Wavves at Hoxton Bar and Kitchen, London

Golden Lady hit London's East End to check out Wavves:

Raucous, loud, sweaty and punky. Wavves are everything you want in a modern day Californian punk rock band.

Friendlier than Fugazi, darker than their musical ancestors, Minor Threat, yet poppier than Jay Reatard, with whom they share former members, they are a fun, clever, scuzzy band who prove throughout the night to be full of healthy contradictions.

A messy start to what continues to feel like a pretty messy show is, nonetheless, engaging and enthralling, largely due to the raw performance of band members and those smart, hooky power punk songs recalling threads of early Nirvana.

Founder and singer of the band, Nathan Williams punches through each track with apparent pride that forgoes any of the nonchalance he assumes between songs. Laughing at his own jokes and complaining about broken strings and bad sound doesn't quite suit the atmosphere, nor the bands reputation. But this doesn't seem to bother the mostly ‘young dude’ crowd who are waiting patiently for the next moment of fuzzed out guitar wattage and noise-inducing disharmony, which preempts nearly every track in the set.

Things are definitely more engaging when the band are playing, pouncing and swallowing up the sonic space with their potent melodies.

Opener King of the Beach remains one of the highlights of the show - a perfect combination of surf, pop-punk and melodic glory. Other tracks Take on the World and Green Eyes are standouts, the latter, with its unaffected lyrics (“My own friends hate me/But I don't give a shit”) and vocal waverings, once again channelling Kurt Cobain. Super Soaker reminds me of Best Coast, or perhaps it’s the other way around, who’s to know?

There are songs in between that tumble into the next without much consideration, my attention wafts in and out, occasionally focusing on a stupendously drunk girl who seems intent on body surfing into a mostly well-behaved crowd. But then the band hit with one of those perfect skuzzed out moments and all is forgiven.

Bruises and all, Wavves are undoubtedly an exciting buzz of a band, reaching for something more than just post teenage tantrums and vague ambition.

Review by Golden Lady. See her own blog here. 

Photo borrowed with a loving kiss from our friends over at Rip It Up.

Teebs, Nosaj Thing and Eskmo to play live at London's XOYO

You know how we brought you news of that tear-inducingly excellent Gonjasufi gig last month? Well, the dudes at Soundcrash are putting on another awesome show on July 12th. Head along to XOYO to see three first-class beatsmiths live and direct from the USA. After selling out the Village Underground earlier this year, Teebs returns to London. Joining him as co-headliners will be Low End Theory regular Nosaj Thing and Amon Tobin collaborator Eskmo.

Teebs' set on July 12th will no doubt be one to remember. After signing to Flying Lotus’s Brainfeeder label, he released the critically acclaimed Collections 01 plus various collaborations with Daedelus and Prefuse 73 amongst others.

Add to this a rare London show from Nosaj Thing, who returns with his unique blend of psychedelic hip hop. After releasing an incredible body of work himself, Nosaj has remixed Islands by the XX plus the amazing co-production with Kendrick Lamar.

Innovative as ever, Ninja Tune’s Eskmo completes the triple headline line-up, serving up an ever-evolving cross-genre set, featuring live electronics cut to his own live vocals. With a new LP on the way, expect some exclusives as well as classic material.

Needless to say this will be a very special night! For ticket information, head to the Soundcrash website.

Gonjasufi at Village Underground, London

Sydneysider Jemma Cole reviews her first ever London gig, and it almost brings her to tears:

Gonjasufi is a man that has fallen under many different categorisations, including ‘space hip hop’, ‘electro Hendrix’, ‘psych rock’, ‘nomad soul’ and the list goes on. As he comes out with new releases it merely exists as a testament to the rare nature of his eclecticism that generates the foundation of his music. This rapper/ DJ/ singer, as well as yoga instructor by day, goes by the name Sumach Ecks aka Sumach Valentine.

I have to admit, I was so excited at the fact that this San Diego-born man was playing two days after I landed in London that I may have cried a little bit. Fittingly, I arrived on the damp and grey ‘summer’ night in East London to a gothic, World War II bunker-esque venue called Village Underground, filled with a mix bag of hipsters and nerdy musos.

First up was Blue Daisy, a local producer who kept everyone entertained for the majority of his set as the large enclosure filled out to its brim to listen to his fusion of familiar and unheard world/post dub-step beats and samples he mixed together on his laptop.

The crowd at one o’clock in the morning was getting pretty anxious at this point for their headline act to get up on stage (playing times were pushed back by his extended sound-checks that left us out in the rain). Next thing we knew an intense looking dude came on stage sporting a gleaming bald head with a single plaited pigtail smack on the forehead centre (we later found out to be his manager but could equally be hailed as the mystic man’s possessed back-up dancer) and started playing a berserk dance track remixed with Indian organ samples whilst flailing around violently. A while after, Gonjasufi and his two backing DJs entered the stage and launched into Demonchild, with a mix of samples sounding half like he was being introduced into the ring and summoned by the gods, before his brilliantly distinctive smokey vocals cracked in: "My mumma said 'son look what the world’s coming to.'"

Overall the set comprised of songs from his latest LP, Muzzle, as well as his EP, Ninth, his critically acclaimed debut Sufi The Killer and some unheard new stuff, which seemed to be equally enthusiastically received by the bursting audience. One pinnacle moment in the set was when Kowboyz & Indians manically ripped through the speakers and the crowd were worked into a frenzy. The rest of the show was as erratic and bewitching, as Gonjasufi and his enigmatic manager took turns in convulsing like an exorcism was taking place. Another track from Sufi the Killer came at the end when Ecks made the last call out to the audience, asking them what they wanted to hear and he then unleashed into the spiritual stoner haze that is Sheep.

Review and photos by Jemma Cole

Bat For Lashes announces new album and UK tour

We love Natasha Khan. Mostly cos she's a Brightonian, like all the best people. Oh yeah, and because, she's, like, totally awesome at songs and stuff. Anyhoo, the exciting news is that her hotly anticipated third album, The Haunted Man, is coming out on 12 October 2012 via Parlophone/EMI Music.

A full UK tour has just been announced, including The Forum in London on 29 October, summer festivals like Latitude and Bestival and a final date back in good ol' Sussex by the sea,

Since releasing the universally acclaimed album Two Suns in 2009, which has now sold over 250,000 copies, Natasha toured South America with Coldplay in 2010, collaborated with Beck to write a song for the Twilight film, Eclipse, headlined two sold out shows at the Sydney Opera House in June 2011 and covered Depeche Mode’s Strangelove for Gucci’s Guilty campaign, released on limited release on 7” vinyl for this year’s Record Store Day in the UK.

Full details of all her tour dates can be found at www.batforlashes.com

White Denim at HMV Forum, London

Golden Lady checks out the White Denim gig in London:

Hailing from the eponymous music capital, Austin, Texas, this now four-piece, blues-tinged, psych-rock band proceed to take the stage for what will surely be one of the more electrifying and musically expansive gigs one could hope to see this year.

Unlike some other recent overhyped and fussed over retro bands of late, White Denim have somehow managed to escape the overblown smoke machines, which has clearly worked in their favour. The crowd in the packed out HMV Forum appear to be solely there for the music, and you can tell. With sweaty palms and empty beer cups already floating about the room in anticipation, the band appear on the stage and break out into a full blown jam from their most recent album D, which will set the tone for the rest of the evening.

With definite moments of 1960’s guitar heroism, aka Hendrix, Cream, maybe even Jeff Beck, this feels like a modern day version with added streams of prog rock and straight up dirty blues. It’s difficult to escape the obvious comparisons to The Black Keys, however these guys are far less basic. Their clear disregard for simplicity and, dare I say it, radio friendly songs, make them a much more interesting and fascinating band to watch within the live arena.

Regularly deviating from the recorded versions of their songs, they delve into deep and intense instrumental cacophonies, which you can’t help but become completely transfixed by. And quite honestly, it's a fucking breath of fresh air to watch musicians who are clearly indebted to their musical heritage and form. Man, can they play!

It never tends to get over indulgent nor do they disregard the audience at any point.  Tracks Is and Is and Is and Shake, Shake, Shake get an especially great response, whilst other songs, like the country-tinged Keys, display what various shades and tints this band are capable of wearing.

My only criticism at all is that I found myself wishing that the production side of things were even remotely as electrifying as the band itself. Without any significant lighting or stage set up, nor communication from the band, I cant help but feel this is what might set this apart from any other exhilarating rock show filling out venues of this size right now.

That aside, White Denim are a wonderful band and this was a truly unforgettable gig.

Review by Golden Lady. Check out her own blog here.

Gonjasufi hits the Village Underground in London on Saturday

When Bobbysix reviewer Jemma found out that Gonjasufi was playing at Village Underground in uber-cool Shoreditch this Saturday night, she got very excited. So excited, in fact, that she is flying all the way from her hometown of Sydney to be there. Ok, so mayyyybe she was due to travel to London this week anyway, but the fact that she is flying for 24 hours then jumping off the plane, laughing in the face of jetlag and pretty much heading straight to the venue shows two things: 1. Bobbysix reviewers are fucking amazing and 2. This is a gig that is definitely worth making the effort for.

Fresh from releasing a new mini-LP, Gonjasufi hits the East End with his band of rapscallion beat-makers to deliver another bewildering dose of psychedelic brilliance aimed squarely at the soul. Sounding like nothing you’ve heard before, Gonjasufi’s idiosyncratic growls - nestled precariously on a bed of astral beats produced by LA’s finest - will come vividly to life on stage accompanied by DJs, keyboards and electronics and capped with Gonajsufi’s transcending presence.

We'll be there on Saturday night and we thoroughly recommend that you are too. For more info and to grab a ticket before they sell out, visit the Soundcrash website. 

Trojan Sound System prepare to bring the party to the Soundcrash Alldayer

Daddy Ad from Trojan Sound System talks to Bobbysix.com about this Sunday's Soundcrash Alldayer in London: 

What can punters who check out your set at the Soundcrash Alldayer expect?
Rootikal and high energy vibes, positivity and love love love!

What sort of shape does your usual day at a festival take? Do you get much chance to check out the other acts on the bill?
Rectangular and sometimes circular. We tried triangular but we all fell out as it was so political.
Usually it's about getting the sound right for the show. We're pure vinyl based and only really use CDs for sound fx and the odd riddim we haven't pressed yet. These days you have to put in extra time to get it sounding crisp, as vinyl is becoming a lost art and vinyl synthesis removes the need for proper acoustic set up. We try and check out some acts after our show, time permitting.

Which other acts, schedule permitting, are you looking forward to seeing at Soundcrash?
Vadim is always fun. We're on late though and flying in from playing a big festival in Copenhagen the night before so I doubt we'll have time to hang out beforehand as much as we'd like.

Do you enjoy the challenge of winning new fans at a festival? 
Always. It has been our mission for a long time to break reggae out of just purist circles and have opened it up to peak time Friday and Saturday night clubs shows as well as the festivals. Chris Blackwell is a hero of ours and we've tried to pick up the flag where he left off and translate reggae to new audiences. Most forms of dance music wouldn't exist as they do without the influence the varied forms of reggae have had. We wouldn't have hip hop without the idea of a sparse riddim and chatting on top of it - thank you U-Roy, King Skitt and Dennis Alcapone. We also wouldn't have the production values of dance music, drum and bass, garage and dubstep as well as some of the riddims and melodies they recreate without reggae. For some of that we apologise...

After the Soundcrash Alldayer, what else has 2012 got in store for you guys?
We've got loads of releases planned for the year. Watch out for Turn to the East and My God over the coming months.

Tell us something we might be surprised to learn about Trojan Sound System...
We're really sexy and were beamed down from venus 2,012 years ago. Earl's legs are our inspiration, so praise Jah the summer is now here.

You can catch Trojan Sound System in East London at the Soundcrash Alldayer on Sunday. Tickets are embarrassingly cheap, so grab one today and get involved in 12 hours of awesome music. Alongside the Trojan boys, DJ Vadim, Anchorsong, Ruby Wood, Mt. Wolf and many more will be doing doing their thang, and there'll be live painting and a Jamaican BBQ. Full details of the party vibes and general mischief can be found at www.soundcrashmusic.com/soundcrash-all-dayer.

Interview by Bobby Townsend.

Friends at Scala, London

Bobbysix.com contributor Golden Lady checked out Friends' recent gig in London. Here are her thoughts:

Somewhere between Madonna’s Get into the Groove and Mariah Carey’s Touch My Body, lives a slightly demented lovechild of the two, named Friends. Still relatively unknown, however no less a buzzworthy band hailing from Brooklyn, New York.

They possess what looks and sounds to be a few decades' worth of hand-me-down hip-hop-meets-punkish musical references. If you've heard their breakout single I’m His Girl and watched the achingly cool film clip which accompanies, like me, you’ll have been pretty sure that this bunch were in possession of something devastatingly sassy.

Dreamy, cheeky, retro Hip Pop, worthy of crushing in a major way.

Last week I went to see them play live at Scala. A crowd of this measure and seeming anticipation could make even the least cynical punter overly cautious. Especially seeing as the band have not yet released an album.

New comers Aluna George, a duo hailing from London, were supporting. Despite only catching the last two tracks, I glimpsed enough of lead singer Aluna’s super cool vibe to know we’ll be hearing a helluva lot more from them.

Next stop, Brooklyn!

Five totally mismatched, mis-aged and mystifyingly various characters appear on stage. The more engaging of the bunch being the two gals: lead singer Samantha Urbani with her playful, goth get-up and flung gold cape and Lesley Hann on back up vox/bass/percussion.

As song one merges into song two and then three, it became increasingly obvious that none of the three other dudes in the band had any interest in engaging with each other, or indeed the crowd. While this can definitely work in some scenarios, such snobbery doesn't work when you are basically a basement party band.

There’s no denying at all that Samantha is incredibly engaging. If anything, she’s a sweetly geeky front girl, inelegantly clunking her way from one side of the stage to another, occasionally sharing some endearingly affectionate moments with crowd members. And whilst glued to her side of stage, moody bass player Lesley provided the youthful angst, necessary for balance's sake.

Stand outs included the dreamy Friend Crush and 90’s R&B throwback My Boo. However, like so many other hugely hyped-up bands, everyone is searching for a magical moment or two, a reason to support the hysteria, which didn’t totally surface.

Most of the other tracks came over like some high school, jokester band put together by Vice Magazine or maybe American Apparel. With the lack of connection between the band, on top of not being the greatest sound ever heard at Scala, one couldn't help but feel like they were playing the background in a B-grade John Hughes film which never quite made the light of day. After a few more shows and a handle on just how potent a band they could be, things may be different.

I look forward to seeing them again, after the buzz may have hushed a little and they’ve more of an arsenal of gigs to draw from, as opposed to a handful of hipster parties and the like.

Peace.

Review by Golden Lady. Check out her blog here.

Rooftop Runners – We Are Here EP and tour

Jonjon introduces us to Berlin-based Canadians, Rooftop Runners:

It isn’t easy being a new band or act, and it probably never will be. Touring small venues with tiny audiences in unfamiliar cities has to be, especially when starting out, a less than glamorous lifestyle. I caught Rooftop Runners in late January in their first London gig in a Camden venue with signed pictures of Madness and Amy Winehouse staring down from the walls. It was a chilly Monday night at the time of the year when London hibernates, when it’s a fight to get people to leave the comfort of the couch, or do anything really. Some bands may write off the experience and treat the performance as a rehearsal. I would if the audience numbered six people.

Rooftop Runners are thankfully professional. They’d spent the days handing out flyers and working hard to gain some recognition and an audience (never easy as Camden isn’t, despite its claims to the contrary, an inviting area for performers or audiences). They put a huge amount of energy into the show and despite the lack of atmosphere worked well with what they had.

One of the reasons they’re professional is because Rooftop Runners aren’t new to performing. Two Canadian brothers (Vancouver Island) based in Berlin (don’t hold that against them) having trained in dance and spent several years in Europe, they’re at ease with performance and attention or lack there-of. An empty venue on a weeknight in freezing London doesn’t worry them.

For an inexperienced band, their debut EP is relatively polished. Four tracks fly by with elements of indie and dance (with none of the associated negatives those terms used together may invoke). It isn’t going to set the world on fire immediately, but it is a great start. It’s difficult to judge a band on one EP but there is something interesting here and a great deal of energy when they perform live. If you get a chance to see them live, take it.

Words by Jonjon

Hero Fisher interview

There is a glint in Hero Fisher's eye as she sips red wine in a Sydney bar. Blonde hair tumbles onto her shoulders and a cheeky smile exudes an instantly beguiling impishness and engaging charisma. It is little wonder she is feeling particularly ebullient today as, a couple of nights previously, she had wowed the same room with the launch of her debut EP; her solo set of live songs receiving a rapturous reception. It's not just the Sydney public that are paying attention either. Last November, Andrew Wyatt invited her to record one of her songs, Break My Heart And Mend It, in Prague with an orchestra he was working with to record his own solo album. Soon, she would head to the UK to perform at the Royal Opera House alongside the likes of Boy George, Jonathan Pierce and Alison Mosshart in a dance production written by Wyatt and Mark Ronson and orchestrated by Rufus Wainwright. "I am so excited about the show," she exclaims. "It's such an amazing mix of worlds, and I feel so lucky to be involved." With her star clearly ascending at pace, it's safe to say that you'll be hearing a lot more from this Sydneysider in 2012.

A perfect English accent suggests that she was not born-and-bred in Australia, yet it also belies her French upbringing. “I ended up in Australia about two years ago because I needed to get away from Paris, which is where I grew up for most of my life. I have got Australian parents and I guess I initially just wanted to see what they had run away from.” And so she ended up in the Harbour City, where she instantly fell in with a creative bunch of like-minded musicians, such as Bobbysix favourites, The Preachers. Friendships were formed. Music was made.

While Hero (which is her real name, incidentally) was happy to nestle in the bosom of Sydney's musical family, initially she found working with others to be a strange experience. “I'd been playing solo all my life, so then I had huge fear of collaborating with anyone and just this fear of having to look someone in the eyes and say, 'This is the reality of the song. It's not that good but we can work it out,' rather than 'Hello everybody, this is me in my perfect state,' which never happens. Having a producer was new to me as well. That was full-on. But it was great and a really good learning experience and I'm so glad that I did it.” The eventual result of such collaborating is a stunning debut EP. “At this point, what I like about songwriting is that I don't feel convinced about anything,” she says of her creative processes. “I'm really enjoying it. I like that I'll come up with some brilliant idea and think 'This is genius,' and then a week later I'll be like, 'No. It's shit.' The songs are at a point where the subject is about letting things flow past you rather than being up against them, being aware that you'll always change your mind and that it's fine to do so.”

Her folk musings are born from a love of some of the all-time greats. As talk turns to her influences, one name continues to crop up. “Bob Dylan is my number one hero. He's my god. He has influenced me so much and I just love how naughty he is. He is a totally mystery. It's impossible to understand the man. I also love Billie Holiday. She's one of my favourite singers and I love how she sings everything right after the beat. There are loads of others... Neil Young, Jeff Buckley, Joni Mitchell.” Mitchell is certainly a good reference point, as would be Laura Marling. Wise yet yearningly poetic lyrics over acoustic guitars and flourishes of strings make for an achingly beautiful listen and one which you would be foolish not to embrace.

You can catch Hero at the Royal Opera House throughout April. For ticket information, and to purchase her wonderful EP, head to http://www.herofisher.com/. 

Interview by Heidi Pett and Bobby Townsend.

Zulu Winter postpone Australian tour dates but will be playing Splendour

It is with semi-sadness that we announce Zulu Winter will be postponing their Australian tour. Semi-sadness? That's right. Dry your eyes mate, because they have a bigger plan in store. After witnessing their scorching live show at SXSW, the Secret Sounds promoters have decided to keep Zulu Winter up their sleeve for a special Australian debut performance at SPLENDOUR IN THE GRASS this year.

Zulu Winter will be making good use of their now ‘spare time’ in April, with their international schedule ramping up off the back of their performances in Austin. They will be heading to Europe where demand continues to increase from promoters, fans and press. After hearing rumours of their incredible live show, the likes of Arcade Fire, Mumford & Sons and Kaiser Chiefs all made it down to catch separate Zulu Winter SXSW shows. It is little wonder that Zulu Winter are amongst the hotly tipped bands in the world right now. The bookish lads from Oxford’s lead single We Should Be Swimming (above) have been turning heads across the UK and US with Q Magazine naming them amongst their “Essential Listening” on the eve of SXSW, NME ticking them off as a band to watch and previous tracks receiving a Pitchfork endorsement. 

Any Zulu Winter fans who got in early for tickets to their April show will be happily refunded at their point of purchase. Stay tuned for further announcements.

Julia Stone launches new album with intimate preview shows

Here at Bobbysix, we love love love Julia Stone and her beautiful music, which is an intriguing combination of dark and light, melancholy and joy. Having won countless hearts when touring the world with her brother and with a critically-acclaimed solo album under her belt, she now announces her new record, By The Horns, with a series of intimate album preview shows around the world. She'll be performing in London, Paris, Berlin, Amsterdam, LA and Sydney.

The album will be released in her homeland of Australia on May 25th, with the Sydney show at Cell Block Theatre (National Art School) in Darlinghurst on Wednesday June 13. Tickets are on-sale here on Monday March 19th at midday.

Julia is a beguiling live performer, so do yourself a favour and make your way to one of the following gigs:

Fri April 20 – Amsterdam, Netherlands – De Duif
Mon April 23 – Berlin, Germany – Rotor Salon
Tue April 24 – Paris, France – Café de La Danse
Thur April 26 –London, UK – Studio Private
Fri June 1 – Los Angeles, USA - Hollywood Forever Cemetery
Wed June 13 – Sydney, Australia – Cell Block Theatre

For full ticketing information visit: www.juliastonemusic.com

Steve Smyth at The Slaughtered Lamb, London

Sometimes you just know that you have witnessed something seminal. The Slaughtered Lamb pub, tucked away in the labyrinthal back streets of Central London, offered up one such occasion on a cold, dark Wednesday night, as Sydney's Steve Smyth played an exceptional show for the UK launch of his debut album, Release.

Beginning with one of the most exciting songs put out by anyone this year, Barbiturate Cowboy & His Dark Horses, Smyth (pictured, above) demonstrated his vocal range and captivating stage presence as an ethereal opening was barged aside by a lung-busting, gravel-throated Tom Waits bark. He howled, approached the mic from every angle, stomped his feet and dropped to his knees on the beer soaked carpet as droplets of sweat rained from his brow. On A Hopeless Feminist, the troubadour treated his guitar with the gentle caress of a lover while during the raw blues of No Man's Land, he bashed the living hell out of it. Counterbalancing this, he further illustrated the nuances of his vocal with a beautiful A Cappella version of Leadbelly's Sylvie.

As well as being backed by Howling Bells drummer Glenn Moule on drums for much of the set, Smyth was also joined by Moule's London-based Australian band-mate Juanita Stein (pictured, above) for the sweet and gentle duet Stay Young. The Howling Bells singer's pretty delivery floated elegantly through the silenced room and juxtaposed the show's more visceral moments. The night closed with Smyth being joined by Kitty, Daisy & Lewis (pictured, below) for a fun Howlin' Wolf-esque romp, Chocolate For Breakfast, which had been created in the London siblings' home just the day before.

Calls for an encore were reluctantly denied by Smyth. “How can you top that?” he asked of his triumphant closing jam with the North London trio. And so, with a drink in each hand and a smile the size of the Thames visible through his epic beard, he disappeared through the packed room to a multitude of back-slaps and a cacophony of cheers.

On this showing, and judging by the quality of his debut LP, the charismatic Steve Smyth has an incredibly exciting future ahead of him and this love-in between himself, his musical mates and a wooed audience is sure to be one of those occasions where those in attendance will, in the future, boast “I was there.” The singer/songwriter certainly seemed overwhelmed and humbled by the turnout and reception and, as the crowd stepped out into the freezing London streets, their breath dancing in front of their faces, they did so in the knowledge that they had witnessed something truly special.

Review and photos by Bobby Townsend.

Steve Smyth interview

Celeste Macdonald talks to Steve Smyth about his new album, his influences and his collaboration with Howling Bells' Juanita Stein:

Originally from the south coast of Sydney and based in London, Steve Smyth has returned home to the country he describes as the "endless summer." Smyth's passion for the country he was born and raised in is evident when he speaks of the way in which the Australian landscape has influenced his music. "This country doesn't do anything lighthearted in a lot of ways. Its weather, its landscapes that I've seen across here, from the dessert to the oceans and floods to the fires. It's very fierce."

Smyth was born with a case of wanderlust. As a child, his parents would tether him to a tree on family picnics to keep him from disappearing. He explains, "I get itchy feet, I love to travel, change is the only constant. I would just keep running against that rope. For some reason I just came out kicking and wandering. I'm still trying to find out what's round the next corner; I feel that kind of fire in me."

It's the fire inherent in Smyth that impacts on his songwriting and had an insurmountable effect on his first solo album, Release. It's a cohesive album, drawing on a wide range of musical styles and genres. He is reluctant to classify the album, stating that the outcome of a song comes down to when it's created. "You have to give a song what it wants, not what you want. It's shortsighted to aim for a particular genre. It has its own little formations and it begs for different instruments and arrangements."

Smyth once played with a band featuring men much older than him, men who he credits for teaching him much of what he knows about music. Realising that he couldn't expect them to travel long distances to play gigs for next to nothing, he began playing as a solo artist. "I went out solo and it made me work harder for the songs and for what I was trying to put across. I don't feel as though I'm letting people down at the moment, so I'm keeping it solo and seeing what the future brings up."

Along with Australia and his upbringing, Smyth is equally influenced by the musicians he was introduced to as a teenager. He mentions Howlin' Wolf and Leadbelly among others. It's impossible to avoid comparisons with artists like Tom Waits, especially evident in songs like Barbituate Cowboy and His Dark Horses. Smyth refers to his voice as a muscle that you exercise, with versatility as a key, saying he uses his voice as if it were an instrument, just like a guitar or a mandolin. "I found that you can really get across a lot more emotion and feeling and story of the song by going into different aspects of your vocal range."

The gorgeously delicate Stay Young features the gentle vocals of Howling Bells' Juanita Stein, a collaboration Smyth recalls happened in the studio late into the night when, "everyone was over-tired and cracking up." The result is definitely one of the standout tracks of the album. He also recently supported Howling Bells on their tour. "It was wonderful having her Juanita up every night, singing the song as it is on the record," he says of Stein, who he refers to as a wonderful friend. Howling Bells, he says, are an amazing band.

Steve Smyth has a number of dates lined up over summer and is excited about the release of his album in late January. He feels privileged for the experiences and opportunities which he believes have "flowed into the album." He adds, "It feels nice to let it go now. I'm hoping it'll get out to a few people and they'll appreciate the songs."

Check out Steve Smyth's Australian and European tour dates here.

Interview by Celeste Macdonald. 

John Martin - Apocalypse exhibition

John Martin's Apocalypse is on at the Tate Britain for a few more days. Alice Parsons checked it out for Bobbysix.com:

THE END IS NIGH, YOU WILL BE JUDGED, REPENT!!! These are phrases that spring to mind when looking at a John Martin painting. You feel as if you could walk right into one of his works (some of his biggest paintings must be a couple of metres across each way) and stumble endlessly across the craggy, barren landscapes. Cutting your bare feet on the sharp rocks, dodging lava, desperate for an icy drink and salvation’s touch.

When I heard about his recent exhibition at the Tate, the first major collection of his works in 30 years, I knew I would be going and that I would inevitably be paying the £12.70 entry fee to get in (If that scares you, remember this is also the going-rate to see a film these days – Puss in Boots 3D anyone? No, I didn’t think so). The Tate eases you in with Martin’s gentler works. Serene scenes of Paradise, Eden, castles... nothing too sinister. However, on closer investigation, even the seemingly harmless depictions of London parks and British Tourist attractions harbour foreboding, swirling skies. Silent storms building up in the distance, hinting at what’s to come.

Then it starts to get exciting, John Martin’s ‘blockbuster’ oil paintings take over one room. In their day, they were the equivalent of going to see a new Bond movie. Belshazzar’s Feast (below - possibly my favourite) is breathtaking. I confess now, I wouldn’t have had a clue what was happening if not for the Tate's handy guide, based on Martin’s original descriptive catalogues. So, here follows my rough assessment: The Hanging Gardens of Babylon are gently caressed by moonlight in the distance. To their left, the tower of Babel is caught in a raging, lightning-stabbed sky. In the foreground everybody else is running around like headless chickens (there is quite certainly more to it than that). The contrast of light is otherworldly and the Hall of Astarte (seen in the midground) appears to be never-ending. I love that; looking at a painting that doesn't have an ending, it has a story and a world of its own that has been playing out for untold years already and will continue to do so into the future.

In his lifetime Martin drew up engineering plans for the improvement of London’s sewers, the Thames Embankment and even a metropolitan railway, but his plans never got off the ground and were criticised by others. Shunned by the Royal Academy, who felt his ‘blockbuster’ paintings were not sophisticated enough for the elite of the art world, Martin was always something of an outsider. Looking at The Great Day of His Wrath, I really can’t imagine why. Martin’s final work, The Judgement series, is comprised of three large paintings. The Tate has set up The Last Judgement, The Great Day of His Wrath, and The Plains of Heaven on one wall facing tiered seating. Every 30 minutes the lights go out and an interesting experience takes place. Some kind of clever projection light-show illuminates different sections of the paintings and then slowly warps and distorts parts to mimic lava flow, earthquakes or ash falling. Little animated lightning forks poke about and the whole effect is rather hallucinogenic. Unfortunately the overexcited actors they’d recorded over the top narrating were indeed a bit over-the-top. But then I’d probably get carried away if you asked me to act out a bible-bashing Victorian pastor.

Martin’s figures are not great. They don’t have memorable faces, they’re a bit soft and squidgy and I sometimes felt that they spoilt what would otherwise have been a great painting for me. That’s not to say that I don’t think he should have painted people, full-stop. They are the best scale markers for his epic work imaginable. Without the tiny figures of Adam and Eve being cast out of Eden in The Expulsion of Adam and Eve from Paradise (top), we would have no sense of their plight, of the fear they must have been feeling on seeing the expanse of dead land they had been cast into.

I want to wear John Martin’s paintings as fabulous evening gowns, swim in the still lakes and frolic in the green fields. Because not all of Martin’s paintings feature the end. Some depict the calm after the storm. The misty morning that marks the start of a new world. In Fantasia, the bit after A Night on Bald Mountain, when the devil hears the church bells and goes back to bed and all the nuns come down from the nunneries chanting Ave Maria... PHEW, safe again.

I celebrated my survival of the apocalypse with a suitably mammoth scone piled high with clotted cream and strawberry jam in Tate Britain’s very reasonable cafe.

John Martin: Apocalypse is only on at London's Tate Britain until the 15th of January, so don't delay. Admission is £12.70, while concessions can get in for £10.70.


Review by Alice Parsons. All images kindly provided by Tate Britain. 

Being Buffalo - Before We Fall Apart

Victoria Gottschalk reviews the debut album from Being Buffalo, who are setting tongues wagging in the UK right now: 

An album by a band named after bovine? Really? Well, okay then. While electronic folk music is probably the best way to describe Being Buffalo, there’s no doubt that the Londoners certainly have their own sound. From the first track, The Weather, to the last song, The Boatman and the Wife, there’s a distinct sound ringing through your ears; it’s not completely original but it’s certainly not manufactured either.

Songs like Defend Our Night and I Don’t Want To Grow Up are easy to imagine being played during a pivotal scene in the latest reality television show (at the moment Caggie and Spencer FINALLY got together in Made in Chelsea, Defend Our Night SHOULD have been playing. I’m certain of it). But then there are songs such as Grandad John that blow the contemporary folk music feel out of the water and make you want to grab a Scotch on the rocks and hang out with your grandparents for the day. I love that one album can make you feel so many different emotions.

The strongest track on the record is probably April, simply because it combines everything Being Buffalo are about. It’s the kind of song that makes you open a bottle of wine and reflect on every relationship you’ve ever had. Not negatively, but more in a “you know what, you’re an idiot but I miss you” kind of way. “It’s not like I’ll ever want you back, but I miss having you around,” is something we all wish we could say to the nice ex's that have graced our life and it’s the type of thing we all want said to us. C’mon guys, admit it, you’re staring at your phones right now, hoping a text pops up with those lyrics included…no? Just me then…

The only slight fault with Before We Fall Apart comes with the tracklisting. There’s a killer of a tune called Hope which is the fifth song. It should come last, because the lyrics sum up the entire album. Nitpicking aside though, Being Buffalo are exactly what the music industry has a space for right now; honest lyrics, catchy tunes and a fucking ace album.

Review by Victoria Gottschalk. You can buy Before We Fall Apart for peanuts here.

Howling Bells interview

Heidi Pett talks to Howling Bells lead guitarist Joel Stein about their latest album, touring and listening to trash.

“I think I was just feeling lucky,” Joel Stein laughs as he explains why he’s contributed more songs than ever before to Howling Bells’ new record, The Loudest Engine. “You don’t really plan, whoever writes or whatever is the most appropriate or whatever we think is the best will end up on the album.” It’s a mature sibling relationship of the kind parents can only hope for, instead of the masking-tape-down-the-middle-of-the-back-seat approach favoured by most on long car trips. Instead, Joel and sister Juanita form a close-knit band with bassist Brendan Picchio and drummer Glenn Moule, and have created an album out of their experiences on their travels.

Parked in a campervan by the side of the road in Paris, the band are in the middle of a European tour with Elbow when I speak to Joel about the process of writing and recording their latest album, which they’ve consistently described as their “grown up record.” Produced by Mark Stoermer from The Killers and recorded in Las Vegas, it marks a departure from the more electronic sounds of second album Radio Wars in favour of psychedelic-tinged folk rock, and is considered a follow-up to their debut self-titled release. Having toured and played quite extensively with The Killers, Joel says the decision to work with Mark was one born of familiarity and good timing. “It was very, very underground, actually. There were no record labels and no red tape involved. It was all very easy.”

Choosing to step away from the drum machines and electronic feel of Radio Wars, Joel knew, “we just wanted to go in and get the engineer to press record on the tape machine, we just wanted to play as a band.” For an album written on and about the road, it makes a great deal of sense to record it the same way it would be played live. “Lyrically it’s very relevant to us being on tour, which is why we called it The Loudest Engine. It’s more mature in sound and we had the most clarity in recording this album, more than the other two. It’s two years between albums and you do a lot of growing, especially on the road.”

Despite producing a record very clearly inspired by a touring lifestyle, Joel says, “If I had the chance I wouldn’t leave the house without a piano and a guitar because sometimes I feel like writing 15 times a day but I don’t have anything to hand.” Having relocated to Europe several years ago, Joel currently lives in Berlin and finds the vibrant community to be, “an extremely creative place, it’s buzzing at the moment. It’s very interesting and there’s a lot going on. I think Berlin’s still in the 70’s which I really like.” Asked whether it’s in any way affected his sound, Joel pauses for thought, and eventually chances at “It’s subliminal I guess. Your brain does what it wants and you figure it out a few years down the track.” The latest album definitely has a slight 1970’s vibe, the familiar sounds of their first release coloured with flashes of psychedelia.

I bring up a favourite Howling Bells lyric which never fails to fill my dining room with shouty jumpy people at occasionally raucous house parties - “you listen to trash but it’s not rock ‘n’ roll” - and press Joel for his preferred type of trash. He stalls, “I don’t know if it’s bad, see, you’re going to judge me now...” then seems to take a breath, letting the word “house” tumble out in an embarrassed mumble before rallying. “There’s a particular kind of house music that I like: this guy from Sweden called The Field, and everyone I play it to looks at me like I’m nuts.” Perhaps we’ve found the sticking point for tour bus disagreements, though it’s clear that the four piece are not only democratic in the writing process, but treat one another as family. The strong sibling bond between Joel and Juanita hasn’t proved a problem for the other members, as the guitarist explains. “All four of us know each other inside out so there’s no difference, really. It’s the same with Elbow, they’ve been together so long that you get to a point where it really doesn’t matter. You have a fight and you laugh about it five minutes later.” While some bands find the tour bus a breeding ground for bickering, Howling Bells seem to quite enjoy the experience, making friends and albums along the way. Joel points out, “If you love doing something you want to do it all the time,” despite not being able to take a piano with them in the campervan.

“I have no fucking idea,” Joel laughs when I ask what’s next for the band. “Absolutely none. It’s the most elusive business on the planet. We could be in China, we could be in the studio recording another album.” He asks me what I think they should do, and when I tell them to keep releasing albums I’m congratulated for picking the right answer. It seems a fairly obvious choice for a band who so clearly love the experience of making and sharing their music. Joel jokes, “Obviously if [our management] say we’ve gotta tour in Afghanistan we’ll think twice about that,” when I ask if they get much of a say in where they tour, before deciding, “Actually, that could be fun.”

Fortunately, you don’t have to hike to Kandahar to see them just yet - Howling Bells are playing at the Standard in Sydney on Saturday 10th December and Patch in Wollongong on Sunday 11th. 

Interview by Heidi Pett. You can check out her own blog here.

Fred Falke at The Nest, Dalston

Jonjon checks out the ESM Launch Party, featuring Fred Falke, Starsmith and Burns at The Nest, Dalston, 17/11/11.

Dalston gets a lot of stick... and deservedly so. It’s a punchline to any attempt at social commentary on “youth” and “fashion”. However “The Nest” doesn’t really fit in... it’s a bit too commercial, a bit too slick. It’s missing the dank, a mysterious musk and sticky floors. How can I put this nicely? It isn’t cool. How do I know? It let me in without having to queue. Admittedly the place *was* near empty but still, that isn’t right.

When I say empty I’m not being completely accurate. It’s not often you walk into a small club on a chilly Thursday evening and see the crowd near the dj booth already packed five or six rows deep. Admittedly the space near the dj booth is cramped but at similar gigs I’ve attended you were able to get close all night... what is going on? The crowd... how to explain the crowd... how many people attend a sweaty club gig wearing chinos, brown leather shoes and striped collared shirts? Not me, but this crowd did – when did it become cool to be preppy in a club? Not faux preppy, I mean true, Animal House preppy. They even had US accents. Does Smirnoff Black wash more easily out of an oxford shirt? Was I the one out of place?

There wasn’t much dancing happening on arrival. The crowd, what there was of one, was massed near the dj booth and the dj (who according to the set times list was Burns) was playing an excellent set of French house/Italo disco, but the dancing was minimal. This changed quickly however... Burns (or whoever he was – I take care in my reviews) stepped back and the music was turned down a tad. That was when the chant started; “Golden CAGE! Golden CAGE! GOLDEN CAGE!”. These guys (and the crowd was overwhelmingly guys) were here for one reason alone: Fred Falke.

You should know who Fred Falke is (go buy Rubicon or Music for my Friends!). First garnering notice with Alan Braxe, he’s released some excellent, and some terrible, remixes. Tonight we were lucky. On arrival I’d been worried by seeing his set was only for one hour, but I shouldn’t. He opened with his recent remix of Metronomy’s The Look and played his greatest hits – remixes of Robyn’s Dancing On My Own, tracks from Rubicon and snippets of Daft Punk and finishing with his ever popular remix of Whitest Boy Alive’s Golden Cage, sending the collared shirt crowd into an ironically ecstasy-lacking ecstasy. Not only was his set excellent, but he also played the bass to his tracks live. Short, but amazing.

I felt a tad sorry for Starsmith. He’s talented and could have headlined on his own but the crowd had seen what they wanted to see and began to dissipate. I can only hope the money I presume he’s raking in from his high-profile collaborations and remixes is enough to sustain him.

ESM is next scheduled for January with Burns as the only act confirmed. Go if you get the chance. Burns is an excellent dj, the crowd can only get better (first nights and all) and the cost was minimal for the talent involved (£3? Bargain). If you usually avoid the East End don’t let that put you off, and if you’re a local take advantage of the talent appearing in your backyard.

Review by Jonjon

Gotye adds third and final Perth date.

Whenever we post a story about Wally de Backer - or Gotye to you and me - Bobbysix.com almost goes into meltdown with the traffic we receive. You guys just can't get enough of him, so it seems. Therefore the Western Australians amongst you will be pleased to know that he has announced a third show at the Belvoir Theatre, Perth on Monday 12 December. It will feature his ten-piece orchestra and be the last date announced on his acclaimed, sold-out string of Aussie dates this year. Rising Melbourne outfit Husky will be the support on all three Perth dates.

Having performed at CMJ, Gotye is currently playing sold-out shows across in the UK and Europe. You might have to beg for a ticket, sneak in, buy one off a shifty bloke in a shellsuit top and Reebok Classics or get your ebay on, but, if you can get access to the venues, Gotye will be doing his thing in these places:

Monday October 31 – Communion, London UK (SOLD OUT)
Tuesday November 1 - Kings College, London UK (SOLD OUT)
Friday November 4 – Melkweg, Amsterdam Holland (SOLD OUT)
Saturday November 5 – Franzz Club, Berlin Germany (SOLD OUT)
Sunday November 6 – Gebaude 9, Cologne Germany (SOLD OUT)
Tuesday November 8 - La Maroquinerie, Paris France

Saturday 26th November – Foreshore Festival Canberra (Tickets onsale now)
Saturday, 3rd December – Homebake Festival, The Domain, Sydney
Friday, 9th December – Belvoir Theatre, Perth (SOLD OUT)
Saturday, 10th December – Belvoir Theatre, Perth (SOLD OUT)
Monday, 12th December – Belvoir Theatre, Perth (NEW SHOW ) (Tickets on sale Friday 4th November from Ticketmaster)
Sunday, 18th December - Royal Tasmanian Botanical Gardens (Tickets onsale now)


Full ticketing information at www.gotye.com

The Museum of Everything

Making her writing debut for Bobbysix, Alice Parsons tells us about, well, everything...

I wasn’t sure what to expect from the Museum of Everything. Having visited their website and rootled around for a bit, I was no closer to knowing exactly what ‘everything’ consisted of and how anyone might hope to fit it into a museum. But I was drawn in by the site's witty, friendly humour and still eager to pay a visit to Selfridges in London for a peek at the unknown.

Tucked away in Selfridge’s Ultralounge, my first impressions of the exhibition were that of entering someone’s slightly crumbly and decrepit old house, packed from floor to ceiling with weird and wonderful creations. Excited by this, I whipped out my camera and gaily started snapping left, right and centre, until eventually noticing the cheeky signs that stated I would be fined £1000 for any photography. (photos: kindly provided by the Museum of Everything, fines: currently unpaid). This set the tone of the one of the quirkiest exhibitions I’ve been to in some time. So what was going on here? We were greeted by a miniature construction site. A row of perfect, tiny cranes dangling their hooks over the banisters of a fake upstairs. Its creator, German artist Roland Kappel, was described by his plaque as a construction site obsessive whose passion for cranes and diggers harks back to his childhood of urban renewal and his own architectural practice.
 

Continuing through the labyrinth of 400 drawings, paintings and sculptures, I arrived at the spectacular work of Paulus De Groot. These were big, bold acrylic paintings; the type where the paint has been piled up so thick, you could stick your finger in and then lick it. Paulus is inspired by sex and horror movies, I instantly got the horror vibe. Each of his works housed a brightly coloured monster, the FANTASTICALLY named ‘Vampier met bloed aan de tanden’ (go on, say it out loud – it’s fun) aka, vampire with blood on the teeth (above), was easily my favourite piece of the exhibition, with his massive fangs defined by pitch black outlines. I didn’t get the sex bit until the museum’s founder, James Brett, pointed out a craftily disguised (but pretty big) penis attached to one of the monsters

After spending some time reading the artists' information and watching the short movies displayed on iPads in some of the rooms, it became apparent that the artists were working in creative studios dotted around the globe. James told me that, in fact, all of the art in the exhibition had been created by ‘outsider’ artists who have psychological, physical or learning disabilities. He explained that these talented, previously undiscovered creatives were able to produce their work thanks to the support of these studios such as Herenplaats (Netherlands) and Atelier Yamanami (Japan). He had also firmly chosen not to explain this on the website. As, really, should it make any difference to people’s opinions of the art on display? People might bring to the exhibition their preconceptions of how the art would look and what they expected to see there. You wouldn’t think this way before visiting the Tate, so why not turn up and think as you find?

What I found was a range of art, some of which I wasn’t so keen on and some of which I loved. Like the clay figures of Masami Yamagiwa (above), peering out at me from nooks and crevices in a plain brick wall, boring their little eyes into me. A readymade pocket-size tribe ready to pounce. And the work of Japanese artist Shunji Yamagiwa, whose huge inky black, splattery drawings of trucks I would happily bankrupt myself to own. The good news is, you can take a piece of art home with you if you pay a visit to the Shop of Everything on the next floor up. I couldn’t resist grabbing a Paulus de Groot postcard and some exhibition stickers. I haven’t decided where I’ll put them yet, maybe on my desk somewhere so I have something pleasing to look at when I procrastinate. As I left Selfridges, I took in the window display by Stefan Häfner entitled ‘City of the Future’, three sculptures of stacked-up, floating, urban flats of the future (below). Beautifully detailed, carefully made and very inspiring, ladies and gentleman, I give you The Museum of Everything.

The Museum of Everything is open until 25th October 2011 at Selfridges and Co, 400 Oxford ST, London W1U 1AT. Open Monday – Saturday, 9.30am – 8.00pm and Sundays – 11.30am – 6.00pm.

Review by Alice Parsons