Monthly Archives For September 2014

Who the Hell’s Guide to BIGSOUND

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Apart from being one of the few places in the world where old white dudes drink for free, BIGSOUND (if you don’t know) is also a great place to see new Australian bands – and your old favourites – which is something we’re pretty keen on. Here’s who we reckon will be worth checking out between beers at the LIVE portion of this year’s festival. You can check out the whole lineup and pick up last-minute tickets here.

We’ll also be instagrammin’ live for the festival at @whothehellnet if you wanna see us attempt to find a filter that might make Fortitude Valley Mall look good.

Jesse Davidson: Wednesday, 8.00 p.m. – New Globe Theatre

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Jesse Davidson is an Adelaide eighteen year old (and he already supported Mac Demarco this year. Jesus.) making really subtle, lovely pop music with warm, dynamic vocals. He does mumbly angst just as well as soaring… angst. His latest single ‘Ocean’ is precise but dreamy – nothing seems out of place or accidental, and the end result is something very pretty.

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Bad//Dreems: Wednesday, 9.40 p.m. – The Brightside (Outdoor)

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It’s no secret that we’re fans of these guys, but if you haven’t seen them live yet, you’re missing out. Bad//Dreems specialise in heavy downer vibes and grab-you-by-the-throat melodies. With a debut album on the way, there’s sure to be plenty of new stuff to sink your teeth into.

Facebook / Bandcamp / Website

Blank Realm: Wednesday, 11.20 p.m. – New Globe Theatre

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Okay, not exactly an underground find, we know, but Blank Realm is a truly world class act and if you’re not already planning on seeing them well… you gotta. They write riffs like no one else and are probably gonna be the most fun act you’ll see all festival – the perfect band to get sweaty and messy and a bit dirty to at the end of the first night.

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INTRODUCING: Planète

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Planète

Dion Tartaglione is an expert manipulator of noise. As Planète he is at the forefront of the newest wave of Australian electronic music. This might seem like big praise if you’ve never heard of him, but I have a feeling after listening to the latest Planète tunes – the ‘Visions’ / ‘Snow Sketch’ double A-side – you might agree with me.

I’m so confident that you’ll agree this guy is the bomb that I am tempted to stop writing now and let the music talk for me. I’m too vain to let that happen though; let me tell you a bit more about what to expect.

‘Visions’ starts off simply, quietly. Only a few blips and clicks permeate the low-level sound, but they are crucial to the build up. Not long after, the bass enters and your synapses start firing; electrical and chemical impulses start moving in your brain. The groove, once this track gets going, is undeniable – it might not make your heart race, but it will make your brain work.

‘Snow Sketch’ is the slightly longer song of the two, and it has more of a body groove going for it. You can bop around a bit more to this one, but its charm is in its restraint. Plucky synth notes dance around the maracas and bass undercurrent. Both tracks get beyond the seven-minute mark, making each a hefty yet satisfying aural trek.

‘Snow Sketch’ and ‘Visions’ are so immaculately crafted you’ll think they came from a bigger, more established name. The songs are like rooms decorated in the most elegant, minimalist style – unfathomably cool. Planète has the backing of similarly hip electro-heads, Silo Arts, and has supported the likes of LUCIANBLOMKAMP live. If you’re not convinced by this release, then it’s genuinely your loss.

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LISTEN: Unity Floors and Chook Race – Cheap Split 7″

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I mean, this was inevitably going to happen, right? Of course two of the country’s most underrated guitar pop bands were going to combine forces and go multi-platinum on a split single! It seems ridiculous that it’s taken this long for it to occur.

For those unacquainted, Gus and Henry are Unity Floors. Best mates from Sydney, these guys are basically the Marrickville share-house equivalent of Pavement. The kind of music Unity Floors play can best be summarised by the bummed-out, hunched-shoulders riff of their contribution, ‘Hold Music’, with the accompanying line of ‘C…CBF/I couldn’t be fucked/but I’ll do my best’.

From here, ‘Hold Music’ just gets better and better, with buzzing and frantic guitars and lines that prove Unity Floors’ fantastically irreverent lyrics didn’t peak with ‘Nice Fit’. ‘Hold Music’ packages itself nicely as a song to be chucked on between The Replacements and The Go-Betweens on the Sunday BBQ mixtape.

Flip the side, and you’ve got another group that’s severely underrated in the scheme of Australian music – Melbourne band Chook Race. These guys are pure pop with a little bit of scuzz lurking around on the fringes, like a lo-fi version of The Preatures. Their new song ‘Numb’ ranks as one of their finest, and those who have heard ‘Pop Song’ know that Chook Race pack some punches.

Unity Floors and Chook Race are teaming up for the Sydney launch of Cheap Split real soon – and it’s free! Check ’em out on Friday, 12 September at the Standard Bowl.

Unity Floors – Facebook / Bandcamp

Chook Race – Facebook / Bandcamp

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INTRODUCING: The Primary

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Melbourne band The Primary have been kicking around the scene with their brand of noise-laden ferocity for a few years now, and have now offered the first preview of their soon-to-be-released EP The Gift with the straight-shooting lead single, ‘What You Leave Behind’.

A two-versed bombardment of alternating chaos and restraint, the track certainly is a tense listen. With vocals channeling John Lydon in full PiL mode and a gnarly, warped guitar stabbing repeatedly throughout, the trio very quickly prove their chops in the noisier side of post-punk. The track is anchored by an unrelentingly rhythm section whose firmness works to emphasise the discordant wails of the guitar. There’s little room for trickery here – ‘What You Leave Behind’ is simply the sound of a strong live band tracked well.

The hypnotic repetition and eastern guitar lines will have you feeling like you’re being willed to stare into a set of serpentine eyes and await instructions. By the time you’re fully submitted to its command the track abruptly ends, leaving you questioning if you’re really in control of your life.

The Gift comes out on 29 August. The band will celebrate the release with their first interstate show at Brighton Up Bar in Sydney, with support from Jugular Cuts, Beast and Flood, and more.

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PREMIERE: The Infants – ‘Ape’ video

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Back in April WTH introduced The Infants and their ghoulish track ‘Halves‘, and the band’s now followed up with the video for their second single, ‘Ape’.

Unstable guitars, toy pianos, strange sound artefacts and vocals reminiscent of PJ Harvey in her prime – these kids work in many ways to keep you on edge right out of the gate. Driven by a disco groove that you could listen to for hours, ‘Ape’ bubbles along until you feel it’s likely to boil over. Then it EXPLODES.

The video carefully creeps along in a progression that goes from awkward to downright scary – a visual analogue to the particular brand of madness that the music probably had you imagining anyway.

Look out for The Infants’ forthcoming EP, Low Rumble, which they’ll be launching at the Gasometer in Melbourne on Saturday, 6 September.

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