Skipping Girl Vinegar - Chase The Sun

Check out this excellent video clip. Australian band Skipping Girl Vinegar sent a hobo monkey called Baker to the edge of space, in a low rent spaceship made from foam and gaffa tape. On the morning of Sat 27th November 2011, attached to a giant weather balloon, Baker and the onboard camera soared to 110,000 feet (4 times higher than Mt Everest) capturing the rolling image that is now part of this new film clip. Reaching speeds of over 200kmh and experiencing temperatures as low as -50 degrees, Baker carried an Mp3 player beaming out the new SGV single Chase the Sun and messages to the Universe from the people of Earth.

Skipping Girl Vinegar have played many of Australia's premier festivals including packed shows at Splendour In The Grass, The Falls Festival, Woodford Folk Festival, Sunset Sounds, Pyramid Rock and Port Fairy Folk Festival. SGV have also supported the likes of The Lemonheads, Something for Kate, Shout Out Louds, Missy Higgins, Angus & Julia Stone.

Find out more about the band here.

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.

Deap Vally interview

Golden Lady gets to grips with the latest buzz band from The States:

Deap Vally, a duo hailing from the San Fernando Valley in California, have managed to create a small tidal wave of a buzz within the music industry of late. Visually it’s not hard to see why, they flitter somewhere between Fast Times at Ridgemont High and Dazed and Confused. Musically it’s even more obvious, take a dash of Sabbath, mix with a splash of Heart and a holler of Karen O and you get the very wonderful Deap Vally!

Like all super hyped bands, it usually takes one flame to ignite industry fire, as is happening now. From the creative cliques of LA to the heavy buzz of UK industry, where much revered chronicles such as The Guardian and The Independent have singled the band out as definite ones to watch. Not to mention, pioneers of great hype themselves NME Magazine, boldly labeling them “a hippie Karen O fronting Black Sabbath”.

Speaking with foxy singer Lindsey Troy, one gets the sense that both her and sassy drummer, Julie Edwards, are more than aware of the spell they’re casting. I enquire as to whether getting such a wide array of comparisons is at all overwhelming. “Our influences are so vast, it’s always interesting to hear which of them stick out to people. We're both huge Led Zeppelin fans, so getting that comparison is always exciting.”

Without having so much as released a single yet, they are already filling slots at UK festivals such as Reading, Leeds and Latitude, with a handful of shows in between. Acknowledging the achievement thus far, Lindsey tells me she’s more excited about the festivals than anything. "I love music festivals. I love the sense of community that is created. I can't wait to melt some faces.”

And speaking of community, like so many LA based creative forces, there is a definite sense of artistic fellowship which permeates. You often hear stories of actors helping out fellow musicians or vice versa and their story is no different. Their mascot being none other than indie hero/villain Vincent Gallo, who has been championing the band since their incarnation a little over a year ago, when he contacted them on Myspace to profess his love and support. He is regularly seen cheering them on at shows, where one may have also recently spotted Marilyn Manson heckling them front row ……as you do!

But they definitely take this all in their stride, never hesitating to be equally as supportive and encouraging towards those around them. “We've met a lot of very inspiring people on our journey as a band, and I would definitely say that some of them have impacted our development. For example, we have a good friend whom we met last year, a designer who goes under the name Kittinhawk [her real name is Allysun Maria Dutra], who we have formed a really fruitful creative relationship with. She has designed a number of our staple stage outfits. We all bounce ideas off one another and the end result is always amazing”

Reinforcing this positive spirit is the lyrical content and message you get from Deap Vally’s music. From lead single Gonna Make My Own Money to scorcher End of the World (“there’s no time like the present, so open up our hearts and let love shine in”), one can’t help but feel uplifted and energised. “We're very conscious of the messages we put in our songs” says Lindsey. “They empower and inspire us, and I hope that they have the same effect on others.”

Something tells me this is already happening!

Interview by Golden Lady

Deap Vally release their debut single Gonna Make My Own Money in the UK on July 30th.
Keep up to date with all their goings on at www.facebook.com/deapvally or www.twitter.com/deapvally

Disclosure - Control

The Brits amongst you might already be familiar with Disclosure, (aka brothers Guy and Howard Lawrence, aged 17 and 20 respectively). They have been playlisted by Radio 1 (and considering Radio 1 seems to just play the same half-dozen songs over and over, that's an achievement in itself), been raved about by The Guardian, toured the UK and Europe and supported SBTRKT on his UK tour. If you haven't heard of them, you might be wondering what the fuss is about. Well, check out the above clip to find out. The song showcases the talents of rising British singer Ria Ritchie and is taken from their latest EP, The Face, which looks set to compound Disclosure's growing reputation as the UK’s most exciting new producers.

Blending deep house bass lines, Dilla-esque snares and melodic two-step top lines, The Face illustrates a sonic maturity beyond the brothers' years. And despite its uptempo BPM, it’s a sound that Disclosure insist owes as much to ‘90s Hip Hop as it does to Detroit House and UK Garage.
The boys are currently working towards a much-anticipated debut album. Keep up to date with them on Facebook.

Love Migrate - Plagued Are All My Thoughts

Melbourne band Love Migrate have just dropped the video for the title track off their forthcoming debut record Plagued Are All My Thoughts. The video was shot over two days from sunrise to sunset in the beautiful Macedon ranges with filmmaker Dylan Wiehahn (Active Child, Seagull and Young Magic). It's a serene video that deals with themes of mortality, love and loss. 

Listen out for the band’s next track ‘Making This Hard’ which will be released on July 23rd. For more details head to http://www.facebook.com/LoveMigrate

Elle Skies - City

You might remember Elle Skies as the singer/songwriter from Melbourne who released her debut EP, Skyscraper back in 2006. Although it was a small, DIY, independent release, it provided Elle a strong foundation within the musical landscape, winning the then 19-year-old many accolades, including first prize in a UK-based songwriting competition.

Well, Elle now returns armed with the jaunty and rather lovely single City and a new EP to be released soon. Have a little look at the cute video clip, which was shot over a few hours on a warm Saturday afternoon in Melbourne; the part time-lapse/part stop-frame animation nicely depicting the spontaneity and youthful innocence of the song. 

You can keep up to date with all the good stuff that Elle has got going on by Liking her Facebook page.

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.

The Broken Needles - Cheap Gin

A while ago, we introduced you to The Broken Needles. Remember? Well, we thought we'd follow it up by giving you a gander at their new video. The song is called Cheap Gin, two words that resonate with most of us. The clip and was shot in infamous North Queensland DIY venue The Cot, on a budget of $400: all of which was spent on potent libations for the loyal extras.

Keep up to date with The Broken Needles at Facebook.

Darlingside - Sweet and Low (live)

This is something a little different. Meet Darlingside. A creative and innovative group of musicians, Darlingside captures a pretty original sound as they carefully weave together genres of rock, classical, and folk music. Their diverse sound can be attributed to the eclectic array of musical origins: a young classical pianist appearing on NPR; a world traveller studying music in Brazil, Turkey and Ireland; a touring boy alto and cruise songwriter; a Boston street musician; and a drummer drawing on a mix of rock, celtic and jazz.

Their upcoming debut LP Pilot Machines (available July 17th) is a melodic work that displays the band’s innovative, ambitious style. Below is an example, and if you like what you hear, then check out their upcoming US tour:

6.28 Williamstown, MA @ Williamstown Barn Concert
6.29 Manchester, CT @ The Main Pub
7.6 Providence, RI @ Fete
7.13 Wilmington, DE @ World Café Live at The Queen
7.14 Bristol, CT @ The Ingraham House
7.15 Greenfield, MA @ Green River Festival
7.20 Portland, ME @ Empire Dine and Dance
7.21 Concord, NGH @ Concord Market Days
7.22 Burlington, VT @ The Burlington Coffeehouse at The Black Box Theater

Zucchini Drive - Jaguar Sky

Zucchini Drive have a knack for cooking up surprising music from unlikely ingredients. Comprised of Marcus Graap and Tom De Geeter, the pair tackles the challenge of melding the lo-fi acoustic sounds of De Geeter and the buoyant electronic landscapes of Graap, taking their contrasting background and geographical distances to create an energy drawing influences from progressive rock, garage rock and hip hop.

Jaguar Sky is taken from the completely self-produced upcoming album, No Food but Lots of Weapons, which will be available in September through Marathon of Dope.

Last Dinosaurs - Andy

Remember how we interviewed Last Dinosaurs a while ago? Well, they've gone from strength to strength since then, and some time touring the UK (playing The Great Escape, London, Manchester, Liverpool Sound City, Scotland, Amsterdam and Field Day Festival) has seen them win fans at The Guardian, The Sun and NME. 

Here's their new clip, which draws upon Andy Warhol's art. The animations are hand-crafted, containing an organic jitter that you only get from frame-by-frame work. Each frame was hand-drawn over and separately animated using a graphics tablet.

The band are still in the UK at the moment and will be returning to their homeland in time to play at Splendour In the Grass.

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.

Katie and the Carnival - Dinosaurs [a little fool to you]

Last time we paid a visit to Belfast, in 2011, we ended up having dinner with Phil Jupitus. Which was random. Also at the table were musicians David Ford, Duke Special and the delightful Katie Richardson, who is the brains behind Katie and the Carnival. After red wine was demolished and desert was scoffed, Katie gave us a copy of her CD and we did an interview with her too. She was a pleasure to talk to.

Well, here she is again on the pages of Bobbysix.com with a brand new video clip for Dinosaurs [a little fool to you]. Check the fun vibes and catchy-as-hell chorus below and then be sure to keep up to date with all things Katie/Carnival shaped on their facebook page.

Kate Nash - UNDER-ESTIMATE THE GIRL

Written and recorded in less than 24 hours, Kate Nash is back with a new song. It's a world away from the plinky-plonky piano pop with which she made her name, and follows on from the post-grunge, punky guitar-led foundations (no pun intended) that she laid down on her second album. What are your thoughts on this seemingly Hole inspired inspired shoutfest? We like it, here at Bobbysix.

You can download UNDER-ESTIMATE THE GIRL for a limited time only here and you can see Kate on tour in the UK in the following places:

Sun 17th         Glasgow King Tuts: 14+
Mon 18th        LeedsBrudenell: 14+ with adult, 16+ without
Wed 20th        Liverpool Zanzibar: 18+
Thurs 21st      Manchester Deaf Institute: 14+
Fri 22nd          Nottingham Bodega: 14+
Sun 24th         Birmingham Glee Club: 16+
Mon 25th        Bristol Thekla: 14+
Tues 26th       Oxford Academy 2: 14+
Thurs 28th      Brighton The Haunt: 14+
Fri 29th           Guildford Boileroom: 14+
Sat 30th          Cardiff Ifor Bach: 18+
JULY 2012
Mon 2nd         Limerick Dolans: 18+
Tues 3rd         Dublin Whelan’s: 18+
Wed 4th         Belfast Limelight: 18+

Sponsored Video - Seductive Motion

There's a great scene in one of our favourite sitcoms, Peep Show, in which Mark and Jeremy are discussing whether or not they should dismantle the Megatron. What's the Megatron? Well, basically it is the taping together of all remote controls (telly, video, stereo, DVD player) into one super-remote. When the prospect of girls visiting their flat arises, they decide that the Megatron doesn't exactly say "Urban Freewheelers" but rather "Sofa Masturbators." 

The relevance of this? Well, the good news for anyone who would rather be thought of as an urban freewheeler is that the fine folk at Samsung are doing away with the need for a remote control altogether. Their new Smart TVs are so, well, smart, that a simple gesture is all it takes to access movies, sports, apps and other Smart Content. Forget the remote and use your hands to control TV functions by swiping to navigate and grabbing to select. Like your friends at Bobbysix, it's smart and easy. You can also log in using face recognition and experience 2D and 3D entertainment in full HD 1080p

Of course, if you are a sexy girl who prances around in her underwear and who happens to live in a building with big windows opposite the place of work of a zillion horny men, this could land you in all kinds of bother (as the above clip will illustrate). However, if, like us, you slob around in tracksuit pants and a baggy t-shirt, you should be fine. 

So, if your Megatron is starting to smell a bit funny or if you are just tired of spending ages searching for the remote, then get more information about Smart TVs at Samsung's website, or visit the Facebook page to keep right up to date with everything that Samsung has got going on. 

Sponsored by Samsung

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.

Sydney Film Festival kicks off today

Sydney Film Festival gets underway today. There are heaps of awesome movies to check out. We've already cast our eyes over a couple of the highlights:

Obviously we're interested in the music doccos that are on offer at this year's Sydney Film Festival. We're especially excited for Marley, and we were fascinated to watch Under African Skies, which sees Paul Simon return to South Africa to reunite with the musicians who collaborated on his mega-hit Graceland.

The album's 1986 release put Simon in the eye of a storm of controversy for breaking the UN cultural boycott of the South African Apartheid regime. Prize-winning filmmaker Joe Berlinger (Metallica: Some Kind of Monster and the Paradise Lost trilogy) follows Simon to South Africa for the album's 25th-anniversary celebrations, where he confronts his critics - including Artists United Against Apartheid founder Dali Tambo - and defends his appropriation of African music. Anyone who has an interest in Simon, in this seminal album, or in the politics of South Africa at the time, will be absolutely fascinated by this interesting and thought-provoking documentary. To be honest, it's worth watching just to see footage of the studio sessions. Awesome.

Coincidentally, yesterday we checked out another film based in South Africa (we were sitting next to Margaret and David in the screening - eeek). Beauty is a study of desire that won of the Queer Palm at Cannes. In it, South African director Oliver Hermanus focuses on Francois (Deon Lotz), a middle-aged, Afrikaans-speaking family man who becomes obsessed with the young son of longtime friends. As Francois stalks the young man, his world begins to unravel. Beauty is a gripping, tough watch. It's difficult to discuss the film's more difficult scenes without giving away plot-spoilers, but suffice to say its challenging, powerful content is typical of the kind of unrelenting cinema that Sydney Film Festival offers up as part of its extensive programme.

Under African Skies is playing Friday 8th June at 6.30pm and Sunday 10th June at 2.30pm at Event Cinemas, George Street, Sydney. Tickets are selling fast. You can see Beauty on Sunday 10th June at 8.30pm and Monday 11th June at 8.15pm at Event Cinemas, George Street, Sydney. Tickets here. For a full schedule of all the amazing stuff that Sydney Film Festival has got going on, visit: http://sff.org.au/public/home/

Castratii - Kingdom

Check out the video for Kingdom, the first single to be lifted from Castratii’s new album Eora, which is released in June.

Castratii, for the uninitiated, are a musical collective hailing from Australia's Blue Mountains. They make a bunch of densely abstract and dreamy gloom-gaze sounds, kind of like an aural re-imagining of the enormity and sparseness of Australia's wilderness. There is a spatiality to Castatii’s sound - the sprawling electronic drone, the languid vocals provided by The Duke Spirit's resident powerhouse Liela Moss (who has previously appeared w/ UNKLE) and the pulse and shudder of electro pop. What do you think? D'ya dig it? 

Kids Of 88 - Tucan

Evocative, wistful and driving, Tucan is the first single from New Zealand duo Kids Of 88’s forthcoming second album, Modern Love.

"Who are Kids of 88?" we hear you ask? Well, they bounced onto the scene with 2009's My House, a major hit in their homeland that saw them tour internationally, release their debut long-player Sugarpills, pick up some New Zealand Music Awards and several gold and platinum singes.

The new single sees Sam McCarthy’s vocal blend into a sound world composed of hip-hugging Kudoro drum rhythms, acapella arrangements and water droplet melodies. With a vocal assistance from Alisa Xayalith of The Naked And Famous, Tucan uncovers a gentler, more melancholic side to a band renowned for their party-starting live performances. But you don't need us to tell you that. Just click play on the below clip to hear for yourselves.

Kids of 88 are playing a little Australian tour. You'll find them: 
Saturday, 9th June - Alhambra Lounge, Brisbane  - tix $12 from Oztix.com.au
Wednesday, 13th June - Beach Road Hotel, Sydney - free!
Friday, 15th June - Esplanade Hotel Melbourne - tix $12 from Oztix.com.au

BATTERIE - Spring Step

BATTERIE is the new improvised Glitch Pop Electronica solo project from Jared Underwood, an award winning Australian musician, composer and producer. You may recall him scooping the 2011 'Best Original Score' prize at TROPFEST for the Film A Desperate Deed. Jared has also performed, recorded and collaborated with a myriad of ensembles and bands including Grafton Primary, The Sydney Symphony Orchestra, Daniel Johns, Luke Steele and Nick Littlemore.

BATTERIE supported Gang Gang Dance at the Sydney Opera House when they came to visit late last year and now Jared has teamed up with dancer Lo-arna Evangeline Okan and cinematographer Asher-lily Green to create the really rather spectacular video clip for his first single Spring Step. Check out the colourful, beautiful imagery and the striking beat above.