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LOOK: Hand Games – 1st Birthday Party

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First birthday parties, hey? Usually reserved for seedy uncles, blow-up castles, and mediocre cameos that somehow entertain the lucky babe to be. Do you remember anything from the space between popping out and entering into 13 years of education at age five? Nope? Glad I’m not the only one.

Last weekend Sydney-based label Hand Games celebrated the big 365 in Melbourne, after parties in Sydney and Brisbane earlier this month. I was lucky enough to head down to The Liberty Social and catch a stellar line-up of acts that didn’t include Fesbo the Clown, sadly. Castlemaine’s own D.D Dumbo opened and I’m forever in debt to Mel for reminding me to get down early to check him out. He’s got one hell of a voice, and truly great musicianship to boot. Oliver Hugh Perry, wrote and recorded his self-titled EP in 2012, and when this transpired live, I must say that I was taken aback. Stop what you’re doing and take a listen to ‘Tropical Oceans’ now, just do it.

Speaking of veiled hype, let’s not forget Client Liaison and NO ZU. While you’ve probably heard of the latter with their brand of unquantifiable calypso-pop, you probably haven’t heard of the former. Go get familiar with their deal. Self described as ‘international in flavour, cosmopolitan in style’, these guys are unashamedly reclaiming the supposed glory days of post-bi centenary/Sydney 2000 Australiana.Don’t believe me? Head to their blog to check out their mood board. They’ve yet to release formal tracks as such, but the video for ‘End of the Earth‘ makes up for everything. Forget that Crowded House ever happened, think the best of old ‘Farnsy, concocting all those power-Casio elements into something that’s actually quite good. At times you stop and catch yourself legitimately enjoying this: because the line between satire and performance is quite thin.

Though, you wouldn’t question the that from the This Thing boys, Electric Sea Spider and Andras Fox. Both hot off the back of successful releases, and in Fox’s case, one half of the hype-riddled Fox + Sui (and rightly so), these guys were a perfect fit for the party. Mirroring the label’s recent success in signing Oisima and Nakagin, Hand Games seem to have caught on to a burgeoning Australian experimental beat scene.

Big love to Hand Games for booking innovative first birthday entertainment.

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LOOK: PBS Drive Live 2013

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The community radio sector is something which all of us as ‘taste-markers’ will inevitably have to peruse on a daily basis.

Whether it be the vitality of Melbourne’s 3RRR or Sydney’s FBi, community radio stations have I’m sure, granted you with a multitude of new experiences and insights into the artists you’ve come to know and love.

And Melbourne’s Progressive Broadcasting Service (PBS) is no different. Home to “little heard music”, PBS has been many a watershed moment for teens, or even adults, wanting to break the shackles of the ear-bleeding homogeneity of commercial radio (since 1979). While Triple J serves the informed Australian listener to adequate degrees, it’s stations like PBS who go leaps and bounds in promoting music that may excite, intrigue, or present a whole new perspective to your perception of ‘taste’. Whether it be Hip-Hop, Latin, or Rockabilly, the station consistently presents a grid that doesn’t shy away from inaccessibility. Having said that, it’s this relative packaging of niches that provide the necessary grounds for getting into musical styles that you probably wouldn’t have even given thought to previously. It’s for this very reason why I’ve discovered some properly good Gospel, Ska, and Ethio-Jazz that I probably would never have discovered – even with the internet at my disposal.

However, despite the dedicated (and unnoticed) work of volunteers and community broadcasters from around the country, the very future of some 37 stations is in limbo.

Thanks to cuts in funding to the tune of $1.4 million, community broadcasters will no longer be able to maintain the costs associated with digital broadcasting. While the current federal government has committed $2.2 million at present, $3.6 million is needed to ensure that all community stations keep their digital broadcast capabilities. As it stands, federal funding of digital transmission and connectivity costs amount to less than $100,000 per station. So, considering that you’d have to be a luddite to not know the future of analogue, this issue has gone beyond just being a big deal.

Considering the impact that community radio has had on all of us at WTH, we thought it might be worth talking about. So, take a read when you have the time, make some noise, and sign the petition, here.

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LOOK: Northside Records – 10th Birthday

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I’ve always been jealous of Fitzroy’s Gertrude St. For those of you not living in the World’s Most Liveable city, let me put it this way. SYD think Newtown, and BRIS think Fortitude Valley (the rest of you, well, make it up). Once a thoroughfare seen as the embodiment of Melbourne’s polar socio-economic disadvantage, the street has gone on to transform itself into one of Melbourne’s most hallowed hang out spots. And while the throes of gentrification have taken most of old Gertrude, she’s still got her soul, and quite a ragin’ one at that.

Northside Records has perched itself on top of Gertrude for 10 years now this month, and it’s fitting that a proposed in-store celebration turned into an accidental street party.

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LOOK: Cutters and Two Bright Lakes Present – MMW

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With the vast expanse of the National Gallery of Victoria’s Great Hall transformed into a live music venue, the gems of Melbourne’s indie scene came out to play with the Gallery’s priceless collection. Featured as part of the Labels Series for Melbourne Music Week, the night showcased the best of the labels’ respective talent. With the neo-90s penchant of Two Bright Lakes, to the innovative electronica from Cutters Records, this was one hell of a variety night.

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LOOK: Live Music Safari – MMW

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For one night only, over 40 acts came together to perform for Melbourne Music Week’s Live Music Safari.

From the Toff to Prince’s own Bennetts Lane a slew of artists from the local Melbourne took centre stage, all for free.

Big ups to the team behind MMW for setting this up, not to mention giving Melbourne’s local music scene the spotlight it deserves.

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SEQUENCE: Kite Club @ Sing Sing Studios

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Kite Club (Nicholas Futcher) is currently in the midst of recording his debut record, so we recently got down to Richmond’s hallowed Sing Sing Studios to shoot the band laying down some tracks. Futcher and the band have been plugging away with Jean-Paul Fung (of Jinja Safari/Last Dinosaurs fame). If this session was anything to go by, expect big things from Kite Club come release date.

More on Kite Club here + here.

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