Gurrumul Gains New Territory and so do I...

Hi Kids,

It's been a while since I updated this lovely blog... I have moved to London and am now writing for the Australian Times - a free tube paper. They got me to do an interview and review with Gurrumul which you can check out below.

Cheers.

Gurrumul Finds New Territory.

By VIVIENNE HILL

FOR a blind and extremely shy, non-English speaking Aboriginal to travel all the way to Europe to share his story with the world, Geoffrey Gurrumul Yunipingu deserves everything the world has to offer.
The Australian Aboriginal artist formerly of Yothu Yindi fame conquered the ARIA Awards last year, winning Best World Music Album and Best Independent Release and has excelled himself with a trail of other awards and accolades along the way.
With the aid of Gurrumul’s translator - manager and close friend Michael Hohnen - The Australian Times was able to get an insight into the journey that brought him to the other side of the world, and a glimpse into the mind of one of Australia’s most unique artists.
Michael Hohnen has worked with Gurrumul for many years and believes people are drawn to him as an artist purely because of his distinctive musical qualities. “After speaking to a lot of people I have found that when they put his music on, they suddenly say, ‘wow I love that beautiful sound and voice’,” he said.
“We have recorded it acoustically and have made it sound really beautiful, warm and as approachable as possible. People don’t realise that Gurrumul is blind if they hear his music for the first time, they just want to go and buy the album.”
Gurrumul’s music is almost solely sung in the Yolngu dialect and his lyrics centre on his life story, family and experiences whilst growing up on Elcho Island, off the coast of Arnhem Land, Northern Australia.
Michael said his limited English skills add to his introverted temperament.
“He is really good at understanding what people are talking about in English,” he said.
“If he listened to this interview he would understand quite a bit of it but he would fall apart if you asked him to speak. His confidence speaking English in public is non-existent.”
Gurrumul’s musical popularity has surpassed his acute shyness and Michael said he has come a long way from his performances with Yothu Yindi.
“He has come into his own. He was always treated as a talented backing singer, keyboardist, guitarist, and drummer,” he said.
“We explained to him that people weren’t hearing who he really was and how special his voice sounds. I don’t think he had much faith because he told me that he liked his music but he didn’t think other people would like it because it was so stripped back compared to anything he had done before.”
Gurrumul’s calculations for the success of his solo career have excelled all of his predictions.
The release of his first solo album in Europe has been received to great acclaim reaching the second spot on the album charts in Germany and achieving great success in a number of other countries.
“It’s sort of happening country by country,” said Michael.
“Gurrumul is very private and doesn’t have much to do with anyone that we deal with let alone the press but he does respond to key people. He has a unique intuition for people’s personalities.
He can pick something up about a person early on. He knows how many people are in a room and what sort of people they are straight away.”
Gurrumul shows are far removed from a common touring artist, as he uses his instincts to gauge the crowd when on stage.
“He knows how popular he is by how big the crowd sounds,” said Michael.
“There is not a lot of audience engagement but what happens is that people just sit, glued to Gurrumul and watch for any tiny little things that he does. We also have a camera on him so even if he is sitting quite a way away you can see any subtle expression that he has.
In a strange way it is like going to see an opera singer, it is curious and emotional throughout the whole performance but you are just hearing someone sing ‘Arias from Ahrnem Land’ instead.”


Geoffrey ‘Gurrumul’ Yunupingu
Gurrumul Review 8th November @ The O2 Shepherd’s Bush Empire

By VIVIENNE HILL

When the Gurrumul crowd members were asked to take a seat instead of squeeze into an O2 Empire mosh pit, it sure seemed they were destined to witness an awe-inspiring event.
German/Australian trio Worldfly warmed up the crowd, lead Michael Maher taking charge on guitar and piano.
It’s rare to see a box drum and a cello fused together but these three seemed to pull it off seamlessly.
As Gurrumul prepared to take the stage, an audiovisual presentation from the depths of the Northern Territory Arnhem Land gave an insight into Gurrumul’s home and family history.
What followed was an extremely humbling experience.
,Gurrumul’s tales about animals, his ancestry and nature were accompanied by a string quartet.
Of particular note were his songs ‘Bapa’ and the finale ‘Gurrumul a History: I was born Blind’
Gurrumul’s voice had a timbre that emanated an ethereal inner peace.
The audience continued to marvel at him throughout the show, breaking their silence only to clap vigorously.
His close friend and double bass player Michael Hohnen provided banter between songs, with shy Gurrumul using his voice for singing alone.
The multimedia display with English translations of the Yolngu dialects magnified the meaning of his soulful words.
Some light comic relief was provided when the band flipped their instruments upside down and played them clumsily in reverse; an almost necessary break to the trance Gurrumul’s voice created. As Gurrumul prepared to take the stage
There is no doubt this man has a unique musical quality.
He is an Australian gem, helping to share Aboriginal culture with the rest of the world.

Bestival Review 2009

Bestival, as the name suggests is the BEST festival ever. (Well, the best one I have been to anyway.) Let me tell you why...(please don’t be deterred by the negativity of the first paragraph. I can assure you that paragraphs following this make up for it 10 fold.)

We arrived in Porstmouth (the south of England) after a grueling train ride from Waterloo to find a huge line to board the ferry to the Isle of Wight. It was well worth the wait, once on the ferry, we could see the whole of Portsmouth Harbour. Upon arrival at Ryde (a town on the Isle of Wight) we had to wait in another line for about 2 hours to catch a bus into the festival grounds. When you are carrying three days worth of clothes, food and a tent, you don’t want to be standing in a line for 2 hours, let alone four, so we were, along with everyone else very frustrated by now.

It all seemed worth it as we got to the festival grounds. Bestival is set at a place called Robin Hill Country Park. Basically, it’s this HUGE Park with a hedge maze, farm animals and some other rural stuff. It’s surrounded by rolling hills and beautiful green grass; the perfect place for a festival. We managed to sneak in our bottle of vodka past security even though they were checking everyone’s bags. I don’t quite know how we did it. A short trudge down to the campsite and we set up our tent. It was imperative that we made sure exactly where we were camping. When you have 40,000 people camping in one spot for three days, you can get lost in a sea of tents. (I can only imagine how crazy it will be at Glastonbury.) The sun was shining, so we ventured out to check out the festival grounds.

Bestival had so many art installations, sculptures and stuff to see. There are huge flags everywhere, weird tents with mirrors all over the walls, circus tents, people in costume and even a random piano, just in the middle of a field for anyone to play. Every year they have a theme. This year it was Space, so as a consequence, there were big sculptures of rockets and aliens at every turn. All this stuff and the festival hadn’t even started.

The Thursday night in one of the big tents they played the movie ‘This is Spinal Tap’ on the big screen followed by a performance by The Cuban Brothers. If you’ve never heard of the Cuban Brothers before just think of some trashy South Americans trying to do Hip Hop and break dancing. It was hilarious.

DAY 1:

Friday morning and the first official day of the festival saw us wake up to a breakfast of fresh bacon and eggs. We also picked up a free festival newspaper. Yes that’s right, the festival puts out its own newspaper every morning for punters.

There were three really awesome bands in a row on mainstage. Passion Pit, Friendly Fires and Florence and The Machine. We managed to get a spot right near the front of the stage to watch them and made some really awesome friends in the process. Our new found friends, Fay, Amanda, Clare and Amy took us under their wings and we hung out with them for the rest of the festival. We have made lifelong friends through them.

Passion Pit, Friendly Fires and Florence and the Machine were all equally as good as each other. Fiery red headed Florence took to the stage sporting a hot green and silver space suit for her performance with some wicked high heels to match.

A short trip back to our campsite to get warm clothes at dusk was followed by a short viewing of MGMT’s set and a dance off at the RIZLA dance tent. The headliners of Friday Massive Attack then played a surprisingly dodgy performance. Maybe it was where we were standing relative to the stage but their set just didn’t do it for me.

Just before bed and a lullaby from Bat For Lashes in the Big Top tent proved to be just what we all needed.

DAY 2:

We woke up to another beautiful clear and surprisingly warm day. Saturday at Bestival is dress up day. Bestival is well known for its fancy dress themed days. In 2005, an attempt was made to set the Guinness World Record for most people in fancy dress at any one event. Literally every second person had a costume on. Some people had spent hours, maybe days making their costumes. (For pictures of some of them see my Facebook photos.) Our first act of the day was Lily Allen. She came out wearing a Barbarella costume. Her set was pretty much a duplicate of what I saw when she came to Australia a few months back. Nonetheless, it was a stellar performance. The only problem was that all the sound kept shorting out on the main stage.
Next up we witnessed the finesse of the one and only Seasick Steve. Having been taught guitar by a local mechanic, Seasick left his Oakland, California home aged 13, drifting around the States doing odd jobs and living the life of a real hard-lucked bluesman. His experiences over that time inform the ruggedly infectious music he makes today. He is almost 70 years old and His set was out of this world. For one of his songs called Diddley Bow he played a one stringed string instrument with a screwdriver as a slide. He is a real ‘Song a dance man’.
Kraftwerk headlined the main stage that night with their trademark visuals and onstage layout of four men standing in front of synthesizers. It was a historical moment as ‘the Beatles of electronic music’ played their hits like Autobahn and Man or Machine. A lot of the younger kids weren’t really that impressed at the technicalities of the German foursome’s tunes. I guess they just don’t understand that the music they were hearing was made about 35 years ago and laid the groundwork for pretty much every dance song they hear today.
Later on we attempted to enter the Big Top for a late night set from La Roux. This proved to be a little difficult as the tent was overflowing with a sea of bodies. We ended up reluctantly watching from outside whilst looking longingly into the tent.

DAY 3:
By the time you reach day three of a three day festival without a shower, things start to get a little bit smelly. Lucky we had our trusty pack of baby wipes. We ventured down to the Christian Church tent for some free porridge and herbal tea that they were handing out which proved to be a money saver and rather yummy.
Our first port of call was a set by a fantastic up and comer Speech Debelle. She is from South London and has just won the Mercury Prize (A very prestigious music award in the UK.) Her folky English Hip Hop proved a real treat.
Next we managed to get front row for American indie lads Hockey. Their tune ‘Too Much Soul’ went off and we later met them in person in the mosh at mainstage. Definitely a band to watch.
On a little stage tucked into the trees of the festival we saw Luke Pritchard from the Kooks do an acoustic set. He ended up bringing two of his band members with him but it wasn't on the program as 'The Kooks' so not many people knew about it. His set was absolutely fantastic and a lot of his family and friends were there to watch as the festival is not far from his hometown of Brighton.
As my friend Justin puts it, ‘The alternative version of Coldplay’, The Doves were on main stage in the afternoon. Their soft, driving rock was a smooth way to wind down after a weekend of party.
Just when we thought we couldn’t get anymore cruiser, the Fleet Foxes took to the stage. Their impeccable harmonies and beautiful melodies put the whole crowd into a trance. It was the perfect end to a perfect weekend.
I would recommend Bestival to anyone who wants to go to a festival overseas. It is different to any festival I have ever been to and so much better than any event I could ever dream of creating. If you haven’t started saving money already, then start. Just like me, YOU, could have the time of your life.

Reading Festival

Reading Festival Review

Think of the Big Day Out festival in Australia, then think about three whole days of the Big Day Out and you have Reading Festival. Located about 45 minutes outside London, the Reading festival is held at the end of August in the lovely town of (You guessed it) Reading. This year it was host to some amazing acts such as Kings of Leon, The Arctic Monkeys and Radiohead. Unfortunately, we only managed to nab tickets to the last day but what a day it was.

The best thing about going to a three day festival on the last day is that you have all the energy in the world. Everyone around you has probably only managed to get about 4 hours sleep the last two nights and they haven’t seen a shower since they left home a few days ago. We were fresh and it really showed as we walked into the huge gates and past the compostable toilets.

With only a few clouds in the sky (a pretty nice day by English standards) we witnessed our first band of the day, ‘Noah and The Whale’. They provided some lovely relaxing tunes to accompany the first cider of the day.

Representing the Australian contingent of the festival, The Living End hosted the main stage. It was a pity that no one knew who they were. We managed to find a few stray Aussies that were going nuts to ‘White Noise’ and ‘Prisoner of Society.’

The dance tent was burning up with the sound of Canadian DJ Deadmau5 ringing in everyone’s ears. He is sure to have one of the biggest dance hits this year with ‘I remember’ repeating on radios all across the world.

A quick scoot over to Metronomy proved that they are a band to watch in the coming months with the boys playing some fierce tunes to an eager audience.

Mainstage then saw Vampire Weekend throw out some awesome renditions of Oxford Comma, Campus and A-Punk. As the sun set to the sounds of one of the most underestimated indie bands in years the weather certainly got colder.

The crowd slowly warmed up with the aid of scarves and beanies whilst some preferred to continue running around half naked. Karen-0 from the Yeah Yeah Yeahs however took to the stage in a hot little spacey number. A few costume changes later, she had managed to punch out ‘Zero’, ‘Gold Lion’ and ‘Phenomena’.

Britain’s Reading favourite’s Bloc Party had the job of warming up for Radiohead but they could have headlined on their own with the performance they gave. The band formed in 1999 at the same festival, so the night underscored a special 10-year mark in their career. Kele made a touching announcement half way through the set. "Ten years ago I asked this guy (Russell Lissack) to play guitar for me -- this song goes out to all the young kids in bands out there,” he said.

A long wait followed Bloc Party while the stage was cleared and huge white pipes were pulled down from the roof to cover the entire stage. The extremely long wait in the pending rain was definitely worth it just to hear the crowd roar as the legends that are Radiohead entered the arena. It was a lyrical, emotional and visual rollercoaster as the band took everyone on a journey as far back as The Bends and Hail to the Thief. Their renditions of classics like ‘Fake Plastic Trees’ and ‘Karma Police’ had the whole crowd in a giant sing-along. The band took to the stage one more time, finishing with an epic encore of ‘Paranoid Android’. I feel like writing a bunch of words just isn’t enough for what went down that night.

Reading festival certainly proved to be an epic experience I would recommend it to anyone who loves the vibe of a big festival like the Big Day Out. There’s certainly something for everyone. And for those of you who don’t like the crowds. Please stay at home.

Van She Magic.

Well, haven't we had a huge week in music. The triple J's Hottest 100 of ALL TIME has been on the radio... Michael Jackson's funeral was on and in the sleepy little town of Brisvegas.. Van She played a gig.

Please see below.

Twas a rather chilly night in West End, but a warm welcome met us as we entered the Hi-Fi bar arena. The Hi-Fi is so effective because even the shortest people can see from most places around the room. The theatre like curtains opened to reveal Brisbane’s BMX. The vibrant 6 piece produced a few dance worthy tunes. It was a nice treat away from electro traditions to see a Saxophone being used. Their tones sparking similarities to New York’s Black Kids and The B52’s. The clear lens Ray Ban trend seems to be taking over the indie music scene with almost a quarter of the crowd clad in oversized black rimmed glasses. A lot of the people who wear them don’t even have eye problems. Members from support band Elke - also from Brisbane – were sporting those very glasses. Aside from their copycat fashions, their music was superb. They are clearly four boys with a heck load of passion for what they do. Some seriously super tunes emanating from their guitars, keys, and drums. It was about a half hour wait until the curtains would open again to reveal that Van She’s vocalist and bassist Matt Van Schie has dyed his hair brown. The rest of the bands were also there, playing their so called Vemixes. Unexpected surprises came as staple songs such as ‘Strangers’ and ‘Changes’ were altered so that choruses became synth infused instrumentals. Their eclectic visual display on the screen behind the stage fused sight and sound together producing a sensory overload. The band are getting better and better with each visit to Queensland. For lovers of electro, Van She are an essential experience that must be endured live for a proper education into their world.

Parlez Vous Francais?

It’s not every day that an Australian band will ask you to take off your shirt. But for the boys of Art vs Science, it’s as common place as a shop keeper asking for cheque, savings or credit. Their masterpiece ‘Parlez Vous Francais?’ has had people stripping all over the country. How could a song do this? Could it be that they just want to see everyone get their kit off? Or could it be that they are just downright crazy? So many questions left unanswered, so many tales untold. Well one thing is clear, in their musical experimentation these Sydney boys have been engaging in a battle for Australian’s eardrums. But before they take over your car radio, IPod, television and even your world, singer and synth player Dan Mac has a few insightful words to ensnare the senses, educate the underprivileged and well, give you a taste into the world of Art Vs Science.

‘Do you speak French? Do you speak French? If you speak French, take off your shirt.’ Roughly translated, that is what the Art Vs Science boys are saying in their latest single and according to Dan, a surprising amount of people can speak it. “We have a couple every now and then.” he laughs. “At one of the Groove in the Moo shows there was one guy front left going mad when we were playing that song and he had his shirt of waving it around and going ‘I’m French! I know what you’re saying!’

The lads will be embarking on a mammoth tour around the country to celebrate the release of their EP which will include Splendour and Parklife. “We just can’t wait to start playing again,” says Dan. “Splendour (in the Grass) will be the first gig we have playing in almost two months. I am itching to get out there.”

The band’s live shows are full of energy, bravado and each band member has their own special move to wow the audience. “Jim likes thrashing his hair about. Dan has a lot of funny faces but his signature thing is that he spits water in the air,” say Dan. Fans can expect to hear some brand new tunes from the trio as they take the stage. “We like to road test our songs in front of audiences before we record them so in the coming shows and this half of the year we will be slipping in new songs and seeing what the crowd thinks of them,” reveals Dan. The bands plan is to tour until the end of the year then record an album ready to hit shelves around March next year. “We will try to explore having a theme throughout the album. With an album you can have more ideas and more instrumental parts in between the bangers. It provides more depth than an EP does.”

So who would win in a fight between Art Vs Science? “I’m not really sure to be honest,” says Dan. “I think science could win but art could win too because it would use dirty tactics.” The name of the band was chosen almost by accident but the band are growing to love it. “As time goes on the name has more meaning when we are writing,” says Dan. “Music as an art form is cool but there are also scientific aspects to music in the way songs are structured, the way you enjoy them and how they affect you emotionally. Essentially there is a formula to what makes a band really good and a song really good.

If you look at all the best music that is around, especially pop music, all these hit songs have something in common and we try to use that in our own writing. But to be honest we just thought it was a cool sounding name. We only just started it on a whim and it was purely by chance that it worked out so well.”

By Vivienne Hill


Art vs Science are playing…

14th August, The Zoo, Brisbane
15th August, The J, Noosa
16th August at Neverland, Coolangatta

And Parklife Brisbane on the 26th September.

Lily Allen, Datarock... and Live Music Madness.

Weekends just don't get better than the one I just had. I got to witness a truckload of gigs including Ash Grunwald, Lily Allen, Datarock and a few others and all of them were free. If you wish you were there or want to read about them.. I have done some reviews below. But don't just read about musical experiences. Make sure you go and check out live music regularly. There is nothing more exhilarating than hearing the screech of a guitar or the sound of a thousand humans clapping or that special silence that falls just after the end of a song before everyone applauds. It's magical.

Peace Out Cats.

Lily Allen
June 8th
The Tivoli
There were way too many people at the Tivoli on the night of the 8th of June. It was hard to get a drink, hard to get a free toilet and hard to see the stage. Most people arrived just before Lily’s set and didn’t get to witness The Cassette Kids and all their glory. With a pending album on the way and a spot supporting all of Lily’s sold out shows across the country these guys are destined for the big time. Platinum blonde Katrina Noorbergen entertained a quickly growing crowd to frisky tunes but such as ‘You Take It’ and the bands new addition, ‘Meant to Be’. The White sheet covering the whole stage left little room for the Cassette Kids to move about but when it was finally removed to reveal what was behind, the dry ice was so intense that nobody could see Ms Allen for the first two songs. Clad in a backless black tee-shirt with glittery war paint on her face, the rat bag songstress entertained and enthralled the scores of women (and a few men) who came to marvel at her. If there’s one thing worse than being amongst sweaty guys in a mosh pit, its being in a crowd of bitchy women who all want to get a piece of the action. Those issues aside, Lily’s set was fantastic, her British brattiness shone gallantly with the songstress even lighting up a few cigarettes during her set (Only to be told it was illegal but she didn’t care anyway. ‘Fuck You’ saw everyone in the audience singing at the top of their lungs with their forefingers high in the air. A cheeky encore saw Lily do a drum and bass then dub version of ‘Smile’ followed by an enjoyable cover of Britney’s ‘Womanizer’. For those lucky people who got to witness one of the hottest tickets in town this year, congratulations. I just wish more people knew the lyrics to her songs and didn’t just go to hear the hits. It seems as though true Lily fans are hard to come by these days. (Vivienne Hill)

Datarock
June 6th
The Zoo
Recession, what recession? It was clear that fans had spent their stimulus packages wisely to witness some serious Norwegian magic. There were lookalikes all over the shop in Red Jumpsuits but the real thing would have to wait. Gold Coasters ELKE Started off the night with some zesty new wave. Their set was short but sweet with some promising beats flowing out through The Zoo’s windows onto the street below. There couldn’t have been a more fitting Australian support to get the crowd well and truly hyped up as Dan, Dan and Jim from Art vs Science. The Sydney siders played all their EP favorites including the ever increasingly popular Parlez Vous Francais. Most fans had no idea what the deuce they were on about but sang along anyway. (Even if they did make up their own Australian/French words.) Flippers went down a treat as well. It has been confirmed. Datarock fans are animals and what a better venue to hold them captive for a little bit of fun than that of The Zoo. There is no substitute for crazy Norwegians. They must breathe different air in that part of the northern hemisphere because when the boys in red stepped out clad in their trademark jumpsuits and sunnies, everyone just knew, it was business time. Instead of boring everyone with a whole show of new material, they pulled out all the stops and supplied what can only be called an eclectic selection of their hits from over the years. Fa Fa Fa, Sex me Up, Computer Camp Love, were all present amongst a few fresh melodies. Some crowd surfing by Fredrick Saroea was followed swiftly by an encore of the dirty dancing classic ‘I’ve had the time of my life’. And we had. Most people left wishing Scandinavia wasn’t so ‘Fa fa fa’ away. They had better return for some more fun soon. (Vivienne)

Some CD Reviews

REGULAR JOHN
The Peaceful Atom Is A Bomb
(Difrnt/Universal)
8/10
There is nothing regular about these guys at all. Ok, maybe their name, but everything else on this album is extraordinary. From the twisted guitar riff of the opening track to the last chord, ‘The Peaceful Atom Is A Bomb’ takes over your soul with hard hitting, grungy, psychedelic rock. ‘Language’ has been played to death on some radio stations but listeners shouldn’t be too quick to pigeon hole a band into a genre from one single. Every track is different from the next. ‘We spell love’ emanates a ‘Hives’ sounding vibe whilst ‘Panic’, the softest song on the album shows that the band can channel some White Stripes, style of rock as well. The albums versatility gives it an appeal to all kinds of cats. Maybe even your old man can handle this one and stop listening to Andre Reiu for a while. The themes covered in the lyrics aren’t your average ‘I love you, I hate you’ banter. Some anti establishment, free speech, social commentary hits your ears in the form of the words ‘Fuck You’ in the track ‘Hivey’. It seems that underneath the rock and roll Regular John have really thought about their message. (Viv)

THE TEMPER TRAP
Conditions
(Liberation)
10/10
For me this year, there has been no album anticipated as much as this one. Ever since the sweet pulsating rhythms of ‘Sweet Disposition’ hit my ears I have been yearning for more sounds from The Temper Trap. It’s finally here and the band are going to take over the world with their debut. It turns out that The Temper Trap’s singles ‘Sweet Disposition’ and ‘Science of Fear’ are only the start of a magical journey that takes place when this CD is played. Dougie Mandagi’s unworldly voice provides the some of the best falsetto to come out of Australian music in the last decade. One of the best demonstrations is ‘Resurrection’ which provides some beautiful accapella work by Mandagi. It’s clear that the band have influences from all genres with pulsating drums channelling drum and bass, horns giving off a jazz vibe and even choirs adding to the mix in ‘Down River’. The band are playing almost every European festival on the books. Let’s hope that their London bound touring schedule doesn’t see them lost overseas forever. Australian music just doesn’t get better than this. (Viv)

CHAIRLIFT
Does You Inspire You
(Sony)
7/10
Every time ‘Bruises’ touches my ears, I feel like bopping up and down in a stupor. Not just because their song was used on an ad for IPod nano but because listening to Chairlift just does crazy things to a person’s ego, persona and attitude. There’s no doubt that their cute Indie/Shoegazing tunes don’t just sell small electronic music players but they will also capture your heart. In addition to ‘Bruises’ highlights include ‘Evident Utensil’ and ‘Le flying saucer hat’ which sees singer Caroline Polachek combining French with English in a song about, you guessed it, a flying saucer hat. The bands use of synths and tambourines are innovative but a little bit predictable and the lyrics of some of the songs can have you questioning the sanity of the band a little but overall, it’s definitely worth a listen. Just don’t listen to them on your new IPod nano. That would be a little too freaky. (Viv)

ART VS SCIENCE
Art Vs Science
(Green Distribution)
7/10
This EP has been long awaited from the Art vs Science boys ever since they won the spot to play at Splendour In the Grass last year. But they have finally produced a killer little disc, worthy of dancing your ass off to. The latest single off the record is ‘Parlez Vous Francais?’ (Which translates into ‘Do you speak French?’ for all you monolingual types). Its cheeky French lyrics combined with some bangin’ beats provide the perfect mix of sexy, provocative dance. ‘Hollywood’ is also a winner, showing that these kids have a darker dancy side to them by playing some minor chords with equally haunting synth effects. But the winner on this album is the song that made Art vs Science. ‘Flippers’ is such a crack up with its lyrics and quirky sounds. The urge it gives the listener to flail about in a state of musically drunk unconsciousness is incredible. Keep it coming lads. (Viv)

Not so Regular John?

Did you know that a Regular John is a term for a customer in the sex industry? It’s also the name of a Queens of the Stone Age song. But your education of mindless facts doesn’t stop there, Regular John are also a band, and a bloody tops one too. Ryan Adamson could tell you that, but what does the lead singer of Regular John know about other stuff? Or does he know anything at all? The answer to that question is yes. It turns out Ryan Adamson is a rather articulate man on loads of subjects.

It’s hard to box the Sydney based four piece into a genre which is why Ryan feels that Regular John is such a fitting name. “Regular John is kind of like an anti-name, its two common words. We could have been a metal band and called ourselves a really psycho name or been an Emo band and called ourselves “Second wait for autumn Tuesdays” or some shit,” says Ryan. “But Regular John doesn’t sound like anything. It could be a country band or a rock band or even like a rapper. So that is why we really dug it. It is kind of like; let the music do the talking. We are all just regular cats you know. We aren’t some elite species of rocker.”

These regular cats have got it made with Regular John touring around the country to celebrate the release of their debut album. ‘The Peaceful Atom Is A Bomb’ covers a range of rock genres. Ryan wants everyone who attends the shows to be prepared for some volume. “We’ll be bringing loudness, a good time, and some good old fashioned amplifier worship,” says Ryan. Punters may also get to witness some on stage nudity. “We played a gig once and our drummer Macca got nude. About the third song in we held a poll to see who wanted our drummer to get naked and he did.”

Aside from spontaneous nudity, the band hold legendary comedian Bill Hicks and film extraordinaire Stanley Kubrick as some of their main influences. “He (Bill Hicks) is quite socially aware. When you listen to him you can laugh your ass off but when you come away from it you can leave thinking that you have actually learnt something because he puts forward some really cool points and it’s a big influence in that sense,” reveals Ryan. “We wanted our music to be the type you can rock out to or you can listen to some of the lyrics and think about what they are saying and come away from our music with something to think about too.” Filmmaker Stanley Kubrick is also a favourite of Ryan’s. “His meticulousness and his dedication are amazing. Sometimes I put the volume down on 2001: A Space Odyssey, play along to the images and make my own soundtrack to it.”

The future looks bright for these rockers from Sydney, but things haven’t been easy for the boys in the past. “We moved from Griffith up to Sydney, (except for Caleb, he is from Tamworth.) If we had stayed in Griffith we would still be playing to people who were covering their ears and yelling out for Chisel covers, which is bullshit. We don’t want to play other peoples songs. That is boring, it may pay better but there is no soul in playing other peoples stuff,” says Ryan. “We had to do it. It took some confidence but it was for our own sanity.”

By Vivienne Hill

Catch Regular John…
Thursday 2nd July, Coolangatta Hotel, Gold Coast.
Friday 3rd July, Step In, Brisbane.

‘The Peaceful Atom Is A Bomb’ is out now through Difrnt music.

p.s. Cheers to www.abc.net.au for the pic.

The Temper Trap Chill Out In Scotland

By Vivienne Hill

When you’re kicking back in the Scottish highlands for a quick rest in what seems to be a never ending touring schedule, the last thing you wish for is to be woken up early to do twenty something interviews. Lead singer of The Temper Trap Dougy Mandagi is one exception; turns out he doesn’t mind a yarn on a cold Scottish morning.

Since The Temper Trap left Australia, their overseas success has dramatically expanded. With an impending debut album, coupled with appearances at nearly all the major European summer festivals, the future is dazzling for these four lads from Melbourne. Dougy believes they have been well received so far. “It has been pretty consistent everywhere. The best country was probably Germany. I imagined Germans to be quite reserved, stiff people so it was weird.” Dougy admits that the touring can become very tedious. “Um, yeah being stuck in a van for 8 hours a day can be a bit overwhelming at times but the payoff is when you do a good show and get up on stage and people dig it.”

The band also played at South by Southwest festival in Texas. “It’s a crazy festival especially if you are playing there. If you are just going as a punter it’s a lot of fun but for us it was just work mainly,” says Dougy. “We had to be on top of our game the whole time you know you can’t get on the piss and drink. You have to watch everybody else having fun.”

Through periodic yawning, Dougy manages to let me know what the band did yesterday on a rare day off. “It was awesome we were cruising around the highlands of Scotland,” reveals Dougy. “We went to a castle and looked around, it was pretty rad and we went to our tour manager’s house in the hills, it was quiet and beautiful and we drank some whiskey.” Dougy assures me that whiskey drinking and the rest of yesterday’s antics were short lived. “Tomorrow we go back to England for a few shows, then a bunch of festivals.”

The hard slog is definitely paying off for the four piece from Melbourne with their debut album Conditions set for release as a follow up to their Sweet Disposition EP. The album, aptly named, observes the human environment. “The record is about the condition of humanity as I see it and my own condition and how it relates to the world and to me as an individual,” says Dougy.

With such a quick rise to fame, and an overseas tour so soon, The Temper Trap have left many Australians speculating a permanent European relocation without leaving us with some love. “Don’t worry, we are definitely coming home,” reveals Dougy. “We will be home for Christmas and we will be playing a few shows in summer.” As for the bands rocket to stardom, Dougy believes he is well equipped to handle the onslaught of overseas media. “I am preparing myself. Going for morning jogs and doing a lot of pushups,” says Dougy. “I don’t know if that’s the kind of preparation I should be doing but we’ll see. I am preparing myself for when all the attention stops. I am kind of getting used to this.”

Get your Preset on...

THE PRESETS INTERVIEW ... done last year... in May.

The Presets have pretty much sold out in all cities for their upcoming tour. At present their singles, ‘My People’, ‘This boys in love’ and ‘Talk like that’ are blasting through almost every TV set, stereo and set of headphones in the country. They are invading people’s eardrums everywhere with their innovative, hedonistic, hard hitting melodies and they don’t intend to let up in a hurry. They have played at almost every Australian festival possible and at countless venues overseas. I checked in with vocalist and keyboard player Julian Hamilton to get the low down on everything Presets.

By Vivienne Hill

When you’re a performer, especially a dance music duo like Julian Hamilton and Kim Moyes from the Presets, you have to make technology your friend. Julian Hamilton is struggling today as all the computers he is using to organise the new show keep crashing. “Sometimes I wish we were a nice big 12 piece band or something that didn’t rely on technology so much,” said Julian. The Presets are working hard to produce a national tour which hits Brisbane later this month.

Both Kim and Julian met while studying at the conservatorium of music in Sydney and it was soon after that their musical brains started concocting what was to be a musical feast of epic proportion. “I was doing a piano major and Kim was doing percussion. We were studying all this formal music in the day time and at night time we were going to all the clubs and listening to techno and we worked out after a while that techno stuff was what we wanted to do,” said Julian.

The decision to take the dance music route has definitely payed off for the boys. Their latest album ‘Apocalypso’ is a doozey and possibly the best dance release of the year. A lot of the songs have underlying minor tones which add to the mystery and splendour of the duos music. “With this record we wanted it to be cold in a lot of ways but still a bit romantic and melancholic if that makes any sense,” said Julian. “We wanted the overall mood of the album to be a bit bleak and a bit desperate sounding, like it is the apocalypse, like it is the end of the world but still have a bit of heart and a bit of fun in there and make a bit of a party out of it. Two strong ideas really crash together pretty hard.” While writing Julian and Kim try their best to stay away from dance music for fear of creating something that is similar to what’s around. “If it does start to sound like anyone else we usually just try to mash it up by putting other things in there that shouldn’t be, then hopefully it comes out sounding a little bit more like, well, The Presets,” said Julian.

One of the most distinctive music video releases this year was the clip for ‘My People,’ directed by Kim’s brother Kris Moyes which sees The Presets in a futuristic kaleidoscope. Julian said the video was a lot of fun to make. “Kris put us in these harnesses and we were spinning around and then he did all the special effects later on where he made millions of us, like an army of Presets!” said Julian.

Anyone who has watched a Presets film clip or seen a photo will be familiar with their use of masks. Julian explains that it was an idea that has slowly become a signature thing. “A few years ago before we played at Splendour in the Grass, we were at the airport waiting to pick up our bags that were arriving on the plane and we had a couple of hours to kill. We went down to a market stall in Tweed Heads and we brought these masks that made us look like 50 year old versions of ourselves. We played that night with the masks on and everyone loved it. It was a funny little idea that we came up with that we have embellished on over the years,” said Julian.

The Presets also had the opportunity to support Daft Punk on their recent visit to Australia. “It’s funny we didn’t actually get a chance to sit down and have a ‘talk’ to them but that’s ok because they are idols of ours musically and I’m happy for it to stay that way,” said Julian. The shows were some of their biggest yet. “Sometimes those shows, they go by so quick and when you get off stage you kind of forget and miss how fun it was,” said Julian. “Its not until you get offstage until you think aw shit, that was really fun I wish I could have been a bit more in the moment up there and taken it all in a bit more.” In addition to their antics at the Daft Punk shows The Presets also got to rock out at festivals overseas with acts like Blondie and Devo. It has been a wild couple of years for the boys playing in venues across almost every continent. “Every city in the world has a little club that would have its place and you end up playing these little nights in wherever,” said Julian. “It gets a little crazy but it’s so much fun.”

‘Apocalypso’ is out now through Modular Records

Are rules really for squares?

THE WHITEST BOY ALIVE

Rules

(Intertia)

9/10

This Berlin based group have been pigeon holed as dream pop, shoegaze, lounge, easy listening, elevator music, electric jazz and more recently minimalist pop. Genres aside, they could also be described as awesome, innovative and very cheeky. But The Whitest Boy Alive aren’t any one of those things, they are all of them at once. ‘Rules’ does the opposite of what it suggests and breaks all the conventions of what it means to be a genre based artist. Rules? Who needs them? The Whitest Boy Alive have invented their own with this sound. It’s unlike any other and very groovy. Every track starts just as beautifully as the one before with Norwegian vocalist Erlend Oye’s voice providing a jazzy syncopated tone sporadically throughout. The song structures are irregular, with a few exceptions such as ‘Keep a Secret’ which provides the listener with a guitar hook to die for. The rules have been given by the Whitest Boy Alive. Will you keep them?

Truth of the World finally comes out.

Ok, so throw out your old perceptions of Evermore. Go on, put them into a box and throw them in the trash. Alternatively, you could burn them, give them to your grandma or maybe just send them on a holiday. Whatever you do, just make some room in your tiny little brains for the new Evermore.

By Vivienne Hill

Well, they aren’t entirely new, but just modified a little with a shiny innovative album, a changed image and a freshly adapted sound. They are doing what Madonna has done a million times; reinventing themselves. “Just hopefully with not as many naked photos as her,” says singer Jon Hume as he looks across the desk a little scared at me.

Aside from talking to me about the dwindling prospects of seeing Evermore naked, Jon also enlightened the fact that that the band have an album ready to be heard by anyone who will feast their ears on it’s glory. “Truth of the World: Welcome to the show” is a concept album about over the top trashy media (Kind of like this hyperbole you are reading now). “We just took inspiration from trawling through Youtube for the most over the top news stories and put all of that into songs,” says Jon.

Jon says Evermore have always wanted to do a concept album. “We grew up listening to concept albums,” he reveals. When someone says the words (concept album), I tend to think of terrible ones but there are a few good ones out there like Sargent Peppers and Dark Side of the Moon. There’s not that many good ones, but the ones that are good, are some of the best albums ever I think.” From the moment the album starts, there are no awkward pauses, and no breaks. “The album is like one big song. It takes you on a journey. Even if you took out one song the album wouldn’t be the same,” says Jon. “A lot of people download just one song these days and we really wanted to make a record that you don’t want to stop listening to.”

”Truth of the World: Welcome to the Show” was recorded and produced in the bands studio just outside Melbourne. “We got the opportunity to do the whole thing ourselves and it was really good,” says Jon. “In the past there’s always been someone coming in and going ‘I think that’s sort of…not right”. Sometimes people just want to come in and change things to make their mark even though they don’t need changing.”

With a new Evermore, comes new fans and Jon is excited about the prospects. “I think it might take our fans a little while to adjust to our new sound but I think people who haven’t been into our other records will probably enjoy it,” he says. “It goes from heavy rock, heavier than we’ve ever been to orchestral sections. There is a lot of different music in there.”

A new image and a peroxide attack on Jon’s hair is one thing but one question remains. Can Evermore shake the commerciality that has been placed upon their wary souls from day one by throwing out a concept album? “I guess we’ve always just made our music and people try to label it as commercial or indie or whatever but in the end it’s just music. I guess we just make our music and people make up their own mind about what they think of it,” says Jon.

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My mother once told me, ‘don’t bite off more than you can chew’. Ok, it probably wasn’t her saying. In fact, I’ve heard it a million times before. But I’d like to think she invented it. She’s quite right though. If someone took a bite too big of anything they would quite literally, choke. And nobody wants to cark it. Or do they?

Hectic is my new word for this year. Don’t you think things are getting a little bit too much these days? To start with, there’s Christmas and we all know the joy that brings. (Insert sarcastic festive comment here.) Then there’s New Years, Festivals Galore, Birthdays and the occasional christening and funeral just to shake things up a bit. The festivals are what have gotten to me though. 2009 should be named year of the festival. They sneak up behind you in a dark alleyway and then BAM! They are all there with killer line-ups; in your face and begging you do attend them. Don’t get me wrong, it’s great that Australia is finally making a name for itself as this beautiful festival laden country where scores of happy people can come to dance the days away. But nobody in their right mind can attend all of them without pretty much dying by the end of it or selling all their possessions to get there.

In the words of my mother; don’t choke this summer. I don’t want anyone to choke, which is why I will try to give you the best info around on what to see, hear and where to go. So you can make informed decisions about what you are putting into your mouth, I mean, ears. My advice is, be picky, be choosy and be darn right careful with what music you choose to kill your eardrums. Cus you really don’t want to be deaf by the age of forty with nothing else in your head but that Nickelback album you heard in 2001. (Sorry fans of Nickelback but I am not a believer.)

But hey, who am I to tell you this, after all it was greats like Billy Joel that said ‘Only the good die young’ and it was the Eagles that sang ‘Life in the fast lane’. Isn’t rock and roll about all that crazy stuff? Maybe I am becoming like my mother and rock and roll has been watered down to a pansy version of what it used to be. Who knows? All I know is that musical knowledge will be your tool to survive the onslaught. So make sure you have your water bottle, your dancing shoes and your tickets ready, and remember, don’t choke.