The xx at The Metro Theatre, Sydney

The XX returned to Australia last week and treated those lucky enough to snap up a ticket to a performance at the Metro theatre in Sydney. Support act, Flume started the show and, despite having quite a bit of airplay and gaining popularity with awesome mixes of Hilltop Hoods and Ta-Ku, did not seem to draw in a crowd, as people seemed unable to tear themselves away from the lure of vodka Red Bulls at the foyer bar.

The headlining trio, Romy Madley-Croft, Oliver Sim and Jamie Smith, took to stage (twenty minutes late) in a haze of smoke, and began the set with Angels, the first single from the soon-to-be-released album, Coexist. Usually I generally dislike bands showcasing new material at gigs, due to unfamiliarity, but Angels, despite only being released to the world a fortnight ago, still had the majority of the audience joining in and singing the chorus. The band took songs from their solid self-titled debut which excited fans, including Heart Skipped a Beat and Basic Space. These slower-paced numbers were pleasing singalong tunes, but the faster, more textural, pulsating tracks induced more of a reaction. Midway through the set the band played new material from the forthcoming album, this instrumental number had a club dance-floor vibe and seemed as though it were influenced by the steel-drum driven Far Nearer taken from Jamie’s solo album. It was an attack on the senses, blasting beats and smoke machines, with lazer beams scattering over the crowd as a projected psychedelic visual danced across the screen and spilled onto the band as they worked harmoniously to make the sounds. Another standout track was Infinity, a duet that reeked of passion and sex, with the transition of each singer, the pace fastened, the lights projected over the stage as Romy sang, “I can’t give it up to someone else’s touch” finishing with a climatic ending of blaring noise and light flooding the stage.

For an electronic driven outfit, the sensuality and the organic nature of the vocals of both Romy and Oliver is bound effortlessly with the precise drum machine beats and computer samples. Both strong vocalists project lyrics with delicacy and softness and often have a haunting effect that is woven through the tracks. But, they in no way overshadow the percussion and sounds created live on stage by Jamie, who makes clean, precise accompaniment with various computerised instruments.

I eagerly await the new album Coexist after hearing snippets at their gig. It is set to be released on 11 September.

Review by Carol Bowditch

The Jungle Giants - She's a Riot

Filmed in one shot, in one room, in one day, the brand new clip from The Jungle Giants plays with the notion of space, position and continuity. Without the help of post production or editing, all the changes you see happened in real time. Members of Team Bobbysix are no strangers to making one-shot, one room, lots-of-people videos, so we were keen to share this fine piece of work with you.

In celebration of their band new single and EP, The Jungle Giants will be hitting the road with Sydney duo, Toucan throughout August.

Tickets are on sale now.
FRI 10 AUG - NORTHCOTE SOCIAL CLUB, MELBOURNE
SAT 11 AUG - JIVE, ADELAIDE
FRI 17 AUG - ELSEWHERE, GOLD COAST
SAT 18 AUG - THE ZOO, BRISBANE
WED 22 AUG - BEACH ROAD HOTEL, BONDI
THU 23 AUG - TRANSIT BAR, CANBERRA
FRI 24 AUG - CAMBRIDGE HOTEL SIDE BAR, NEWCASTLE
SAT 25 AUG - GOODGOD, SYDNEY

She's A Riot is released through Create/Control on Friday, July 27.

Getting to Know... Northeast Party House

We grabbed two minutes with Sean from Melbourne's Northeast Party House before their hometown single launch last Friday:

Northeast Party House are five mates, who used to be six mates but three of them left.

We are currently listening to our latest single Pascal Cavalier. We shot the video for it on the weekend so it's been on repeat in our brains.

Our single launch tour will be the most fun we've had since our last tour... "TOUR TOUR TOUR!"

Melbourne is about to be drowned in the sweat of our Corner Hotel crowd!

It might surprise people to learn... this

In the future Snail Zombies rule the world!

You can see Northeast Party House here this weekend:

Friday 20 July 
Goodgod Small Club, Sydney
Supported by Panama and Colour Coding
Tickets on sale now via Moshtix www.moshtix.com.au | 1300 GET TIX

Saturday 21 July
Alhambra Lounge, Brisbane
Supported by The Belligerents and Fairchild Republic
Tickets on sale now via Oztix - www.tickets.oztix.com.au | 1300 762 545

Expatriate interview

Carol Bowditch caught up with from Expatriate after the band's lonnnng period of playing and writing in Europe. We haven’t really heard from the four-piece since their 2007 release, In the Midst of This, so Damian (the chap just to the right of lead-singer Ben's cheek in the above picture) explains what they had been up to.

Tell us what you've been doing for the last few years?
At the end of 2008 we flew over to Germany to release In the Midst of This. We had an English management company and they got us a Warner Brother record deal in Germany, so we went over there and, just as we were about to sign it, the first economic crisis happened. We ended up going with one of Europe’s biggest independent labels called PIAS. We spent a-year-and-a-half touring that album, doing all of the main festivals, like Rock in the Park, all these massive festivals, from Turkey to Greece, Helsinki… We also did about 50 shows with Placebo throughout Europe, so by the end of it we were well and truly sick of the songs. It’s not a good move to put out a record, and a-year-and-a-half after you have done it in Australia, do it over again in Germany. It was a bit like Groundhog Day.

So, we’ve just done our second record that has been sitting on the shelf for about a year, but that’s finally being released. I would like a third album [or] another EP released within October or November. Cause we have so much newer, fresher material.

You played with Placebo around Europe, who would you want to do a tour with in the future?
It depends really, whoever I’m listening to at the time. I really like bands like m83, lots of different stuff really, like The Weeknd and Drake. I have been listening to William Basinski, who does all of this experimental stuff. He’s a bit like Steve Reich, makes this like a sonic landscape, droney, multimedia thing, it’s really different.

How is Hyper/Hearts different from your last few releases like Lovers le Strange and In the Midst of This?
It’s much more over produced. We spent a lot of time in the studio. We tried to make a different record to In the Midst of This, which was very rock, in a way, with lots of guitars. We tried to add a lot more keyboards. It’s a lot more developed and refined in terms of production and stuff.

What is your favourite track on the album?
I would say Dangerous Stranger; it’s just really dark and fucked up, like an early Black Rebel Motorcycle Club sound. A good mix of guitars and synths, I like that. Also, Do You Remember is a good singalong.

Tell me about the two new videos that have recently been released on your blog. Do you enjoy making videos for your songs?
I love making videos, we do them ourselves. Dave our bass player does them and is quite good at it. It’s such a hard thing though, like making music, when it comes together and it works, it’s amazing. I love making video clips and I film, I love that medium. If you can marry those two together, that’s awesome. I don’t think you need a massive budget, it’s all about the idea I guess.

How are you finding playing in Australia after so long?
Brisbane was awesome. It was like an indie rock DJ night. Our record label is up there too. It was an eventful occasion.

I think in a way, people have moved on, like Triple J… After coming back after three years, like, Robbie Buck, who was our biggest advocate and supporter of us, is over at the 702 station, Ha Ha… Nothing wrong with that obviously, it just appears that we haven’t got the same support that we once got.

After talking to Damian, I went along to see the boys play at Sydney's Spectrum. I was reminded of all the festival gigs that I had seen them play years ago as a 16-year-old fangirl of the band. They played a mix of old faves like Play a Part and The Spaces Between, as well as a sample of new material, like aforementioned Do you Remember, along with few other newbies off Hyper/Hearts. They dedicated their song Crazy from In The Midst of This, to all the friends and family that had turned up on the night.


Interview by Carol Bowditch. Hyper / Hearts is out now. 

Zulu Winter interview

Carol Bowditch talks to Will Daunt of Zulu Winter in the midst of their hectic touring schedule:

Zulu Winter are sardined in the back of a van, whizzing about the streets of London after playing a gig. They are in high spirits, as the show had gone well, and they are humbled that “people had actually come to see us.” How sweet. Vocalist Will takes a few moments out to have a chat to me about their upcoming shows:

So you’re heading to Australia for the Splendour in the Grass festival, have you been before? 
I have actually, when I was 18. I did the whole thing of travelling up the East Coast and yeah, got very drunk and didn’t really see anything of importance, ha.

Will you get any time off to have a look around this time? 
Well we are only there for like nine days. I think we are just literally playing gigs. We will probably just do what I did last time, which was see the inside of bars. Yeah, it’s going to be amazing, we cannot wait. It’s a very weird thing for us to come to Australia cause we're so far away and you know, like, it’s really, really exciting, we’re really stoked.

So you guys met when you were kids and then you went off to college. What brought you back together to make music? 
I think that we just really needed to do it because we kind of just messed around in bands. When we turned a certain age, we thought if we are going to make a record, then we should make a record, and that’s what we did... We really wanted to make an album, and we really wanted to do it properly.

I read somewhere that you were in a Sex Pistols tribute band? 
Hahaha, that was our guitarist and keyboardist. They called themselves “The Next Pistols”, which is, you know, a genius title.

Your debut album, Language, has just been released. What were your musical influences for the new record? 
We all love bands like Portishead, Caribou and other stuff, but actually, we’re all into quite different things. Our drummer is into electronic, dance. I’m more into like pop, more song-based stuff, it has to have some sort of sentiment.

What’s your favourite track off the new record? 
I kind of waiver between two, I’m a big fan of the last song (People That You Must Remember), just because we had that song for a long time and it started out as this big rock anthem and we didn’t really feel comfortable with how it was sounding, and I didn’t really have faith in it. Then our guitarist, took the song by the balls and had a vision for it, and it turned into this very relaxed, spooky song and I just really love it.

The other song, Worlds That I Wield, just appeared. We were playing one day and it just turned up, which is a lovely way to make a song.

I like the video for the new song We Should Be Swimming. Can you tell me a little about how you created it? 
It is inspired by a woman called Loie Fuller, she did this thing called the “Serpentine Dance”, we wanted to use that and make something quite different...  It was filmed in Scotland in mid Winter, which is unbelievably cold. The dancers actually had it much worse than us, wearing leotards in this, like, freezing bog, up to their ankles in freezing water, ha.

So what should we expect from your live show? 
People kind of expect that us to be like a “dance act”, it’s actually got a bit more subtlety to it than that. We’re quite moody and down, and I hope that it’s slightly unsettling, in a way as well.

Some of the songs are about some stuff that is not that pretty. So it’s quite nice to have a slightly darker show as well. We’re definitely not a metal band, ha, but there is darkness to it. Also, no encores, unless people actually want an encore cause there’s nothing worse than a rehearsed encore!

 Zulu Winter are playing heaps of shows across the UK, Europe and Australia over the next couple of months. Check their tour dates on Facebook. Especially exciting are their dates in Melbourne and Sydney (24th & 25th July), as they are playing on an epically awesome bill alongside Howler and Friends. 

Interview by Carol Bowditch

The Falls - Home

This is The Falls, by the way. Not The Fall. You're not going to hear a drunk northern English mentalist/genius ranting in the above clip. Rather you'll hear beautiful folk from a Sydney duo that met, fell in love, wrote songs, fought, made up, broke up and wrote songs.

At a time when for most it would be the end of a relationship, for Sydney outfit The Falls this feels like just the beginning… The first single Home, is a bitter sweet tale of escapism and the search for clarity, and the final realisation that no matter how hard you try and avoid life’s difficulties, in the end you must deal with them. The Falls have documented their whole relationship in their songs. The love, the betrayal, the heartbreak. While at times it is hard for them to wear their hearts so openly on their sleeve, for The Falls, it has been a huge part of their songwriting. In the fallout from Valentines Day, The Falls decided that rather than wallowing in self-pity they would put their heartbreak to tape. So they pulled out their little tascam 4-track portastudio, which, with all its tape wobbles and noise, aptly captured the fragility of their hearts. These fledgling recordings were just the beginning of what has become their debut EP (released July 2012), from which this single is taken.

Seven Hundred Photos

Last night we were at Seven Hundred Photos, Sydney’s largest live art event, where artists, fashion designers and bands worked together to transform the seven hotel rooms above Sydney’s iconic Darlo Bar into live fashion photo shoots.

Everyone - from professional and amateur photographers, bloggers, to your everyday Johnny with an iPhone - walked from room to room, shooting the live installations and models within, in a papfrenzy of live art and fashion. It was hot, it was busy (like, reallllly busy), there was cheap booze and beautiful people. Basically, it was frickin great.

The night featured installations by the likes of famed designer Phoenix Keating (who has dressed Lady Gaga), fashion film director Alex Goddard, vintage label Laurel & Hector and event organiser Jesse Willesee and offered performances from bands Buzz Kull and Bobbysix's hot tip as one to watch, New Brutalists.

Here are a few snaps:

Photos by Bobby Townsend. See the rest of the pics on our Facebook page.

Ned Collette + Wirewalker at FBi Social, Sydney

Having recently chatted to Ned Collette about his new album, Carol Bowditch braved the cold to check out his live show in Sydney, which was to promote the new album, Ned Collette + Wirewalker - 2

Nursing a chilli coma, the relaxed vibe of the loosely packed crowd was a welcoming environment for my ill self. It was the sort of gig where you could lounge on couches or park yourself cross-legged on the floor while sipping on something warming.

The support act, the Russian born, Berlin expat, Mary Ocher, took to the stage wearing a sparkly bra and sporting a messy peroxide blonde do. I wasn’t sure what to expect from the solo songstress from her eccentric appearance and her strange exclamation in her thick accent that the lights were "SO cool, they make me feel like I’m in a horror film.”

The vocals in her short tracks were aggressive, with unidentifiable lyrics yelped between staccato screams and whimpers. Ocher’s solo set was brave, although it was a little hard to fully enjoy and appreciate with my intestines burning.

A crowd emerged after Ocher’s set, ready and waiting for Ned Collette + Wirewalker to take over. Ned, looking schmick in an all-white ensemble started the set with one of my favourite tracks off the new album, Il Futuro Fantastico. It was a strong start, with pulsating keyboard samples, monotonous pacing vocals and gangly Spanish guitar.  The dreamy The Decision was heavy with keyboard chords and organic percussion sounds, with Ned’s reminiscent lyrics layered over the top. The only instrumental on the album, For Roberto, another standout track, was executed well live. The Spanish-infused tune blends these awkward, broken melody progressions on the synth, with acoustic chords and dextrous fingerpicking. Midway through the song there was an interlude and where Ned took time to sip his wine as eerie synth sounds filled the room. The band finished off with Long You Lie, with the tropical intro, and multiple vocals singing in harmony through the chorus.

The varied sounds of the set proved that Ned and his Wirewalkers could seamlessly blend genres and borrow from different countries’ music. The Spanish-tinged set had something distinctly organic and Australian about it, and with the members having come from their base in Berlin to play, it was a truly international affair.

Review and live picture by Carol Bowditch 

Missy Higgins - The Ol' Razzle Dazzle

Nicole Dora has a listen to the very long-awaited return of Missy Higgins: 

It was 2004 when Missy Higgins came along and became a permanent etching on the Australian culture scene. With her debut album The Sound Of White going platinum nine times over, everyone knew about the Melbourne based singer and her mix of light-hearted cynicism and beautifully tragic melodies/sonnets. Eight years after that first album and with a second long-player also under her belt, it seems that Missy is only just starting to get her groove back. With that second record kind of fading into the background, this third album - The Ol' Razzle Dazzle - is a reminder that the national icon is still alive and kicking (you can't blame me for saying that - The Sound of White is practically the soundtrack to the mid-noughties for the lives of many ladies and gentlemen all over Australia). Some call The Ol' Razzle Dazzle a foray into darkness and, while there are undertones of this through the album, at the same time it just sounds like someone who has lived life a little bit.

The first single, Unashamed Desire, shows us a hint of sinister intentions with the handy use of a cowbell, while songs If I'm Honest and Everyone's Waiting don't have the same conviction as previous tear jerkers like The Special Two, but you get the feeling that this album is trying not to get too concerned with the whimsy of unrequited love.

With ample time to let this album grow on me, I am still waiting for the funny feeling that I got from Higgins' first record - something that swayed from the heart-swelling to the stomach-dropping. This time round you can tell the direction is intending to move into new territory and it will be interesting to see what this cultivates and what path Missy goes down from here.

Review by Nicole Dora

Last chance to see Matthew Day's Intermission in Sydney

Acclaimed Melbourne-based choreographer Matthew Day is presenting the final installment of his solo series, TRILOGY to Sydney audiences this week.

Titled Intermission, the new work extends Day’s unique interpretation of choreographic forms. The show, focused around themes of time and body, builds on the minimal nature of the first two works in the series, Thousands (2010) and the sensory tension of Cannibal (2011). The result is a prolific and engaging body of work.

Thousands saw Day being nominated for the Green Room Award 2012 while Cannibal is to be presented by Dancehouse in November this year.

Against a minimal live sound score by James Brown, Day’s Intermission navigates a surrendering of the body to rhythm and momentum. Tension and relief are jointly created via repetitive circular movements and the beautifully hypnotic nature of Day’s dancing.

With his TRILOGY series, Day has established himself as an advocate for exploring and experimenting with new choreographic forms via an intensely physical and emotionally affective platform.

INTERMISSION runs until this Saturday 30 June at PACT Centre for Emerging Artists, 107 Railway Parade, Erskineville, Sydney.

Tickets $20 / $15 concession available through PACT. Get more information here: http://www.pact.net.au/2012/02/intermission-2/

Free Milk Crate Theatre production in Sydney this Saturday

Milk Crate Theatre is set to move audiences with their new Visible Theatre production, Belonging, over two shows at Sydney's Carriageworks on Saturday June 23rd.

Milk Crate Theatre works with people who have experienced homelessness and/or social marginalisation to create theatre that creates change.  In doing so, Milk Crate Theatre have created a unique theatre company and a much needed and respected community.

Belonging is far from your average theatre show. Visible Theatre exposes what happens behind the scenes; the creative process, the script, the performers, the audience and even the staging itself: all as a means to find the truth within the Ensemble’s experience. The outcome is a studio-style production centred around interviews from 14 Ensemble members, discussing the intricacies of what it means to belong. In doing so, the stage transforms itself into a space for catharsis and exploration.

Set at the scene of a wedding ceremony, the show explores the human condition through tales of love and loss. A sense of belonging is found through shared experiences of ostracism and marginalisation.

Milk Crate Theatre is currently developing their company production, ‘Fearless’ which will be held at Carriageworks this September.

DATE: Saturday, 23rd June 2012
VENUE: Carriageworks – 245 Wilson St, Eveleigh, Sydney
TIMES: 4PM & 8PM
GENERAL ADMISSION: Free

To book tickets email kate@milkcratetheatre.com or call 02 9331 0555.

The Griswolds - Heart of a Lion

Sydney indie-pop five-piece, The Griswolds, have just released their second single: the joyous, upbeat, Heart Of A Lion.

The video clip that accompanies the song was filmed over one day in a film studio, and took five days to clean up. The Griswolds are now banned from that studio.

The band have had a fast start to 2012, with support shows around Australia with Last Dinosaurs, Millions, San Cisco, Hey Geronimo, and Kids of 88. Their first single, Mississippi, has also received high acclaim, featured on over 100 blogs worldwide, and charting on college radio in the USA. Both songs are from an upcoming EP due for release in August 2012. We're big fans, here at Bobbysix. So should you be.

Opossom interview...

Kody Nielson, scuzz-pop tearaway of The Mint Chicks, has gone in a completely new direction under the name Opossom. He is set to take his new album, Electric Hawaii, on tour with Jinja Safari and White Arrows. Carol Bowditch found out more: 

What prompted your decision to start making music on your own?
I've always made music on my own, but I guess it's just the first opportunity I've had
to actually release something of my own.

Are you enjoying the freedom of having sole creative control?
Yeah, I am. I get to take more risks, and try things out.

Can you talk us a little though the creative processes that went into writing and
recording Electric Hawaii? Did you do things very differently this time round?
The main difference was just not having to run ideas by anyone else. It made
everything a bit more experimental and playful.

What are you most looking forward to about your upcoming Australian tour and what should we expect from your live show?
It's always cool playing to new audiences and you should expect a three-piece psych band, playing melodic music with dynamics.

Tell us a little about the name Opossom...
I work at night so I feel nocturnal sometimes. I find it interesting that in New Zealand
people kill possums. They're considered pests here, and sometimes that's how the
country makes me feel. I decided to spell it Opossom, because I wanted to use a
word that didn't exist.

How was your tour with Bic Runga, and who - in an ideal world - would you
like to do a tour with in the future?
The tour was nice. I'd love to play with the Flaming Lips or Danny Brown.

Tell us something we night be surprised to learn about you...
I'm Batman.

THE BLIND DATE TOUR: Jinja Safari, Opossom, White Arrows
Wed 8 Aug: Perth – Astor Theatre - www.bocsticketing.com.au 
Thurs 9 Aug: Adelaide – Uni Bar (Licensed All Ages) - www.moshtix.com.au
Fri 10 Aug: Melbourne – The Hi-Fi - www.hifi.com.au - www.moshtix.com.au
Sat 11 Aug: Melbourne – The Hi-Fi (Under 18s) www.hifi.com.au 
Wed 15 Aug: Canberra – ANU Bar - www.ticketek.com.au
Thu 16 Aug: Newcastle – Bar On the Hill - www.bigtix.com.au
Fri 17 Aug: Sydney – Metro (Licensed All Ages) - www.metrotheatre.com.au 
Sat 18 Aug: Brisbane – The Hi-Fi - www.hifi.com.au

Interview by Carol Bowditch

The Jezabels at The Hordern Pavilion, Sydney

When Bobbysix.com first chanced upon The Jezabels a few years ago, in tiny Sydney venues supporting The Wahas and Bridezilla, we always thought they were pretty good. We never dreamed though that, in 2012, they would be headlining the mammoth Hordern Pavilion. In fairness, neither did they.

If, during their seminal hometown gig, the band seemed a little distant, it wasn't down to a rock n roll persona or through being aloof but rather because they were completely overwhelmed by their surroundings. "This point in the set is when we are supposed to say something," singer Hayley Mary told the crowd. "But we're too fucking nervous."

Her nerves were unnecessary. She is a natural born frontwoman. With a vocal that is incredibly powerful and that transcends into Kate Bush territory on occasions, she is the focus of the entire crowd's attention and the rest of the band kinda fade into the background in comparison to her sparkling presence (remember the term Sleeperblokes?). That's not to take anything away from their compositions. These guys know how to craft a song that retains indie credentials while being fit for plenty of radio exposure. Set opener Endless Summer is a fine example of this, with its prominent guitar and massive vocal burst on the chorus.

Obviously, with the band not used to performing in such huge surroundings, they found it a little hard to command the entire, cavernous room, but they certainly connected with the keenest fans at the front of the venue, who blared back lyrics and clapped along as if their lives depended on it.

A success of a homecoming was rounded off with a well-earned two-song encore. Excitingly, this is a band that is clearly continuing to grow in stature. Pretty soon, they'll be eating these sized rooms for breakfast.

Review and shitty iPhone pic by Bobby Townsend.

Cameras - June

It's simple really. We've been following Cameras since the very beginning and we love them. We have always loved them and, unless they, like, go all rubbish in the future, we always will love them. So it's our joy to bring you their latest clip. All blood, bunkers and awesomeness. Shit yeah.

Cameras' "June in July" tour:

Wednesday 20 June - Sofar Sounds/YouTube Secret Acoustic Show, Sydney
Friday 13 July - "Can’t Say” @ Platform One, Melbourne
Saturday 14 July - The Workers Club, Melbourne.
Sunday 15 July - Pure Pop Records, Melbourne
Wednesday 18 July - UNSW, Sydney
Thursday 19 July - Alhambra Lounge, Brisbane
Friday 20 July - Great Northern Hotel, Byron Bay
Saturday 21 July - FBi Social Club, Sydney

Jack Colwell & The Owls at Goodgod Small Club, Sydney

There are two surefire ways of getting a good review. The first is to hand your reviewer, upon arrival at the venue, a personalised, signed hand-drawn picture of a unicorn. The second is for your gig to be really bloody excellent. Jack Colwell had both of these bases covered at Goodgod on Thursday night.

Having been classically-trained at Sydney's prestigious Conservatorium of Music, composer turned alternative pop-star Colwell launched his debut album on a horrible, cold, rainy night that signposted the start of the Australian winter. Despite the bitter conditions though, a healthy turnout witnessed Colwell and his band of talented Owls (not actual owls, unfortunately) deliver songs from this new record, Picture Window.

A fascinating frontman, Colwell dissects being flamboyant and gothic and is often a confrontational figure. If you can imagine Patrick Wolf having a fight with Nick Cave (go on, it's awesome), then you're in the right territory. Plus, this cat realllly knows his way around a keyboard. In a local live scene where, often, sloppy musicianship is all too readily accepted, it is refreshing to witness somebody who can play so well. His piano is like an extension of himself.

The show was equally intimate, powerful and intense and was tied together with the singer's distinctive vocal and his dark, "chamber folk" melodies. Whether dazzling on the piano or crawling through the audience bashing the shit out of a tambourine, Colwell was a mesmerising presence throughout and is unquestionably somebody worth keeping a very close eye on.

Words and photo by Bobby Townsend. Keep up to date with Jack Colwell on Facebook.

Brian Jonestown Massacre and The Raveonettes at Oxford Art Factory, Sydney

Carol Bowditch was at the sold-out Raveonettes and Brian Jonestown Massacre show in Sydney: 

Having already sold out the Metro, this massive double headliner played a follow-up show to fans at OAF. The Raveonettes got the ball rolling. After starting with slower, acoustic ballads that helped ease themselves and the crowd into the set, as things progressed the songs became more daring and frenzied. Within the heavier tracks, however, the harmonic shared vocals were often lost and indistinguishable, hidden under dense layers of guitar fuzz that washed over the crowd. 

The duo remained effortlessly cool as they played songs back-to-back with little interaction with the audience. There was one moment however, where singer Sharin (pictured below), broke her restrained demeanour, flashing a cheeky smile to the punters. From this break of poise, you could tell that she could see that the crowd were obviously digging what was being created on stage. A climatic performance of Aly Walk With Me closed their show. The chainsaw-like guitar feedback was interspersed with seductive vocals, and a delicate chime noise sounded intermittently between the aggressive sounds created by Sharin as she mashed her palm against the fret board. It was just perfect. 

Brain Jonestown Massacre (pictured top and below) then took over to a heaving venue. The San Fran eight-piece, led by the notoriously surly Anton Newcombe, played a marathon two-hour set, playing a mix of old and new material. The crowd, sardined within the space, outstretched their limbs to catch the lights from the stage and make shapes to the shoegazey, blues infused sounds. They danced as the band churned out hits like the psychedelic rollercoaster of That Girl Suicide and the hypnotic Super-Sonic. Positioned far side-stage, Newcombe was constantly being upstaged by percussionist, the “tambourine man” Joel Gion, who exerted charisma and showmanship throughout the show to the delight of the crowd. His cocky stage presence really added to the rock n roll image of the band that we had coveted in the documentary Dig!. A surprising inclusion to the set was (David Bowie I Love You) Since I Was Six that had the crowd droning along to the down tempo rework. Anemone, usually sung by a female vocalist, worked fine with Anton's lead and was still delightfully fluid and full of attitude.

The Brian Jonestown Massacre’s set was long, obviously, due to the twenty or so album releases that they have under their belt.  There were times where the similar sounding tracks became tiresome, but I guess my expectations that they would play their 90’s releases like Take it From The Man, or Strung Out in Heaven in their entirety was never going to happen. The band took heavily from this year’s release Aufheben, which from lack of familiarly, didn’t resonate as strongly with me as the old favourites that they played. 

Overall, the two bands played the new material that they were here to tour well, both displaying the fine musicianship that they are known for. I’ll definitely need to take the time to give both new releases a proper listen. 

Review by Carol Bowditch. Photos by Carol Bowditch and Bobby Townsend.

The return of Converse Australia’s Acts Of Disruption!

In a wave of flailing arms, legs and guitars, Converse Australia recently launched their series of live music events, ‘Acts Of Disruption’. Designed to disrupt the traditional live music and tour mentality these one-of-a-kind parties will take place outside, on top, and underneath stuff - with the bands telling Converse where they want to play, no matter the location.

Kicking off the series, Melbourne’s King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard took to the eerie environs of Sydney’s vacant Rozelle Hospital, tearing through their set while bus loads of fans tore across the stage and through the abandoned hospital halls. Check the above video. It's safe to say that shit got pretty loose.

Well, Converse are back with the next round of shows, to take place at yet-to-be-revealed locations in Melbourne, Brisbane and Auckland - with yet-to-be-revealed bands.

For more info and to RSVP, head to the Converse Facebook page.

ma. gallery's third birthday party at Oxford Art Factory, Sydney

From humble beginnings in 2009, ma. gallery has grown to become a widely recognised “travelling circus”, showcasing over 300 creative types in Sydney, Melbourne & Tokyo. To celebrate its third birthday, there was a massive shindig at Sydney's Oxford Art Factory.

Amid art murals by Sydney-based international exhibiting artists Jumbo, Esjay, Bennett, John Hynd & Jaxie Yael, a bunch of bands, DJs, a load of booze and some live tattoos artists ensured that the festivities went off with a bang. Especially noteworthy were exceptional sets from La Mancha Negra (pictured above), Mother & Son (pictured, below) and Kill City Creeps. Meanwhile, Glitter Canyon (pictured, bottom) headlined the night with a histrionic set which saw them wrestle with individual crowd members and climb the rafters.

A fittingly fun and interesting party to celebrate three fantastic years of ma. gallery. Here's to many more.

Words and pictures by Bobby Townsend. See more photos on Facebook.

Elizabeth Rose interview

Carol Bowditch grabbed a few words with Elizabeth Rose about her current Australian tour:

How are you feeling about your first headline tour? 

I'm really excited to be on my first headline tour! With excitement comes also nerves. I get worried about the number of people turning up to the shows, but so far it hasn't been that bad!

What can people who attend your shows expect?

In my live show it's just me up onstage with my keyboard, laptop, sampler and me singing. I try to spice things up a bit with quirky outfits and makeup! The music I play live is slightly varied from the recordings, I like to experiment with new melodies and extended edits of the songs with obscure intros and outros.

You recently joined Chairlift on a national tour. How was that experience?

Touring with Chairlift was so incredible. I've been big fans of them for a couple of years and getting to meet them was just so surreal. Caroline and Patrick are so down to earth and they are so creative in their songwriting. I had a few good chats with Caroline about bands we're into and now I'm working on a remix for them!

Your video created with Ben Wilson is insane! How did you come up with the concept and do you think that video clips are an important tool to compliment your music? 

The video clip is trippy, hey? The concept came about when we realised we didn't have the time to shoot a proper clip from scratch. I wanted to use live footage from my single launch at GoodGod [in Sydney] but didn't want it to look like a 'live' show, if that makes sense? And that is where the crazy effects and overlaying of images came in! Video clips are a very important tool to compliment the music, they amplify the meaning/vibe/energy of the song and they are also really another fun tool to use to further express yourself as an artist.

Tell us a little about the collaborations you've been working on...

I've been working with some exciting people lately. A track with Flight Facilities should be coming out in time for summer later this year, and a track I did with UK producer Sinden will be on my EP. I've also been working on a track with a fellow Sydney producer Frames.

What have you been listening to lately? Can we hear any of these musical influences within your music? 

Lately I've been getting into the new Simian Mobile Disco album, Unpatterns. Also listening to Patrice Rushen, an 80's soul singer. Her album Straight From the Heart is great!

After the tour, what else have you got planned in 2012? 

After the tour I'll be madly preparing for the release of my EP! I'm in the middle of producing it at the moment. After that I have a few festivals coming up, including Mackay Festival of Arts which is a sci-fi dress-up theme! At the end of the year I want to start working on another release, possibly an LP....

Tell us something that it would surprise us to learn about you...

I love to go fishing. Ha! Bet you really didn't see that one coming.