The first live gig I went to was a FReeZA all-ages at Moorrabin Town Hall. I was sixteen and lugged two reluctant mates two hours across the state to see Trial Kennedy, British India, Stealing O’ Neal and watch underage drongos ride a mechanical bull. The same two friends I dragged along ended up carrying me out of the venue after I got spin kicked in the face by an emo kid using the front row as a wall-of-death. Unfortunately my live music experiences waddling around on mouldy carpet these days don’t get as violent as they probably should. Discovering new bands and accessing new music via the INTERNET (lazy portal of convenience) is something that’s out of habit for most of us. But hey, nothing beats waking up with tinnitus and last night’s wrist stamp smeared onto your forehead after all. Without live music, Melb would probably be a wasteland of creatively frustrated people with nothing to harp on about except caffeine and Kerouac. Live music is important to a lot of people around here.

Today marks National SLAM Day and there’s plenty of extra stuff going on to show your support for the people that make this place sound good.

For all the full details of gigs going on around the country today – click HERE or visit www.slamrally.org

Do you like to have fun? Do you like to dance and Roll in good times? Drink merrily with your stylish friends while bathing in some of Australia’s finest music at one of Sydney’s greatest venues?

The answer is probably yes, ‘coz you’re here. The Lonely Kids Club are doing us all a favour and putting on a show at the Oxford Art Factory, featuring Rufus, Collarbones, Fishing and Albatross (alongside many others), launching their summer lineup.

October 16 is the date, Oxford Art is the place. I’ll be there, and I’m a charmer, so you should be there too. While you’re waiting, listen to/watch this stunning clip from Rüfüs. I’m in love.

You should check out Lonely Kids Club as well – their clothes are pretty and their attitude balling.

The Meredith lineup came out today and in addition to the imported goods on the bill (Unknown Mortal Orchestra, Kurt Vile, Exposions in the Sky, Black Joe Lewis etc) there’s some decent local acts that have been added. I got trampled by  middle aged corporates when Icehouse played at a gala ball earlier this year, so I’ll probably refrain from going in for a second helping of Electric Blue. Rounding off the veteran sector of the lineup is former Moodists frontman Dave Graney. Adalita, Oscar & Martin, Matt Sonic & The High Times and Graveyard Train have also been annouced, as well as festival regulars Cut Copy and Eagle & The Worm. Geelong’s King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard will be opening the proceedings which should be a treat.

Not many 21st’s rearrange the solar system and let you BYO anyway.

The ballot closes on the 23rd of August.

GRINDERMAN  *  CUT/COPY  *  KURT VILE & THE VIOLATORS  *  MUDHONEY  *  ICEHOUSE  *  GANG GANG DANCE  *  EXPLOSIONS IN THE SKY  *  LADYHAWKE  *  BLACK JOE LEWIS & THE HONEYBEARS  *  OFF!  *  ADALITA  *  FUTURE OF THE LEFT  *  FRANK FAIRFIELD  *  HARMONIC 313 (DJ SET)  *  JOELISTICS  *  BIG FREEDIA  *  UNKNOWN MORTAL ORCHESTRA  *  GRAVEYARD TRAIN  *  TIM SWEENEY  *  OSCAR + MARTIN  *  CASH SAVAGE & THE LAST DRINKS  *  ANGUS SAMPSON  *  BARBARION  *  KING GIZZARD & THE LIZARD WIZARD  *  JUICEBOXXX  *  VIRGO FOUR  *  EAGLE & THE WORM  *  THE RECHORDS  *  DAVE GRANEY & THE LURID YELLOW MIST  *  MATT SONIC & THE HIGH TIMES  *  THE TOWN BIKES  *  CITY OF BALLARAT MUNICIPAL BRASS BAND  *  MASTER SONG TAI CHI  *  SILENCE WEDGE  *  A TOTAL LUNAR ECLIPSE

www.mmf.com.au

Maaaan. After eight years, two albums and a decent clock up of touring mileage, Red Riders have decided to call it a day.

A statement on the band’s blog reads:

“Rather than grind something that’s special to us into the ground, we’d like to call it quits while we can we can still stand proudly behind everything that we’ve made together.

Basically, to anyone who’s ever given a damn, thank you! We’re gonna keep making music in other guises so keep a ear out, and if you see us at the pub, or lurking up the back of a show someplace, come say hi. We can grab a beer.

Big love,
RR’

Farewell shows in Sydney and Melbourne will be announced soon, but for now you can catch the guys on the road with Children Collide on their current tour.

And for the better of it…

Exciting news – Playing times for Golden Plains 2011 are up and found here.

It feels like the summer heat never really set in this year. It’s therefore a great idea to try to stretch the festival period and get along to Golden Plains.

If you don’t have a ticket, please don’t fret, you can grab one here.

With acts like World’s End Press, Architecture In Helsinki, The Middle East and Boy and Bear alongside Wavves, Best Coast and Belle and Sebastian – it will be a sweet weekend.

It’ll also be fun to watch the crowd react to Airbourne, maybe Joanna Newsom will guest during their set!

First up I caught Bear In Heaven down at the cart park stage and they sounded real nice from my lazily distant posi. Driving drums and atmospheric pysch pop from Brooklyn that creeps on you even in the middle of the day at a festival. I head up to the Mooreland stage before they finish to right some wrongs in my life. I openly admit that sometimes I do silly things, I once signed for White Stripes tickets at the post office then walked outside and re posted the blank envelope. Last week I sat around quite bored on a Tuesday night whilst my Beach House ticket lay on my coffee table in full view as I completely forget to go.

I was intent on making up for it by arriving early to their set. Warm summer breeze is a wanky way to describe Beach House but that’s how they sound and oh so dreamy. Playing with a drummer for a nice thumping layer over a recorded sample and Alex Scally seated on guitar, creating a wall of riffs. Some rough metal type exclaimed to his bro after the set that it was pretty boring as ‘she just stood their with her hair over her face’. She being Victoria Legrand, who has amazing hair and a voice that would crush an army of invading Spartans. It’s funny to me that folks expect a ‘show’ that requires some crazy onstage antics. Sure Les Savy Fav are fun to watch and lead singer Tim harrington is a riot but his band are kinda boring and I wouldn’t want to listen to them on a road trip, over dinner or making sweet love to myself. Beach House fit out all these occasions and more, their live show brings that atmosphere to life and again, considering it’s the afternoon at a festival, they cast an intoxicating spell over the mish mash crowd.

Moreland street was full of restless punters anticipating the arrival of Two Door Cinema Club who were backstage smashing beers, whilst we all waited for their gear to turn up on a delayed truck. I wish I could say it was worth the wait but it felt like a ‘by the numbers’ set and sure they’re easy to watch but I’ve seen this kind of pop rock done to death. I head down to the carpack to see the wacky Les Savy Fav show and catch up with Violent Soho in the crowd, who played a solid set but comment that Victorians are pussies, lead singer Luke Boerdom apparently told em so. He laughs as it actually worked in sparking some fire into an otherwise dull crowd. Gotta respect a band that doesn’t give a fuck as much as those doods. Violent Soho’s drummer Mikey Richards had a sing on stage with Harrington during a cover of Dead Kennedy’s California Uber Alles and then Harrington wrapped the Les Savy Fav set by climbing a fence to swim in the Maribyrnong River – guess he’ll be crapping through a needle for a few days.

One of my fav international records of 2010 belonged to the Oxford lad’s Foals. Needless to say there was a big turn out for these guys and it was a hot show. The electricity that lead singer Yannis Philippakis brings to the stage is something special. It’s by no means an over the top rock show but it is not unlike the energy The Temper Trap pump out and why they are so loved the world over. Playing mostly tracks from last year’s ‘Total Life Forever’ with some of the more well known JJJ hits, it’s the slightly reworked renditions that really sparkle. I caught these guys at the HiFi mid last year and this festival show is just as potent. Hopefully we’ll see them return again with new material having being laid down on this trip.

The crowd seemed to take on a slightly different vibe during the change over of stage equpiment. All of a sudden I felt surrounded by a more bogan flavor with a dash of chemical charged skank. Oh right, it was time for Cut Copy to bring out the disco. These boys have the electro pop set so finessed that no one can help but fall in love with the heart pounding synth waves that arrive in tracks like ‘Hearts on Fire’ and ‘Lights and Music’. For me though, it’s the new material that floods the street and finally sounds like it was meant to. Whothehell.net has featured two singles ‘Take Me Over’ and ‘Where I’m Going’ which have had mixed reactions. Personally I agree with editor Matt Hickey, as long as there are plenty of ‘ooos’, it’ll sound like Cut Copy. Change is a good and brave thing and Zonoscope is full of 70’s Bowie and very little guitar, when played live and loud, it is hot damn sexy. Dan Whitford’s voice is as perfect as the recording and he takes on a kind of preacher man presence that is kinda dorky but you find yourself believing. As he mentions in the making of Zonoscope clip, this is music to lose yourself in.

November marks a year since the washed up Rob Roy was revamped into the Workers’ Club. The past twelve months have been no mean feat for the venue, staging gigs by The Church, Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros, Paul Kelly as well as one of Roland S. Howard’s final shows. Mike Noga, Kirin J Callinan, Jack Ladder, Love of Diagrams and a stellar list of other local acts will be helping the venue blow out the candles over three massive nights. Get down!

(read on for lineup details & set times)

Friday 12th November

Womb Stage:
10:30 – 11:30 Owl Eyes
9:30 – 10:10 Undercolours
8:30 – 9:10 The Ocean Party

Playground Stage:
8:00 – 9:00 Garden Set by Galapagoose

doors open 8pm, $10.

Saturday 13^th November

Newborn Stage:
5:00 – 5:30 Mike Noga (The Drones)
6:00 – 6:30 The Sirens Of Venice
7:00 – 7:30 Seja (bris)
8:00 – 8:30 Alpine

Womb Stage:
4:30 – 5:00 Parking Lot Experiments
5:30 – 6:00 Batrider
6:30 – 7:00 Black Cab
7:30 – 8:00 Jack Ladder
8:30 – 9:00 Magic Silver White

9:30 – 10:00 Love Of Diagrams
10:30 – 11:00 Qua

Beaches + Rat Vs Possum + Two Bright Lakes DJs all night long.

doors open 4pm, $15.

Sunday 14^th November

Newborn Stage:
6:50 – 7:20 Loomer

Womb Stage:
3:30 – 4:00 Woollen Kits
4:20 – 4:50 Sir
5:10 – 5:40 Mick Turner (Dirty Three)
6:00 – 6:30 Oliver Hunter
7:20 – 7:50 Kirin J Callinan
8:30 – 9:00 Chrome Dome
9:20 – 10:00 ZOND

Playground Stage:
8:00 – 8:30 Galapagoose

Pikelet DJs all day and night.

doors open 3pm, $10.

Iconic Brisbane venue The Troubadour is closing at the end of the month. There had been rumblings around the Brisbane music scene about rising rents and the changing face of the Valley, but this is the biggest loss to the Valley’s live music precinct since The Rev became a dance club.

Here’s the presser from the venue’s website:

It’s news that will rock the Brisbane music community – the heart and soul of Brisbane’s music community, the iconic The Troubadour will be calling last drinks and closing its doors forever come the end of November.

In what will be a devastating blow to the town with a matter that has gone beyond the control of owners Jamie Trevaskis and Corinna Scanlon, the beloved music venue will close its doors on Sunday, November 21.

More information as to how the venue will be farewelled and why it is closing will be released in the very near future.  The Troub crew would like to extend gratitude to every single band, artist and punter who has graced the venue in the last seven and a half years.

The future of “The Troubadour” name and recognisable aesthetic remains uncertain but for now, the dream is over.

See the bullshit for yourself right here.

Since opening in 2003, The Troub has played host to bands too numerous to mention. Small-time local bands and big-name international touring acts have squeezed onto the small stage and squinted at the crowd through the red stage lights (a photographer’s nightmare).

Share your favourite Troub lineups and memories in the comments.

Only a year after it’s revamp, Melbourne’s Birmingham Hotel will no longer be hosting live music by the end of this month. Venue bookers Indra Adams and Chris Bosma confirmed the news in a statement, saying:

‘Sadly the owners of the Birmingham Hotel have found the financial viability of a live music venue with all costs attached does not present a sustainable business model. The venue will continue to operate without live music with plans for refurbishing the kitchen and existing function spaces.

We as the venue bookers would like to thank all the awesome bands and punters that have made our jobs so amazing and contributed to (what was) an incredibly vibrant and exciting music venue.

To all the bands who have shows booked in the calendar after the above date, we’re sorry if this is the first you’ve heard of the plans… We aim to contact everyone this week and do our best to find replacement shows for everyone.’

The news comes after the Birmy’s ‘re-birth’  last June under the run of new management where the likes of The Basics, Frowning Clouds, Will Wagner and The Greasers helped to relaunch the once tired building with a sign outside the venue reading ‘The Birmingham Hotel: It’s not shit anymore!’.  Considering the venue recently spent $3,500 soundproofing the windows of the venue with electric operated shutters to solve noise complaints, the news does come as a surprise.

Over the past year, the venue has established itself as a healthy breeding ground for local artists, housing up to 20 bands each week. What was reportedly once neo-Nazi hangout and a venue for nationalist hatecore gigs, became a welcome addition to the fertile ground of local venues around the area. Of course, $2 pots, a no-pretense code and consistent solid lineups for which the Birmy has become known for will be missed by many, but it seems like just another another casuality to the growing list of hallowed pubs culling live music.

Gigs will continue at the Birmy until the 19th, so make sure you catch the likes of Duvtons, Gosteleradio, Kins, Grenadiers (USA), Tobias Cummings, Useless Children and more who’ll be playing before the curtain drops. Check out www.birmingham.com.au for full details.

Ernest Ellis has been forced to cancel his tour with Parades in October due to illness. After being diagnosed with a medical condition that affects his hearing, Ellis has been advised by doctors to avoid exposure to loud music for two months to avoid further complications and permanent damage. Refunds are available from point of purchase. We wish him a quick recovery and fingers crossed he’ll be back on the road soon.

A bit of a hard act to follow after this year’s Splendour In The Grass lineup, but some decent headliners and a good selection of local acts just announced for Falls Festival and Sunset Sounds 2011.

Drumroll….

UPDATE: There were some errors in press releases etc. The Club House does not re-open until Saturday AUGUST 5TH. Not this coming Saturday. (Also, not that it matters now since the gig was last night but the above poster was meant to read July 8, not June 8). Dates, hey…

The Fans group are some of the best promoters in Brisbane, consistently staging interstate and international bands, as well as giving opportunities for local acts on a weekly basis.

Two exciting bits of news for Brisbane readers re: Fans. Firstly, Fans are giving you the chance to win a two camping tickets to Splendour. Over the next three Lambda club nights (starting tonight) you will be given a raffle ticket on the door (you get one each week). All you have to do is hang onto your ticket and make sure you go to the Fans club night on July 23rd (but you’d already by going anyway ‘coz Richard In Your Mind are playing, right?). You have to be present to win and you have to have your ticket. So get along. Lambda is on every Thursday night at Alhambra and is proudly supported by whothehell.net.

In other good news, The Club House – the Fans club night on Saturdays that’s been homeless since leaving (getting evicted from?) the Empire has reportedly found a new home in the downstairs bar at Tempo (what used to be Dooley’s) (via Rave Magazine). And it reportedly starts this Saturday night. And will reportedly have better sound and lighting and bar facilities (that’s probably a given, since the Empire looked like a crack den – in a cool way). With Gossip, another of Brisbane’s club nights ending this weekend, it’s comforting to know that Fans will step up to fill the gap.

www.fansclubnight.com

I have fond memories of playing sword-fighting games with my little brother, winning and making him cry. Then there were the times where I beat him with a hollow cardboard tube. *badoom-tssh*

Seriously though, this has to be the best piece of Facebook event invite spam I’ve ever received.
On Saturday July 10 at 2pm, a  bunch of people are going to meet up at the park behind the Milton State School in Brisbane (cardboard suit of armor is optional) and fight each other with cardboard tubes. I’ve just moved house, so I’m going to make myself some badass protective gear with my leftover moving boxes.

The Facebook event invite is here.

After months of speculation of an impending split, The Scare today announced they will no longer be making music.

In a statement made today, frontman Kiss Reid said  “It was a fun ride, it was a wild ride, at times it was a shit ride, at times you wanted it to never end type of ride. But alas all good things must come to an end, and now it’s our turn.”

Forming on Queensland’s Sunshine Coast in 2003, the Scare have garnered quite a reputation over the years for their brash live shows. Spitting out a gritty onslaught of edgy garage punk with every punch of prose, the band have never failed to impress me live, and it’s quite disappointing to see them disband after the solid effort of 2009’s Oozevoodoo.

The band have announced a run of dates for their last shows. The lads will be bowing out in true Scare flavour, so make sure you catch a show.

The Scare Farewell Tour dates:

Friday 9th of July - Sussex Inlet Tavern, Sussex Inlet

Saturday 10th July - Rats at Colonial Hotel, Melbourne

Friday 16th July – Night Eats Day at Grand Hotel, Wollongong

Saturday 17th July - Annandale Hotel, Sydney

Click here to view the embedded video.

The ‘Wooden Ships‘ video above is part of stripped back studio footage that appears on Dappled Cities first DVD release, which will surface later on this year.

Our favourite falsetto wielding lads are voyaging back to Oz after 3 months of touring around the US, UK and Hong Kong. Following the success of ‘Zounds’, they’ll be ditching the pims and cucumber sandwiches at their London HQ to dash home for an Australian tour in support of their new single ‘Wooden Ships’. Click here for the full list of tour dates.

Dappled Cities will also be curating an exhibition of commissioned artworks inspired by the music from ‘Zounds’. It’s happening at MART Gallery in Sydney during this week, so if you’re in the vicinity, make sure you stop by.

Dappled Cities ‘Zounds’ Exhibition

Monday 31st May – Saturday 5th June

MART GALLERY 156 Commonwealth Street Surry Hills, NSW

The last issue of JMag featured an angry quote from me regarding Google deleting music blogs. And that was before they deleted one of Australia’s finest.

Alas, last Friday we lost Mass Hyperbole, run by inthemix.com.au editor Dave Ruby Howe. As Dave points out, around four hundred posts, one million hits and three years of work disappeared at the hand of the almighty.

Fortunately, Dave has already picked up and started a new blog at hyperbole.tv (but sans the awesome banner of its previous incarnation). You should check it out and keep the dream alive. Hopefully (50% Australian) Rose Quartz doesn’t suffer a similar fate.

Sarah Blasko and Chris Cheney were part of the large scoop of Aussie undertakings at the recent International Songwriting Awards in the US.

Trumping competitors with the alluring ‘Bird On A Wire’, Blasko took out first place in the  Folk/Singer-Songwriter category.  Living End veteran Cheney scored first place in the Rock category for ‘White Noise’.

Geelong sibling duo Emma and Anthony Hewitt of Missing Hours won the adult contemporary award for ‘Missing You’, while the amiable Kevin Mitchell aka Bob Evans rounded out the winnings, earning best pop/top 40 artist for ‘Pasha Bulker’.

Aussies that took out third place gongs included Eskimo Joe in the Rock category for ‘Foreign Land’ and Alexander Gow and Thomas Savage of Oh Mercy for Adult Contemporary for ‘Get You Back’.

A massive list of honourable mentions acknowledged the talents of Andy Bull, Alexander Burnett (Sparkadia), Michael Tomlinson (YKB) , John Mackay (Children Collide), Tommaso Parisi (Tom Ugly) and Ryan Ritchie (True Live) to name a few.

This year’s judges included  Tom Waits, Ben Folds, Ben Harper, Jeff Beck and Robert Smith of The Cure.

Go team.

Was pondering whether this was worth posting after 10am given that this probably isn’t news to anyone by now, but I decided it would remiss not to.

In case you just woke up, or your whole Internet is broken and the only site you can access is whothehell.net, below is the line-up of unknown, up-and-coming acts for a new boutique festival called Splendour In The Grass.

Splendour happens Fri 30th of July – Sun 1st of Aug at Woodford, just outside Brisbane. Tickets go on sale 9am Thurs 6th of May, but you probs just buy them at the gate anyway.

Acts after the jump.

The Strokes
Pixies (only Australian show)
Ben Harper & Relentless7 (also only Australian show)
The Temper Trap
Mumford & Sons
Florence and The Machine
Scissor Sisters
Empire of The Sun
The Ting Tings
Band of Horses
Goldfrapp
Richard Ashcroft & The United Nations of Sound
Grizzly Bear
LCD Soundsystem
Angus & Julia Stone
Hot Chip
Wolfmother
Passion Pit
Midnight Juggernauts
Jónsi
Paul Kelly
Laura Marling
Lisa Mitchell
Midlake
The Vines
Miike Snow
Kate Nash
Black Rebel Motorcycle Club
Broken Social Scene
Tame Impala
The Magic Numbers
K-OS
Operator Please
Bluejuice
Little Red
Ash
The Middle East
Whitley
Yeasayer
Miami Horror
Delphic
We Are Scientists
Foals
Alberta Cross
Surfer Blood
Space Invadas
British India
Washington
Philadelphia Grand Jury
Clare Bowditch
Band of Skulls
Two Door Cinema Club
The Drums
The Mess Hall
Violent Soho
School of Seven Bells
Fat Freddy’s Drop
Last Dinosaurs
John Steel Singers
Yacht Club DJs
Jonathan Boulet
Dan Sultan
Oh Mercy
Cloud Control
Boy & Bear
Ernest Ellis
Tijuana Cartel
Frightened Rabbit
The Joy Formidable
Skipping Girl Vinegar
Gypsy and The Cat
Money For Rope
JaC Stone
Zennith
Tim & Jean
Bag Raiders
Van She Tech
Anna Lunoe
Kid Kenobi
Yolanda
Be Cool
The Only
Purple Sneakers DJs
Miami Horror DJs
Graz
Levins
+ more to be announced

Brisbane community radio station 4ZzZ FM have put the call out to artists worldwide to sexify their building, once the home of the Brisbane arm of the Communist party. From the presser:

Banksy eat your heart out!!! The legendary Brisbane radio station, 4ZzZ, is looking for someone to unleash their creative juices on the biggest blank canvas they’ll ever have – the front of Zed Towers!!!

My housemates and I all did stints at ZzZ and none of us have ever heard the building referred to as Zed Towers, but maybe it’s a new thing they’re trying to get happening.  Anyway, if you’d like to paint something cool on a fuck-off big building on a main road in Brisbane, send an email with your design and why you’d like to do it to info@4zzzfm.org.au by 30 May.

One of our favourite bands and band member Dappled Dave have been shortlisted for Cleo Bachelor of the Year! Vote for him here.