Beat Magazine Online

Harvest 2012 Rumour Roundup

Tue, 22 May 2012 16:10:33 +1000

Looking back, last year's Harvest lineup was nothing short of fucking awesome. And despite a few logistical mishaps in the inaugural Melbourne leg, the festival established itself as one of the giants on the calendar. As a result, expectations are running high for this year's instalment. Let's take a look at who might be gracing the lush surrounds of Werribee Mansion.

First up, we can rule out Arcade Fire, as well as My Bloody Valentine (who are "too loud" for an outdoor festival).

We've heard from Sigur Ros that they are aiming to be in Australia this November, which would coincide nicely with the already announced Harvest dates.

I've said it before and I'll say it again, whoever brings out D'Angelo wins. 'Nuff said.

Ready to drop their much-anticipated new LP, Hot Chip could prove to be fitting candidates to bring the party to Harvest.

It's been a long while since we've heard anything from Fuck Buttons, who were last in the country for our singular All Tomorrow's Parties instalment. Harvest would be the perfect avenue for the UK duo to reintroduce their immaculate electronica to Australian audiences.

Mesmerising collective The Dirty Projectors are once again easing into the touring cycle. Here's hoping their upcoming album brings them to Australia before 2013.

Grizzly Bear have hinted that they will be in Australia before the year's end, and who better to appear at our largest 'indie' festival than one of the all-time indie giants?

Spiritualized have just dropped a fairly ace new LP, and it would be pretty darn splendid to see the space rock veterans take to the stage. Ladies and gentlemen we could be floating in Werribee.

As far as veteran acts go, we could think of none better than legendary Talking Heads vocalist David Byrne (pictured) to stun festival goers.

We know it's a long shot, but imagine Neil Young bringing Crazy Horse out to Australia for the first time in ages. I mean, the festival is named after one of his albums.

Out here blowing minds on a headline tour earlier in the year, St Vincent could make a swift return to make her Australian festival debut.

Ol' mate Ben Kweller let slip that he would be returning to the country for a festival appearance this November, and it doesn't take a genius to see that he may in fact be referring to Harvest.

While Soundwave/Harvest doesn't exactly boast a penchant for local acts, Kirin J Callinan would be suited to bring his full band setup to the festival environment.

With their upcoming LP Centipede Hz due out this September, Animal Collective could bring their divisive live show to an Australian festival once more.

While we think Grimes would be more suited to Laneway Festival, there's every chance Harvest could swoop in and accommodate the buzz-magnet solo project.

Passion Pit may prove a tad too triple j-centric for Harvest's tastes, but the outfit's infectious dance vibes could be booming forth across the Werribee landscape.

While he was relegated from the Soundwave 2012 lineup, and despite festival curator AJ stating he won't be bringing him to Australia after a festival meltdown in the states, and despite it making no sense at all for him to be on the Harvest lineup, we still really wanna get a taste of Danzig in action.

Visual artists looking to submit their wares to the festival can apply right here.

Harvest Presents: The Gathering will take place at Werribee Mansion on Saturday November 10. Stay tuned for more announcements.

Slash Announces Stadium Tour

Thu, 17 May 2012 10:29:11 +1000

One of the all-time guitar greats has announced his triumphant return to Australia, bringing with him a stellar backing band and a certified classic body of work.

When perpetually top-hat-adorned guitar god Slash was last in Australia, a series of venues upgrades took place to cater for demand. It still wasn't enough, with shows selling out in rapid succession. This time, Slash is heading straight to some of the country's biggest stadiums.

Joining Slash onstage will be vocalist Myles Kennedy and the band of Conspirators, promising a full-scale arena production.

Slash hits Hisense Arena on Sunday August 26.

The Jezabels

Wed, 16 May 2012 10:06:02 +1000

You wouldn't have to walk far within the larger cities of Australia to find countless bands plying their craft on stages both big and small. Yet the divide between the bands that occupy these stages is one not easily defined. What then, is the intangible that separates? And when an Australian band does make the leap to larger stages, is it necessary for them to then leave the country for greener pastures in order to ride the wave of their success and make a career out of playing in a band?

When Nik Kaloper, the soft-spoken drummer of Sydney four-piece The Jezabels answers the phone, he finds himself in London, facing the realities of being a touring musician.

“We just finished a European tour and we're just killing time before we hop on a plane,” he says, a little low on enthusiasm. Kaloper sounds ready to leave London as soon as possible, eager to return home to Australia. It's a noticeable difference of opinion from Temper Trap, another homegrown talent who've entered the public conscience across the world as of late. The two acts share certain similarities; both released their debut in 2009. Both write incredibly contagious, atmospheric rock. And both find themselves with upcoming gigs in Melbourne within a day of each other.

Yet Temper Trap recently decided to move to London as a means to augment their success, begging the question: is it possible for The Jezabels to maintain their roots in Australia or does the only route to permanent success lead out of the country they still call home?

“In a way, and I don't want to sound too introverted here, but we're always very concerned about how we're seen or perceived. We'd love for things to always be as good as possible, but we know they're not always going to be,” says Kaloper.

Things certainly have been going well for the band as late. Prisoner, the band's debut peaked at #2 on the ARIA charts and was ultimately awarded the Australian Music Prize. Certifiable household names in Australia, The Jezabels have yet to find worldwide success in the mainstream. For Kaloper, validation doesn't come from awards or commercial success. As a band, he concedes they've managed to appreciate the little things.

"Since we've gotten started,” he notes, “we've made attempts to look back on particular moments on a record, or moment from a particular show and think about them fondly. And perhaps it's within those fleeting moments that we get our true validation from.

“Those are within yourself though. To feel validated as an artist is a whole different story though, I guess,” he laughs. “It's not like you're a civil servant or you're working for a charity where you're actually doing something good. It's a hard question to answer.”There will be many more questions the band will have to answer in the future. Despite Prisoner being a comprehensive and incredibly listenable record, album sales aren't what they used to be. With only a handful of their songs being used for commercial purposes, heightened cash flow hasn't come easy for The Jezabels.

Long Highway, a six-minute standout track from Prisoner was meant to be used in the recent Twilight films before it was ultimately decided by producers that the song was “too mature” for Twilight audiences.

So The Jezabels find themselves with only one option: get their music out the old fashioned way, by hitting the road for long stretches at a time.

“The next year is simply going to be packed with playing a lot of shows,” says Kaloper. As he continues, his modest demeanour becomes so prevalent that even if the band were granted any commercial success, you'd wonder if they'd even notice.

“In a way I think we've had our heads down and have been working hard for so long that we haven't even had the opportunity to stop and realise any of the success we've had.”

The work ethic that seemingly engulfs The Jezabels will take them to 13 countries across four continents as a part of their 2012 touring schedule.

Touring is not simply a requirement of the job for The Jezabels; it's slowly becoming a way of life.

“I think [touring] affects us heaps as musicians. Not just in the opportunity to bring certain songs to life, but the more you play and the more you put yourself out there in front of people onstage, the more you'll be able to discover something new within your songs. I think you can really critically and accurately reflect on the past while you're touring, in terms of songwriting and things you'd like to try in the future. I find as much as we gig, we're always coming up with new ideas. You can obviously get a little bit tired on the road, you know, working on two or three hours sleep, but it's a job that none of us can't imagine doing.”

If wide scale success comes the way of Kaloper and The Jezabels, it won't be without the requisite grunt-work being put in beforehand. After the band's last Australian tour, in which they brought cinematic Canadian five-piece Hey Rosetta! along for support, The Jezabels returned the favour by opening for them in considerably smaller venues on their Canadian tour.

“You approach the gig with a different attitude. Certainly I'm a little less vulnerable about the whole thing, ironically. Because you're the underdog, and people don't always show up for the openers. They're thinking, ‘Well I showed up early, you better impress me.' But sometimes, there's very little expectations so you just play your show as well as you can and that's that.”

While it's incredibly noble in nature, their upcoming tour will see them playing only six shows in their native Australia, a marked difference from their aforementioned 20+ date tour last October/November, which saw them play Australian cities of varied sizes.

“The smaller, rural towns are a little more rowdy and boisterous. They can be tough to compare however, because the gigs in the capital cities are always six or seven times bigger.”

And the way Kaloper tells it, he might prefer to keep their operation toned down.

“The smaller towns certainly feel more local and sometimes, even more comfortable.”

Larger, festival-based tours across the world have presented the band with an intriguing dilemma: have they embraced the opportunity to get their music to audiences larger than they'd find in Australia, with the hopes of finding success abroad or have these tours simply made the band appreciate the success they've had in Australia? Kaloper instead presents a third option, and it's one which may very well end up defining The Jezabels.

“We appreciate playing to any crowd that will listen to us. Whether or not it's a 'home' crowd, it can all be very flattering. At the end of the day we just love being able to play.”

And what they play has rapidly evolved throughout the band's five year existence. While the band's three independently released , 2009 and 2010 showed flashes of brilliance, there was still a palpable sense of restraint. Hooks sounded underdeveloped and at times, the songwriting sounded tense.

Yet Prisoner is a fully-formed record, indicative not only of the effort the band has put into better understanding their soun, as a band, but also as people. And live, as evidenced at their stop at The Forum Theatre last November, the band has discovered the ability to turn their songs into far-reaching, graphic pieces that need to be seen as much as they're heard.It's a process that The Jezabels may have excelled at, but are still attempting to understand.

“At the songwriting stage, we might be a little short-sighted,” admits Kaloper.

“I wonder if we sometimes get too ahead of ourselves when it comes to the production of the songs because it's been very difficult to figure out ways to bring those songs to life. Sometimes we've got to go through hundreds of different layers when trying to figure out how to make the songs work live. It always takes a bit of rehearsal and re-gigging to get those songs feeling comfortable.”

“It's something we'll definitely pay a lot more attention to when writing our next record; how we plan on translating these songs from the album to a live setting.”

With The Jezabels so focused on figuring out what lies ahead for them, they've rarely had time to look back. Widescale success may or may not be on the horizon. But whatever happens for the band, there's one thing they won't be willing to sacrifice – the pure joy that involves playing together. And that's one thing that hasn't changed for the band since the release of Prisoner and hopefully never will.

“With the awards, and even, I suppose, since the album debuted, we were allowed the opportunity to begin doing some things that we hoped people would truly enjoy,” says Kaloper.

“The most exciting thing about any success, for me at least, is the knowledge that we'll be able to keep going as a band. If only for a little longer. We'll continue to write more albums and play more shows. We'll hopefully be able to get better at what we're doing by continuing to do what we love doing.”

BY JOSHUA KLOKE

THE JEZABELS play an all-ages show at Festival Hall on Friday June 1 with LIGHTS and SNAKADAKTAL. Prisoner is out now.

Big Kids' Cracking Night Out

Wed, 16 May 2012 14:27:01 +1000

In 1989, Wallace and Gromit had their very first adventure. Taking off in a homemade rocket, the pair soon found themselves hunting for cheese on the moon. Since then, Wallace and Gromit's cheese-tracking and sheep-shearing escapades have entertained children and adults alike for over 20 years. Now, thanks to Museum Victoria and Scienceworks, the claymation human-canine duo are leaving the UK and coming to Melbourne. Vera Gin, project manager of Scienceworks' upcoming Wallace & Gromit's World of Invention exhibition, spoke not only about bringing the British inventor and his dog pal Down Under, but also how Scienceworks are going to let the grown-ups have their fun with the cartoon characters for a night.

“At Scienceworks we like to focus on physical sciences and technology, and Wallace is always trying to come up with inventive ideas on how to make his life easier. So the Wallace & Gromit's World of Invention is about being creative and innovative,” Gin explained of the new exhibition. “Sometimes [Wallace's] inventions are a bit hair-brained but he's quite persistent. We try and debunk the hard science stuff that helps us understand everyday things around us. Wallace does that as well through his inventions and he does it in a really fun and quirky way.”

At its core, Wallace & Gromit may be a children's animation, but the exhibition goes beyond what is seen on the screen. “The exhibition was first thought up by Ardman [animation studio] and the Intellectual Property Office of the UK. They thought that Wallace and Gromit was the perfect vehicle to talk about creativity and encourage people to think outside the box and create things, but to also remind people that there is this body out there called the IPO who can help you protect your amazing ideas,” Gin explained when asked about how the exhibition came to light. “We're all big kids on the inside, but you get to the middle of high school and you stop being creative and taking risks because you're afraid of what people are going to think. But people who are persistent and resilient, they get their inventions out there and we shouldn't squash that curiosity as an inventor.”

Gin herself approached her job curating the Melbourne leg of the exhibition with wonder, often surprised by the plasticine pair. “One of the things that continues to amaze me is [that] we have nine actual sets from the movies, and I didn't realise how small they were. They're all small and cute, and the detail in them is amazing.”

After a gap was becoming more and more noticeable in the adult programming of the museum, Scienceworks held their inaugural Big Kid's Night Out event last year; an evening that gave an opportunity for the strictly over-18s to explore. “The first one was more successful than we thought,” Gin explained, the night seeing 700 people come through the museum. The event has returned this year coinciding with the Wallace and Gromit exhibition to give the now-older kids a blast from the past. Gin explained that it was Wallace and Gromit's longevity that made it the perfect candidate for the “Cracking” night out. “There are older generation that are familiar with [Wallace and Gromit]. Over time it has spanned generations. At Scienceworks we like to, when we can, have experiences that can span these generations and resonate with as many people as possible.”

Scienceworks has been an incredible opportunity for children to explore and learn, while adults can often remain inhibited. Gin explained that Big Kid's “Cracking” Night Out is purely about adults getting the first go. “Kids have this sense of wonder, and they'll try everything-with the adults standing back, it's almost like they ‘ruin' the experience for them. So Big Kid's Night Out [allowed] adults…to experience it all to themselves without people around to take the surprise out of it. It's about people reengaging themselves with science. It's just fun.”

Unfortunately, there will be no Wrong Trousers, Gin informed. However, there will be a karaoke shower. “Clothing is mandatory of course, but you can go in there and you can belt out a rendition, and outside there is a screen where friends can watch and laugh and ridicule you.” Though the night will not only be about Wallace and his dog – Scienceworks' astronomer Dr Tanya Hill will take all the big kids on a journey throughout space in the Planetarium, a lighting room show with the museum's 2 million volt tesla coil, as well as many opportunities to get hands-on.

BY ALEXANDRA DUGUID

Wallace & Gromit's World of Invention exhibition opens at Scienceworks on Saturday May 19, with the Big Kids' Cracking Night Out to be held on Saturday May 26 starting at 6pm. Tickets are $22 and will be available online from the Museum Victoria website. Wallace and Gromit are only holidaying in Melbourne for six months, so be sure to visit them.

The Brian Jonestown Massacre

Tue, 15 May 2012 21:00:28 +1000

The mega-prolific Brian Jonestown Massacre have attracted a lot of adjectives over the years – whether it be cries of musical genius or the dismissal of being too volatile to function. These days, however, the good ship Brian Jonestown Massacre is sailing on relatively calm seas, a trend which is consolidated by latest record Aufheben – one which continues a surprising run of consistent quality. Though having something of a rotating lineup over the years, uninhibited mastermind of operations Anton Newcombe has maintained a geyser-like rate of output. In the process of conducting a sociological experiment in globalisation, Newcombe lets us in on what many call the mind of a genius.

“It's the last track from the record, I was just messing around,” Newcombe states when I enquire about the sounds I hear in the background. “Yeah I was putting it to YouTube and giving it a name from a foreign language, seeing how long it will take that culture to find it on YouTube, using crazy tags in their language. When I did the song in Finnish, it took a day and a half and it had 3,000 people, then it was in four blogs in Finland and all of a sudden way more people were listening. It took something like five days for 25,000 spins. I find myself in a world with many different ways to express myself and entertain myself. Not entertain myself in a Brave New World way with some little distraction. It's more like Russian Facebook or something, where I make a song in Russian and put it out, use BitTorrent, YouTube – any of this stuff – just as another medium.”

Success, as we all know, can be painfully subjective at times. Raking in pageviews from a manner of different cultures is an equally meaningful contextualisation of success than that of sales or chart placings, Newcombe contends. “Recording in other languages – Google has made that possible. I try to go in the opposite direction of what band's tend to do in those cultures. Like a French band who is influenced by The Stone Roses or my group are going to come out and sing in English, and not very well for the most part. Or a band like Air are going to come out and sing about nothing, like ‘Sexyyy boyyy', and do really well,” Newcombe dismisses. “I thought it was interesting to go in the opposite direction, using social media or whatever technology is available, I can ask people to do stuff because there are no rules. A perfect example is when I was recording in Russian and I did that type of song, not only was it unique as far as independent music, it's the only song that's ever been like that in the history of Russian culture. In thousands of years, nobody's ever written a track like that. It's more interesting to me – that's going to exist forever,” Newcombe explains.

“Artistically, it gives me a lot of opportunities to mess around and do something that I think is unique. To be more clear about it, I feel I can do anything now and it will be just as valid as anything else. Say the sales/volume/dollar thing that people find so important. The bar has been lowered so far it's just meaningless. You hear, ‘One Direction, these five little sex robots that Simon Cowell has created, they're bigger than The Beatles!', or ‘Lady Gaga has released an internet single and done something The Beatles have never done!', it's just completely meaningless. People tend to get caught up in that. Even the numbers aren't financially that impressive, compared to like how Mark Zuckerburg just bought fucking Instagram for a billion dollars. These two 26-year-old guys just made a billion dollars in one dialogue. The financial scope of that in terms of society is far more impressive than Paul McCartney amassing a wealth of 765 million dollars over the course of 40 years. See what I'm saying? If you reduce it to the sales/dollar/volume it's completely meaningless.”

The engrossment in modern outlets such as social media and torrents is juxtaposed with an adherence to a more traditional musical approach. Though delightfully experimental, Newcombe sticks to using more organic instrumentation. So don't expect to see him hunched over a Macbook onstage anytime soon. “That's all utterly disposable, like when a DJ is just into the newest fucking shit. All the music is just disposable. I'm interested in something else that isn't revolving around that. I was laughing because one of my friends, a very successful photographer in Los Angeles, she had tweeted something about this DJ 'killing it right now', with this photo of some guy with one hand on his laptop and one hand in the air. Just think, if you stole that laptop and could operate iTunes, you could be ‘killing it right now' too,” he laughs. “I'm interested in all kinds of things, I try to touch on those minimalist bases when I'm writing too, but I'm can never be that one-dimensional. That's why I can't answer when someone asks what my favourite song is, or what my favourite movie or book is. I'm not a housefly. My favourite things are eating, fucking and shitting. That is a housefly, I can't do that.”

BY LACHLAN KANONIUK

THE BRIAN JONESTOWN MASSACRE will be performing with support from The Raveonettes at The Forum on Saturday May 19. Aufheben is out now through Intertia.

Coldplay Return To Melbourne

Sun, 13 May 2012 14:50:26 +1000

After appearing exclusively at Splendour In The Grass last year, Coldplay have announced a headline Australian tour.

Of the tour, frontman Chris Martin indulged that “We can't wait to get back to Australia this November. It's such a special place for us. These venues are pretty huge, the Aussie crowds are always incredible and we'll be bringing everything we've got. It's going to be big."

Coldplay play Etihad Stadium on Tuesday November 13 with tickets on sale on Friday May 25 from Ticketmaster.

Steel Panther Tour

Fri, 11 May 2012 11:22:32 +1000

In their first ever headline tour of Australia, Steel Panther are primed for an all-out assault on the senses

In an interview with Beat last year coinciding with their appearance at Soundwave, lead singer Michael Starr told us that "We're gonna hit every continent. The first one we're gonna go to is gonna be Australia. The best thing for us to do is just lay down the groundwork with most of the slutty girls out there. Because the girls that are backstage and like to fuck are the kind of girls that not only spread diseases, but they also spread the word of heavy metal. So that's where we want to infiltrate – the vagina of Australia, and work that magic."

I think that says it all, eh? If not - check out our Beat TV interviw with 'em.

Steel Panther play The Palace on Sunday October 7.

Santigold

Fri, 11 May 2012 17:27:29 +1000

When you hear Santigold, you know it's Santigold. The fact of the matter is, this Philadelphia-born, musically-diverse performer knows exactly what she wants out of her own material, and will take as much time as she needs to get there.

After four long years since the release of her debut album, 2008's aptly titled Santogold, Santi White is back with her sophomore record, Master Of My Make Believe – an 11-track record that, although diverse in its genres, flows from start to finish. Speaking with Santi, it's blatantly obvious that she's exactly where she wants to be; making the music that she loves for the fans that she loves even more.

“I feel really good about [the album], and I especially feel good that it's finally coming out. You know, it's been a long process and I'm just so glad that it's out already. It's actually been done – or mostly done – for a really long time, so I'm so happy that people are finally able to hear it.”

A perfectionist in her own right, the four years between both albums was not something that the Creator intentionally made happen. Rather, after engrossing herself with performing and finetuning each facet of the new record, Santigold admits that time really does fly when you're having fun. And if you've ever had the pleasure of speaking with her, you'll know just how much fun this girl can have – giggling her way through the entire interview. I felt like I'd met my long lost giggle twin.

“Honestly, I toured for the first two years [after the release of Santogold], so I think that I took an extra year more than what most people do to tour apparently...and I only realised that afterwards. But my manager at the time suggested that I keep touring because the want was there, and I was really grateful to have people that wanted to see the show. I thought that it was really important to build a real fan base – especially nowadays when peoples tastes are so [individual]...People are so trendy in their music taste and, when you have a real fan base, that's something that can't be taken away really.”

Like any good artist, Santi's music is a true definition of herself, and if Santogold wasn't a reflection of that, then Master Of My Make Believe definitely is. Tracks like Big Mouth and Go!, featuring the immaculate vocals of Yeah Yeah Yeah's frontwoman, Karen O, began the introduction to what we were to expect from the upcoming album – or so we thought. Listening to Master Of My Make Believe, it's evident that numerous new influences have helped shaped the singer as she delves into genres that she may have never thought that she would. Yep, she even tries her hand at her version of a ballad.

“I didn't set out saying that ‘Oh, I want to make it sound different.' But...it's been a while [between records], and I've grown as an artist and, naturally, I'm going to push myself to higher standards, and I think that the music evolved ‘cause I've evolved. Maybe I was a little bit more ambitious as well, trying to make songs that, I dunno, sound really big in some ways, like Riot's Gone or God From The Machine. Riot's Gone is quite a different song for me because it's my version of a ballad, which I've never done before. I don't know, I guess that I took some different kinds of risks.”

Collaborating with some of music's most prestigious musicians and producers in the past, the calibre of appearances for this album was nothing short of perfection.

“I don't work with people unless I get a twitch to work with [them]. I'm very particular when it comes [to the people that I work with], because when I do collaborations, I want them to be good. I wouldn't work with somebody unless I knew that they were amazing, and that I wanted to work with them.”

But what's a good artist if their live performances don't perfectly reflect, if not excel, their recorded tracks? Well, Santigold wouldn't know. With live performances that get every crowd on the same hyperactive, dance-induced wavelength, Miss Santi understands what it means to keep her audiences constantly entertained.

“They're high energy, and they're fun. There's a lot of dancing and movement and, also, visually, there's a lot to take in. We've got costumes, and props, and dancers and a band...It's decked out. I mean, there's just so much going on. It's very visual, and I really try to give a physical presence to the songs.”

BY SIMONE ZIADA

Master Of My Make Believe is out now through Atlantic Records UK/Warner Music Australia.

Miike Snow Tour

Thu, 10 May 2012 19:13:44 +1000

The self-proclaimed ‘three headed band with the one man name', Miike Snow, are returning to Melbourne.

Two thirds Swedish producers Bloodshy & Avant and one third Mark Ronson collaborator Andrew Wyatt, Miike Snow are currently celebrating the release of their new album Happy To You, and promise to bring back their renown live show which blew away Australian audiences in 2010.

Miike Snow play the Palace on Tuesday July 31.

Catcall

Fri, 11 May 2012 08:51:35 +1000

The question was: ‘what's ahead for Catcall in 2010'? to which she replied “FINALLY releasing the album that I've been working on for the last year and a half…I can't wait.”

That's from an interview Sydney's Catherine Kelleher gave to music blog Primary Colours back in January 2010. The album she's referring to came out last Friday May 4, 2012. This may not be an eternity by current Australian industry standards (looking at you, Avalanches), but certainly no one can accuse her of rushing her debut out to capitalise on the success of her 2010 breakout single, Swimming Pool.

“Yeahhhhhhh,” says Kelleher sheepishly. “I think we were planning on finishing the album in 2010, releasing a single at the end of the year, and then the album… I feel like I'm about to explode with it, you know? With relief that it's going to be out in a week and a half!”

The album in question, now that it's here, is titled The Warmest Place. Considering some of the songs were written as many as five or six years apart and in varying states of grief, contentedness and confidence, it's a remarkably coherent statement from an artist who started in DIY punk and dipped a toe in hip hop on the way to unabashed, complex pop music. “Yeah, I've got cred, I paid my dues!” she says with a wry laugh, referring to her late-adolescent days as the singer of three-piece punk outfit Kiosk. (Her bandmates, Jack Mannix and Angie Bermuda, went on to play in Circle Pit and Straight Arrows.)

DIY has been Kelleher's MO since those early days; she first learned how to perform on stage with the band, and then as Kiosk wound down (following a two-month US trip and, almost immediately upon the band's return, the sudden death of Kelleher's father), began experimenting with beats and vocals at home from around 2006. She released the Anniversary EP two years later, Swimming Pool in 2010, and the Swimming Pool Party remix EP last year – slogging away all the while on the full-length with a rotating cast of producers. These included Andrew “ Toni Toni Lee” Elston, GLOVES, Luke Foskey (Youth), members of Van She and Julian Mendelsohn – but the biggest payoff came from working with vocal producer Bry Jones. “I realised when I started working with him that to achieve what I wanted to achieve with the demos that I had, there was a lot of work to do in terms of writing, and becoming a better singer as well,” Kelleher explains. “I was very intimidated by studios, I always felt really nervous and I was never breathing properly. And he's a vocal producer, he gets you there – it's like a therapist or something, they make you feel super comfortable or find out what's stopping you from getting what you need to get.”

Jones was also the one who convinced her that it was OK to go full-on, bubblegum-glossy, 100 percent unabashed pop. The tracks that had made her name with critics and fans – the sexually charged Swimming Pool and 2008's rich, grief-fuelled August – were dark and seething, albeit tempered by Kelleher's forthright, everygirl vocals. “I think August and Swimming Pool tap into something a lot more personal, in terms of the emotional vulnerability, than some of the other tracks,” she admits. “Funny thing is, Swimming Pool and Satellites and That Girl were the most recent tracks that were written for the album; World Is Ours is one of the first tracks that I demoed, which people always get surprised about because it's the poppiest.

“When I started working with Bry later on he said, ‘Look, you can't go half-arsed into [making a pop record]',” she goes on. “I had these demos and it was pretty obvious that I was starting to go in that direction but holding back – it was all in this confused state. And he said, ‘You have to go all the way, you've gotta own it, or it's not going to work, people aren't going to connect with it.'”

The Warmest Place blends its pop influences – from Frente! and Fleetwood Mac to Roxy Music – with a fiercely independent sensibility, but pop songs with substance don't arrive with a neon sign perched atop it saying Not Your Average Dance-Pop Love Song, and it's easy for critics and casual listeners alike to be dismissive when presented with something so immediately accessible. Kelleher says one review of lead single Satellites rankled for precisely that reason. “I try not to read reviews, but occasionally I'll come across one and it'll be the worst possible one,” she says ruefully. She tells me that the subtext tends to be that “making pop music is not honourable in any way – that it's not art, that it's not difficult, that it's not something that can be respected. That it's something that you do if you want to make money. That's [that writer's] opinion; if he doesn't like it, music is subjective and that's fine. But I put a lot into these songs and I never expected them to do anything for me other than give me the opportunity to be able to play some shows, and the excitement of finishing something. I don't have any expectations, and I never have.”

That said, Kelleher gets a kick out of spotting old fans dancing to effervescent pop tunes like the Go-Go-inspired new single The World Is Ours – the same ones who sweated buckets watching Kiosk in tiny shitbox venues. “I like the punk kids being into it – that makes me pretty happy. People that I've known for a while, who are just so hate-everything.” There's a refreshing lack of cynicism among the broad spectrum of people who are digging on Catcall that's reflected in the attitude of the album itself. “That [un-cynical vibe] was something I was trying to achieve, and a lack of elitism as well. There's a lot of elitism in music at the moment.”

Kelleher is one of the most fun Australian musicians to follow on Twitter – rather than using it as a promotional tool, it's a candid and hilarious outlet for her to “talk about tennis, and try to flirt with George Megalogenis”. Most of the few music-related Tweets, particularly in the lead-up to the album being completed, are so blunt and exasperated a casual observer might think she's ready to throw in the towel most days. “[Music is] like a boyfriend, I go through emotional phases with it – sometimes it drives me insane and sometimes it's the best thing in my life,” she sighs. “Because it's been with me so long and it's shaped my friendships and my relationships and every choice I've made, it's an intense experience. I hate it and I love it.”

But six years of Catcall have taught Kelleher that forward momentum is what serves her music best. “I always used to think I was one of those people who would never be able to think about the next album until the first one was completely done… But now I'm thinking if I don't start writing soon, it'll probably take another three years to get another album out,” she sighs, “and I'll be 80 by then. I'll be far too old.”

BY CAITLIN WALSH

Catcall plays The Toff In Town on Saturday May 12. The Warmest Place is out now through Ivy League.

Kaiser Chiefs

Fri, 11 May 2012 10:33:14 +1000

Few bands are able to strike the balance between cult indie status and commercial viability quite as well as Kaiser Chiefs have. Ever since they detonated onto the scene with 2005's Employment, the quintet have amassed in excess of six million album sales globally, and have become seasoned veterans of the festival circuit. Yet with all their success and radio-friendly, chant-able choruses, the band has still managed to maintain its credibility as an outfit to be taken very seriously indeed. Their new collection of singles, SOUVENIR: The Singles 2004 – 2012, illustrates this perfectly, but is this the end of a chapter for the likely Leeds lads, or the beginning of a new one?

Chief bass player Simon Rix says the band have managed to avoid crossing the daunting line into pop-cheese through a constant awareness of musical integrity, which stems from their working-class upbringing and British heritage.

“I think that being from Leeds, and from the north of England in general, really helps because there seems to be an understanding of what's good, bad and cheesy,” Simon croaks with a harshness he accredits to his visit to Cherry Bar the previous night.

“Even though some people might think that we play bland indie music, I really don't think that's the case. From the very start, all the way to our latest release, we've always tried to have a lot of interesting stuff going on in the music and we always try out new ideas and sounds, as well as keeping things engaging in a lyrical sense. There's nothing more boring than churning out another album and song that sounds like the last. You've got to keep it interesting.”

The Kaisers are famously good at writing the classic British 45. If for some reason Oh My God, and Ruby didn't push your buttons, chances are, Never Miss A Beat did. But what's the secret behind being able to output killer hooks and infectious choruses on demand?

“I think we have always liked playing gigs where everybody is singing along and having a great time. Over the last eight years, we have done millions of festivals and I think that's one of the main things we imagine when we're writing and rehearsing for new records. We ask ourselves ‘what is it going to be like when we're playing it in front of 60,000 people at Glastonbury?'”

Renowned for their explosive energy on stage, touring has taken The Chiefs to all corners of the globe, however they haven't lost sight of their roots – there has always been something incredibly British and working class that has run through the spine of the outfit – all the way to the iconic image of a stick of rock adorning the front of this latest compilation. Sonically, they have openly borrowed from UK new wave and '60s beat bands, and their lyrics often surround witty and cynical observations which question the state of society or drop UK-specific pop culture references. Simon says this is a trait the band has “shied away from in recent times”, but was especially prominent in the group's early years.

“I think that at the beginning, we played on the British thing a lot. There were a lot of American bands like The Strokes and The White Stripes around, so we were a reaction to that – we wanted to do something different. But later on, it was just a case of realising that it's just the way we are – we're British and we like to bring a bit of northern humour into our lyrics.”

Now, eight years down the track, the group have the release of SOUVENIR: The Singles 2004 – 2012 on the horizon – a collection of anthems which showcase the band's extensive and successful singles career to date.

“Ricky (Wilson, lead singer) is moving house at the moment, and he was saying that he's been cleaning out his old attic and found loads of cool stuff that he'd forgotten about, and at the end of it, it was a really nice experience,” Simon explains.

“That's what Souvenir is like to us. It's like a celebration of what we've achieved over the last few years, with some of our biggest songs, all put in one place for people who might not have bought all four albums.”

However he's quick to point out that it's strictly a compilation of singles and not a greatest hits, which would feature a completely different array of tunes.

“It's a funny thing for a band to do a singles collection of a greatest hits thing in the middle of their career, but it just seemed like we had more than enough stuff so it felt like a good time. After this, we're just going to keep going.

“Even though the mass public probably won't notice the difference, for us, a greatest hits is something you do at the end of your career. This just seemed to be logical because we have a collection of singles, but we also have a couple of new songs we're releasing.”

These two new tracks, On The Run and Listen To Your Head could be some of the Chiefs' finest and most ambitious work to date.

“We really wanted to make sure these were on an album,” Simon explains.

“It's weird because even though the music industry is suffering and record sales are down, people are still buying albums. If you put a song out on its own, just to stick it on the radio, it gets a bit lost really. We think that the two new songs are really good, especially Listen To Your Head – I think that's one of our best songs ever. We played it in the set and it sounded it immense straight away, so we thought it would be a waste to just release it on its own.”

Kaiser Chiefs as we know them have been around for the best part of a decade, but the group also experienced moderate success as their earlier incarnation: Parva. However, Parva were later dropped by their record label – a setback which Simon says increased the resilience of the band and helped them to be savvier when dealing with the savage nature of the music industry.

“Back in the days of Parva, it was all our dreams coming true; we got signed and went on tour. But then it finished very abruptly,” he remembers.

“I said that if we were going to continue being in a band just to gig around Leeds on a part time basis, we had to do it for the love of the music – we couldn't copy anyone, or try and be successful or commercial, we just needed to love and enjoy it. Ironically, it finally worked when we didn't try to force it. It's like as soon as we relaxed and resigned to the fact that success will happen if it's meant to, that's when we wrote some amazing tunes like Oh My God and The Modern Way. Then we got more ambitious and decided to try and make it happen. We all believed we could make it in the end. It was sheer persistence.”

Success came quickly for the boys – almost too quickly, as this sudden plunge into stardom eventually took its toll, causing the quintet to take a two-year hiatus in 2009.

“We didn't really have a gap between working in jobs and doing the band as a hobby, to 2009 where we had been constantly touring for five years and three albums down the line,” Simon recalls.

“We just needed a break to hang out with our girlfriends and family and live a bit of normal life. But not only that, we needed time to take it all in. I think the big difference between when we stopped and when we came back was that we had had some time to realise what had really happened. It wasn't until 2009 that I realised that I didn't need to think about getting another job as a barman or something. I was going to be in a band. This is it.”

And Simon confesses that there are events in the period leading up to the hiatus which were lost in the flurry of a hectic touring schedule or drowned in a drunken haze, which the band are still piecing together.

“Recently, I found a video on YouTube of us opening The Brit Awards and playing I Predict A Riot. I had literally, completely forgotten about it. I was watching myself playing on stage, but I couldn't remember any of it. I found myself thinking about other, bigger bands like AC/DC, who have had an amazing career, way longer than ours, and probably with much more rock‘n'roll excess. If I've forgotten so much stuff, they must have had years that have just disappeared.

“For us, it was probably a combination of drunkenness and being so busy back then, but it was also another reason we realised we needed a break. Brilliant things happened every day that we just took for granted and forgot about. I think now we appreciate what we have a lot more, which is good.”

Coming back from this extended break was never going to be easy, and this was why the innovative release of fourth studio album, The Future Is Medieval, (which allowed fans to select ten tracks from a collection of 23, customise the cover art, and share their version of the album, pocketing £1 for every time it was sold) injected a much needed spirit back into the band.

“We liked touring and making records but for some reason we weren't that inspired to get on with it. We were probably just being a bit lazy and burnt out. We were bored with the idea of just doing another CD, then going on tour and doing the same thing we'd done before. It was important for us to try and do something different.

“We had an idea which was ambitious and really quite hard. It required technology that didn't exist, secrecy, and lots of songs and creativity. It was a huge challenge and that's what has got us right back into it.”

BY CALLUM FITZPATRICK

KAISER CHIEFS play the Palace Theatre on Wednesday May 16. SOUVENIR: The Singles 2004 – 2012 will be out on Friday May 11 via Liberation.

Phoenix Public House To Close

Thu, 10 May 2012 19:18:54 +1000

Another bitter demise in the contemporary Melbourne live music venue saga, the Phoenix Public House is set to close its doors next month.

Whilst only a recent fixture to the local scene, the Sydney Rd venue held host to some of the finest local, national and international acts to grace Melbourne the past year, and joins the ill-fated likes of The Buffalo Club, Miss Libertine and East Brunswick Club, all closing within the past six months.

The Phoenix Public House will close it's short but magnificent run on Tuesday June 12. Stay tuned to Beat for more details.

Arj Barker

Thu, 10 May 2012 12:02:10 +1000

Arj Barker is one of comedy's big names for a good reason. He is incredibly, indubitably funny. Arj's third DVD Joy Harvest is no exception. Performed at a packed out Sydney Opera House, his performance was adroit and absolutely hilarious.

Arj loves Australia, blessing us with his presence frequently. When I questioned what it was that he loved about our country, Arj rattled off a lengthy list of quintessential Australian features including: “wildlife”, “the country's beauty”, “friends”, “the mild Melbourne weather”.

Accidently, I raised my eyebrows enough that he followed my gaze to the nearby window. The trees swayed violently in the howling wind, while the rain lashed incessantly at our window.

“Well today may not be a great example,” Arj corrected. “Also my favourite two comedy festivals would honestly be Adelaide and Melbourne.

“It helps that the Australian audiences have been very receptive, and grown over the years, which makes it nice to spend time here. They like to see my shows and I like doing them so it's win-win. It's a joy harvest, ” Arj said, cheekily throwing in a plug for his latest DVD.

“The [title] idea comes from me performing shows. I'm the joy farmer and I'm harvesting the joy.” Arj plucked at the air to indicate his extraction of invisible joy from his imagined audience.

“It's pretty new-age, I suppose. In line with that, it's packaged environmentally.”

When speaking of the environment, Arj's face became somber and he looked entirely genuine in his concern.“I care about the environment a lot. I feel overwhelmed and even a little bit cynical. I know a lot of people care, but I don't know if it's the right amount of people to fix the issues we face… I'm a little in awe of humans. I'm disappointed in the way we treat the planet.”

To ensure he wasn't coming across superior he confessed: “then again I'm also aware that I have a sizeable carbon footprint myself. I have to travel a lot,” Arj admitted justly. “For work, I'm not trying to brag,” he added, quick to ensure he didn't seem like he was trying to show off.

Arj truly doesn't seem the bragging sort, he clearly loves what he does and feels lucky to be able to do it. “My best moment was doing Letterman. It was very validating, something I had dreamed of. There's been tonnes of great times, too many to count.”

There's an unmistakable spark in Arj's eyes when he talks of Letterman and performing. It's nice to know that even the most famous comedians consider themselves very lucky.

Arj doesn't seem to take anything for granted. Such passion is demonstrable when he performs; contributing to the superlative standards he bequeaths his audiences with.

Nevertheless, even the greats have awkward or regretful performances, something Arj recalled with justifiable detail. An experience like this would stay with you. “I performed a gig where my fly was unzipped. I was going through a ‘heavy metal' phase. When I look back now it looks like I was cross-dressing. I had silver spandex pants on and they were so tight I couldn't wear underwear. The zipper came down on its own. Luckily I noticed before I finished my entire set with a tuft of… well this was before the days of Brazilians.” Oh dear.While on the topic of all things furry, Arj's latest DVD Joy Harvest contains an abundance of animal jokes. Arj admitted he does love animals, but travelling so much he only gets to part-own a cat.

“If I could I would own both a cat and a dog. I like both, I don't see why you have to choose.” After confessing previously to loving both Sydney and Melbourne, it's safe to assume Arj refuses to agree with preconceived rivalries. Next he'll admit he is a fan of both Edward and Jacob – crazy nonconformist…

Another theme throughout Joy Harvest is of heightened security and Illuminati conspiracy theories.“I do think that elements of Illuminati theories are real. You can see before your eyes the gradual decrease of privacy. I just think it's important to keep an open mind and never assume you know everything.

“I also believe in UFOs. I'm not saying they are extraterrestrial but I believe there's unexplained sightings that are quite bizarre. They're not always explainable. Wait explicable?” I nodded and he continued. “Yeah ok so I guess UFOs are not always something you can explic.”

What's next for Arj? “I'll be doing some shows next year with Flight Of The Conchords.”

When I asked about how his role on Flight Of The Conchords came about ,he explained that he was already friends with the lads. They were looking for “an American, that's kind of a dick, but kind of harmless, who thinks he's cool. Wait I've got it, let's call Arj Barker.”

BY TESS WOODWARD

I've surely no need to explain why you should pick up a copy of Arj Barker's latest DVD, Joy Harvest which is out now. Harvest yourself 60 minutes of pure joy and witness just how good comedy can get.

One Direction @ Hisense Arena

Thu, 03 May 2012 10:50:06 +1000

For those unaware, One Direction are a teenage British boy band who are just the right combination of good looks and shitty pop music to seduce the hearts of young girls worldwide, and just young enough for Kony to kidnap. They released an album called Up All Night (which has dominated charts worldwide) and got away with it because of their young, clean image. It was considered “cute” and “playfully naughty”. Yet if Dr Dre put out an album with the exact same title it would be considered “extremely vulgar” and “too heavy on references to hardcore everlasting sex”. One Direction are in their late teens. Just sayin'.

I must admit that I was not in a grand mood before One Direction. Firstly, in some form of sick joke, I was asked to review this band, and then I was told I couldn't get a +1. I was alone. At One Direction. And I paid $10 for parking. And then I was seated between two groups of horrifyingly loud 14-year-old girls. It was awesome depressing and a low point in my career. But then things got better, and I was transformed into a good mood because these girls were hot! I was interested in seeing why such a colossal chaos was made of this boy band.

One Direction, with less collective hairs beneath their underwear than hairs on my face, came out to the sound of a screaming pre-pubescent frenzy. I knew I was in for a musical orgasm after Niall (is that even a real name) started strumming his cool air guitar in time with the drum beat. As both instruments do in fact make a form of noise, I will refrain from further criticism.

Not long after, they performed their most puzzling hit, What Makes You Beautiful, a gem which contains the bizarre lyric: “You don't know you're beautiful/Oh oh/That's what makes you beautiful”. I can't understand how this lyric has gone under the radar. It roughly translates to “You have no sense of self-worth/Oh oh/That's why I like you”. One Direction are obviously sickeningly attracted to girls with low self-esteem. Other lyrics from that song include the repetitive chanting of “Nana Nana Nana Nana Nana Nana Nana Nana” – quite reminiscent of the schoolyard tease chant of “Nana Nana Na”.

By far the highlight of the evening was a break in the performance where the band read the tweets from audience members which featured various questions. My favourite tweet was “Who can jump the highest?” The members of the band then all attempted to find out who was the most talented jumper. They each took turns, one by one, jumping on stage and then high fiving each other. It was a moment that will go down in rock history; a moment where I can say, “I was there”.

I hate my fucking shitty job.

BY NICK TARAS

Photo credit: Charles Newbury

LOVED: When Louis jumped really high.

HATED: The expensive price of chips.

DRANK: Didn't serve alcohol but I had chips. They were good but not cheap!

The Darkness

Tue, 01 May 2012 10:58:47 +1000

Anyone who had the first edition of SingStar will be familiar with the hit song I Believe In A Thing Called Love performed by British glam rock band, The Darkness. Any bona fide fans of The Darkness will also know that they have been off the map for damn near six years now. Throw in some rock star drama including drug addictions, band break ups and rehab; it is clear to see the hiatus was necessary. The good news is that they're back together with the original lineup that created Permission To Land and are heading to Australia in May. Bassist, Frankie Poullain, speaks with me about his reasons for leaving the band, their new album and why they reunited.

At a time when The Darkness had reached ultimate success with their debut album Permission To Land (which was certified quadruple platinum in the UK) they also entered a phase where luxury and temptation were flowing in abundance. There were drugs, girls and lots of talk going on which led to tension within the formerly tight-knight group, ultimately resulting in Frankie leaving the band.

“Justin and I couldn't bear to be in the same room together," Frankie explains. “Everything had gone sour. People were whispering in our ears and we had been touring for too long on our first album. We lost all the qualities that made the music good. The enjoyment, fun and euphoria were replaced with drugs, greed and stupidity. Most relationships broke down between the band after that.”

The Darkness are defined by their outgoing and zany costumes equipped with spandex onesies, sequins and headbands. Their revival of this glam rock aesthetic helped them to stand out, but at the same time they looked “uncool” says Frankie. They evolved from a smaller band, and slowly began creating a more defined look. “In the late '90s I was in a band called Empire when I asked Justin to visit,” Frankie begins. “We needed a fifth member, but he had always wanted to start a band with his brother. Justin did join the band though and ever since then we worked together. Justin started to be the singer, and then we made a pact together with Dan which is how it all evolved.”

Despite not receiving a lot of interest initially by A&R guys, The Darkness's live performances and energy earned them their attention. “We maxed out in any possible way,” Frankie says. “[We] spent all our money, all our time and all our skill to put everything into it. [It was] based on trial and error…[we would get] pissed up and charged on Friday and Saturday nights to perform and would go all out….that began to define the music and changed our musical style.”

Why Frankie decided to reunite with the band after such a long time apart seems an obvious question to ask him. “Probably because all the people around us were trying to bang our heads together,” he explains. “A lot of people were saying the same thing; that no one had stepped up to have taken our place. Our old manager got us together for a meal at an Indian restaurant in London. Everyone was sitting around a table and you could cut the tense atmosphere with a knife. Absolutely no one was talking [but then] gradually we began easing into it [and were] enjoying each other's company.”

During their hiatus, Frankie spent a lot of time travelling, however things weren't as uphill for Justin who was battling a drug addiction and consequently checked into rehab. Frankie says that he is a brand new person now and his improvement is “amazing”. He explains, “It has been a long time since he's been dabbling in that lifestyle. He is a force of nature now [and is] fitter than he's ever been.”

Their yet-to-be-titled third album is in great anticipation, with the new single Nothing's Gonna Stop Us only recently becoming available. “[You can expect] lots of very melodic guitar playing, with harmonic resonance,” he says, “We were sort of dicking around, but there is lots of loud drumming and pounding on the new album also.”

The band is looking forward to returning to Australia, especially for its beaches Frankie says. “Everything felt more primal in Australia,” he explains. “I'm looking forward to this trip because last time we were getting messed up all the time. But now we're a clean-living rock band who can appreciate more. I want to soak it up more this time, go to sushi restaurants and what have you.” Melbournians will also be pleased to learn that The Cherry Bar was a favourite of his.

I couldn't have an interview with a member of The Darkness without asking about some of the crazy shit they've no doubt gotten up to. The answer did not fail to disappoint. “Justin was dressed in a microphone costume while on a flight with Japan Air,” he begins, “We were in business class and Justin kept on walking up and down throughout the plane. The stewardesses kept on trying to make him sit down, but they were very polite and he just wouldn't stay still. Eventually, however, he crashed and fell asleep, but ended up pissing himself. So there was Justin, asleep in business class, in a microphone costume drenched in his own piss. We don't let him live that one down.”

BY TAMARA VOGL

THE DARKNESS will be playing The Palace Theatre on Tuesday May 8 and Wednesday May 9.

A Bucketload of Splendour Sideshows Land

Mon, 30 Apr 2012 10:48:49 +1000

As you're probably painfully/ecstatically aware, tickets to this year's Splendour In The Grass were snapped up in record time. For those who missed out, there will still be plenty of shit-hot acts making their way down to ol' Melbourne town.

Break out the highlighters and balance your budget, the following sideshows will be hitting town at the end of July:

Howler, Zulu Winter - The Corner, Tuesday July 24

The Afghan Whigs - The Hi-Fi, Wednesday July 25

Friends - Northcote Social Club, Wednesday July 25

Michael Kiwanuka & Ben Howard - The Corner, Wednesday July 25

Band Of Skulls - The Corner, Thursday July 26

Father John Misty - The Corner, Saturday July 28

Youth Lagoon - The Corner, Sunday July 29

Django Django, Cast Of Cheers - The Corner, Tuesday July 31

Electric Guest - Northcote Social Club, Wednesday August 1

These sideshows join already-announced performances by Splendour artists Jack White, The Shins, Missy Higgins, Hilltop Hoods and Muscles.

Stay tuned to Beat for more announcements!

Ghostface Killah, DOOM and Chino XL Tour

Fri, 27 Apr 2012 15:36:08 +1000

Launching in 2010, Rap City brought DJ Premier, The Beatnuts, Masta Ace and Edo G to Melbourne, and it's returning in 2012 bigger than ever!

Jesus Christ, talk about a comeback. Featuring an all-class lineup of rap royalty, this year's headline slots have been claimed by none other than Wu-Tang's Ghostface Killah, alongside East Coast hip hop king DOOM, and Bronx native Chino XL. Clear your motherfucking diaries.

It all goes down at the Forum on Saturday June 9.

Jack White Melbourne Sideshow

Fri, 20 Apr 2012 07:22:13 +1000

After he was announced as the headliner of this year's Splendour In The Grass yesterday, Melbourne fans have been eagerly anticipating the possibility of a Jack White sideshow - especially considering he was one of the select main acts on the poster not to be suffixed with "only Australian show".

We can expect a selection of classics from the Jack White canon, which includes The White Stripes, The Racontuers and The Dead Weather material, as well as tracks form his cracking debut solo LP Blunderbuss.

Recent shows have been split into two halves - one with an all-female backing band and one with an all-male.

Support comes from our very own Lanie Lane, who of course worked with Jack last year to release a seven-inch.

Jack White performs at Festival Hall on Wednesday July 25. Tickets onsale Tuesday May 1.

Splendour In The Grass 2012 Lineup

Thu, 19 Apr 2012 12:09:38 +1000

Well folks, this is the one you've been waiting for. After intense speculation and rumour-mongering, the time has come to bask our beady eyes upon the mighty Splendour In The Grass 2012 lineup. And 'tis a mighty one, indeed.

Celebrating the return to the festival's spiritual home in Byron Bay will be a veritable galaxy of talent, a fine mix of established veterans and red-hot rising talent.

Well, enough of my yakkin', let's boogie! The full lineup brings Jack White, Bloc Party, Smashing Pumpkins, At The Drive-In, The Shins, Hilltop Hoods, The Kooks, Gossip, Miike Snow, Dirty Three, Lana Del Rey, 360, Azealia Banks, Tame Impala, Explosions In The Sky, Ladyhawke, The Afghan Whigs, Missy Higgins, Wolfmother, Metric, Kimbra, Mudhoney, Band Of Skulls, Spiderbait, Django Django, Gypsy & The Cat, San Cisco, Last Dinosaurs, Electric Guest, Muscles, Angus Stone, DZ Deathrays, Howler, Lanie Lane, Fun., Big Scary, Michael Kiwanuka, Seekae, Friends, Yacht Club Dj's, Bertie Blackman, Jinja Safari, Blue King Brown, Youth Lagoon, Pond, The Beautiful Girls, Tijuana Cartel, Ball Park Music, The Rubens, Ben Howard, Bleeding Knees Club, Zulu Winter, The Medics, Shihad, Hypnotic Brass, Ensemble, Husky, Kate Miller-Heidke, Father John Misty, Emma Louise, Chet Faker, Here We Go Magic, Parachute Youth, Mosman Alder, The Cast Of Cheers, Wolf & Cub and Gossling.

We'll be there for sure. Shit, a seven nation army couldn't hold us back.

Splendour In The Grass 2012 will be held at Belongil Fields, Byron Bay from Friday July 27 until Sunday July 29.

DZ Deathrays

Wed, 18 Apr 2012 14:27:10 +1000

Simon Ridley and Shane Parsons look uncomfortable, sitting in their record label's office. They're surrounded by CDs, touring posters and all manner of modern music memorabilia. Still, for the first few minutes of our conversation, the drummer and singer/guitarist of Brisbane duo DZ Deathrays are at once bored and fidgety.

“It's been a long day of interviews,” shrugs Ridley, passing me their exhausting schedule for the day. We talk briefly of doing the interview in a bar, which perks their interest, if only slightly. It's only when we begin to share our experiences at festivals such as CMW and SXSW that the band truly becomes at ease. Soon, sheer excitement takes over. It's evident through the giddy smiles the band adopts; DZ Deathrays is a band that long to be onstage.

Asked to look back on the immense 2011 they had, the bombastic punk duo confess that amidst a great year, opening for Foo Fighters and Fucked Up at the 45,000 seat AAMI Park stands out.

“There were quite a lot of highlights,” says Parsons. “Foo Fighters, that was pretty insane.”

“We loved all the guys on that lineup. There was no rock'n'roll ego going around,” notes Ridley.

“Usually you do tours with other bands, and the crews kind of look down on you. But this crew went out of their way to make us feel at home,” says Parsons.

There's an air of youngish enthusiasm in DZ Deathrays, evidenced in the appreciation they show towards those who've leant a hand along the road. No trace of vanity can be found in listening to the guitarist/singer and drummer, as they quickly follow-up on each other's answers.

“When we opened for Foo Fighters in the Gold Coast, we were just in amazement of how many people there were,” says Parsons. “When we finished, I literally had to take my guitar to the car, drive to the airport and we made our flight with just minutes to spare. We flew back to Melbourne and did a show at Northcote Social Club. It was just such a heavy feeling, walking offstage after playing to thousands of people and then sitting on a Tiger flight to play to an entirely different group of people. Everything was so rushed and last minute.”

With the release of Bloodstreams, their debut full-length, feeling rushed is something Ridley and Parsons may have to get used to. Still, they've managed to avoid tiring from the road for now. When asked if they've felt overwhelmed by their sudden fame, they pause, hum and look at each other before Ridley speaks up.

“If anything, we've been very surprised at the amount of UK press that we've been getting. Only because we went there once and we already started getting heat,” says Ridley. “I went back to work after that tour and I was sitting at my desk and I read the article NME wrote on us. I just sat back, and thought ‘Holy shit,'" he says with a dropped jaw and widened eyes. “I wish I was back in England playing shows."

“Goddamn it,” says Parsons, quickly afterwards. “We should be back there. We've just got to keep that up though, and keep going back as much as possible.”

Though Parsons was referencing the UK, he could have been speaking about any touring stop outside of Australia. In anticipation of the release of Bloodstreams, DZ Deathrays traveled back to the UK and also made stops in Canada the USA, including a now mythologised gig at SXSW, where the band's set was abruptly cut short because of noise violations.

The day after our conversation, the band played an early day timeslot at Laneway Festival. Larger than expected crowds joined the band, and the duo responded with a concise but still hell-raising set. Regardless of timeslot or festival, DZ Deathrays is committed to playing every stage they can, in the hopes of making waves in a country that has not responded the way others have.

“So many great bands in Australia get trapped,” says Parsons. “We didn't want that to happen to us, so as soon as we could, we worked towards getting our money together and getting out as much as possible.”

“The more you do play outside of your home country, the more your home country takes notice of you,” offers Ridley. “Our shows at Laneway meant a lot of people were checking us out for the first time, even though we've been down to Melbourne 45 or 50 times in the last three years.”

And the frequency with which DZ Deathrays tour is only the beginning: these two are no flash in the pan duo. Their thrash pop sound, cultivated through a string of singles and an EP is remarkably mature one. Sure, they're a party band at heart, evidenced in the fallout from their often chaotic live shows. When the band is locked into a song onstage however, the intense amount of gigging they do shows up in spades.

“We really like dance music as well, believe it or not,” says Ridley a good 30 minutes into the interview. As they discuss their craft, their shift in the office-room atmosphere is palpable. “But everything about dance music is really locked in, the way it goes from point to point. When we demo'd the record, we were all over the place. When it finally came time to record with [producer Richard Pike of PVT], we made an effort to always lock it in. He's very aware of groove. He was pushing us to keep things tight. People like something that gets them moving a bit, and we're aware of that.”

It's a notion that DZ Deathrays have long been aware of. On their recent EP No Sleep, the band showed signs of their ability to craft precise thrash pop. It's the hope of both Ridley and Parsons that with the jump to the full-length Bloodstreams, their vision will become realised and they'll finally begin to garner the same amount of attention in their native Australia which they do abroad.

“Over the years we've been trying to figure out what we want to do,” says Ridley. “Instead of trying to incorporate a little bit of everything, we set out to make a solid punk record with attitude, but that's fun as well.”

“You see bands that've got three laptops set up and you can't hear what sound is coming from where,” continues Parsons, showing an attitude that contains a healthy amount of punk ethos. “I just couldn't even imagine setting up laptops or that kind of shit.”

“When we play we use a laptop for our lighting. It kills me that people might think we're using the laptop for our show,” says Ridley, looking defeated.

With band chemistry and the drive to gig clearly not an issue for the band, Ridley's comments were worth questioning. After receiving high praise from major media outlets, DZ Deathrays now find themselves in a favourable position that could soon turn detrimental. They've garnered enough hype, but with Bloodstreams, it's high time for the boys to deliver. What many would perceive as a challenge, DZ Deathrays find an opportunity to do what they do best: take to the stage.

“We always wanted to be known as a live band. We just needed the record as an excuse to tour and bring people to the shows,” says Parsons with a sense of affirmation. “On record, we try to capture that energy and translate it into the studio as best as we could. And you know, maybe it'll be the only one we ever do. But at least then we can look back on it and feel proud that we went into it with the same enthusiasm that we put into our live show.”

Parsons continues, echoing the general bewilderment and ultimate acceptance of the band's fate.

“We haven't anticipated anything to the extent that has happened.”

Though the band seem intent on purveying a carefree approach, as our hour-long conversation winds down, the subject of their reception in Australia cannot be avoided.

“We're a love and hate band anyways,” says Ridley. “There's a lot of people that've written us off very easily anyway, because they think ‘Oh, they're just a two-piece band that scream and shout.' It might not be for everyone, but you also get some people that are into it. Maybe that was the thing about the UK: people just seemed to get it right away. There's a very solid rock'n'roll scene in the UK that might've existed ten years ago in Australia.”

As Ridley continues, both members take on a serious tone, dissecting some of the issues they have with the industry.

“But now there's a borderline hardcore sound which is really in favour now. In Australia, things are dictated by the radio.”

DZ Deathrays has made a name for themselves as a band that lives to be onstage. Though the mood in the room ultimately turned light once again, if the band do get serious and accept their fate, they won't remain unknown in Australia much longer.

“It's too folky sometimes too,” says Parsons.

“Yea,” agrees Ridley, as both of them break out into laughter. “Folk and dubstep.”

“We've been saying we should just start a folkstep band and take it to the next level and then hopefully we'll get some serious press. Then maybe we'll be the ones to kill it off and we can go back to doing what we want to do.”

BY JOSHUA KLOKE

DZ DEATHRAYS play The National in Geelong on Wednesday April 25, Karova Lounge in Ballarat on Thursday April 26 and The Tote on Friday April 27. Bloodstreams is available now through I Oh You.