Perth Music

Saturday 23 February - Fly by Night, Fremantle ( 18+ )
Tickets $20 PreSold $25 at the Door
Available at www.heatseeker.com.au

Sunday 24 February - Bakery Artrage, Perth
All-Ages Matinee Performance
Tickets $15 PreSold $20 at the Door
Available at www.heatseeker.com.au

Sunday 24 February - Bakery Artrage, Perth ( 18+ )
Tickets $15 PreSold $20 at the Door
Available at www.heatseeker.com.au

For more info visit www.katemh.com

Congratulations to Muse for getting number one in this years Hottest 100 with Knights Of Cydonia. The top 10 is listed below:
1. - Muse - Knights Of Cydonia
2. - Silverchair - Straight Lines
3. - Kings Of Leon - On Call
4. - John Butler Trio - Better Than
5. - Faker - This Heart Attack
6. - Foo Fighters - The Pretender
7. - Daft Punk - Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger (Live)
8. - Cold War Kids - Hang Me Up To Dry
9. - Soko - I’ll Kill Her
10. - The Panics - Don’t Fight It

Also congratulations to all of the WA artists that made it to the list this year including:
The Waifs - 92. Sun, Dirt, Water
Karnivool - 63. The Only Way
Birds Of Tokyo - 61. Wayside
John Butler Trio - 55. Good Excuse, 22. Used To Get High and 4. Better Than
Gyroscope - 16. Snakeskin
and The Panics - 10. Don’t Fight It

After announcing the most comprehensive line-up of international Roots, Rock, Blues, Jazz, Folk, Reggae, Gospel and Soul talent ever to come to Western Australia, The West Coast Blues ’n’ Roots Festival has just gotten bigger!
New additions:
Ray Davies (The Kinks)
Chan Marshall (Cat Power)
The Wailers
The Cruel Sea
Jason Mraz
O.A.R. (Of A Revolution)
Jeff Lang
Ivan Zar

He’s penned so many perennial certified classics it’s near on impossible to keep count. However, he continues to push things forward, releasing one of his most acclaimed albums just last year. He is The Kinks founder and frontman Ray Davies, and he comes to the fifth annual West Coast Blues ’n’ Roots Festival to play all of The Kinks’ classics and more.

Joining Davies on this very special announcement is none other than provocateur and acclaimed songstress Chan Marshall, better known as the voice and face of Cat Power.

Few bands change the course of popular music. The Wailers were one of the few, and Bunny Wailer has been delivering the revolutionary reggae flavour ever since. An infrequent tourer, we’re truly privileged to welcome reggae’s greatest living exponent to Fremantle for a very special performance.

We are also honoured to announce the reformation of Aussie rock legends The Cruel Sea exclusively for the West Coast Blues ’n’ Roots Festival and our sister events across the nation.

Jason Mraz exploded onto the US music scene a few years ago with a startling blend of rock, pop, folk, jazz and country. And he’s been at the top of his game ever since, with a succession of acclaimed releases. He now brings his aural brew to Fremantle.

Theirs is the modern legend – a university jam band propelled to stardom through obsessive fans and the Internet. Frequently cited as the new Dave Matthews, O.A.R. (short for Of A Revolution) are certified US rock heroes with over a million album sales to their name, and will now bring their much acclaimed blend of rock, roots and reggae to WA for one special performance.

We also welcome Aussie guitar maestros Jeff Lang and Ivan Zar back to the West Coast Blues ’n’ Roots Festival for what will undoubtedly be an unforgettable weekend of music.

Unfortunately Brandi Carlile has withdrawn from her performance at the West Coast Blues ’n’ Roots Festival due to tour scheduling issues. Also, please note there have been some slight changes in the day-by-day breakdown due to international touring schedules: Seasick Steve now moves to Sunday, G. Love & Special Sauce moves to Sunday and Lior moves to Saturday.

WEST COAST BLUES ’N’ ROOTS FESTIVAL 2008
Fremantle Esplanade Reserve
SARURDAY, MARCH 15
Buddy Guy, Ray Davies, Sinéad O’Connor, Don McLean, Maceo Parker, Gotye, Ian Brown, Keb’ Mo’, KT Tunstall, Xavier Rudd, Ozomatli, The Cruel Sea, The Bellrays, Clare Bowditch And The Feeding Set, Angus & Julia Stone, Jason Mraz, O.A.R., Lior, Damien Dempsey, The Basics and more to be announced

SUNDAY, MARCH 16
John Fogerty, Bunny Wailer, Eskimo Joe, Cat Power, Jools Holland & His Rhythm And Blues Orchestra, Vusi Mahlasela, Lee Ritenour, Patty Griffin, London Community Gospel Choir, G. Love & Special Sauce, The Beautiful Girls, Galactic, Salmonella Dub, Jeff Martin, Mia Dyson, Jeff Lang, Seasick Steve, The Audreys, Sugarland, Ivan Zar and more to be announced.

After another stellar year of album releases from Western Australian artists, the 2008 WAMi Awards see some of our finest acts battling it out for Most Popular Album. The nominees are Birds of Tokyo ‘Day One’, John Butler Trio ‘Grand National’, The Panics for ‘Cruel Guards’ and Red Jezebel for ’How I Learnt to Stop Worrying’. The Most Popular Live Act award sees some of WA’s best loved acts rate a mention; nominees include Gyroscope, Karnivool, Snowman and Streetlight.

With six WAMi Award nominations, including Most Popular Album, for their debut LP ‘Day One’, Birds of Tokyo lead the nomination charge in 2008! Alongside Most Popular Album, Birds of Tokyo were also nominated in the Best Rock Act, Best Drummer (Adam Weston), Best Vocalist (Ian Kenny) Best Guitarist (Adam Spark) and Best Instrumentalist (Glenn Sarangapany) categories!

The John Butler Trio had another big year, touring at large on home soil and abroad after the release of his fourth studio album ‘Grand National’. JBT scored five WAMi Award Nominations, including Most Popular Album for ‘Grand National’, Most Popular Act, Most Popular Music Video for ‘Good Excuse’, Best Blues and Roots Act and Best Guitarist!

Nominated for Favourite Newcomer and Most Promising New Act, both Abbe May and the Rockin’ Pneumonia and Felicity Groom and the Black Black Smoke scored 4 nominations, alongside Sugar Army who were nominated for Most Popular Act, Most Popular Single/EP, Best Rock Act and Best Bassist (Ian Berney).

Nominees in the Industry only voted category for the Golden WAMi for contribution to the WA Music Industry in 2007 are:
Heath Bradby (Director Fidelity Corporation, co artist manager for Bob Evans, Downsyde, The Silents, Snowman, Jebediah, Karnivool)
Juliet John (Manager of Schvendes and Publicist for Saturation)
Peter Barr, (RTRFM 92.1 Breakfast Presenter, FreshBlast Co ordinator)
Steph Edwardes (Manager of Sugar Army, Editor of Rockus.com.au and Assistant Manager at Fidelity Corp)

All are contenders for the Golden WAMi Award, raising the WA music industry profile over the past year.

Voting for the WAMi Awards is open to anyone in the world. Voting commences on Thursday January 17 at http://myspace.com/musicwa (.) You’ll need to register an account, and only one vote per person will be counted. Voting closes on Monday February 13.

The WAMi Award winners will be announced at the Perth International Arts Festival Beck’s Music Box (on the Esplanade, Perth) on Thursday 21 February! The WAMi Awards will include live performances by Jebediah, Birds of Tokyo, Blue Shaddy, Yabu Band with special guests Groovylips and the Yang, Felicity Groom and the Black Black Smoke and DJ’s Dan the Man & Rok Riley. Tickets are on sale now from www.heatseeker.com.au and the usual outlets.

For all WAMi Festival information, including the full list of WAMi Award nominees and the WAMi Festival Guide, head to http://myspace.com/musicwa or http://wam.asn.au(.) The WAMi Festival runs from February 15 – 24.

Kill Teen Angst - Debut EP launch
Saturday 16th February - Amplifier Bar
Doors Open 8pm
with special guests Sugar Army, Batrider (NZ), The Leap Year and Hooper’s Store

2007 WAM Rock Song of the Year winners Kill Teen Angst will launch their long-awaited debut self-titled EP on Saturday 16th February at Amplifier, proudly presented by Rockus.com.au in conjunction with the 2008 WAMi Festival.

As seasoned veterans of the Perth indie scene, the band formerly known as Ten Speed Racer carved their own niche through a love of Mogwai’s dramatic, noise-fuelled intensity and Archers Of Loaf’s raw pop sensibilities. But it was through a change in members and name in early 2006 when the influences truly began to thrive, and Kill Teen Angst was able to unleash a rejuvenated, confronting sound on an unsuspecting world.

In the transition since Ten Speed Racer and Kill Teen Angst, the band has risen exponentially through the ranks of the Perth music scene. In the past year alone, they have supported the likes of Shooting At Unarmed Men, Cut Off Your Hands, British India, Deloris, Witch Hats, Die! Die! Die! and Kisschasy. Previously to that, they’ve shared the stage with Mclusky, Gyroscope and Gerling. And to top off what has already been a most successful year, the band won the 2007 WAM Rock Song of the Year for ‘The World Or Nothing’, the lead track from their debut EP, which has already enjoyed triple j and community radio airplay nationwide.

Friday, 8th February 2008
The Bakery Artrage Complex
Door Price: $10 (No Pre-sale)
Line-up: Schvendes, Mink Mussel Creek, Cease, Stina

Rockus.com.au is proud to present the launch of season 2 of its free-to-download music documentary video podcast, Radio Dingbat. To commemorate this event, Rockus Magazine is hosting a gig at The Bakery Artrage complex on Friday, 8th of February 2008, featuring a line-up of local bands featured in the series. Appearing on stage will be solo artist Stina with her mix of electronica and pop, improvisational drone musicians Cease, the heavy psychedelic sounds of Mink Mussel Creek, and the dark dramatic music of Schvendes.

The WA Folk Federation and some of Western Australia’s best folk, blues and country musicians come together for Mount Lawley Folk and Blues to create music on a Sunday afternoon in the heart of Mount Lawley on Sunday 10th February from 2:30pm to 6:30pm at the Velvet Lounge and Flying Scotsman.

Artists playing include Isabel Quigley, Djangle, Grant Hart and Keith Anthonisz and 3 Wise Monkeys.

For more info visit the WA Folk Federation website - www.wafolk.org.au

Josh Pyke has had one hell of a year. He released his debut album ‘Memories and Dust‘, which entered the ARIA chart at number 4, and has now gone Gold and was nominated for Triple J’s 2007 J Award for album of the year and was the third most played artist on Triple J for all of 2007. He completed two national tours, one with the John Butler Trio, toured the UK three times and played several national music festivals. And what better way to start of 2008 than to be added to the national Big Day Out tour. Josh Pyke talked to Justin Middleton for this exclusive interview.

Click here to download the podcast of the entire interview. (9:00 - 4.2Mb)

I asked Josh how happy he was that his debut album was received so eagerly by the Australian public. “Yeah, for a first record I was kind of expecting that maybe it would sell, you know, 15,000 max and that would be a really great start to a career. I could try and sell more on the next one but it has well and truly exceeded my expectations. Which also then adds a bit more pressure for the next record which is kinda bad….but I’m not going to complain about the success.”

With the sophomore album pressure in Josh’s mind I asked if he had already started writing the follow up to ‘Memories and Dust‘. “Yeah I have and I’d really, really like to get a new record out by next August, which is actually quite soon if you think about how long it takes to set up a record and actually record the record so we’ll see how it goes. But I have started writing and I’ve done a fair few songs already so it’s looking good so far….With Memories and Dust I really had nothing to lose, I didn’t really have any fans, I just put it out and hoped for the best. Where as this time there’s a bunch of people in Australia that have bought the record so it’s sort of nerve racking in a way because if you have a fan base then you have a fan base to lose or hopefully you have a fan base to build upon. It’s a bit nerve racking but I guess that’s just the way it is.”

Even with the success that Josh has had in the last year, he is still not classified as a mainstream musical artist. I asked Josh if, in this day and age, it is getting easier for non-mainstream artists to make a living through their music. “I think in some ways it is because there is a lot more access to music and it is easier to get music these days, in terms of you can jump on Myspace or whatever or Youtube and track down music. But at the same time that accessibility to music, you don’t actually get paid any of that as an artist. It’s great that people can download your album for free if you don’t have a release there but at the same time that means the artist isn’t getting paid. So I think it’s easier for artists to get their music to people, easier than ever, but I think it’s just as hard, if not harder to actually make a living as a musician if you’re not writing really commercial songs that are gonna get played on commercial radio. The only real way you can do it is by hitting the road.”

And yes Josh does actually have direct involvement in his Myspace page. “Yeah, absolutely I spend probably half an hour to an hour every couple of days on it. I generally answer a fair few of them (comments and questions), I don’t answer all the stuff but I think it’s important to try and have that direct contact with people that are supporting you so I think it’s a nice thing to be able to do.”

Josh also explained which other artists on the Big Day Out tour he is really looking forward to seeing. “Augie March. I’ve seen them so many times, they probably my favourite Australian band, I just think they are amazing. It’s going to be awesome to be able to check them out every night. And Arcade Fire. I’m really looking forward to seeing them. They would be in my top three favourite bands at the moment. And I saw them at Glastonbury when I was playing over there and it was just incredible. I’m well and truly up for seeing them again and again and again.”

You can catch Josh Pyke playing live at the Big Day Out:
Fri Jan 18 - Auckland
Sun Jan 20 - Gold Coast
Fri Jan 25 - Sydney
Mon Jan 28 - Melbourne
Fri Feb 1 - Adelaide
Sun Feb 3 - Perth

20, 000 music lovers descended upon Busselton for a weekend full of rock ‘n’ roll, camping and just plain having a good time. Although all the main acts played on the Saturday, Sir Stewart Bovell Park was full with tents, sleeping bags and excited punters on the Friday evening ready for the early camping entertainment. Playing on the Big Top stage on the Friday afternoon and evening were local rockers Abbe May & The Rockin’ Pneumonia, New Rules For Boats, Institut Polaire, Sydney folk siblings Angus & Julia Stone, Lior, The Beautiful Girls and Freo favourites The Waifs. Organizers, Sunset Events, had retooled the setup for Southbound to make it easier for campers to park, setup and get around the grounds and after arriving fairly late, I was pleasantly surprised that they had been successful in doing just that. Apart from the early bands playing at the Big Top, there was the Splif Cinema playing short and cult movies late into the night, dance stages and tents, a massage tent, an open mic lounge and a karaoke stage to keep everybody happy. I did get to catch The Waifs playing a set full of hits to an enthusiastic crowd with their kids side of stage dancing and singing along just as loud as the audience. ‘London Still‘ was the final song of night one and was the perfect way to say good night to everyone as they headed back to their tents for a bit of sleep before Southbound Saturday.

A lot of people woke up early on the Saturday to get in quick to the showers, get some breakfast and to use the free internet cafe at the base camp. With the first band on stage at 11am, some people took advantage of being in the beautiful southwest of WA and took a shuttle bus into the town of Busselton for a bit of shopping, sightseeing or just a quick swim at the beach. There were also thousands of fans that only had a day pass for the Saturday so were arriving steadily as the morning moved along. The entire area for the Saturday was separate than the Friday, so when this opened just before 11am fans rushed in ready for a day of music and fun. Layed out similarly to the way the West Coast Blues N Roots festival was last year, there was 2 main stages (This Stage and That Stage), a smaller undercover stage (The Other Stage) and a DJ Stage (Coconut Club).

Heading over to This Stage, I got to see local boys The Dirty Secrets playing to a growing crowd. Although it is always hard playing first at a music festival (not including the previous night), The Dirty Secrets soldiered on and played with the kind of confidence that only a band comfortable with itself can do. The band has already played at The Big Day Out and previously at Southbound which must be a great thrill with members growing up in the South West of WA.

As The Dirty Secrets finished their set it was time to head over to the Other Stage and catch fellow Perth band The Panics. Maybe it was a miscalculation by the organizers but the smaller, undercover stage was not big enough to hold all the fans wanting to see The Panics and the whole undercover area was full. With an increased amount of radio airplay this year and winning Triple J’s 2007 J Award for album of the year, the fellas could not have been happier with the turnout. Older songs and songs from their latest album ‘Cruel Guards‘ were played with a special highlight for most being recent single ‘Don’t Fight It‘.

Playing at the same time on This Stage were British indie girl group The Pipettes. The crowd for The Pipettes gradually grew larger and larger and groups of girls (and some guys) got up and danced like there was no tomorrow. Crowd favourites were ‘Pull Shapes‘, ‘Your Kisses Are Wasted On Me‘, ‘Dirty Mind‘ and ‘We Are The Pipettes‘ with synchronized dance routines taking place on stage by Becki, Gwenno and Rosay, side of stage by onlookers Operator Please and off stage by an excited crowd.

Next up on This Stage were brother and sister folk duo Angus & Julia Stone. Although they have only just released their debut album, there was a large and enthusiastic crowd cheering them on as they played a set that was one of the best highlights of the festival. Similarly to their album ‘A Book Like This‘ Angus & Julia Stone took turns at lead vocals while playing a wide variety of instruments including guitar, piano, trumpet and harmonica. Julia Stone also danced beautifully while brother Angus was singing which hypnotized onlookers.

After possibly getting some inspiration by watching The Pipettes, Operator Please were up next on That Stage with all the energy that has made them a Triple J and commercial station favourite in 2007. Now that their debut album ‘Yes Yes Vindictive‘ has been released the crowd was able to sing along to almost all their songs instead of just ‘A Song About Ping Pong‘. Lead singer Amanda Wilkinson has almost got her singing while playing lead guitar down perfectly, keyboardist Sarah Gardiner was her usual self jumping around constantly during songs and violinist Taylor Henderson looked like she was wearing the cheerleader outfit she wore in the Ping Pong music video. All in all Operator Please entertained the crowd with their catchy pop songs without fault.

Swedish guitar god Jose Gonzalez was up next in the Other Stage which, like The Panics set, was overflowing with onlookers. His set was scheduled to start at 1:50 but sound problems delayed his start time to around 2:05. Only one side of the speakers was working and the more the sound technicians tried to fix it, the more frustrated the crowd was getting. By the time the curtains were drawn back and Jose Gonzalez appeared on stage (apologetic) many of the crowd members had had enough and walked off and as his set continued with ongoing sound problems and feedback issues more and more people left disappointed. It was a real shame that sound issues hampered one of the finest guitarists going around but these things do happen at music festivals every now and again.

It was that time of the day to get some lunch, a drink and a bit of a sit down, which limited my view of sets by The Go! Team, The Waifs, and Gotye. But I can say that The Go! Team were a real crowd pleaser and it is always fantastic to see a band with two drummers. Many songs were played from their new album ‘Proof Of Youth’ and for most of their set it did feel like I was in some sort of action movie. The Waifs played for the second time in two days but did not disappoint with a set any long time Waifs fan would have loved. Gotye had similar sound issues as Jose Gonzalez in the Other Stage and was also delayed but crowds were still larger than they would have been for Gotye a year ago.

Next up on This Stage was the first real big name headlining acts - Black Rebel Motorcycle Club. With their blues/rock style it was great to see them still wearing their trademark denim and leather outfits even in the WA heat. A swag of songs were played from their latest album Baby 81 and their first two albums that rocked Sir Stewart Bovell Park as well as a bunch of softer songs from their previous album Howl. The San Francisco natives went about their business like they had done it a million times without a single blemish in their entire set. That being said, although all the songs sounded just like they do on the CD’s it could have used a bit more excitement or compulsiveness for my liking.

Spiderbait were up next on This Stage and the festival veterans knew exactly how to get the mass moving. Kram grabbed the microphone before any note was played to chat with the crowd and build up a connection that helped them throughout their set. A whole range of songs were played from early ‘Bait classics ‘Ol Man Sam‘, ‘Calypso‘ and ‘Buy Me A Pony‘ to newer hits ‘Fuckin Awesome‘ and crowd favourite ‘Black Betty‘. The main difference Spiderbait had to many other bands was that they actually looked like they were having a real blast during their set with Kram running around stage during a guitar solo, Janet taking photos of herself and the crowd and Whitt playing a guitar solo with his teeth.

The next big overseas headline act, Kings Of Leon were up next and the crowd swelled to near capacity to see the Southern US siblings. Now that the band have three albums to choose from and their latest album ‘Because Of The Times‘ a clear step up in song quality, the Kings Of Leon live show was set to be one not to forget. Songs from early albums Youth & Young Manhood and Aha Shake Heartbreak are mainly quick and fast songs that usually really suite live shows but crowd favourites were songs from their new album including ‘On Call’, ‘Black Thumbnail‘, ‘McFearless‘, ‘Arizona’ and ‘Knocked Up‘. As the sun set on the beautiful Busselton skyline it was a perfect backing to see the fantastic live performance provided by Kings Of Leon. Although Groove Armada were up next many audience members verbally named Kings Of Leon also the Kings of Southbound.

After a short break Groove Armada came on stage to a thunderous applause ready to play their dance hits that have been included in numerous advertising campaigns. Their set definitely ended the festival on a high note with nobody capable of walking away in a bad mood. ‘Superstylin‘ was a crowd favourite and a song that many dance fans will remember the festival by. Sunset Events had put on a fantastic music event that 20, 000 music fans will long remember and Southbound will hopefully be back bigger and better this time next year.

Photos from Southbound can be found here at PerthNorg (Thanks to Noodlez).