Perth Music

Saturday 27th December 2008
Mandurah Western Foreshore

Another warm summer day greeted the thousands of kids that turned up in Mandurah for the fourth instalment of the Rollercoaster Festival. Being the only rock festival situated in Mandurah, it has become something that a lot of locals really look forward to and something to do during the Christmas break that isn’t necessarily family based. Unfortunately today there were many issues with crowd control and many complaints about the ever rising drink prices.

Perth’s own Tame Impala were on stage early to the growing stage and their reputation has continued to spread around WA thanks to playing as many gigs and festivals as they can. Their psychedelic sound was not what everybody expected but it was definitely well received with flashbacks for many to the 70’s. There was bongo solos, crazy dancing and ten minute songs that had people in the crowd swaying and dancing along. A great cover of Blue Boy’s Remember Me was the highlight of their set.

After a short break French electro pop outfit The Teenagers walked on stage excited and ready to try and withstand the Australian heat. Vocalist Michael Szpiner announced with his French accent that this was the first time the band had been to Perth and that they loved it here despite the heat and that he could only stand on one side of the stage due to being barefoot and half of the stage covered in sunlight. The band sounded great but half of the crowd were not expecting the flamboyant frontman and did not appreciate his dancing. Three girls from the front were invited on stage to sing along to the hit ‘Homecoming‘ and did really well despite giggling throughout.

Operator Please were on next and they are not strangers to music festivals in WA having appeared in many of them over the last couple of years. The band have changed a bit with new keyboardist Chris Holland replacing the departed Sarah Gardiner and violinist Taylor Henderson getting a lot more involved with singing. The band also no longer do their cover of Devo’s Whip It and has been replaced by a cover of Salt n Pepa’s Push It. It was about this part of the day where the crowd started throwing plastic bottles onto the stage getting very close to hitting band members. Vocalist Amandah Wilkinson caught one person throwing a bottle and proceeded to call them a cunt and that if they didn’t want to hear the band then they could fuck off. The band then continued on with their set and as expected ‘Just A Song About Ping Pong‘ generated a huge cheer from the crowd as well as some crazy dancing.

It was then time for a bit of a change in style as electro rockers Cut Copy started to play. As the festival was starting to run a bit behind schedule Cut Copy were forced to only play 8 songs but they did a great job in playing them despite the tough circumstances. There was also sound sound issues early in their set but Cut Copy pleased the crowd with songs mainly from their newest album In Ghost Colours including Nobody Lost, Nobody Found, Far Away, So Haunted, Unforgettable Season, Out There On The Ice, Lights And Music, Future and closed with their huge hit Hearts On Fire.

Perth boys Gyroscope generated a huge cheer from the crowd as they walked on stage and after the best year of their careers, they were ready to rock. Starting with All In One and Doctor Doctor the crowd were moshing and jumping around like they were possessed which is what Gyroscope hope for at all of their shows. This was followed by Beware Wolf, 1981 and Dream Vs Scream with frontman Daniel Sanders and bassist Brad Campbell almost knocking each other over with their out of control playing. Driving For The Storm and These Days allowed for a bit of a breather for the crowd as well as the band but everyone got straight back into it with Safe Forever. Sanders jumped down into the crowd and sang most of the song in the mosh pit or crowd surfing and then jumped on top of a speaker to finish the song. Gyroscope finished their set with Australia, Weapon.Enemy.Friend, a cover of Midnight Oil’s Beds Are Burning, Fast Girl and Snakeskin all with some idiot on top of the sound tent evading security and a huge brawl happening just near the first aid tent.

The sun was finally setting in Mandurah and Sneaky Sound System came on stage confronted with a agitated crowd. The band were in great form having just returned from a very successful string of shows in the UK. Crowd pleaser Pictures opened their set with vocalists Connie Mitchell and Black Angus syncing perfectly. This was followed by When We Were Young, 16 and Hip Hip Hooray with Connie announcing to the crowd that their new drummer was none other than Perth’s own Sibbsy, formerly with Eskimo Joe. During Crazy the crowd continued to throw bottles on stage and during UFO a bottle actually hit Connie in the face which forced her to fall down. After a minute Angus announced that Connie’s eye was now bleeding and the band walked off stage, forced to finish their set early.

After a bit of a break an announcement was made that if anything else was thrown on stage the festival would be over but The Living End were prepared to play. There was still shock in the faces of many of the crowd but The Living End pushed on playing a great set including Raise The Alarm, How Do We Know, What’s On Your Radio, Loaded Gun and Who’s Gonna Save Us. During Second Solution there was another incident when someone from the side of stage ran right up to Chris Cheney and attempted to sing along into the microphone. The intruder was quickly wrestled off stage and the band continued to finish the song. Moment In The Sun, Make The Call, Wake Up, West End Riot and All Torn Down were playing with rocking enthusiasm and a lot of sing alongs. The set and the event-filled festival finished with Roll On and White Noise and The Living End proved they are still on of the best live bands in the country.

Love music? Love bands? Love Big Day Out? Good news! HP in partnership with Intel, are giving you the chance to become the official HP Big Day Out 2009 Live Reporter*. This amazing opportunity could see you attend every single Australian Big Day Out; interview the bands backstage, take home some great HP gear - including the HP HDX Premium Notebook PC and HP iPAQ 912 Messenger, PLUS, take a friend!

All you have to do is submit a video (no longer than 2mins) reviewing the latest album of any band appearing on the Big Day Out 2009 tour. Visit http://www.hp.com.au/golive to secure your entry for this once in a lifetime opportunity. Entries close 29th December 2008. Go Live!

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The good people at Jam Music are again offering a local indigenous band the amazing opportunity to join the Good Vibrations lineup by being the opening act on the Roots Stage. This is along side headliners Fatboy Slim, The Presets, Deadmau5, Roni Size Reprazent, Sam Sparro, and many more.

Now in its 6th year, The Good Vibrations Festival will be returning to Heirisson Island on 22 February 2009. The festival continues to bring together the finest beat‐based party music from around the World to deliver an unforgettable party atmosphere and GVF 09 is guaranteed to be bigger and better than ever before.

The organisers of the Good Vibrations Festival are now seeking a fantastic local band, to open the festival with bang! The competition is open to Indigenous Bands/Artists who are 18+, and play music in the style of Hip Hop / Funk & Groove. Bands that enter must be able to play a half hour set at Good Vibrations and have up to 3 songs ready for the competition.

The Good Vibrations band competition will be held at the Ngalang Koolark Festival which is part of the Lotteries West Australia Day Community Celebrations on 26th January 2009, at the Supreme Court Gardens from 3.30 – 5.30 PM.

Register your Entry by email: mail@mills.com.au Or phone 9335 1945.

Good Vibrations Festival has already sold out in Sydney and tickets are selling fast in Perth so make sure you don’t miss out on THE festival of ‘09. Tickets on sale NOW (Ticket price: $129.00 + BF

Here is the full roll call for the tenth edition of WA’s very own Rock It event.

Kings Of Leon
The Fratellis (UK)
The Music (UK)
Birds Of Tokyo
Faker
The Stills (USA)
Sparkadia
Sugar Army

and in our special feature Sideshow Bob Alley on the lawns of love we have a blues freakshow featuring
Bob Log III
and
The Devil and Abbe May

On Sale Now
Rock it No.10
Sunday March 8th 2009 12-10pm at Arena Joondalup
All ages with 18+ areas
Ticket Price: $99 but that includes ALL fees & charges and free public transport to and from the event from any metropolitan location. Nothing more to pay!.

Outlets: www.heatseeker.com.au, Arena Joondalup, Live Clothing Stores, Planet, Mills, Star Perth, Star Mandurah, Blue 62, Prince of Wales, Beach Life, Southern Sound

Christmas is just around the corner, and so is the Big Day Out! We are excited to announce the final artists who will be touring with the Big Day Out plus the local additions in each city.

Be on guard for the avant-garde when Fantomas lurch back into life at Big Day Out 2009. Created in the murky depths of Mike Patton’s busy music laboratory in California, Fantomas’s four studio albums have been noisy, cartoonish, sci-fi, filmic, heavy, hilarious, and always experimental. With Patton joined by Buzz Osborne on guitar (Melvins), Trevor Dunn on bass (Mr Bungle) and Dale Crover on drums (Melvins), this super-tight band creates sounds and energy previously thought not humanly possible. Fantomas are coming to put a little delirium in your Big Day Out.

Who is that man in the three-piece suit and the natty brogues? He is Son Of Dave, and to witness him at Big Day Out is to witness the blues dragged kicking and howling into the 21st Century. It all began one Christmas in Manitoba, Canada, when father gave young Benjamin Darvill a harmonica and a shaker. Now he stirs thoughts of Beck, the White Stripes and Tom Waits all rolled into one. See Son Of Dave summon the future of the blues at Lilyworld during Big Day Out 2009.

Rockabilly’s best kept secret, Barrence Whitfield is outta the bag and set to shake Lilyworld to its very foundations at Big Day Out 2009. He grew up on gospel but in Boston he found the truth in rock ‘n’ roll. He’s got the funk, he’s got the soul… basically, he’s got Little Richard covered. But wait, there’s more – Barrence will be backed by the Rockwiz Orkestra, as seen on TV! Mark Ferrie, Peter Luscombe and James Black have backed an amazing array of artists on SBS TV’s music quiz show, but none have the lungs nor the boundless energy of soul sensation Barrence Whitfield.

Brisbane four-piece The Butterfly Effect are well known for pushing the sonic envelope with their rampaging brand of rock’n’roll. Their latest album released in September 2008, Final Conversation Of Kings was recorded on the Central Coast of NSW and is a prime example of their hard driving sound, embodied with lead singer Clint Boge’s scintillating vocals. The Butterfly Effect will take to the Big Day Out stage in 2009 to stand and deliver a theatrical live set full of ebbs and flows that will leave your desire for rocking out thoroughly sated.

If you like your discos Freakish, then T-Rek is the DJ for you. Part time drummer for Infusion, part time musician/producer and head of Freakshow Disco Productions in Melbourne, T-Rek (Tarek Smallman) is due for one date with the disco dance-floor you don’t want to miss! T-Rek’s first official DJ mix CD Vinyl Pusher presents Freakshow Disco is due for download in January 2009 but to catch one genre-surfing, diverse mix of anything-goes dirty beats to softer jams, make sure you check out T-Rek spinning wild originals and remixes at the Big Day Out.

Regurgitator front man Quan is back aboard flight BDO with his very own project that joyously embraces the best of indie, hip hop and electro pop. Quan’s new release The Amateur is a “on again off again requiem to those heady amateur days” and with killer pop riffs and beats like “Year of the Jerk”, “Gimme Gimme” and “The One”… this IS the beat you’ve been looking for, so pull on your dancing sneakers and come find it at the Big Day Out.

I Heart Hiroshima will bring their effervescent musical hurricane to the Big Day Out in 2009. This Brisbane three piece of two guitarists and a drummer emerged from a series of audacious house parties in Bris-vegas and in 2007 released their debut album Tuff Teef. Wear your heart on your sleeve with I Heart Hiroshima as they serve up a sonic layer cake of pop punk deliciousness at BDO! (Gold Coast & Sydney Shows)

Formed in Dubbo in 1977, The Reels were one of Australia’s most respected pop bands of the ’80s with their hit singles, “Love Will Find A Way” and “Prefab Heart” and 1981’s classic album Quasimodo’s Dream featuring the song of the same title. The mid 80’s also saw The Reels topping the Australian charts with their very special renditions of classic tracks Bacharach/Alpert “This Guy’s in Love with You” and Creedence Clearwater Revivals “Bad Moon Rising”. In 2007, Dave Mason released his first album in more than 15 years, Reelsville along with Reel To Reel 1978 – 1992. We are delighted The Reels will be wandering into the enchanted garden of the Lilyworld at BDO in 09. (Sydney & Melbourne shows)

Plus local additions in each city:
Auckland – Fri 16th January:
Weta, The Tutts, Bionic Pixie, Clap Clap Riot, Autozamm, An Emerald City, Antiform, World War Four, State of Mind, Honey Claws, Just One Fix, The Mots, Quay Street Social, Club DJs, Kolab.

Gold Coast – Sun 18th January:
The Cool Calm Collective, Enacio, Misdirection, Adelle, A Name Will Come, DNO, The Ginclub, Andrew Morris, Mr Laneous, DJ Hutch DJ Matt Kitshon plus triple j unearthed winner.

Sydney – Fri 23rd January:
Sasha Vatoff, theredsunband, The Scare, WOW, The Jezabels, Bang Gang DJs, DJ Jem Vs TC, Purple Sneakers DJs, Horrorshow plus triple j unearthed winner.

Melbourne – Mon 26th January:
Rocket Science, Trial Kennedy, Perplex, Acid Jacks, Ms Butt, Decland Kelly, Illzilla, My Disco, Beaches, The Vandas plus triple j unearthed winner.

Adelaide – Fri 30th January:
Wolf & Cub DJs, Lowrider, The Shiny Brights, Robotosaurus, The Watersliders, The Transatlantics, Fire! Santa Rosa, Fire!, Dialect, Denorthwode, Terra Firma, Loot & Plunder plus triple j unearthed winner

Perth – Sun 1st February:
Dead Flowers, Bentman and Sipn, Shazam, Kuling Brothers, Drapht, Red Jezebel, Pathogen, Simon Kelly Band, Project Mayhem

These acts join the already announced:

Neil Young, Arctic Monkeys, The Living End, The Prodigy, Sneaky Sound System, My Morning Jacket, Serj Tankian, Dropkick Murphy’s, Black Kids, Hot Chip, Lupe Fiasco, Holy Ghost!, Z*Trip, Died Pretty, The Vines, Infusion, Children Collide, Pee Wee Ferris, Sparkadia, The Getaway Plan, Little Red, Mammal, Mercy Arms, Ajax, Andee Frost, The Drones, Pendulum, Bullet For My Valentine, TV On The Radio, Simian Mobile Disco, The Ting Tings, Tiki Taane, Cut Copy, Cog, Youth Group, The Grates, Birds Of Tokyo, TZU and Eddy Current Suppression Ring.

The excitement for Fall Out Boy’s forthcoming Australian and New Zealand tour has kicked into overdrive with confirmation that The All-American Rejects and Hey Monday will open all shows on the tour this February.

The All-American Rejects’ return will be their first to Australia since 2006’s sold out headline tour, and their first to New Zealand since their maiden voyage in 2005. The All-American Rejects shot to prominence following the release of their debut album and rocking single ‘Swing Swing’, however it was the release of the infectious Move Along record that saw the boys explode to a new level.

The All-American Rejects will return to Australia and New Zealand in support of their highly anticipated third album When the World Comes Down. With the album already spawning the monster single ‘Gives You Hell’, there’s no doubt The All-American Rejects’ star will be on the rise in 2009… Just in time to head Down Under.

Hey Monday will warm the stage as they tear through tracks from their debut album Hold on Tight. Signed to Pete Wentz’s Decaydence stable, Hey Monday sit amongst some of today’s finest bands including Fall Out Boy, Panic At The Disco and Gym Class Heroes. With a firecracker front-woman, and a plethora of catchy tunes, Hey Monday will leave you wanting more.

Tickets to Fall Out Boy’s forthcoming tour are selling fast. The addition of The All-American Rejects and Hey Monday is set to make tickets sell that much faster. Secure yours now to avoid disappointment.

YES SESSIONS COMPETITION
Under 18’s get the chance to win some of the best tickets to see Fall Out Boy live! Go to www.yessessions.com.au for more info.

Tour Dates:
with The All-American Rejects & Hey Monday
Tickets on sale NOW
All shows are all ages events

Sun 15th February - Challenge Stadium, Perth
Tue 17th February - Adelaide Entertainment Centre
Wed 18th February - Rod Laver Arena, Melbourne
Fri 20th February - Brisbane Entertainment Centre
Sat 21st February - Acer Arena, Sydney
Mon 23rd February - Vector Arena, Auckland

Hailed as the ‘voice of a generation’, Mike Skinner’s The Streets are revered by music critics and fans alike. The first time people heard Original Pirate Material, they couldn’t decide on whether the person making the music was black or white, from London or the Midlands, deadly serious or a total joker.

The Streets have made the cultural crossover from the small UK Garage music and pirate radio scene to the mainstream becoming equally as important to the charts as they are to the indie kids.

With a brand new album, Everything Is Borrowed tucked under their belts, The Streets return to Australia to tour in 2009.

Tour Dates:
Thurs 5th February – The Forum, Sydney
Fri 6th February - The Tivoli, Brisbane
Sun 8th February - Playground Weekender, NSW
Mon 9th February – HQ, Adelaide
Tue 10th February - Billboard, Melbourne
Fri 13th February – Metro City, Perth

In 2008 TZU have smashed the pre-conceptions of what hip-hop can sound like with their third album Computer Love. Within the 14 songs on Computer Love TZU tackle serious subject matter such as domestic violence, work place psychosis, first time love and the relationship between linguistics and reality as well as serving up a solid dose of their trademark good time party raps referencing such things as man boobs, Ned Kelly and space travel. They enlisted the help of Tony Espie (The Avalanches, Cut Copy) to mix the album to get the tunes right in the bass bottom end for dance floors and collaborated with a number of female singers, most notably the great Renee Geyer, who adds a touch of class and soul to the new record. They have also been announced as part of the 2009 Big Day Out tour. Pip Norman (Countbounce) spoke to Justin Middleton for this exclusive interview.

TZU are well respected for their high energy shows that fuse live instruments with the classic turntables and sampler set up. The have played most of Australia’s biggest music festivals including Splendor in the Grass, Falls Festival, Big Day Out, Pyramid Rock, Woodford, Apollo Bay and they have shared stages with De La Soul, Mos Def, The Pharcyde, Michael Franti’s Spearhead, Blackalicious and a who’s who of local Australian music greats from many genres. “We love playing festivals as it just gives us more exposure to people that might not necessarily be fans of ours and it gives us a chance to win them over” Pip explained.

The group have been around since 1999 and released three albums and received great support from radio stations including Triple J. “For the new album we tried to focus a little more on the rock side of things as we are all just enjoying that side of the music a bit more these days. Not to say that we aren’t doing hip hop anymore but this album is definitely more rock than our previous two” says Pip.

I asked Pip how excited the band were for the upcoming Big Day Out tour and also if there were any bands that they are looking forward in seeing on the tour. “We can’t wait for the Big Day Out tour. I expect it to be one big party and I hope we can just have a great time and play some great music. The Prodigy are going to be fantastic and I can’t wait to see Pendulum and TV On The Radio five different times. I know we pride ourselves in our live shows and every band that is part of the Big Day Out tour will be at their best so it is going to be a great tour.”

Computer Love is out now. For more info visit www.tzu.com.au

Big Day Out Tour Dates:
Fri 16th January - MT Smart Stadium, Auckland
Sun 18th January - Parklands, Gold Coast
Fri 23rd January - Sydney Showgrounds, Sydney
Mon 26th January - Flemington Racecourse, Melbourne
Fri 30th January - Adelaide Showgrounds, Adelaide
Sun 1st February - Claremont Showgrounds, Perth

Sunday 23rd November 2008
Oak Lawn, UWA
VROOM Festival

A wild and windy day at UWA did not keep too many people away from the VROOM 2008 music festival which was host to a variety of great Australian musical acts to celebrate the end of year for students and just to have a chance to party. It was a weird setup in the Oak Lawn at UWA but there were an equal amount of people in the fenced off 18+ area as well as the all ages area. A bunch of great local bands were on early followed but some hot aussie bands afterwards.

Red Jezebel have been a staple band in Perth for many years now and they always have a lot of fans at all of their gigs. VROOM was no exception with a bunch of kids jumping around close to stage. After a strong start, the heavens opened up and rain poured down forcing most of the crowd under trees or cover. The band continued to play and as the rain slowed the fans got closer. It was a good effort by the boys and lucky for people in Perth, there will always be another Red Jezebel gig just around the corner.

Another local band was on next in The Panda Band and there were just as many fans up close and personal cheering them on. There were a few moments where fans shouted out and the band shouted back in a bit of an angry way but the music did speak for itself. The Pandas have played enough gigs to strengthen their live sound to almost a point of perfection but the talkback from the band did distract many.

Bluejuice were on a mission to impress and impress they did. Getting straight into the thick of things, Bluejuice were a force to be reckoned with and were almost rocking out to a point of craziness. Vocalist Jake Stone danced his way around the entire stage as well as on top of a large speaker and at one point ripped his shirt off and molested drummer, Ned Molesworth. When Vitriol started there were shouts and dancing all over the Oak Lawn as well as smiles everywhere. If the party had not started earlier, it definitely started with Bluejuice.

In a bit of a change of pace, Dukes Of Windsor were up next and were more of a dance infused band than any of the previous bands. It’s A War was an early hit with the crowd who loved the bands tight sound and great vocals. The Others was also a highlight of the day even though the hit single is over 2 years old now. The weather continued to threaten the evening with continual sprinkles of rain but luckily it stayed as only a threat.

British India were headlining the day and definitely deserved the honour. Rocking out the grounds straight away and getting everybody present jumping around, British India proved they were one of the best live bands in Australia. Playing a bunch of songs from their debut album Guillotine as well as their new album Thieves, the band were fantastic and only went from strength to strength. Highlights were Run The Red Light, Tie Up My Hands, I Said I’m Sorry and the ending to end all endings. During the last song a fan ran around security and on stage, he then took a run up and jump head first into the mosh pit. As security dragged him off in anger the whole crowd were invited on stage to rock out as the band finished the song. It was definitely a sight to be seen and a great way to end the evening.

West Coast Blues ’N’ Roots Festival 2009
Fremantle Esplanade Reserve
Saturday, April 18

The John Butler Trio, Missy Higgins, Zappa Plays Zappa, Paul Kelly, Easy Star All-Stars, Ben Kweller, Tony Joe White, Blue King Brown, Seasick Steve, Eric Bibb, The Special Beat, Luka Bloom, Blues Traveler, C.W. Stoneking & The Primitive Horn Orchestra, Little Red, Ruthie Foster, Kev Carmody, Rodney Crowell, Whitley, Kora, Mama Kin and more to be announced

Over its five-year-history The West Coast Blues ’n’ Roots Festival has developed into one of the most loved homegrown festivals in WA.

The philosophy is simple: assemble the finest list of blues, roots, soul, rock, R&B, country and world acts from across the globe, turn on the sunshine and watch the magic happen. And 2009’s festival stays true to the cause with our most eclectic line-up yet, crammed into one value-for-money day on Saturday, April 18, down on the beautiful Fremantle Esplanade Reserve.

As well as these mighty fine names we’ll also be staging the Breakthrough competition once again, giving one lucky band the chance to join the West Coast Blues ’n’ Roots stage – which has hosted some of the finest names in music over the years. And the award winning Green Roots environmental program will be back, greener than ever.

Tickets for the Sixth Annual West Coast Blues ’n’ Roots Festival are $119 + booking fee and available from www.moshtix.com.au or 1300 GET TIX (1300 438 849).

Tickets go on sale Monday, December 15.

However, from 9am Monday, December 8 to midnight Sunday, December 14, you can secure a special Early Bird ticket price of $99 + booking fee – a bargain if ever we’ve seen one. Head to www.moshtix.com.au to secure your discounted ticket!

Go to www.sunsetevents.com.au for full ticketing information.