Posts By David Payne

LOOK: 2013 in Pictures

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Total Control were pretty much my fav band to shoot over the years.

Total Control were my fave band to shoot over the years.

 

As 2013 winds up and my time as Photo Editor at Who The Hell comes to an end, I thought I’d give y’all a quick review of pictures that moved us this year as my farewell.

We have been lucky to share in the development of Rebecca Capp and Alan Weedon as they’ve honed their skills over the last couple of years.  I feel quite proud of the work we have shared this year, as well as and the expansion of the ‘Sequence’ into the blog has worked because these guys are so dedicated to making great images.

I’d also like to mention our new Sydney guy Jack Toohey who created an exceptional Sequence late in the year with Bligh Twyford-Moore.

Keep in touch here and thanks for reading xo.

pond-AW

Pond at Laneway in Melbourne by Alan Weedon

GP2013-RC

Bro love at Golden Plains by Rebecca Capp

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Bligh Twyford-Moore in Sydney by JackToohey

Bangin Aus Day BBQ-RC

Bangin Aussie Day BBQ by Rebecca Capp

HandGames1stBday-AW

Hand Games 1st B’day by Alan Weedon

NaysayerGilsun-AW

Home life with Naysayer and Gilsun. By Alan Weedon

Bermuda Float by Rebecca Capp

Bermuda Float by Rebecca Capp

NOZU-AW

No Zu by Alan Weedon

AinslieWills-RC

Ainslie Wills by Rebecca Capp

 

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LISTEN: The Ocean Party ‘SPLIT’ LP

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theoceanparty

 

The Ocean Party’s latest record, Split is out now through Spunk records. Yes, that hip label. Home to Bonnie Prince Billy, Okkervil River, and Bill Callahan amongst others. It’s a welcome reminder that hard working Australian musicians can be rewarded. Now let’s have a quick refresher.

Melbourne band The Ocean Party, is Jordan Thompson, Liam Halliwell, Curtis Wakeling, Lachlan Denton, and new kid on the block Zac Denton. Split was recorded at Lachlan’s grandparents’ farm in rural NSW. Curtis reckons that it was a good way to be focused on nailing down a mixture of new material. “We’ve had a pretty relaxed time recording all three albums but it was good to get away to the country for this last one, it’s pretty easy to get distracted when you just record at home”.

Home is back in Melbourne where these guys all live and mate together, recording with a cavalcade of musicians in different positions, creating multiple sounds with varied song writing. This renewed focus is evident in Split, which is a very well considered LP and one that always sounds like an Ocean Party recording.

Curtis opens with vocals on ‘Quarter Final’, an ode to slacker life. The melody is an absolute cracker. Catchy as any pop song could be yet perfectly situated in a field far from anyone else. ‘Quarter Final’ speaks of getting wasted, sleeping with anons and feeling suicidal on Sunday, y’know… life. It features a gorgeous guitar hook and Curtis nails the mood of a groundhog day Bill Murray would be proud to rep. It also signals that we are in for another good record.

 

 

Next up is the title track ‘Split’. Much has already been written on this one but let’s note the vocals of young blood Zac of Ciggie Witch. “I am really happy with how it (more…)

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LISTEN: DZ Deathrays – ‘Northern Lights’

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DZ Deathrays - Car - BNW - Low Res

DZ Deathrays’ brand new single ‘Northern Lights’ plopped overnight. It’s the first smell of the band’s forthcoming sophomore LP due in the first half of 2014. These guys are doing pretty amazeballs. They knocked out an ARIA award winning debut LP ‘Bloodstreams’ in 2012, then owned the world by touring relentlessly for over a year.

Most recently the band entered the studio with producer Andy Savours (My Bloody Valentine, The Horrors, Sigur Ros) while in the UK to headline NME Magazine’s party at The Great Escape Festival in May, and banged out this single track titled ‘Northern Lights’.

It’s a moody number. Lots of layered guitar and vocals building to climatic bursts of fever. A really great sound from a couple of guys that last time I saw play, were kinda bangin it out pretty wildly. This one is a lot more considered. Let’s call it their ‘sweet disposition’. Can’t wait for the new record.

 

 

Facebook/Website

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WATCH: I Know Leopard – ‘She’

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she

“A few years ago, the members of I Know Leopard left behind their picturesque one-pub town in the Adelaide hills. Upon arriving in Sydney, they were confronted not only with the prospect of broader horizons but also with the unmistakable feeling of displacement. With this as a central trope, ‘She’ was born”. And so goes the presser.

My first watch of this video was with bleary eyes at 6 in the morning and for just one sec I thought I tripping. It’s been shot really… dreamy. Damn, I swore I wouldn’t use that word. But how can you help it. It’s so god damn dreamy. Shot by Hari Jago featuring a very nice tune that opens with a throwback to animal collective but moves into a thunderous mind melting breakdown with catchy drum rolls and layered vocals.

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Touring the new single ‘She’ on below dates:

Thurs, 7th Nov – MELBOURNE Prince Public Bar w/ special guests

Fri, 8th Nov – WERRIBBEE @ Mynt Lounge w/ special guests

Sat, 9th Nov – MELBOURNE @ The Workers Club w/ special guests

Fri, 15th Nov – SYDNEY @ OAF Gallery Bar w/ special guests

Sat, 16th Nov – BRISBANE @ Trainspotters, Grand Central Station w/ special guests

Fri, 22nd Nov – ADELAIDE @ Ed Castle w/ special guests

Website/Facebook

 

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WATCH: Courtney Barnett – ‘Avant Gardener’

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barnett

Fark, sorry all we’ve offered you this week is some shameless product placement. To make up for it, here is the awesomely goofy new video by Charlie Ford from Melbourne’s Courtney Barnett for the lovely ‘Avant Gardener’. Can’t help but think this should’ve been cricket instead of tennis but I reckon it was shaped for a US market. Featuring some really nice filming of Barnett straight down the barrel singing what is one of my favourite tunes this year. Barnett has combined two EP’s for a new release The Double EP: A Sea of Split Peas, released on House Anxiety / Marathon Artists / Milk! Records which you can pick up from her label here.

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Tour Dates:

WED – Oct 16, 2013 CMJ – Dates to be announced New York

TUE – Oct 22, 2013 Notting Hill Arts Club London

WED – Oct 23, 2013 Servants Jazz Quarters London

THU – Oct 24, 2013 Old Blue Last London

SAT – Oct 26, 2013 La Fléche d’Or Paris

FRI – Nov 08, 2013 “How To Carve A Carrot Into A Rose” EP Launch Shadow Electric at Abbotsford Convent,

VIC FRI – Dec 06, 2013 California Design Up Late Queensland Art Gallery, Brisbane QLD

SAT – Dec 14, 2013 Meredith Music Festival Melbourne, VIC SOLD OUT

Supporting Billy Bragg:

SUN – Mar 09, 2014 – Perth Concert Hall, Perth WA

WED – Mar 12, 2014 – Federation Hall, Hobart TAS

THU – Mar 13, 2014 – The Palais Theatre, St Kilda VIC

SUN – Mar 16, 2014 – The Sydney Opera House, NSW

WED – Mar 19, 2014 – Canberra Theatre, ACT

THU – Mar 20, 2014 – The Tivoli, Brisbane QLD

Website/Facebook

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INTRODUCING: Logitech UE BOOM

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ueboom

*Advertisement from Logitech*

I bought a set of Logitech computer speakers about 8 years ago. Various desktop systems, house migrations and house parties all soundtracked through a trusty 2 speaker/bass box setup. Worked for me.

Speaker days are gone though. We’re ‘mobile’, whatever that means. The obvious problem is staying portable – without sound quality the equivalent of having your head jammed in a tin can.

Enter the UE BOOM Tall Boy. I’m calling it a Tall Boy cause it looks like a large German beer can. Except fluorescent.

If you don’t believe me, here’s thirty seconds of hot people roadtesting the damn thing.

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The sound is sprayed in 360-degrees via. a tube shape and it’s surprisingly even in every direction. Perfect for ‘spin the bottle’ right? You can lose the ear buds, which we all know are just for blocking out the crazy people on the train. This one is perfect for festival season. The UE BOOM is made for hanging up in your tent (tuff-as-nuts design), getting sloshed with 360°degree Flume pumping into the night (15 hr battery life) or wearing it around your neck (lanyard hook included) – if you’re that type of guy.

And yes, you can hold your speaker and your beer in the same hand – it’s water and dirt resistant too. But if you can’t be bothered holding it, you could grab two of them and pair them together via the UE BOOM App. Why would you bother I hear you thinking, well either double the sound or left & right stereo separation… BOOM!

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These babies retail for $199.95 here, which is like half the price of a Splendour ticket! So check em out and you could nab one for the summer festival season – so you can wake up alone, plastered in a paddock at Meredith 2013, booming Nile Rodgers from an ergonomic speaker around your neck.

Check out more reviews here and GET TO IT.

 

Logitech / Twitter

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