, he demoed it on his computer and sent it to me to figure out the vocal parts. It was a really organic process, I think, and although it was a big song for us, the commercial success never came into our minds. If you start to think like that when you write, it can be very distracting on the finished product.” The decision to take a break from playing music was obviously not an easy one to make, but after the band had been playing hundreds of shows on the road with no lengthy time off in between, it seemed like the logical decision. “We started this band when we were 17; we left school and started touring straight away. Whilst we were playing gigs all the time, there wasn’t any time to lead a normal life. It just got the better of us and we needed a break from it all.” The most ambitious tour to date on the

SPIN CYCLEWhen&Where: SATURDAY AUGUST 31 AT THE WOOL EXCHANGE, GEELONG. DOORS 4PM. $16 + BF OR $20 AT THE DOOR PreSenTeD BY SPInnInG hALF & FOrTe MAGAZIne

back of their fully self-funded double A-side single entitled ‘Lovesick/Mirrors’, The Getaway Plan are incredibly excited at the opportunity to get back down to Geelong and rock out in full flight once again. With two albums under their belt – Other Voices, Other Rooms and Requiem – the setlist for the Geelong gig is to be a mixture of old Getaway

fan favourites as well as some new material. “To keep everybody happy, I think we’re going to be playing a mixture of tunes, and you can except to hear ‘Where the City’ and our new single. It’s going to be very exciting to head back to Geelong; we’ve had some cracker gigs there and haven’t toured there for a while. I hope

that everybody comes out to hear some of the new tunes that we have been working so hard on over the past couple of years.” TGP are headed over to Europe in October to tour with other post-rock/hardcore legends Sleeping With Sirens and Hands Like Houses, and the end of the year sees the band move

into the post-production phase for their third full-length release which will see the light of day at some point in 2014. The Getaway Plan are back stronger than ever, and you should head out to Spin Cycle to see them amongst a stack of other great bands! Written by Tex Miller

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venue for the last twenty years and someone buys a flat just next to you and starts making complaints and writing letters, then you as the music venue having operated in the area for a longer period of time should have right of way. It’s a crazy concept to get your head around but it happens all the time. We want to really help the venues that are under government scrutiny and are finding it significantly difficult to put on music events,” Lloyd said.

The AMRAP (Australian Music Radio Airplay Project) gives bands and artists the ability to be played on community radio throughout Australia, and after an announcement earlier in the year that the commonwealth are putting in $2.4 million dollars to support the program over the next four years, this initiative is here to stay.

Earlier in the year there were reports that the Geelong music scene is dead, and Lloyd amongst many others believes that this is not the case at all. “The music scene in Geelong is absolutely pumping and that is what people need to see. Anybody who suggests otherwise is just not a part of it. The Bellarine Peninsula also has a whole heap of venues doing great stuff. The Piping Hot Chicken Shop in Ocean Grove has events all the time, and I think that if you are interested enough you will find something each weekend to head out to. There’s some government bureaucracy from time to time, but if you’re keen you will find something.”

On September 7 we are heading to the voting polls to cast our opinions on who should govern the country for the next three years, and everyone has their own beliefs and judgements on the major political parties that are offering to take control of the future of Australia. We all know about the Labor and Liberal parties, but how much do you know about the Greens party? Traditionally speaking, the Greens advocate for the environmentally conscious and older demographics, yet with a strong push to gain the youth vote in the upcoming election, I recently sat down with Lloyd Davies, local candidate, to find out about how the Greens party are planning to save the local live music industry.

The first point that I would like to make clear about Lloyd Davies is that he is without doubt the nicest politician that I have spoken to. As one of the councillors on the Borough of Queenscliff in previous years, Lloyd’s house is situated just metres from the Point Lonsdale beach. His affinity with the area comes from picturesque scenery that adorns the Bellarine Peninsula.

“I really love this area because I am within a couple of steps of the beach, and although it gets pretty crowded and hectic in the summertime, in the winter it’s like my private little beach really. On a winter’s day it’s great to get out for a swim or surf and just soak up the raw energy of the ocean,” Lloyd said.

There are numerous policies within the Greens’ campaign, yet one of the most exciting is their promise and commitment to help continually build the local music scene. Speaking with gusto, Lloyd feels that over the past few years there have been some unnecessary complaints from various sources about long-standing music venues, and that this attitude must change to maintain a healthy music industry.

“We believe that if you have been a music

Musicians are getting behind the Greens in the lead-up to the federal election on September 7.David Bridie of Not Drowning, Waving and My Friend the Chocoalte Cake, has had this to say:“”For me, the Greens are the one party who have backbone on Asylum Seeker Policy, Climate Change and West Papua. They have a moral compass, and these issues are ones of common human decency. You don’t play Realpolitik with these issues.”“I have always been a Labor man, but what the ALP have allowed to happen on Manus Island is way past where I draw the line. For the sake of human decency I’m voting Green this time and then preferencing to make sure Abbott is nowhere near the levers.”The Rebelles have also got behind the Greens and their Deputy Leader Adam Bandt:“Adam Bandt and the Greens have stood up for iconic live music venues like the Tote and the Palace when they’re faced with closure, and opposed draconian measures like the 2am lockout and unfair security and licensing conditions on venues.”“They’ve supported the Save Live Australian Music campaign in its call for a whole of government approach to supporting the live music industry, by participating in the SLAM rally and calling for more funding for live music.

Adam also had a great win in June this year when he scored a $6m commitment from parliament to fund community radio – The Rebelles love independent radio like PBS and TripleRRR and are proud we have a local member who understands what a vital role they play in fostering and celebrating Melbourne’s vibrant music community.”It’s not just endorsements either, bands including SNOUT, The Basics, Joelistics, eVeN (duo), major Tom and the Atoms, The Prayerbabies, and 8-Bit Love have played fundraisers for the Greens and in support of asylum seekers.Look up your local Greens candidates on Facebook or on the web and support their campaigns - they need you to stand with them for live music, for social justice and for the environment.You local Greens candidates are: Lachlan Slade - Bendigo, Lloyd Davies - Corangamite, Stephanie Hodgins-May - Ballarat, Greg Davies - Corio and Tim Emmanuelle - Wannon.Go to greens.org.au to look them up, check on policy and sign up to show your support. If you’re in Ballarat, head down to Babushka Bar in Hummfray St North on Thursday 29 August to meet Stephanie Hodgins-May and listen to some tunes from Dan Rolls and other local musicians.

AuSTRAliAn GREEnS

MuSiciAnS bAcK GREEnS, GREEnS bAcK livE MuSic

By tex milleR

llOyD DAviES

travelled overseas together on numerous occasions and working with him is such an easy process. It’s like he is the honorary fifth member of the band. He’s that close to the project, and it’s a comfortable process. It would feel a bit weird if Forrester wasn’t in the room when we were laying down some tracks for an album. To get past Forrester it’s got to be good, and I know that if he likes it, we are on to a good thing.”

The upcoming tour, which kicks off in Adelaide on the 29th before stopping in Geelong for a show at the Wool Exchange on the 30th, sees the band head off all around the country before heading to South Africa for some music festivals, and Europe until late October. Having never played at the Wool Exchange before, the excitement about returning to Geelong could not be higher for Luke.

“Every show that we have played in Geelong has been mental. I’ve only ever played at The National Hotel and Bended Elbow, so to play another venue entirely is an exciting aspect. With Closure in Moscow and Sleep Parade on the stage before us, I think that it’s fair to say that there will be a fair amount of Pete Townshend windmills and shenanigans before we hit the stage.

“The spontaneity in which we bring to the stage can lead to anything occurring. Kim is pretty partial to a

speaker-stack stage dive, so everyone should come on down for a great night of entertainment.”

By the time that the band returns from their international travels later in the year they will have played around 80 shows and thus, upon their return in early December, the live set should be well worn in. The career progression of Dead Letter Circus from the early days to now has been a slow and steady one which Luke believes benefits the band greatly. The opportunity to grow naturally whilst playing shows here and abroad is more beneficial to their career rather than a quick rise to stardom like One Direction.

“Success for us comes in little bits and pieces, and you take it for granted a little bit I think. I would like the band to gain a little bit more of a following in the international market so that we can continue to play a lot more overseas than in Australia. As an effect, people wouldn’t get too sick of our live show too quickly. It’s kind of like One Direction but on a cooler scale. I hate everything that band stands for. Are they even of legal drinking age?”

When&Where: THE WOOL EXCHANGE, GEELONG – AUGUST 30

For your debut album to be recognised in the list of the Greatest 100 Australian Albums of All Time is quite an achievement, and after such an accolade Dead Letter Circus (DLC) are back with their highly anticipated follow-up entitled The Catalyst Fire. When I got the opportunity to sit down with Luke Williams, drummer for the band, in the lead up to the release, he was excited about finally having the album out to the world and keen to hear the thoughts of fans on songs that the band has been working endlessly on for the best part of three years.

“It’s nearly here … and it can’t be too far away (laughs). It’s just started streaming on The Music, and everyone is able to log on and listen to the album in its entirety as of today. I’m keen to get peoples’ feedback on the new tracks. It’s been a while in the tank, so to have it out finally after all this time is great,” Luke said.

Following on from the success of their debut This Is The Warning, which peaked at #2 on the ARIA charts, as well as being certified as a Gold record (35,000 sales), The Catalyst Fire is an album that doesn’t relent with the classic heavy rock sound that that band has built over the past ten years in the industry. In Luke’s mind, this album surpasses all of the work that the band has done before.

Since the beginning of the band’s career, DLC have time and time again chosen to work with Forrester Savell, one of the most acclaimed producers in the Australian hard rock industry. Savell has previously worked with the likes of The Butterfly effect and Karnivool. Going into the pre-production phase of this album there was no man better off for the job, as Luke relates.

“Forrester has been on board since the band’s first eP, and we are now really close friends with him. We’ve

DEAD lETTER ciRcuSBy tex milleR

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get, it’s genuinely rewarding to help them do what they love.”Caldwell is a massive supporter of Geelong’s music scene, which he believes is thriving. “Guys like The Kite Machine, The Greeting Method, Motionless Me, Culzean, Audemia, all through to Chris Wilson, Rory Ellis and Sarah Carroll are bringing something fresh and inspiring to the scene.” This comes at a time where the longevity of Geelong’s music scene has been a hot topic of discussion. “Do you think the negativity is going to stop us all from making music and doing what we love? Not a chance in hell!”Joining local prog-rock band Insygnia late last year, Caldwell is excited for what’s to come in the near future, including the release of their debut EP. “We’ve got the recording done at last. Artwork is almost finalised and the mastering is under way!” he reveals. The EP release date is hoping to tie in with Insygnia’s performance at the upcoming Spin Cycle festival at The Wool Exchange Entertainment Complex on August 31.“To hit the main stage next to our brothers The Greeting Method and The Soulenikoes is gonna be a blast. Not to mention the headliners and all the other local acts. It’s going to be an awesome night, and hopefully Geelong (and Insygnia) will see more events like it.”So with a passion for music flowing through his veins and a desire to help other musicians achieve similar success, Caldwell carries a positive attitude that many people can learn from. “I’m just happy to be playing. If we go nowhere, the gigs and jams alone make it worth the while. However, if we do get anywhere, then that’s just a bonus. We all know that even with talent and hard work there’s no guarantees in this industry. Just enjoy the ride!”‘LIKE’ Insygnia – facebook.com/insygniamusicWhen&Where: SPIN CYCLE – THE WOOL EXCHANGE ENTERTAINMENT COMPLEX, AUGUST 31.

Playing in an up-and-coming band requires much patience and dedication, since fame isn’t always just a phone call away. Geelong is currently filled with many musicians looking to work hard and help each other out which has resulted in one hell of a local scene. One of those musicians is Insygnia’s guitarist, Stuart Caldwell.Originally from New Zealand, he moved to Geelong three years ago with his fiancée Shannyn. “She grew up here, plus it’s close to the coast and real estate is somewhat affordable!” he says. However he just wishes Rugby Union was more popular over here. “It’s frustrating being a Kiwi in such an AFL-centric place like Geelong since I can’t give you shit about the Wallabies because nobody cares!” Despite this, another bonus of living in Geelong was being able to secure a job at A & B Musical Instruments, which Caldwell explains is almost like a perfect job.“I love dealing with musicians every day, and Geelong has a huge number of immensely talented, creative musos. Whether they’re bedroom players or are out gigging every chance they

STuART cAlDWEll DANDO’SICONS: Free classiFieds

send Your info to: editoRial@foRtemag.Com.au oR p.o. Box 1388, geeloNg 3220 oR fax 5229 0318

foR iNdiVidual use oNly, Not foR CommeRCial puRposes.

Screaming Vocalist wanted for metalcore band. Vocalist required between the ages of about 17 - 19. Live experience not necessary. Influences include Parkway Drive and August Burns Red. Email andyw14@live.com.auWanted: Bass Player & Drummer. I’m a Singer/Songwriter, who has written/produced an album of original songs, looking to gig originals & covers. Influences include U2, INXS, Oasis, The Verve, Snow Patrol. Looking for easy going/reliable muso’s who know their craft. Call Phil 0421 901 530 www.zeffamusic.com Vocalist Wanted. Experienced 25 y.o. guitarist looking for female vocalist to form acoustic duo to start playing cover gigs asap. Would also be interested in writing together music if partnership works well. Phone Curt 0412 166 393Looking for a rock singer between the age 17-19. Main Influences are Green Day, Foo Fighters and Led Zeppelin. Band with Management and Label. Email and info at melodicmusic.comLooking for a drummer, not afraid to experiment. Male/female. Age 35++ ono. All original. English/Australian influences without the radio play. Original to the extent of punk/pop sensibility 1978 to the not-so-now style. Think of yourself as a patron of The Saints, Stiff Little Fingers, Radio Birdman, Buzzcocks,

The Smiths, Psychedelic Furs, Iggy & The Stooges, Wedding Present, Happy Mondays etc etc, then forget you have to be. The usual...car, equipment, attitude, mental state (in an OK kind of...) punctual, earplugs accepted. Be prepared to apply yourself. Let us know on 0409 567 043. Please leave your details and we will hear you - Confirmation code: AKA 1963Geelong rock band looking for lead vocalist. We are a Geelong based original band looking for a lead vocalist, have a lot of experience and heaps of great original music waiting to be sung. Influences: pearl jam, chili peppers, foo fighters, nirvana, led zep, sound garden. Contact Ben 0432049231.experienced Lead Guitarist Wanted. Top 40 Coverband. 70s 80s 90s and current. Based in Geelong. Must have commitment. Please Call Mark on 0438836469 or email at pudge_gypsy33@hotmail.comSinger wanted for acoustic covers duo. Must like 90’s British bands and not into songs your “normal” covers bands play. Think Oasis, Morrissey & The Smiths, Libertines, Pulp, Blur, Verve, and similar Aussie & American groups. Nothing serious to start with but possible gigging if we sound great! Age no barrier and male / female encouraged to contact. Contact Liam: britpopcovers@gmail.com or 0430904407

KinG OF THE nORTH AS A RivAl & FRiEnDSchanges. Instrumentally sounding like both hard rock giants Tony Iommi and Tom Morello got together and collaborated, Andrew’s vocal talent lies closer to desert rock icon John Garcia’s; this tastefully blends the music genres the aforementioned artists dominate.

Playing a good long set, the members stuck around to sell their merch and also took the time to converse with anyone who wanted to pick up a copy of their EP, a stubby holder, shirt or vinyl.

They had nice things to say about the band that supported them too. The Brodie Glen Show supported King of the North for what I believe was their fourth live performance. An upbeat traditional rock band, The Brodie Glen Show only had three of its four members on stage, and was a nice light start to the heavy rock night. With an abundance of bad jokes contributing to a fun vibe, they played a solid set to the patrons of The Karova and were a good choice for King of the North’s support.

All in all it was a Thursday of live music that should not have been missed; great light-hearted start to the night with Brodie Glen’s antics and tunes setting a feel-good mood that was carried on by King of the North’s awesome heavy rock music and powerful stage presence, all which eventually built into having the whole house pumped and excited – a very hard achievement on a Ballarat Thursday, but one that was achieved nonetheless!

If you want to check out King of the North, hit up their facebook page at facebook.com/kingofthenorthband. For more on The Brodie Glen Show you can find them at facebook.com/thebrodieglenshow

was notable for lead singer/guitarist Sam Butcher’s distinctive and powerful voice, and, dare it be said, dance steps that managed to be with-it while also making him look like a gangly bird. The catchy and intricate ‘Cognition’ was the best song performed all night, while other material had moments of anthemic brilliance. When questioned on community radio about which Bendigo acts stand out, Eater Of The Sky, along with the idiosyncratic Old World Sparrow, immediately came to my mind.

As A Rival, another visiting Melbourne band, headlined with brisk efficiency. While tagged with the label “punk rock” in a recent interview, the ensemble seemed more “rock” than “punk” with tracks such as ‘Warm Gun’. Making references to the gender of performers should be unnecessary in the 21st century; however, in a market dominated by male heavy metal musicians the presence of the compelling Jayde Whelan was a welcome respite. More importantly, her cracking bass playing was missed when it momentarily took a break.

THe KArovA, BALLArAT Thursday, August 8

A couple of Thursdays ago, Ballarat’s Karova Lounge was fortunate enough to host two-piece rockers, King of the North.

As most Ballaratians will know already, Thursdays are usually pretty poor when it comes to any sort of gigs. The attendance is always lacking because the night before was Uni night, leaving all the students lacking in spirit and funds for liquid spirits; and those that aren’t students who are fortunate enough to have a job, they have to be awake and aware the following morning for the glorious Friday.

But though it was the accursed Thursday, King of the North managed to muster up a good gathering of live music and King of the North enthusiasts. If they had been disappointed in the turn out (and I’m not saying they were), they sure didn’t show it. Their music and energy on stage was very impressive. The drummer, Dan [Danny Leo], doesn’t seem to want to stop bashing his drums once he’s sitting behind his kit; he looks like he’s driving full stick the whole time and saving nothing for the set ahead, yet remarkably he maintains this momentum for the entire show, churning out elongated drum roll after drum roll.

The singer, guitarist and bassist (and whatever other collection of instruments he can mimic on his guitar through his pedals), Andrew [Higgs], belts out clean or raspy vocals while coordinating his three amps and multiple pedal

MuSIC MAN MeGASTore, BeNdIGo Friday, August 9

Stevenson’s Rocket displayed many of the charming elements of their prog-rock forerunners: wit, the ability to sing ludicrous lyrics melodramatically and a keyboard; an instrument rarely seen around these parts, but one that added to the band’s grandiosity. While the group might have been suffering from a minute case of first on the bill inertia, they still entertained with innovative songs such as ‘Terrorism Waltz’, and that one about being jailed in Castlemaine. The required review ‘special mention’ goes to Jonathan and Sebastian for their individually dippy vocal styles and the alternation between them, with praise going to the former for his ability to “la la la” and rant about being lost in a forest.

The bass player for Falconio was an imposing figure; wearing his instrument low and with impassive features. Visiting from Melbourne, the band held the audience with some impressive guitar playing that shifted in emphasis; however, the vocals tended to get lost in the loudness of the music. Most impressive was their last song, although this is said with the rider that playing a short set leaves hardly any time to warm up. It was the aloofness, intended or not, that made the band difficult to connect with, even while the music was kicking off. Nevertheless, Falconio managed to get some movement happening amongst the punters assembled near the front of the stage, with that dancing later culminating in the spilling of a drink and then a slip of epic proportions on the dance floor by one audience member.

The charisma, handsomeness and chutzpah of Steven Hammer ensured that Lowpoint didn’t have any problems with connecting with the people present. A rock band in the traditional sense, Lowpoint claim on their ReverbNation page to have a sound akin to AC/DC and Guns N’ Roses. While their music will strengthen with time, there’s no doubting the group’s energy and capacity to entertain.

Eater Of The Sky’s excellence was declared by another group’s vocalist, with the suggestion that due to the band’s superior ability they should’ve been top of the bill. The progressive rock trio lived up to the claim of pre-eminence with a tight set that

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in the UK it felt like we were starting all over again – we played some gigs with virtually no-one there!” Something tells me they won’t have that problem on this tour with tickets selling fast and a show at The Northcote Social Club added due to popular demand.Joining them on the road is Queensland compatriots, Little Scout. “Little Scout are old friends of ours; we met when we first started playing shows around Brisbane and instantly hit it off – we have mutual admiration for each other. They’ve been quietly working away at their sound. Their debut album will be released while we’re on tour and it’s quite frankly one of the most exciting Australian albums I have heard in a long time, so it’s really great to have them along, not just because they‘re our mates, but on a personal level I can’t wait to hear them play their new songs live. There are so many great bands coming out of Brisbane at the moment. The scene is blossoming up there. But the scene has always been really strong – I’m proud we can take another Brissy band on the road with us.”As for future plans beyond this tour, you’ll have to watch this space because Dean was playing coy with the details. “We do have some special plans for the Christmas period that I’m not allowed to talk about just yet, but I promise I’ll let you know when I can!” Stay tuned HKOH fans!

this year, and I think that is really important in creating a great event.”

For the first time ever this year sees the inclusion of the VIP ticket, which entitles you to ‘the best seat in the house’. Valued at $330, this ticket allows for the access to the VIP platform at the side of the main stage, and all of the backstage hospitality as well. You will surely be fully aware of the usual festival facilities experience, so make sure you check this package out.

“A lot of people say it’s kind of an undervalued ticket for what you get. A three-day pass is $210 and the VIP is

$330. It’s great value for money because you can’t get any closer to the stage, and opportunity to mingle with the artists is definitely worth it,” michael said about the limited ticket deal.

Having worked previously on the Telluride Blues and Brews festival in the US for a number of years, michael strongly believes one of the most important aspects of running a three-day cross-generational festival is about offering the punter the best possible experience. “I think that Queenscliff and Telluride are the same in that you get to see a great amount of music for a really good price, and it’s not just the same old bands coming out to

play. You are getting the opportunity to see some of your old favourites, and I think that Russell Morris is a prime example of bridging the gap between the older acts and the fresh and new talent that is on offer. His Sharkmouth album and blues show is fantastic.”

Aussie rock icons The Living End are headed to Queenscliff for their debut performance, and their performance is one of the most anticipated this year alongside John Butler Trio and The Grates. The energetic live show of TLE is certainly not to be missed, and if you haven’t got around to buying your ticket, get on it, because they’re selling fast.

really crazy. We went to five states in February and march and we played four or five folk festivals, which was a really great experience for us. Then we took a little break and I wrote some songs – and now we are back on the road.”Klein’s voice has a wonderful uniqueness that manages to embrace her natural Australian inflection while still making the often hash accent sound beautiful, a result of her Aussie influences. “I guess I have an Australian accent so I haven’t tried to hide it, and I was probably comfortable with that from listening to artists like The Waifs, who sing in Australian accents unashamedly. Also, Paul Kelly was always being played in my family. Often on car trips we would have a few cassettes of Paul Kelly and he definitely had a massive influence on me in terms of the magic of songwriting and how you can paint a picture through a song.”Klein also has some new material in the works that could be reaching your ears before the year is out. “We are doing some bedroom recordings at the moment, not with any specific timeline or deadline for release, but if all goes well we should have some new material out by the end of the year, and that might just be a digital release.”Little Wise will also be hitting the folk music festival circuit over the upcoming summer for anyone wanting to catch them in full band mode. For more Little Wise gig information head to littlewise.com.au. To get a copy of Moments of Clarity check out littlewise.bandcamp.com.

When&Where: MARTIANS CAFé, DEANS MARSH – AUGUST 23 & HARVeSTeR mOON, BeLLARINe – AUGUST 25.

It’s a beautiful day in sunny Townsville and Dean McGrath, frontman of Hungry Kids of Hungary, is well … hungry! He checked in with us last week at the start of their Do or Die Tour: “The vibe within the band at the moment is pretty chilled – we’re at the beach having some lunch and a beer before we head to soundcheck for tonight’s show.”Beginning in their home state of Queensland, Dean and his fellow hungry kids are seeing out the year in the back of a tour bus playing their final headline tour for 2013. Kicking off with an all ages gig at Townsville’s Cultural Festival, the guys will make their way down the coast, stopping in at The Barwon Club in Geelong and Ballarat’s Karova Lounge. “It’s been a while since we’ve played in regional Victoria, so we’re looking forward to that. And I have family down there too, so I definitely want to catch up with them.”It’s no secret the guys are looking forward to a well-earned break after their busiest, most successful twelve months yet. Since the release of their sophomore album You’re a Shadow, Dean and the guys have toured constantly. Earlier in the year they hit the road with indie darlings The Preatures and Them Swoops before flying over international waters for their first UK tour. “It’s been amazing! It’s a dream come true to travel and play in so many different places. We went to Brighton and played the Great Escape Festival. It was our second time there and it has such an incredible vibe. There was a pretty big Australian contingent at the festival as well, so we had a few mates to knock about with!” Dean laughed.“At some of the shows in the more out of the way places

Sophie Klein is back on the road again this month, scaling her band Little Wise back to a duo with guitarist Megan Bernard, and the good news is she will be bringing her brand of folk roots to Martians Café and Harvester Moon this August.“I describe our sound as folk roots,” says Klein, “because I guess it’s not straight up traditional folk, and it’s not indie folk like Fleet Foxes. I guess it’s roots because it’s very heavily influenced by Americana and old country, and also a little blues and soul. At our shows you can expect some mellow tunes and some sweet vocal harmonies, as well as some crunchy guitar. We have found on the tour shows Megan and I have a lot of space for creativity, jamming and spontaneity.”Little Wise will also be trying out some new material at their upcoming shows, for fans desperately awaiting new tunes. “We will be playing some new songs at the shows – we love playing new songs because it gives us a chance to test out new material. There is something magical about having a song that’s really fresh; every line kind of means something, whereas when you have been playing songs for a while it’s sometimes harder to engage, so yeah you can expect some new tunes.”It’s been just over a year since the release of her debut EP, Moments of Clarity, and this gifted singer-songwriter has already taken her talents all over Australia. After recording the EP as a solo artist, Klein grew Little Wise into a four-piece and hit the road to tour Australia. “The start of this year was

HunGRy KiDS OF HunGARy

liTTlE WiSE

By Natalie RogeRs

Over its sixteen year history the Queenscliff Music Festival has hosted some of the biggest names in the Australian music scene including Missy Higgins, John Butler, Xavier Rudd and Paul Kelly, and if you haven’t heard yet, this year sees The Living End, The Grates, Spiderbait and San Cisco amongst a stack of others converge on the coastal town on the last weekend in November. Three months out from the festival the wheels are in motion to create the best one yet, and I recently sat down with Festival Director Michael Carrucan ahead of the big weekend.

The Winter Warmup gig in April was a great success and taster for what we are going to experience this year, which saw Chris Russell’s Chicken Walk, Eagle and the Worm, The Frowning Clouds, Empra and Darren Percival play to a packed town hall. With the second release of acts announced to the public, and the third one just around the corner, Michael believes that this year is bound to be just as exciting, with a varied array of talent from around the country.

“The overall response from people thus far has been really positive and ticket sales are quite strong. The line-up is very contemporary and a lot of the artists on the bill are releasing new material within weeks of the festival, which is a very exciting aspect as well. They are current and making a buzz in the music scene, which was a deliberate strategy to book them. There is a lot of variety

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When&Where: THe BARWON CLUB, GEELONG – SEPTEMBER 5 & THE KAROVA, BALLARAT – SEPTEMBER 7.

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paddock. It’s a really awesome story, but unfortunately word limits have the high ground in this one. (If you ever meet him, ask him to tell it to you.) Fraser’s career as a country artist has been fruitful in its short time, playing to huge crowds at festivals including Falls and Meredith’s anniversary. Fraser gave me a short history of his transition from garage-rock band Revolver and Sun to his country avenue as Fraser A. Gorman, often accompanied by Big Harvest, his backing band. “In Geelong there was kind of garage revival thing going on with bands like The Frowning Clouds and the band that I was in, Revolver and Sun, which had Stu and Cook (King Gizzard) and Monty (Sleep Decade) and a few other bands. After a while some of those bands died out and I was really vibin’ on stuff like Townes Van Zandt. And then I started playing more country music and got together a bit of new band with Jarrad (Eagle and The Worm) Stu (King Gizzard) Sam Sagamore and Sophia Lubczenko; they’re Big Harvest.”At this point in time Fraser has achieved everything he ever wanted to achieve in music, and he’s only 22. Whilst he searches for some new musical goals he plays regularly around Melbourne and Geelong and will be performing at the upcoming Kennedy’s Creek Music Festival. “When I was a kid I only had two goals in music: that was to play at Meredith and support You Am I. Both of those happened within a month of each other, so I’m ready to retire. Maybe I’ll get some new goals. Meredith was awesome and I’d love to do it again; I heard King Gizzard are gonna be playing again this year.”

Despite his short time on the scene, Kirk’s success has grown phenomenally in a rather short amount of time. Bluesfest is evidence of this. Kirk showed an astute understanding of how an independent musician can make a living in the current digital age, and how he has managed to successfully build a career over the past few years. “my first album was in 2010 so I’ve been touring around since then, but I was playing little gigs around melbourne and stuff before that. It’s definitely happened pretty quickly though. The key for any independent musician these days to find any success is to go out on the road, take a big risk and go hard. I’ve been doing 200-250 gigs a year for the past 3 years now.”Somehow managing to take a break from his heavy touring schedule, Kirk took a moment in his life to create an album. Once again, he wasn’t taking things for granted. Through his inspiration in Freddie King and his 1973 Dallas performance film, Kirk has taken a step further than many young artists would: an album accompanied by a DVD featuring the album performed live in studio. “The whole idea for it was to be raw. The DVD that it was inspired by was basically footage taken from an in-studio performance where basically the film crew was the only audience. It was something that they used to do back then every Friday and Saturday night or something, a bit like the ABC’s ‘Live in the Basement’ that used to happen. I also wanted to do something a little bit different. This is how all the old blues guys that I’m inspired by used to do it – and there’s little stuff ups, but that’s what makes it seem a little more human I guess.”

someone else make the decisions for you,” Beth said. Taking the management side in their own hands, the publicity for the new album is currently being funded through a Pozible campaign, which saw 70% of funding achieved within the first week. With an idea to get this album to as many people that hadn’t heard of the band before, there had to be a big push on the marketing side of things this time around. The recording process for DFYT saw The Little Stevies go back to the grassroots approach that they took to their debut Love Your Band, which saw the band create a more down to earth recording environment. “This time around, we decided to build our own low-budget recording studio and take things a little slower. In a way it was kind of like Love Your Band, where we recorded in a cubbyhouse that we built out of a pergola from Bunnings. We wanted something low-key and to record in familiar surrounds, and take our time with it rather than rush out something that didn’t sound right. “I went back to Uni and Sibylla [Stephen] was caring for her first child that was born last year, so life was getting pretty hectic around the recording process. We’d be busy all day doing all our different things and then meet at night and record for a few hours before we had to go to bed to get up and do it all again. I think that although it took a while, it’s definitely our strongest release to date.” As just one of the acts that are set to converge on Anglesea in mid-October for the music festival, when the interview turns to talk about the performance, Beth is really excited to head down and play. With three albums and a stack of EPs in their back catalogue, the process of choosing a setlist must become increasingly harder as you release more and more material. “Playing Anglesea will be a different experience because it’s a duo show; just ‘Bill and I. It will be spontaneous and a lot of fun. Expect to hear new tunes as well as classic Little Stevies.”

When&Where: THe LOFT, WARRNAmBOOL – AUGUST 31

When&Where: KeNNeDYS CReeK mUSIC FeSTIVAL - OCT 26 & 27. HIT FACeBOOK.COm/KeNNeDYSCReeKmUSICFeSTIVAL FOR mORe INFO

When&Where: ANGLeSeA mUSIC FeSTIVAL – OCTOBeR 18, 19 & 20

If the Geelong/Melbourne garage-rock scene was an actual family rather than a metaphorical one, my bet is that Fraser A. Gorman would be the smartarse, wisecrackin’ uncle from the country, mainly because he likes crackin’ wise between songs, and mainly because those songs fall under the country music genre. Some really damn good country music. This young man from Geelong has taken it in his stride to bring country music back into this hip, young world and is often featured on hip radio stations such as triple j. When I spoke to Fraser he was walking (chasing) a dog with fellow musician Stu Mackenzie. In between laughter and muffled yelling probably to do with the dog somehow escaping its leash, Fraser managed to tell me about his transition from garage-rock to country, and how he somehow managed to complete his two life goals already.Being the fun-lovin’ joker that he is, it seems only natural that Fraser’s new video for the single ‘Dark Eyes’ came with a satirical spin as well an unplanned fiasco along the way. “Jon Stewart directed the clip and he came up with this idea that songwriters and musician turn up for gigs and it seems like all glory and fun times, but it’s really a lot of work and stressful and stuff. He wanted to portray the idea that bands work really hard and it’s not all easy. So he had me run through this field for the whole clip so I looked really f**ked and havin’ a bad time.” In the process of making the video Fraser also managed to let three very expensive racehorses escape their

It’s not unusual to find people who wholeheartedly believe that in order to become a successful musician in this day and age, that you should immediately sign up for a TV talent show in the hopes of a fast-track to a record deal and thousands of fans. Incorrect. As a matter of fact, it should come as no surprise to people that in order to be taken seriously in this world you have to work goddamn hard. One man band blues artist Shaun Kirk has done nothing short of this, only taking time off touring earlier this year in order to record and film for his new album/DVD release, a project inspired by Freddie King’s 1973 ‘In Concert, Dallas, Texas’. Kirk takes traditional blues and makes it even more badass; interpreting a solo drumming style using only what limbs are left available as a one man band and letting the twang in his voice take over to captivate the true Mississippi delta blues.After scoring a place in the line-up of the extraordinary festival that is Byron Bay Bluesfest, it’s safe to say that Kirk has been proving his worth to the right people. An opportunity such as this is not often given to an artist so early in his career. Kirk gave his thoughts on the great moments of the festival itself: “It was crazy, overwhelming. When I was backstage and they gave me a little greenroom all to myself for 5 hours, and then they come later and tell you they need to clear the room for Blind Boys of Alabama, and you’re wandering around backstage and Chris Isaac walks past. I got to meet one of my idols, Tony Joe White, and kinda sat down and had dinner with him. It’s just a whole different world. A world I’d like to return to one day.”

On the road for ten years, the songs and stories of The Little Stevies have warmed our hearts for a long time now, and they are finally back with their third album entitled Diamonds for Your Tea. With a gig at the Anglesea Music Festival in October on the back of the release, I recently sat down with Beth from the group to have a chat about how this album is a lot more organic in terms of the production, cubbyhouses, as well as the future of the band. As self-managed musicians, The Little Stevies have always maintained an independent approach to their music career. Starting out playing music festivals in the early 2000s, my first memory of seeing the group was at the Queenscliff Music Festival. Since then the band has toured the world with their folk/acoustic/indie sounds, most predominately North America and Canada; these particular shows of which can be heard on their recent live release, Most Requested 2009-2012. This method has allowed for complete creative control to remain with the band, and although that means taking responsibility for all assets of their career including poster distribution, booking gigs as well as recording to name just a few, self-management is an important key to being a musician in 2013. “I think it’s really good when you have full control of everything in your music. As you spend more and more time in the music industry, the good and bad experiences allow you to decide what you want out of your music. Although it can be severely frustrating at times, to have that control is better than having

FRASER A. GORMAn

SHAun KiRK

THE liTTlE STEviES

By xaVieR feNNell

By xaVieR feNNell

By tex milleR

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Tully On Tully – WEiGHTlESSTully On Tully are a Melbourne-based indie band who have been around since late 2011. Having toured with acts like Whitley and The Temper Trap, they’ve been slowly building up experience and a name for themselves. Weightless is their first eP. Available now.

nO AGE – An ObJEcTLos Angeles-based experimental punk duo No Age is releasing their fourth album. The group consists of guitarist Randy Randall and drummer/vocalist Dean Allen Spunt. Available now on Sub Pop/Inertia.

HiS ElEcTRO bluE vOicE – RuTHlESS SpERMI’ll be honest: this one’s only here because I wanted to see the words Ruthless Sperm in bold. HEBV are an Italian post-punk band, and this is their first full-length release, but with six EPs under their belt, they know what they’re doing. Available now on Sub Pop/Inertia.

JESSiE bAylin – liTTlE SpARKThis singer-songwriter is from Nashville, Tennessee, and Little Spark is her third album. Jessie is the wife of Kings of Leon drummer, Nathan Followill. Available August 30 on Hub/Inertia.

SOnS OF THE EAST – SElF-TiTlEDSydney three-piece indie band Sons of the East are one of the fastest-rising acts in Australia. The band received triple j airplay without ever releasing a song. They’re making up for it now with their debut self-titled EP. Available now.

bOy & bEAR – HARlEQuin DREAM The much-anticipated follow-up to 2011’s Moonfire is finally here. Boy & Bear more or less disappeared from the touring scene for about a year to put this one together. Expect a review next issue. Available now on Island Records.

yEllOWcARD – OcEAn AvEnuE AcOuSTicExactly what it says on the tin, ten years on from their breakthrough hit – the title track from their recently platinum certified album

Ocean Avenue – Yellowcard are releasing an acoustic version. Available now on UNFD.

TRAviS – WHERE yOu STAnDThe best part about writing this section is finding out that one-hit wonders are actually still producing music. This is Travis’ seventh album. Available now on Red Telephone Box.

SliM DuSTy – THE SOn OF nOiSy DAnAmazing how long-dead artists can still release albums in this day and age. This is apparently a musical autobiography of one of Australia’s best-loved artists – and in no way is it a greatest hits cash grab. Available August 27 on Universal.

pERFEcT TRipOD – AuSTRAliAn SOnGSTripod and Eddie Perfect have joined forces again to pay tribute to the greats of Aussie music. Containing classic tracks such as ‘You’re the Voice’, ‘Errol’ and ‘How Deep is Your Love?’, as well as modern tracks like ‘Hearts a Mess’, ‘Am I Not Pretty Enough?’ and ‘Oh Well, That’s What You Get Falling in Love with a Cowboy’. Available August 23 on Liberation Music.

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Fat Wreck Chords has announced that Less Than Jake will be headlining the 2013 Fat Tour, with Anti-Flag, Masked Intruder and Get Dead firmly in tow. LTJ will issue their new album, See the Light, through Fat Wreck this November.The Descendents are back in the studio, working on their first new album in what feels like fifty million years. In reality, it’s been nine years.Well, if you’re as unimpressed with the 2013 Australian Vans Warped Tour line-up as I expect you are, fear not! An alternate event will be taking place in Melbourne on the exact same day, cheekily monikered NEVERMIND THE WARPED TOUR. With over twenty punk bands from around Australia, it’s gonna be a doozy! Beerfridge (WA), Myrtle Place (QLD), Fatty Esther (Tas), Silver Lizard (WA), Stay Down (Tas) join Vic punk stalwarts The Worst, The Resignators, Strawberry Fist Cake, Admiral Ackbar’s Dishonourable Discharge, Dixon Cider, Spew N Guts, Liquor Snatch, The Murderballs, Kodiak Throat, Hopes Abandoned, Bombs Are Falling, The Savages, 12FU, All We Need, M Bone Dirty Unit, Stoned To Death, Lord Justin and His One Man Band and more! Over 20 bands across two stages – what more could you want? December 7 at the Brunswick Hotel. Be there, coz you probably won’t be at

the ACTUAL Warped Tour Melbourne stop! This is great news in light of the cancellation of this year’s IdiotFest.Drown in Blood is the title of Canada’s hottest new exports The Flatliners brand new single. Stream it now.Melbourne modern rockers EMPRA recently supported US emo pop-rock powerhouse Fall Out Boy – in Singapore, of all places! FOB has a string of Aussie arena dates coming up with support from British India.Melbourne ska-pop-rock combo The Bennies (formerly known, quite cheekily, as Madonna!) have signed to local label Poison City Records, home to the likes of A Death In The Family!Blink 182 has let it be known that they have no intention to ever return to Australia. Um, fair enough. Last time you DID make it out here, only two of you came. And you STILL pocketed millions. I’ve noticed Travis Barker has no problem playing shows in OTHER parts of the world. I’m just sayin’...Soundwave 2014 rumours have been flying thick and fast, with Nine Inch Nails hotly tipped to headline. Bowling for Soup also looks very likely to be taking part, as do Asking Alexandria. Goth punk (and now sort of emo) old-timers AFI, Rancid and classic crossover legends DRI are also on the maybe list. Stay tuned for more updates next issue!

It’s totes understandable that you’re all too busy keeping an eye on each and every move made by politicians at the moment to remember music, food, sleep or going to the toilet, but just take a look at what we all have to look forward to after we crawl to the polling booths with drool dripping from our mouths and eyes wide open in a startled state.

By the time you read this, or shortly thereafter, Avenged Sevenfold’s new album Hail to the King will be making its way through the earholes of many a fan, including me. I can’t wait. If you’ve heard the single of the same name then you’ll have also got the feeling the band has ditched their whole ‘anything goes; chuck a groove in here and make that bit more chaotic with keys and more riffs, no more riffs there, and sing over that part there’ and just do what the f*ck feels good for a more traditional sense of metal.

Hail to the King, the song, is Avenged Sevenfold doing what 80s metal bands did in the 80s that made them super influential. It’s tight and rigid, it’s a bit thrashy, it’s formulaic and it’s predictable because there’s nothing new to this song.

Avenged Sevenfold was that band who pushed metal forward and to hell with the past. Now they’ve all grown up and want to pay homage to Iron Maiden and Metallica and whoever else and that’s all good, but that can be done by wearing their t-shirts and putting their posters on your wall.

In other news:Dead Letter Circus

will play The Wool Exchange on Friday, August 30.

Vista Chino’s album

Peace will hit the shelves on Friday, August 30.

Deals Death will release their new album Point Zero Solution on Friday, September 13.

Kvelertak will be headlining their first Australian tour and you can catch them at the Corner Hotel on Tuesday, September 17.

Parkway Drive will play The Palace on Friday, September 20 (sold out) and Sunday, September 22. The U18 show will be at the same venue on Saturday, September 21.

Lamb of God and Meshuggah will double headline at Festival Hall on Sunday, September 22.

Soilwork will be at Billboard on Friday, October 4.

Bring Me The Horizon, Of Mice & Men and Crossfaith will kick out the jams for all ages at Festival Hall on Wednesday, October 9.

The Devin Townsend Project will be at The Palace on Sunday, October 13.

Every Time I Die will bring their unique brand of metalcore to the Corner Hotel on Sunday, October 20.

The Enslaved show at The Hi-Fi has been moved to Friday, November 1.

Nile will play the Corner Hotel on Saturday, November 16.

The Vans Warped Tour will be held at a TBA venue in Melbourne on Saturday, December 7. Notable acts on board include The Offspring, Hatebreed and Parkway Drive.

If you have any news about local metal bands, shows or albums, let THTH know by emailing to tooheavytohug@hotmail.com or get in touch via Twitter at @TooHeavyToHug

We’re closer in death than ever we were in life.

It’s as though money has ceased to be of any use now that all I care about is making a connection. Not being able to pick up the bill at a restaurant causes me pain. Not shouting a round ruins a night out. Looking ever more eagerly to craft situations in which money does not come to into the picture whatsoever, I have stumbled upon subtle manipulations in which my companions in this life are put into a situation in which they cannot for the life of them ever pick up another bill again, or look after the group for a few rounds while we’re out at a gig.

The first plan I struck upon was to plant a water-soluble laxative powder into the second or third round of drinks (my own excluded, of course) on a night out for dinner. In the rounds that followed, when things are starting to look as though we should all tuck in for the night and prepare for the day’s work ahead, that’s when the laxative hits them. The humbling experience of defecating one’s pants in a public place is something that should be appreciated, for no experience in public thereafter would be even remotely as awkward ever again. A sobbing breakup at a café becomes unemotional, frankly banal.

About twelve months into the laxative plan, they all started heading to the bar to fetch their own drinks; problematic to say the least. I couldn’t very well close down every venue in town and force them to dine at mine when we meet up; the practicality of this venture would be beyond reasonable, so I decided to pull an ace from up my sleeve and get them all addicted to Heroin. After all, how can one buy a round when they have no money as a result of a pricey drug addiction?

When my plan became infinitely more difficult being that it was, and still is, quite hard to rouse a junkie from bed to come out to dinner, I started to look into the occult for answers. And so apparently you can murder someone by taking down detailed notes on what they’re doing. At least that’s the basics of it. The general idea is to attempt to link your brainwaves into the exact moment their thoughts are in transit from the brain, via nerve conduction, replacing the actions they had planned to do with the ones you’re currently in the middle of putting down on paper. Writing it down seems to solidify the content and imbed it into your brainwave transmissions. Thusly, create a seamless flow of thoughts being transcribed to text and you have yourself a potent method for manipulating those around you.

Its history is thick with anecdotes and stretches back farther than you’d be comfortable to know. I have managed to hone this skill through tireless meditation and trips to museums of modern art. Figurative drawings don’t work so well in bringing these disparate sets of neurochemical manipulations together in one seamless act. The controller must stare for hours on end at the works lining the walls and attempt to create a simpatico between the manner in which their brain structures its ideas, much like a collage or mosaic, and the manner in which disparate elements of culture, nature, science and pure expression coalesce to make something along the lines of a Sigmar Polke.

The first time I attempted to use it was in a restaurant. I feel no remorse having sacrificed the life of a dear friend in this quest, for now that I’ve touched their basic motor functions we’re closer in death than ever we were in life.

Blank Thankless AirBy BlaiR hall

ChRis CRuz

38 FORTEMAG.COM.AU

KATy pERRy’S pRiSM TRucKThe most iconic moving vehicle of all time?

MADOnnA’S biRTHDAyHappy 55th Madge!

#FiERcEMEnComing soon to a YouTube channel near you...

liTTlE MOnSTERS vS KATy cATSJust shut up and let the music play.

RADiO REpETiTiOn Why do commercial networks who know we are forced to listen to them at work insist on making their audience feel like they are reliving Groundhog Day?

MicHAEl bublEShut the fuck up mate.

HIT

SH

IT!

“ i’m just not used to people haTing me because they loVe someone else! it doesn’t make sense to me.”

tweet of the week

@CHER spills the Tea and responds to attacks from mentalist Little Monsters accusing her of leaking the demo for ‘The Greatest’, the renowned entertainers expected duet with Gaga for her upcoming album.

cHER’S ‘THE GREATEST’So, for well over a year it’s been common knowledge that Cher and Lady Gaga have a duet together on the upcoming legend’s album. The song has since been pulled due to producer RedOne “not returning Cher’s calls” (!!!!!!!!!!). The official story behind this is that although Gaga herself is not happy with her vocals in the track, the only person contractually allowed to alter the recording is the producer: RedOne. And whilst he may not be returning her calls, just last week the song sprung a leak online and threw Gay

MixTapeThe inside splinTers

Men the world over into a collective Homosexual Aneurysm.

We imagine that RedOne isn’t too thrilled with this development, but the good news is Cher seems to be alluding to the possibility of the producer finally getting in touch with her, for she’s announced that the leaked version is not the final, finished master. Cher’s new album, Closer to the Truth, is expected to hit shelves by year’s end – with or without ‘The Greatest’.

DAnnii’S HiTSOn August the 23rd, the fairest Minogue of them all, Dannii, will be releasing This Is It: The Very Best Of, her ninth compilation release and overall sixth Greatest Hits release. Dannii’s technically had four studio albums, but for a Queen like Minogue it’s hard not to showcase those immaculate hits. This Is It will feature 21 tracks on the physical release, with an additional three (‘Touch Me Like That’, ‘This Is The Way’ and ‘Get Into You’) appearing in the digital bundle. Also included on the CD is Dannii’s stunning duet with “The Other Minogue” covering ABBA’s ‘The Winner Takes It All’, and a thumpingly good new track ‘Cos You’re Beautiful’, which was recorded years ago but never released, so Queen Dannii has decided to allow it into the music collections of all Australian homes by tacking it onto the end of this Greatest Hits collection. $ucce$$!!

More importantly, the CD features her cover of

‘Coconut’, which anybody who has heard it will agree is clearly the definitive version. Other hits include ‘Love & Kisses’, ‘All I Wanna Do’, ‘Disremembrance’ (which could very well still be her greatest single) and the flawless Madonna mash-up, ‘Don’t Wanna Lose This Groove’ – the only time Madonna has allowed her vocal AND original song to be used in a song. Impressive!

KATy pERRy’S pRiSM TRucKTo promote the upcoming release of Katy Perry’s potentially brilliant new album PRISM, Perry sent a giant GOLD 18-wheeler truck boasting her name, the album title and its release date onto the roads of America. Being spotted all over the country, the truck began earning its current icon status very quickly – and the internet has certainly helped things, with people tweeting photographs of the truck only for Katy to then retweet it to her millions of Twitter followers. Naturally, the truck’s reign came to a brief halt when a drunk driver smashed into it parked in a Walmart car park. Not long after, the hashtag #PrayForPRISMTruck began to trend highly on the popular social networking site – surely this is the best thing to have happened to the album campaign?! PRISM is out on August the 22nd, and you can get her FANTASTIC new single ‘Roar’ now from iTunes.

GAGA lOvES ApplAuSELady Gaga has released her long-awaited single ‘Applause’ onto iTunes, and officially kicked off the ARTPOP album campaign. The song is very good (7.5/10 is our final grade) and a drugged-up return to her debut single ‘Just Dance’, particularly its opening bars which are virtually identical; but it’s not quite the comeback single some were expecting. The track was supposed to be released on the 19th of August, but due to an annoying series of short, low quality snippet leaks over a 48-hour period, Gaga announced she would be releasing the single early. This was a somewhat interesting marketing campaign seeing as that put Gaga right in the direct line of fire with Katy Perry’s first week sales. ARTPOP is scheduled for release on November the 11th...

vOTE FOR yOuR TOp 20 FAvOuRiTE 90S DAncE clASSicSOn Saturday, September the 21st we will be counting down the Top 100 1990s Dance Classics AS VOTeD BY YOU. We want your TOP 20 – in order from #1 (your most favourite), to #20 (a favourite, but your least of the lot). We will then tally all of your votes and count down the most voted for tracks from Number One Hundred all the way to Number One. You can vote by emailing us at insidesplinters@gmail.com, or by visiting the Facebook page http://t.co/OynmgKe85e, where you can check out a list of over 300 songs people have already voted for. Also, one lucky voter will win a stack of 1990s dance CDs from our private collection. Get voting now, as we close the lines in the first week of September!

By Adem with an E

FORTEMAG.COM.AU 39

In its 16th year, the iconic rainforest World Music Festival shone brighter than ever under the sleepy shade of Mt Santubong. In recent years weekend crowds have totalled over 20,000, but there were added attractions this time around. It’s hard to imagine a demographic not considered among the events on offer this year. Preceding ‘Rainforest’, the inaugural Borneo World Music Expo was held in the Sarawak capital at The Pullman Hotel in Kuching. The first event of its kind in SE Asia, the expo attracted some of the biggest players in music festivals from across the globe. Programmers, promoters, artists and media got some serious networking sorted via panel discussions, workshops (including the ‘speed dating’ 15-minute sessions) and around showcase concerts. Representing the host state were a bamboo band, a gong orchestra (if you thought ‘a gong is a gong’, think again!) and trio Lan E Tuyang playing the indigenous lute, the sape (sah-pay). Acts from other parts of Malaysia joined a diverse line-up including groups from India, South Korea, China and Indonesia. Banda Aceh superstar Rafly was captivating fronting his Islam-inspired, jazz fusion group Rafly Wa SAJA. The charismatic singer combines inspirational lyrics with funky tunes. The stage came alive with impassioned holy beseeching, playfulness, passion, rapid-fire scat, guitars, percussive beats and a curly snake-shaped flute. After Expo came the festival, renowned to inspire more than mere rhythm and melody. The jungle setting (Sarawak Cultural Village) evokes a mystical timelessness. Indoor venues host afternoon workshops; authentic ‘treetop’ longhouse and ‘lagenda’ in the style traditionally occupied by various tribes. The air-conditioned theatre provides cool respite if you get in there early. Loose and spontaneous themed jams see members from among the dozen groups improvise in song or on things you ‘blow, strum, hit or pluck’. Punters stomp and swirl in a sweaty multicultural frenzy at dance workshops. This year, Queenslanders Nunukul Yuggera met the South African act (Dizu Plaatjies & The Ibuyambo Ensemble) in the ‘Art Of War’ dance-off. Imagine war cries, shakin’ booties, shaking spears and melting body paint! “Civilians” were invited to have a go, failing dismally and hilariously. Between arvo shows (3 x 3 different ones each day) you can wander lazily around the seven-hectare site. Food stalls, a craft

village, ‘come and try’ demos and shady boardwalks nestle around the central lake. Evening concerts alternate between the Jungle Stage and Tree Stage. Highlights in 2013 came from diverse traditions and corners of the globe. Jaws dropped when South Korea’s Palsandae (also at Expo) delivered their massive wow factor. Slowly building from shamanic prayer songs and dramatic pansori (traditional storytelling songs), they erupted with breathtaking volume and energy launched by ‘pangut’, Master Kim Woon Tae’s Chaesang Sogo Dance. A blur of smiling, acrobatic women in spectacular costumes banged drums and gongs, with long ribbons trailing from their crowns (chaesang) knotted into Spirograph whirls. Most in the crowd had seen nothing like it before. More familiar, yet no less euphoric, was Colombia’s Beto Jamaica Rey Vallenato. Their infectious rhythms from the Caribbean Coast featured accordion, congas, timbale, bass, guacharaca and vocals – ideal festival material. The son of a Xhosa traditional healer, Dizu Plaatjies, brought decades of experience to Rainforest. From busking in the streets of Cape Town to performing with his group Amompondo at Nelson Mandela’s birthday bash at Wembley Stadium, Plaatjies has toured the globe. His current line-up delivered a brilliant range of exhilarating sounds from across sub-Saharan Africa. Plaatjies (a lecturer in ethnomusicology) approached the stage in full tribal regalia, softly playing a bowed flute. Then the line-up of painted women and “warriors” got everyone jumping with song, dance, tongue clicks and percussion. Plaatjies later described their Rainforest experience – from crowd response to artistic collaborations – as “So beaut-i-ful!” He summed up the overall vibe in addressing new found friends as “My sister / My brother”. In the audience a fan held up a sign reading “We love you Mandela”. Dizu and his fellow band members had been deeply concerned about the leader’s illness

RAinFOREST WORlD MuSic FESTivAl & bORnEO WORlD MuSic ExpO 2013wRitteN By ChRis lamBie

which dominated daily news bulletins during their time in Sarawak. The two go back many years together; Mandela, an accordion player himself, is a proud fan of Dizu. A rock‘n’roll reception greeted Louisiana Cajuns, the Pine Leaf Boys. Frontman Wilson Savoy manned keyboards at WOMADelaide in March with the Savoy Family Cajun Band. At Rainforest, Wilson played accordion (made by dad Marc), mixing Cajun with rocking bluegrass and zydeco. Bands from Denmark, Croatia, Ukraine, Ireland and France also rumbled the jungle and got the crowd yelping for more. Iran’s mohsen Sharifian & The Lian Band provided a visual and musical dance party; musicians managed choreography around unwieldy instruments like the leader’s goat skin bagpipes. At home they play to male-only audiences, but were greatly appreciated by the mixed Malaysian crowd. More mellow acts like Alp Bora (Austria/Turkey) and the Shanying Chinese Chamber Orchestra allowed everyone the chance to catch a breath or two and appreciate the tranquil surroundings. I’ve been waiting years to see an Indigenous Aussie group at the festival, so I made sure to catch every performance by Nunukul Yuggera. Their captivating dances, storytelling and on-stage fire-making (no

Zippo, no matches) was an introduction to most of the crowd who knew little of our First Peoples. I’ve never felt so patriotic. They also explained and delivered Welcome to Country and reinforced a theme shared by many acts over the weekend: man doesn’t own the land but is a custodian bound to care for it. Representatives of local tribal groups (Bidayuh, Kayan, Iban, Orang Ulu, malay) were featured between sets; traditional chants and blessings punctuated proceedings, reminding us of the unique location. Sarawak group Madeeh showcased local handmade instruments made of bamboo, wood and rattan. Over the same weekend, the nearby Freedom Beach Fiesta 2013 featured skimboarding and breakdancing clinics and DJs and rock bands playing at Damai Central amphitheatre. The bayside hub of shops, stalls and food court also hosted the second Traditional Tattoo Expo. Borneo is one of the few places in the world where traditional tattooing methods are still practiced today. The Expo offered work done in both modern and old-school ways. The artists themselves (oft well-exposed in loincloths) were walking works of art, sporting some pretty impressive piercings too. In 2013 the locals specialise in hospitality over headhunting, with guests lining up to visit.

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MY PRIORITIES:• Creating one million new jobs over five years • Building infrastructure for the future

VISIT: www.sarahhenderson.com.auAuth

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40 FORTEMAG.COM.AU

THE pRiME OF MiSS JEAn bRODiEBy Gerald SibleyrasGeelong Repertory Theatre Company

A liberated young school teacher at an Edinburgh girls’ school in the period between the two wars, instructs her girls on the ways of life.

Ignoring the more mundane subjects, she teaches them of love, politics and art. Her affairs with two male teachers become known and she finds herself fighting to keep her job.

She believes that she can always count on the 100% support of her favourite pupils, but one of them does not feel that Miss Jean Brodie is in her “prime” any more.

No longer swayed by her teacher’s eloquence, she begins to learn about life and love herself.WHERE: Woodbin Theatre. 15 Coronation Street, Geelong West.WHEN: Sept 6-21. PHONE: 5225 1200INFO: www.gpac.org.au

WORDS in WinTERWords in Winter is an annual

literary and arts festival held in August each year in the Hepburn Shire and surrounding districts. Now in its 12th year, it is a celebration of words, stories

and ideas in all their forms shared by locals and visiting presenters through readings, poetry, theatre, music, talks, workshops, visiting authors, and exhibitions creating a glowing hub of entertainment for all ages.

WHERE: Daylesford • Trentham • Clunes • Newstead • Maryborough • Castlemaine • Creswick.WHEN: Aug 2-31. INFO: www.wordsinwinter.com

THE Full MOnTyGSODA presents their latest

musical comedy, Geelong’s most talked about show, The Full Monty.

Not to be missed, it’s a musical about a group of men made redundant from a steel mill in Buffalo, New York and the effect this has on their lives and their families.

Originally a film set in England, the stage adaptation took three years to come to

fruition and has played to audiences around the world. It is a story about survival, friendships and a person’s true self-worth.

The success of The Full Monty is in the truthfulness of the storytelling. Although a comedy, the gritty reality of those six unemployed men is the key element in making the story so moving. There are no jokes for jokes’ sake, the humour grows out of real life situations. It is a wonderful ensemble piece of

theatre with songs that continue the story telling and are both poignant and quirky.

And do they go the Full Monty? Well, you’ll have to go along and see…WHERE: Shenton Performing Arts Centre. Cnr Garden & Ryrie Streets, Geelong.WHEN: August 16, 17, 18, 22, 23, 24, 25, 29, 30, 31.TIX: www.trybooking.com or PHONE: (0)3 90123460

THE HAunTinG OF DAniEl GARTREll By Reg Cribb

Straight Jacket Productions in association with El

Under an ochre sky something happened at Mt Ragged. The incident inspired celebrated bush poet Daniel Gartrell’s most analysed poem. It is missing its final verse, and the events that occurred at Mt Ragged, not to mention the poet himself, are a mystery.

Now an enigma, Gartrell (Max Gillies) lives as a recluse, his only contact is with his daughter. That is until an actor, Craig Castevich (Samuel Johnson), cast to play him in a biopic, visits to gain some insight into his life and poetry.

Gartrell leads him on a merry chase, evading inquiries and playing unhinged mind games. Is Gartrell an ornery hermit or a madman gripped by delusions and ghosts that have chased him since his youth in the outback?

A suburban hermit’s life unravels when confronted by his own dark secrets in this suspenseful drama by award-winning playwright Reg Cribb (Last Cab to Darwin, Krakouer).WHERE: GPAC. 50 Little Malop St, Geelong.WHEN: Sept 5-7. PHONE: 5225 1200INFO: www.gpac.org.au

GEElOnG clASSic DAncESpORT FESTivAl

For all those lovers of tulle, sequins, fake tan and immaculately coiffed males and females, this is the only registered Dancesport competition to be held in Geelong. The event will comprise a full day of competition dancing with colourfully costumed dancers aged between 6-70.

This year, in a coup for the event, a floorshow will be performed by Latin Champions Craig Monley and Sriani Argaet.

Cha-cha-cha!WHERE: Club Italia. Bellarine Highway, Moolap.WHEN: Sept 7. 11am-10.30pm.PHONE: Zalie merrett. 9846 4850 or 0403 418 922INFO: www.geelongClassic.com.auEMAIL: geelongclassic@rocketmail.com

uMbilicAl bROTHERSA KiDS SHOW!! (nOT SuiTAblE FOR cHilDREn)

The Umbilical Brothers are back with a brand new show, and it’s a KID’s SHOW!! It contains violence, sexual references, drug taking and frequent coarse language. It is absolutely NOT SUITABLe FOR CHILDReN.

Under 13s won’t be admitted, but if you’re an adult, bring your inner child along. It’s too late for that to be any more effed up than it already is.

With the best will in the world, Dane (David) and Shavid (Shane) come onstage to perform a fun show for the kids, with singing, dancing, audience participation and storytelling. Unfortunately the audience is made up of nothing but adults - and if there’s one thing adults don’t want to see, it’s a kids show.

WHERE: Capital Theatre. 50 View Street, Bendigo, 3550.WHEN: Aug 31. 8pm.PHONE: 5434 6100INFO: www.thecapital.com.auEMAIL: thecapital@bendigo.vic.gov.au

viDA pEARSOn SEAviEW GAllERy

A demonstration by artist Vida Pearson is well worth a visit to this Queenscliff gallery. Vida, a renowned print maker, will be at the gallery demonstrating how she creates her beautiful hand painted lino prints. Vida’s prints are often inspired by her travels, with flora and bird life her main focus. A visit to Seaview Gallery with

paintings, ceramics, jewellery, prints and more is a must for art collectors, first time buyers or visitors to historic Queenscliff.WHERE: Seaview Gallery.86 Hesse Street, Queenscliff, 3225WHEN: Sat Aug 24. 1.30-3.30pm. Gallery is also open 10.30-5pm.PHONE: 5258 3645.INFO: www.seaviewgallery.com.auEMAIL: seaviewgallery2@eftel.net.au

FESTivAl OF pERFORMinG ARTSLorne

The loveliest length of the Great Ocean Road will come alive for the 3rd Annual Lorne Festival of Performing Arts, hosted by Love Lorne and celebrating culture by the sea. Audiences can bathe in an ocean of stories, tunes and visual treats including thrilling chanteuses, bawdy burlesque, cracker comedy as well as poetry, dance, music, workshops and something for children too. This year’s program will bring Lorne to life from Friday 6 - Sunday 8 September in venues all around town.

The Lorne Festival of Performing Arts offers a chance for locals and audiences making a special trip to town to experience some impressive talents performing against the backdrop of a relaxed seaside lifestyle in a unique and engaging environment.

2013 Headline acts include: Christa Hughes -Neurotic Ladyland & Beer Drinking Woman, Maude Davey - My Life in the Nude, Mikelangelo & St Claire - Johnny Cash Tribute, Asher Treleaven - Bad Dandy, Gypsy Wood, The Nymphs, Dislocate, Oysters and Oratory with Christos, Polytoxic, Wes Snelling’s KIOSK & Tina Del Twist, The Rechords, Icarus - Roo’d, Lorne Goes Wild feat. Gabi Barton, Anna Lumb & Randy’s Big 6, local and international DJs and much, much more.WHERE: Various venues, Great Ocean Road, VIC, 3232.WHEN: Sept 6-8.INFO: lovelornefestival.com.auEMAIL: info@lovelorne.com

TAKE 2 MARKETS Geelong West

Since 2007 Melbourne fashionistas have been shopping at Take 2 Markets for fabulous recycled, vintage, overseas and Australian designer fashions, plus footwear, jewellery and so much more.

With so many great bargains under the one roof, why would you shop anywhere else?

Take 2 Markets is a not to be missed event. There are great prizes up for grabs. So grab your girlfriends and indulge in some retail therapy without spending a fortune. The planet and your

wallet will thank you.Entry is only $3 and there is plenty of

free parking.You can also find Take 2 markets at

Northcote Town Hall, Malvern Town Hall and Bendigo Town Hall.

The market is partnered with a local charity at each event, so stallholders are able to donate any unsold clothing. So the lifecycle of clothing continues and we can help those in need.WHERE: Geelong West Town Hall, 153 Pakington Street, Geelong West, 3218.WHEN: Sun Aug 25. 10-3pm.PHONE: 0413 246 559INFO: www.take2markets.com.au

MElbOuRnE WRiTERS FESTivAl in bAllARAT

Victoria’s new Museum of Australian Democracy at Eureka (M.A.D.E) welcomes some of the biggest names in the literary scene to the Ballarat community, as the museum is re-imagined as a literary hub.

Join MWF and M.A.D.E for a weekend of discussion, debate, and thought-provoking ideas. Hear from local luminaries and international stars including Junot Díaz, M.J. Hyland, Tony Birch and Jane Caro as they discuss the sometimes contentious, always entertaining topics of politics, power and democracy.WHERE: M.A.D.E. 102 Stawell St South, Ballarat, VIC 3350.WHEN: Aug 24-25.PHONE: 1800 287 113INFO: www.made.orgEMAIL: info@made.org

FORTEMAG.COM.AU 41

arts news from around town – and beyond!

buRKE AnD WillS: THE ExpEDiTiOn By tex milleR

You may recall in a recent issue of Forte that the Geelong Fringe Festival is happening at Courthouse ARTS during the first week of September. In its first year, and with a full program of events that transcend many genres and mediums, it is set to be a fantastic week that highlights art and culture from around the region; so be sure to check it out. One of the most exciting events is Burke and Wills: The Expedition, which tells the tragic story of the two explorers’ journey to the Gulf of Carpentaria.

Featuring an all-star band led by a legend of the Melbourne and Australian music scene, Ashley Davies, ahead of the release of the CD and the performance in a few weeks time, I caught up Ash to have a chat about this exciting new show.The Courthouse ARTS show is the world premiere of this new production for Ash, and he can’t wait to head down and get on stage, as he relates. “It’s always nerve-racking the first time you put on a show, but the rehearsals are going great and it’s going to be a great night of entertainment I think. Alongside Ballarat, it’s a regional CD launch, and there are some different players than on the recording so it is well worth checking out,” Ashley said about the upcoming performance. In 2000, Ash released a similar narrated soundtrack to the story of infamous bushranger Ned Kelly. The acclaim that came as a result of the CD saw the release voted as Album of the Year in a Rhythms Magazine reader’s poll. For the Burke and Wills CD recording, Ash was been able to get local country legend and all around good bloke Henry Wagons in to narrate the story. With recorded excerpts of Henry throughout the live show, be sure not to miss this when it comes to town! The writing process behind this production must have been a grueling process, and took Ash a few years to piece together. One of the main aspects to the live show is giving each and every audience member the opportunity to feel like they are a part of the exhibition, which took place between 1850 and 1851. “From the first track, you are able to put yourself into the expedition, so to speak. It’s like if I was there the first morning when they were packing the stores and the supplies onto the carts and getting ready to leave; I was thinking about all the different emotions that would be running through your head. There would be a certain feeling of excitement and anticipation, yet also you would be feeling anxious because you really don’t know how it is all going to go and what is going to happen. Taking those emotions and working melodically and rhythmically on different instruments was a great process, and quite similar to when I was working on Ned Kelly,” Ash said. Having worked with the likes of Lisa Miller, Mia Dyson, Jeff Lang and Jordie Lane to name just a few, Ash has become a household name in the music industry in the past twenty years. With plans to take this show nationally and possibly overseas, you better check this out whilst it’s on your doorstep.

When&Where: COURTHOUSe ARTS – SePTemBeR 4

42 FORTEMAG.COM.AU

Located in Rutland Street, just next to Pan Studios in an old style warehouse lot, is Boom Gallery. Right on the Barwon River, from the very first moment you walk into the building you are greeted with open arms and a friendly atmosphere. Recently I got the opportunity to sit down with Kate Jacoby to find out about the gallery’s history and birthday celebrations, which are taking place tomorrow.

Starting out as an idea with Ren Inei, Boom Gallery is a contemporary and commercial art gallery that focuses on exhibiting local artists from around the region. As Kate relates, it took a while for the idea to fully take shape, yet the character of the building gave another perspective on creating a fresh and innovative gallery space.

“Ren and I looked for a sight to establish the business, and after looking around we finally settled on where we are now. When we saw some of the internal spaces, we were quite astounded at what we had stumbled upon. That really got the ball rolling and got us excited, and that really helped us to commit and make that happen. We are both trained in fine art and have backgrounds in teaching, and both saw the need for another commercial art gallery within the area.”

Running for two years now, the reception from the community to the content and gallery space has been extremely positive. Although it may not seem like an art gallery from the outside, from taking just one step inside, the original and groovy approach that Kate and Ren have taken to the gallery is a refreshing take on art galleries around Geelong.

“The response and acclaim that we have received has been fantastic. With everyone that has come into the space since we started out in 2011, we really believe that this is a different experience to

others around Geelong, and people seem to get that and engage a lot more. We are really trying to build coherence with the pieces that we display, and that comes through the monthly exhibitions of local artists that we curate ourselves. Having this space has allowed for us to put on lecture series, and now with the kitchen space being extended we are now able to offer lunch and breakfast. That sort of expansion and what people can experience when they come here, I think all adds to why people respond in the way they do to the space,” Kate said.

On the day that I visited the gallery the artist in residence was Glenn Smith, whose aerosol and stencilling work explores the streetscapes of the Chilwell/Geelong West area. The next show is entitled Big Boom, which celebrates the opening of the new gallery. “Big Boom is a group show that

showcases all of the artists that have exhibited in our space over the past two years. It also officially launches the new gallery space next door which will allow us to have a lot more artists exhibiting, which is an exciting aspect. It opens on Friday the twenty-third [August].”

Social media has played an important role in spreading the word about the gallery, and also has allowed for local artists to get in contact about future exhibitions. If you haven’t had the opportunity to go down and experience Boom Gallery for yourself, there is no better opportunity than Big Boom; who knows, with birthday celebrations there’s usually cake, and who would want to miss out on that?

Where: 11 RUTLAND STReeT, NeWTOWN.

bOOMGAllERy

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FilM REviEWS by ANTHONy mOrriS

Now You see Me: It’s magicians robbing banks – on stage – in this fast-paced film that’s keen to give off the illusion of being smart but never manages to back it up. Having a much better twist at the end wouldn’t have hurt either.

The world’s eNd: The team behind Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz reunite to tell the story of a pub crawl that just might lead to the end of the world. It’s funny, but not as funny as it could have been – it’s closer to Hot Fuzz than Shaun, but that’s hardly two thumbs down.

The wolveriNe: Hugh Jackman is back but he forgot his shirt in his latest – and probably best – outing as the claw-spouting unstoppable mutant, this time transplanted to Japan to fight ninjas, the yakuza and his own heart when he falls for the granddaughter of an old friend.BehiNd The CANdelABrA: This biopic looking at the relationship between Liberace (Michael Douglas) and his young lover (Matt Damon) in the 70s and 80s avoids dealing in clichés and turns out to be a sharp and savvy look at a relationship that’s surprisingly universal. Well, maybe not the plastic surgery parts.

Before MidNiGhT: The third instalment in director Richard Linklater’s look at a young couple (Ethan Hawke and Juliet Delpy) in love, this focuses on what happens after happily ever after. So you know you’re in for a bumpy ride.

This is The eNd: When the Rapture strikes, a bunch of self-centred Hollywood comedians are left behind to fend for themselves. Hilarity ensues in one of the best comedies of the year.

The CoNjuriNG: Pretty much a greatest hits of scary movie moments from the last decade, this is more of a well-made film than a truly scary one. Unless this is the first-ever horror film you’ve ever seen, in which case you’re never going to sleep again.

The heAT: A moderately funny and fairly basic buddy cop movie, except for one thing: the cops are both women. Which shouldn’t seem edgy or outlandish, until you look at just how few movies there are starring women out at the moment.

we’re The MillersOnce upon a time, everyone knew that being heart-warming was the enemy of comedy. That’s how we got all those great US sitcoms in the early 90s like Seinfeld and The Simpsons: after a decade where the point of comedy seemed to be making sure everyone got along, they knew the real way to make people laugh was to, well, try and make people laugh. So what happened here? Alarm bells start ringing right from the opening where we learn that while endearingly scruffy David Clark (Jason Sudeikis) is a low-level pot dealer with a bunch of steady middle class clients, he’s also proud of avoiding having a wife and kids. The only possible place to go from here is in a straight line to a place where he not only has a wife and kids, but he loves and appreciates them. Hilarious. But first, the story: David has his stash ripped off by knife-wielding teens fresh out of a Death Wish movie, but his cheery corporate drug boss (Ed Helms) offers him a deal: if he goes to Mexico and brings back an RV carrying a “smidge and a half” of marijuana, he’ll forgive the debt. Having no choice, David accepts, and figures out that a fake family is the ideal cover. enter stripper and neighbour Rose (Jennifer Aniston), dork teen and neighbour Kenny (Will Poulter) and street kid Casey (Emma Roberts), who is so fresh-faced here if you were making a perky 80s sitcom about a street kid who gets adopted by a “normal” family, she’d be too cute for it. The road trip that follows feels like it’s all built up for a big laugh that never arrives. (Well, a spider does bite a guy on the balls, then they show his grotesquely swollen ball sack, so maybe that was the big joke.) This isn’t a complete waste of time. Some of the cast are moderately funny, and there’s chemistry between Sudeikis and Anniston. Even some of the early scenes (that were all in the trailer) get a laugh. But this never goes far enough to make its ideas funny. Having decided to make a movie about a drug dealer putting together a fake family to smuggle a ton of weed, this then does almost everything it can to remove every single rough edge from the concept – and the comedy goes with it.

frANCes hAFrances (Greta Gerwig, who co-wrote the film script with director Noah Baumbach) lives in New York with her best friend Sophie (Mickey Sumner). Frances is a dancer; only her career seems stalled, her most recent relationship fizzled with an awkward almost break-up involving a hairless cat, and Sophie seems to have her act together just that little bit more. But who cares? She has Sophie and Sophie has her. Then Sophie gets the chance to move into the perfect apartment, leaving Frances behind in a place she can’t afford. Soon she’s crashing at the apartment of a couple of guys (including Girls’ Adam Driver), which suits her fine; especially now she and Sophie are starting to drift apart. Then things take another turn for the worse at work, and now Frances can’t really afford her rent with the guys. But it’ll all work out. Shot in black and white, this slight-seeming story turns out to be a well-crafted device for peeling away the layers of Frances’ character. A Christmas with parents in California (played by Gerwig’s actual parents) shows us where her grounded confidence comes from; right when you might think she’d start to crack under the strain, a quick, pointless jaunt to Paris underlines both her misfortune and her growing desperation to break out of the cycle she’s in. Frances is neurotic in a way that’s funny rather than a chore, and Gerwig is one of the sharpest comedy performers around. Baumbach’s previous films have been insightful without ever being all that likable. Gerwig brings a charm and energy to this shared project that makes it, if not his deepest film, then easily his most fun. Frances Ha is a joy to watch.

upsTreAM ColorSome kids collect blue leaves and give them to a man. He feeds the leaves to worms. He then extracts a fluid from the worms and uses it to drug a woman (Amy Seimetz). Now under his hypnotic control, she’s given repetitive tasks to fill her time while he gets her to sign bank forms and uses them to steal everything she owns. When he’s finished with her he leaves her to wake up and find worms crawling under her skin. Months later she starts a brittle relationship with a man (Shane Carruth) who seems to have undergone a similar experience, though he’s processed it in a different way. Psychic connections are involved. It’s also a love story between pigs. Writer/director/producer/star Carruth’s long-awaited follow-up to his mind-bending no-budget 2004 time travel film Primer is even more obtuse and dense than his first film. It’s a hard one to wrap your head around; probably the best approach is to just take in the events as they happen and let them fit together on an emotional level rather than try to figure out how everything “works”. Fortunately, an excellent, heartfelt performance from Seimetz and some gorgeous cinematography go some way towards keeping viewers watching long enough to at least get a grasp on all the puzzle pieces. Intimate, intense, heavily metaphorical yet utterly matter-of-fact, this isn’t for everyone; those in tune with it will find it thoroughly compelling.

pAiN & GAiNIt’s 1995 and Daniel Lugo (Mark Wahlberg) is a Miami-based bodybuilder and personal trainer out to achieve his vision of the American dream. As he says, “America used to be a collection of scrawny colonies – now it’s the most buff, pumped-up country on the planet. That’s pretty rad.” While his first go at achieving his dream was some kind of investment scam, working for John Mese (Rob Corddry) at his Sun gym seems like his dream job. But Lugo’s dreams have hulked out on a steady diet of self-help guru Johnny Wu (Ken Jeong), whose slogans include “Get Up Off Your Lazy American Ass” and “All Your Friends Are Losers” – and he’s out for something more. eager to take Wu’s advice and become a “do-er” not a “don’t-er”, he creates a three finger plan: find someone rich, take his money, use it to improve America. The rich guy is millionaire sandwich magnate Victor Kershaw (Tony Shalhoub), whose gym membership largely involves lording over Lugo. But grabbing his cash requires help, so Lugo enlists co-worker Adrian (Anthony Mackie), who needs money fast as he needs a lot of expensive injections to get his steroid-shrunk gonads back in working order. With surprisingly gentle ex-addict and ex-con Paul (Dwayne Johnson) as the muscle – a lot of muscle – they’re all set. The trio’s attempts to kidnap Kershaw – at one stage they’re dressing up as ninjas and aliens – eventually pay off, and though Kershaw is a tough nut, Lugo skills as a physical trainer work just as well when it comes to torture. Soon everyone’s happy: Lugo has Kershaw’s house and all his assets, Paul is back on drugs, Adrian is getting married to his penis nurse (Rebel Wilson, playing Rebel Wilson) and due to an amazingly bungled murder attempt – when killing a guy in a faked car accident, putting on his seatbelt is not the way to go – Kershaw isn’t dead. Like all michael Bay films this goes on too long, but for once that works to the story’s advantage – the guys don’t know to quit when they’re ahead. Just about everyone here is stupid or greedy (Ed Harris’ private eye being the sole exception), which in this kind of story is pretty much the point. Pain & Gain is a delirious cartoon about funny lunkheads: it’s probably the best film Bay’s ever made.

elYsiuMThe year is 2154, and Earth is one giant slum where even the skyscrapers are shanty towns and someone who looks like matt Damon can only find work in a robot-building factory. Fortunately for the wealthy folk, there is an alternative: Elysium, a huge space habitat that’s basically one giant gated community where you can hang out having endless pool parties and occasionally slipping into your medpods to have all your illnesses cured instantly. Damon is Max, an orphan who grew up dreaming of Elysium but ended up an illiterate car thief before deciding to go straight with the aforementioned robot factory job. These early scenes create a convincing picture of a world where poverty is escape-proof (Max is actually building the machines used to oppress him). But even at this early stage it’s becoming clear that this film’s real interests lie elsewhere. When a bunch of would-be refugees take a trio of shuttles and try to sneak onto elysium, it’s a reflection of today’s modern-day asylum seekers. But when Elysium’s French-speaking defence minister Delacourt (Jodie Foster) decides to stage a coup because she’s not allowed to blow up all the refugee boats, we have a film that is really just about blowing things up. In the meantime, Max has suffered an industrial accident that’s left him so irradiated he’s got less than a week to live – unless, of course, he can reach a medpod on Elysium. Time for a crime spree, but in his weakened state the only way he can blow stuff up is with a robotic exoskeleton grafted onto his body. It’s probably not a good sign regarding your long-term survival when they screw a robotic skeleton into you through your clothes. What follows is a whole lot of stuff blowing up, often at the hands of Delacourt’s evil trigger man Kruger (Sharlto Copley), and while the action and visuals from writer/director Neill Blomkamp (District 9) are all very impressive, the way the brains fall out of this film is pretty disappointing. There’s nothing wrong with big dumb action, but when you look like you have something to say the last thing people want to hear you say is “boom” over and over and over again.

FORTEMAG.COM.AU 49

The vACCiNesMeLodY CALLINGColumbia

This week I reviewed two LPs and an EP by bands that I have loved. And they’ve all been disappointing. This last one is English indie rockers The Vaccines’ EP Melody Calling. Gone is the raw sound of their debut album What Did You Expect from The Vaccines?, and the high-energy, fast-paced indie rock of the follow-up Come of Age is out the window. Instead, we’re left with … something else entirely. It seems The Vaccines are a young band still trying to find their sound. Unfortunately, they should have stuck with one of their first two attempts.The title track is much more laid-back than we’re used to. I’m not quite sure what to call it. It sounds a bit more indie-pop than indie-rock for one. It’s hard to put in a category, which is good for them in a way; at least they’re not producing the same old stuff as everyone else. Unfortunately, music that can’t be categorised often suffers from not being able to be sold or promoted. Second track, ‘Do You Want a Man?’, which is also remixed as the closing track, could have fit into Come of Age as a slightly out-of-place album track, but doesn’t have the staying power one expects from an EP track, especially one that is repeated later on the record. Finally, third track, ‘Everybody’s Gonna Let You Down’, sounds like a slowed-down Dandy Warhols song, without a hook. Don’t bother buying this one.By Cameron Brogden

KATe CeBerANo KeNSAL roAd Sony Music

There is no hiding the fact that I have never really had much time for Kate Ceberano, and that I have always regarded her in the same league as Tina Arena. That is not to say that, this is going to be an extremely degrading review, because with Kensal Road, Ceberano’s seventeen-studio release, I am finally sitting up to take notice. Straight off the bat, you are greeted with sweet vocal harmonies and some country-esque pop guitar lines that features ukulele, mandolin and guitar to name just a few of the instruments that James Bryan has played. ‘Garden State’ seems to me to be a song that Scottish singer KT Tunstall most well known for her song ‘Suddenly I See’, could sing with little difficulty. The album was recorded in Kensal Road in London, hence the title with a full live band arrangement that as an after effect gives it a real raw and raunchy sound. The themes behind the release are primarily about arrivals and departures, which I learned from watching a making of clip on Youtube. The main single ‘Magnet’ has been receiving considerable airplay from ABC 774 radio and is a song full of summer time melodies. I’m now a fan and can’t wait to see how these tunes play out in the Live format. If you’ve previously been sceptical of Kate Ceberano, give this a listen, it will change your tune. By Tex Miller

BAsKo BelievesMeLANCHoLIC MeLodIeS An Ocean Awaits Records

As with the likes of Iron & Wine or Gotye, the quirky moniker represents a singer-songwriter and not a band name. The Swede (aka Johan Örjansson) shares further attributes with the others mentioned: an intelligent and versatile crafting of songs, a natural folk/roots voice and a pleasing range of instruments and influences with international appeal. Örjansson has long been paying his dues on stage and in the studio and already enjoys cult popularity in Scandinavia. This collection of tracks comprises re-recordings and new mixes of some back catalogue highlights. In fact, the selection is so strong I’d have been surprised had he penned them all in one season. Despite the album’s title, the mood is far from dark and dour. There’s a tender lightness in the acoustic opening of ‘Honey Pie’; slight but solid drumming and vocal harmonies lend a country air to ‘If I Were to Love You’. There are songs with echoes of Dylan, Petty and Steve Forbert. A strong backing band fill out the sound with sleepy lap steel, mountain-made banjo rolls and a measured rhythm section base; Hans Schakonat ably handles aforementioned strings, dobro and more. Basko Believes is as suited to intimate gigs as festivals, and plenty of these songs beckon a singalong chorus from fans. ‘August Makes Me Cry’ and the rockier ‘We Had a Secret Place’ are obvious choices for single release. The whole album is radio-friendly for both independent and commercial programming. Given due exposure he’ll be a guaranteed winner among Australian listeners. No doubt. Melancholic Melodies is an easy to love parcel of musical poetry. By Chris Lambie

pAul KellYPLAYHouSe THeATre, GeeLoNG Wednesday, August 7

Paul Kelly is the greatest singer-songwriter Australia has ever produced. Notice the lack of “one of” or “possibly” in that sentence. I am stating a fact. If you disagree, I’m sorry: you’re just wrong.Without doubt, this is probably the best gig I’ve ever reviewed for this magazine. From opening act Urthboy, right through to the encore that had the entire audience on their feet, Paul Kelly knows how to build a show. The first portion of his set consisted entirely of his new album, Spring and Fall – which I reviewed last year when it came out – with no banter between sets, playing it as he intended it to be heard. The only time he stopped (except for applause) was to tell us when “side b” on the record began. The crowd sat in complete silence as he performed the song cycle, taking in every word. The second section of his set began with a surprise, the rarely played ‘Bradman’. This got us started on the main portion of the show where Paul played most of the hits, from ‘When I First Met Your Ma’ to ‘To Her Door’. You could see people wiping away a tear during every one of the slower, emotional songs, and everyone singing along quietly to the more upbeat songs. And if there had been standing room, people would have been dancing too. I wholeheartedly suggest you see Paul Kelly next time you have the chance. You won’t regret it.By Cameron Brogden

l iVe ReV iew

MuSic REviEWS

ALASTAIr: So, as you would’ve picked up by now, I’m still a bit of a noob when it comes to comics. I haven’t been heavily into them for all that long. As a result, I have a tendency to stick to what I know and love (e.g. DC and Batman), and often shy away from trying out some more obscure titles. This time, however, I’ve stumbled onto a real doozy, courtesy of Cameron. Bedlam is a new Image Comics series written by Nick Spencer (of Morning Glories fame) and drawn by the fabulous Riley Rossmo (Proof, Daken: Dark Wolverine) and Ryan Browne (Smoke and Mirrors, The Manhattan Projects). The premise is pretty darn interesting, and easy to sum up: What happens when you cure a seemingly incurable madman?Madder Red (aka Fillmore Press) is a homicidal maniac in the same vein as the Joker, and delights in causing as much carnage and chaos as possible in the long-suffering city of Bedlam. After continual clashes with local vigilante The First, Madder is thought dead in an explosion. Unbeknownst to the people of Bedlam, Madder has been abducted by the mysterious Doctor (think Doctor Strange meets Professor Pyg – no Time Lords here) and is undergoing “rehabilitation”. Once cured, Fillmore is released back onto the streets; no-one the wiser that the former maniac is even alive. Fillmore then buddies up with Detective Ramira Acevado, helping to solve crimes in penance for his own. Bedlam’s art is amazing, its writing fascinating and direction undeniably awesome. While it might not be getting the attention it deserves right now, it is fast becoming a favourite of mine. Do yourselves a favour and check it out!CAMerOn: Once upon a time Umberto Lenzi (sometimes called Harry Kirkpatrick) directed a film called Welcome to Spring Break (sometimes called Nightmare Beach), and because of reasons it is the best slasher made in the 1980s.Now, one of the reasons I’m such a huge fan of VHS is because I love the hand painted home release covers and feel they are a lost art. And if regular covers are art, Welcome to Spring Break’s cover is the goddamn Sistine Chapel. There is so

much going on it’s ridiculous. First of all there is the costumed killer up top, with a screaming face reflected in his bike helmet, and this is just floating above a party scene including a band, a naked lady, windsurfers and also other beach babes. This film knows what it’s about, and what it is about is gratuity.The kills themselves aren’t overly gory, but there is so much nudity for absolutely no reason. Also that band pictured on the front has a whole song during the film. The film literally stops so we can watch some bottom of the barrel synth-rock group play the most bland song ever, and by that point you’re willing to just go along with it. Speaking of synthesizers, the killer has his own theme music. For some reason they decided to fade it in as he gets closer to camera, and it gives the weird illusion that the killer himself is carrying the music around on some tiny boombox.Speaking of, the first time the killer appeared on screen without costume I thought, ‘That guy is totally the killer’. He hadn’t even spoken, and there hadn’t been any killings on screen yet; it’s just horrendously obvious. It’s not that this film is ‘so bad it’s good’ territory, it just doesn’t care about anything and decides to have fun, and I really can’t fault that.

>>>>>> By CameRoN uRquhaRt & alastaiR mCgiBBoN

PULP.PULP.

It has not been a good century for Australian sitcoms. Not all of them have stunk up the place, but when you consider the last hit sitcom was Kath & Kim and that started a decade ago, we’re clearly dealing with a genre in trouble. And the longer we go without a hit the harder it becomes just to get a sitcom up and running without some kind of crazy hook (which, if you’re the ABC in 2013, means “it’s aimed at young people”), which condemns the show to failure out the gate.

Upper Middle Bogan (ABC1, Thursdays, 8.30pm) is therefore an increasingly rare attempt to create a sitcom aimed at a wide audience – so wide, in fact, that the very concept advertises the fact that it’s meant to be for pretty much everyone: Bess (Annie Maynard) is a well-off doctor with twin 13-year-olds at private school and an architect (Patrick Brammall) for a husband. Then she discovers her snooty mum (Robyn Nevin) is not, in fact, her mother; she was adopted, and her real parents are Wayne (Glenn Robbins) and Julie (Robyn Malcolm), heads of a western suburbs drag racing dynasty.

This is from Wayne Hope and Robyn Butler’s company Gristmill, and if you remember their earlier series The Librarians, you’ve probably got a bit of an idea of what to expect here. But while the sense of humour on display is similar, the approach here is much gentler than the cringe comedy and broad strokes of The Librarians. Yes, there are at least two exceedingly stupid young male characters here, and Bess’s jittery nature is slightly reminiscent of Butler’s character in The Librarians (as is Maynard’s performance),

but there’s a lot less laughing at the characters here, and the second half of episode one basically turned into a lightweight drama before both families finally met up.

Drama in this country has been moving in on comedy’s turf for a while now, and this feels like a continuation of that trend from the comedy side – or just good old-fashioned character-based comedy, where the first few episodes struggle a little until everyone beds in. Either way, last week’s episode was a solid debut; slightly shakier was the more obviously comedic Peter Helliar-scripted It’s a Date (ABC1, Thursdays, 9pm), which each week follows two couples on … you guessed it, a date.

It’s a solid concept, and the cast across the eight weeks is great, but going by last week’s episode Helliar (who co-writes every episode) hasn’t learnt anything from the fizzle of his last stab at rom-com, the feature film I Love You Too. Whether it’s confusing set-ups, strippers, people being urinated on, or the clunky “theme” (last week was: When Should You Give Up On a Date, which turned out to be irrelevant to both stories), the whole thing felt a definite step down in quality after Upper Middle Bogan. At least the classy cast and lack of ongoing storylines means each episode could be better than the last; here’s hoping they didn’t lead with the strongest.

BedLAM

uPPer MIddLe BoGANculture!POP

By aNthoNy moRRis

50 FORTEMAG.COM.AU

grogwatchSo I kicked a rock last week and I’ve been regretting it ever since. Well, not “kicked a rock” exactly, as that makes me sound like someone suffering from either uncontrollable rage issues or the desire to play sport, which come to think of it are usually the same thing anyway. What happened was I was walking out to check the mail, because in the 21st century all the good stuff comes via the mail. (If you’d like to read a column that’s just me complaining about the way overseas postage rates have gone through the roof, please write in and let me know – I’m keen, but there’s been a few hints that it might not be something a wider audience wants to hear about. But it’s crazy! Surely the fact they’re shipping MORE stuff between countries means the cost of postage should be going down, right? And what’s going on with the bloody … but I digress). Oh, and I didn’t have any shoes on because I’d only just woken up and it’s my damn house so if I want to check the mail while I’m still in my PJs I will and the neighbours can go to hell because what are they doing hanging around their garden at lunchtime anyway – they should have jobs to go to.

Anyway, I’m walking out the back heading for the gate to go to the mailbox and for some reason I must be veering to the right because on the right-hand side of the path there’s some plants and stuff with a big chunk of quartz on the corner and I swing my foot right into it. Now, at first it hurts like crazy, but I’m also kind of puzzled because it feels like I scraped my toes, but when I look down there’s no blood – which counts as a win in my book – and after hopping around for a few minutes I manage to stagger off to the mail box – no mail, bloody typical – and then lurch back inside suffering only the usual amount of pain you’d expect from a scraped toe. I mean, it hurt, but it didn’t hurt like crazy or anything – lesson learnt; watch where you’re going and maybe put on shoes when

you go outside. Time to get on with my day, only by the time I did all those things and started getting on with my day my foot was hurting even more. Well, not hurting exactly, more like just not being up to me putting any weight on it, and as walking usually requires you to put weight on your right foot at least half the time, this was a problem. At this stage alarm bells were ringing because the toe I’d banged was the exact same toe I’d … well, let’s let the Tony Montana of a decade or so ago fill you in…

You know what the worst thing is about breaking your toe? The way limping around afterwards gives you really savage jock rash ‘cause with one leg doing all the work the undies’ seam hacks at your inner thigh like a bandsaw, and before long to ease the pain you’re pouring white powder down the front of your pants like you’ve got Keith Richards’ nose in there.

Yep, I broke my toe about a fortnight ago – just walking round the house barefoot when the second smallest toe on my right foot hit a bookcase, and if you don’t find that story pathetic could you follow me around and go, “Wow” every time I tell it, ‘cause people’s usual reaction would be more suited to an announcement that I’ve started wearing chocolate undies for their snug, melted on fit.

Not that I was telling people right away, because instead of going to the doctor I said, ‘Hey, my toe hurts more than a hair implant on my scrotum and it’s supposed to be 42 degrees today; why don’t I visit Melbourne and limp around like a baggy shorts wearing version of the robot skeleton Arnold becomes at the end of The Terminator?’ By the time I finished Toe Breakin’ 2: Crippled Boogaloo in Melbourne it hurt so much I had to do something, though at the time I was thinking more along the lines of enrolling in limp school, ‘cause dragging a foot around makes your arms do this half-arsed ‘Chicken Tonight’ flap and I wasn’t sure I was doing it right. I still thought my toe was just badly bruised, so I kept packing it in ice – well, I put a frozen bag of McCain’s Vegetable Combo on it

– but all that did was attract rats once it thawed, so to the doctor I went.

There Doc Mengle gave me a toe fondling that went on a bit too long for my liking before saying, “It’s probably busted. Go get it X-rayed” – or in layman’s terms, ‘go limp halfway across town so a fat guy can make your foot glow in the dark so you won’t piss on it at night’. Next thing I know I’m staggering down the street in the second day of 42 degree heat, dragging one leg like a drunk pirate while the wind gave me a bad Beatles haircut leading to passers-by shouting, ‘Hey Liam from Oasis – better start kicking your brother with your other foot, buddy’. Then I did it all over again heading back, only this time I had a X-Ray envelope with ‘Nuclear Medicine’ on the outside so people kept trying to piss me off to see if I’d turn into the Incredible Hulk. And of course, doctors do NOTHING – no plaster, no pills – for broken toes, so he kicks me out with a ‘Don’t worry, it’ll get sticky in ten days’. Yeah, and if I stop washing so will my armpits.

Yes, I was writing this column a decade ago, and yes, even back then I had nothing to actually write about. But the big advantage of having lived your life in the pages of Forte is that I could go back and read what I’d written about having a broken toe and quickly realise that whatever I had, a broken toe wasn’t it.

So I limped around the streets for a while in hilarious leg-dragging fashion, though these days my default facial expression is more of a grumpy sneer so no-one pointed and laughed for fear of finding out I’d gained my limp by stomping on puppies or kittens or Australia’s Got Talent contestants. Fortunately my so-called “job” doesn’t involve much more than lying around on a public oval clutching a brown paper bag with a bottle of vodka inside so my foot got plenty of rest that day and I didn’t even realise, ‘hey, I could totally take my shoe and sock off and just look at my toes to see what’s up’ until late that night. Then again, if my foot was all messed up, did I really want to know? I mean, it wasn’t hurting and the weather was kind of cold … maybe I could just leave my socks on, go to bed, and when I woke up the next morning it’d be all better. Or I’d have a sock full of toes that had fallen off in the night. Okay, better take a look.

At this stage of the story it’s important for you to understand that while I was, and am, fully aware of the concept of bruises, they’re something that happens to other people. Seriously, I think

in my whole entire life I might have had maybe three bruises tops. So whatever the hell was going on with my toe totally freaked me the hell out. There was this bright reddish-purple line running all the way down the top left-hand side of the toe I’d once broken, and the whole thing was swollen up to boot. I won’t say I started screaming or anything, but I may have pointed at it repeatedly while mumbling ‘what the hell IS that?’ over and over again. Who ever heard of a bruise that ran in a straight line down the toe? And why had the other toes – which had also been involved in the rock-foot contact – seemingly escaped unscathed? What was going on with my toes, goddammit?

Oh wait, I knew what had happened. See, when I broke my toe all those years ago, I don’t know what was supposed to happen after my doctor’s awesome advice of, ‘eh, nothing I can do for you dude’, but what ACTUALLY happened was when my toe healed the joint fused and now that toe joint (the one closest to the foot) doesn’t bend at all. Which is hardly enough to get me a handicapped sticker for the car, but it is annoying because, you know, that toe doesn’t bend. So what I’m guessing happened – and all the loads of other bruises that came up around the base of the toe in the days that followed kind of back me up here – is that while the other toes were able to bend and absorb the impact and get away relatively unscathed, the unbendable toe was shit out of luck and just pistoned back from the force of the blow, messing up all the meaty parts around it. Hence all the bruising and oww’ing and limping and me still having a sore foot a week after all this stuff happened. And unless any doctors are reading this and going, ‘holy crap, that’s not what happened at all’, I’m sticking with my version of events. I just hope I’m not back reading this column in another decade trying to figure out if I broke my toe from kicking another damn rock.

Tony “Hey, it’s been a quiet week” Montana

The ForTe

Voxpop

What’s the best concert you’ve seen live?QUESTION:

Ashley Davies (Burke and Wills)

Status Quo, Perth, late 70’s

Tex Miller(Forte Writer)

Radiohead, November last year

Beth Stephen(The Little Stevies)

The Swell Season, Palais Theatre, Melbourne, 2009

Dean Mcgrath (Hungry Kids of Hungary)

Radiohead

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UP FOR WHAT

MATTERS

LACHLAN SLADE

BENDIGO GREG LACEY

CORIO JANET RICESENATE - (VIC)

LLOYD DAVIES

CORANGAMITE STEPH HODGINS-MAY

BALLARAT

AUSTRALIAN GREENS greens.org.au

Authorised by Jon Stanger, 10 Sturt St, Ballarat 3350

52 FORTEMAG.COM.AU www.emcgroupgeelong.com.au

WHAT’S ON @ THE EMC GROUP

(03) 5222 2666 // edgegeelong.com.auenquiries@edgegeelong.com.au // 6–8 Eastern Beach Rd

@EdgeBarGeelongEdge Geelong //

(03) 5221 5441

golddiggersarms.com.au

manager@golddiggersarms.com.au

87 Skene Street, Newtown 3220

@GOLDDIGGERSARMS

GOLD DIGGERS ARMS

Level One, Cunningham Pier10 Western Beach Foreshore Rdmanager@thecityquarter.com.auwww.thecityquarter.com.au(03) 5222 6233

CITY QUARTER @CITYQUARTERBAR lambys bar & restaurant @LambysGeelong

WWW.LAMBYS.COM.AU | MANAGER@LAMBYS.COM.AUCNR MOORABOOL & BROUGHAM STS, GEELONG

(03) 5223 2536

*UPON PRESENTATION OF VALID STUDENT CARD OR MOST RECENT INDUSTRY PAY SLIP. NOT AVAILABLE ON SPECIAL EVENTS

WED: 50% OFF MENUTHURS: FRI: SAT: FOOTY ON BIG SCREENSUN: PERFECT SUNDAY SESH

LIVE MUSIC & DJS ALL DAY FOOD

FUNCTIONS ALFRESCO DINING

EXTENSIVE DRINKS LIST OPEN 7 DAYS

A TRUE NEIGHBOURHOODPUB & RESTAURANT

COME IN & TRY OUR NEW MENU:

30 CHOICESUNDER $30

STUDENT & INDUSTRY NIGHT SUNDAY NIGHT

FREE ENTRY ALL NIGHT!

www.emcgroupgeelong.com.au

WHAT’S ON @ THE EMC GROUP

(03) 5222 2666 // edgegeelong.com.auenquiries@edgegeelong.com.au // 6–8 Eastern Beach Rd

@EdgeBarGeelongEdge Geelong //

(03) 5221 5441

golddiggersarms.com.au

manager@golddiggersarms.com.au

87 Skene Street, Newtown 3220

@GOLDDIGGERSARMS

GOLD DIGGERS ARMS

Level One, Cunningham Pier10 Western Beach Foreshore Rdmanager@thecityquarter.com.auwww.thecityquarter.com.au(03) 5222 6233

CITY QUARTER @CITYQUARTERBAR lambys bar & restaurant @LambysGeelong

WWW.LAMBYS.COM.AU | MANAGER@LAMBYS.COM.AUCNR MOORABOOL & BROUGHAM STS, GEELONG

(03) 5223 2536

*UPON PRESENTATION OF VALID STUDENT CARD OR MOST RECENT INDUSTRY PAY SLIP. NOT AVAILABLE ON SPECIAL EVENTS

WED: 50% OFF MENUTHURS: FRI: SAT: FOOTY ON BIG SCREENSUN: PERFECT SUNDAY SESH

LIVE MUSIC & DJS ALL DAY FOOD

FUNCTIONS ALFRESCO DINING

EXTENSIVE DRINKS LIST OPEN 7 DAYS

A TRUE NEIGHBOURHOODPUB & RESTAURANT

COME IN & TRY OUR NEW MENU:

30 CHOICESUNDER $30

STUDENT & INDUSTRY NIGHT SUNDAY NIGHT

FREE ENTRY ALL NIGHT!

www.emcgroupgeelong.com.au

WHAT’S ON @ THE EMC GROUP

(03) 5222 2666 // edgegeelong.com.auenquiries@edgegeelong.com.au // 6–8 Eastern Beach Rd

@EdgeBarGeelongEdge Geelong //

(03) 5221 5441

golddiggersarms.com.au

manager@golddiggersarms.com.au

87 Skene Street, Newtown 3220

@GOLDDIGGERSARMS

GOLD DIGGERS ARMS

Level One, Cunningham Pier10 Western Beach Foreshore Rdmanager@thecityquarter.com.auwww.thecityquarter.com.au(03) 5222 6233

CITY QUARTER @CITYQUARTERBAR lambys bar & restaurant @LambysGeelong

WWW.LAMBYS.COM.AU | MANAGER@LAMBYS.COM.AUCNR MOORABOOL & BROUGHAM STS, GEELONG

(03) 5223 2536

*UPON PRESENTATION OF VALID STUDENT CARD OR MOST RECENT INDUSTRY PAY SLIP. NOT AVAILABLE ON SPECIAL EVENTS

WED: 50% OFF MENUTHURS: FRI: SAT: FOOTY ON BIG SCREENSUN: PERFECT SUNDAY SESH

LIVE MUSIC & DJS ALL DAY FOOD

FUNCTIONS ALFRESCO DINING

EXTENSIVE DRINKS LIST OPEN 7 DAYS

A TRUE NEIGHBOURHOODPUB & RESTAURANT

COME IN & TRY OUR NEW MENU:

30 CHOICESUNDER $30

STUDENT & INDUSTRY NIGHT SUNDAY NIGHT

FREE ENTRY ALL NIGHT!

www.emcgroupgeelong.com.au

WHAT’S ON @ THE EMC GROUP

(03) 5222 2666 // edgegeelong.com.auenquiries@edgegeelong.com.au // 6–8 Eastern Beach Rd

@EdgeBarGeelongEdge Geelong //

(03) 5221 5441

golddiggersarms.com.au

manager@golddiggersarms.com.au

87 Skene Street, Newtown 3220

@GOLDDIGGERSARMS

GOLD DIGGERS ARMS

Level One, Cunningham Pier10 Western Beach Foreshore Rdmanager@thecityquarter.com.auwww.thecityquarter.com.au(03) 5222 6233

CITY QUARTER @CITYQUARTERBAR lambys bar & restaurant @LambysGeelong

WWW.LAMBYS.COM.AU | MANAGER@LAMBYS.COM.AUCNR MOORABOOL & BROUGHAM STS, GEELONG

(03) 5223 2536

*UPON PRESENTATION OF VALID STUDENT CARD OR MOST RECENT INDUSTRY PAY SLIP. NOT AVAILABLE ON SPECIAL EVENTS

WED: 50% OFF MENUTHURS: FRI: SAT: FOOTY ON BIG SCREENSUN: PERFECT SUNDAY SESH

LIVE MUSIC & DJS ALL DAY FOOD

FUNCTIONS ALFRESCO DINING

EXTENSIVE DRINKS LIST OPEN 7 DAYS

A TRUE NEIGHBOURHOODPUB & RESTAURANT

COME IN & TRY OUR NEW MENU:

30 CHOICESUNDER $30

STUDENT & INDUSTRY NIGHT SUNDAY NIGHT

FREE ENTRY ALL NIGHT!

www.emcgroupgeelong.com.au

WHAT’S ON @ THE EMC GROUP

(03) 5222 2666 // edgegeelong.com.auenquiries@edgegeelong.com.au // 6–8 Eastern Beach Rd

@EdgeBarGeelongEdge Geelong //

(03) 5221 5441

golddiggersarms.com.au

manager@golddiggersarms.com.au

87 Skene Street, Newtown 3220

@GOLDDIGGERSARMS

GOLD DIGGERS ARMS

Level One, Cunningham Pier10 Western Beach Foreshore Rdmanager@thecityquarter.com.auwww.thecityquarter.com.au(03) 5222 6233

CITY QUARTER @CITYQUARTERBAR lambys bar & restaurant @LambysGeelong

WWW.LAMBYS.COM.AU | MANAGER@LAMBYS.COM.AUCNR MOORABOOL & BROUGHAM STS, GEELONG

(03) 5223 2536

*UPON PRESENTATION OF VALID STUDENT CARD OR MOST RECENT INDUSTRY PAY SLIP. NOT AVAILABLE ON SPECIAL EVENTS

WED: 50% OFF MENUTHURS: FRI: SAT: FOOTY ON BIG SCREENSUN: PERFECT SUNDAY SESH

LIVE MUSIC & DJS ALL DAY FOOD

FUNCTIONS ALFRESCO DINING

EXTENSIVE DRINKS LIST OPEN 7 DAYS

A TRUE NEIGHBOURHOODPUB & RESTAURANT

COME IN & TRY OUR NEW MENU:

30 CHOICESUNDER $30

STUDENT & INDUSTRY NIGHT SUNDAY NIGHT

FREE ENTRY ALL NIGHT!