News:
· Puff 'n' Stuff
Everything that's happenin in Adelaide this fortnight.
· Industry
The latest from the music industry.
· Puffio
Theatre news.
· Dance
Dance and electronica news.
· Metal
Updates from the wide world of metal.
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Puff 'n' Stuff.
What better way could there be to kick off a deliciously chocolate-filled issue of Puff'n'Stuff than with the news that Henry Rollins (or "Mad Dirty Hank", as he's affectionately known in certain dB Magazine circles) is returning to Adelaide for another spoken-word performance: he'll be at the Norwood Concert Hall on Sat 21 May.
Puff's most pleased to hear that the Austral's
new soundproofed beer garden/live room/function centre is finally
ready to be revealed to the public. Puff would have preferred
to see it named "The Rocktroplis", but supposes that "Bunka"
is OK too - and it will first be open to the public late on
Thurs 31 April, but Foreshore and DJ Nick Sara will give it
a proper workout on Fri 1 April.
Wondering what to do with your Easter long weekend? Well, Greater Union cinemas have a suggestion: watch lots of films! To facilitate this they've got three marathons happening at the Marion Megaplex and Arndale Cinemas on Sun 27 March from 11am onwards: take your pick of Marathon 1 ('Robots', 'Be Cool' and 'Hide & Seek'), Marathon 2 ('Miss Congeniality 2', 'Constantine' and 'Cellular') or Marathon 3 ('The Ring 2', 'Friday Night Lights' and 'Meet The Fockers'). Puff believes the term is 'filmeriffic'.
Bring on the CD launches! Puff's always delighted
to report on what's happening with our state's musically talented
types, such as Aviator Lane: he's all set to launch 'Today,
The Hills Are Closed' (recorded in Melbourne with Marty "Art
Of Fighting" Brown, no less) at the Jade Monkey on Fri 8 April,
with Straight To Video and Deloris' Marcus Teague, who's popping
over for a solo set.
Sam Cauliflower is also itching to launch: that explains that CD launch that's happening at the Grace Emily on Fri 1 April, then.
Snap To Zero's first full-length album is
all set to go, and they'll be launching it at Jive on Sat 23
April.
Manic Distortion have also put the finishing touches to their self-titled debut, which they're just itching to launching at the Crown & Anchor on Sat 21 May with Melbourne buddies Firewitch.
The News aren't launching a CD just yet,
although they've just finished recording it at Hothouse in Melbourne,
but you can ask them all about it at the Rhino Room on Thurs
24 March when they play with Poly & The Statics and Universe.
Goodbye, Burning Sons Of Shiva, and hello Mantra Ray! Yes, the band might be the same but the name has changed, and Puff's delighted to see it's still as resolutely pun-filled as before; probably more so, on average. Anyway, they're playing at Jive on Fri 1 April, along with Slingshot and The Gels.
Thirsty Merc just can't stop touring, can
they? They're back again with new single In The Summertime
(from their enormously popular self-titled album) and a show
at the Enigma Bar on Sat 2 April with Foreshore and Save & Exit.
Now, if Puff was to tell your that Abdoujaparov was coming to Adelaide, it could mean one of two things: that we were about to be visited by a world-class international cyclist, or that Fruitbat's post-Carter USM band were coming to Adelaide to play a couple of shows. Both are plausible, but as it turns out it's the second one that's more accurate: they'll be at the Jade Monkey on Sat 26 March with The Big Band and The Avant Gardeners (who will be both filming and launching their DVD, as it happens - now, that's art) and the Crown & Anchor on Sun 27 March with Legless and The Gels.
While we haven't seen too much of them lately,
it turns out that End Of Fashion have been busy as particularly
industrious bees: after a bunch of international touring they're
just putting the finishing touches to their new album, due out
around the middle of the year, and have announced they'll be
reminding us why we loved them when they play at the Enigma
Bar on Sun 16 April.
The very day that our next issue comes out - Wed 6 April, according to your human calendar - has an attached night in which REM play at the EntCent, with Bright Eyes and Little Birdy in support.
The inaugural Semaphore Music Festival is
happening over the ANZAC long weekend in April, but just to
give you a bit of a taste they're holding a free concert on
the Semaphore Foreshore on Sat 26 March, with The Dolls and
The Audreys doing what they do so well. It kicks off at 4pm
and both acts will be on the Festival bill alongside the likes
of The Red Hot Poker Dots, The Fuelers, The Yearlings and GT
Stringer. Isn't that right, Audreys (The)?
Stuff from Puff: Puff's traditional round up of reunions is given a twist with news that the previously-reported reformation of the Cocteau Twins has been nixed: the trio were set to play at California's Coachella festival in April, but singer Elizabeth Fraser has put the kibosh on it for undisclosed personal reasons... Speaking of reformations, Andy Taylor has temporarily left Duran Duran's US tour and returned to the UK after getting word that his father's health had taken a serious turn. The tour is continuing with Dominic Brown standing in on axe duties... There's a lot of it about: Slipknot's Shawn "Clown" Crahan also had to skip a few US gigs (and an appearance on 'Late Night With Conan O'Brien') recently due to an unspecified family illness, while Killswitch Engage's guitarist Adam Dutkiewicz is sitting out the first week of his band's US tour after aggravating an old injury... A more permanent lineup change has taken place in Snow Patrol with bassist and co-founder Mark McClelland having been given the arse. It seems he turned up for what he assumed was a meeting about plans to begin writing the new album to be told to sling his rock'n'roll hook by singer/songwriter/other co-founder Gary Lightbody... Whilst on the subject lineup shuffling, Static-X have announced that former guitarist Koichi Fukuda has rejoined the band, replacing Tripp Eisen, who was sacked a couple of weeks back after his arrest on charges related to his alleged hobby of sleeping with underage girls he picked up online... Then again, it's not easy in rock. Just ask Billy Joel who's just returned to rehab again after reporting to a hospital in New York with sever stomach pains connected with ongoing issues with alcohol... It seems that Justin Timberlake has insisted on major rewrites for the upcoming Elton John biopic: after agreeing to play the former Reg Dwight, Timberlake was apparently very disappointed about the gay sex and drug abuse in the script: specifically, that there was barely any of either. He's insisted that the rewrite more accurately reflect the seedier side of John's life... Speaking of film/music crossovers, director Michael Winterbottom is set to follow the success of his Factory Records biopic 'Twenty Four Hour Party People' with '9 Songs', a film that follows the arc of a relationship via nine concerts the central couple attend with appearances and performances by Franz Ferdinand, the Dandy Warhols, Primal Scream, The Von Bondies, Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, Elbow, Super Furry Animals and Michael Nyman; Puff genuinely can't wait for the soundtrack... Sad news from the Blind Boys Of Alabama: on the eve of the release of the brand new 'Atom Bomb' comes news that George Scott died in his sleep on Wed 16 March of complications from diabetes and a heart condition. The founding member, who retired from touring last year, was 75... And fans of The Get Up Kids should put on their blackest, most badge-covered backpack: the emo favourites have announced that they're splitting at the end of their upcoming US tour. Their final ever gig will be in July in their hometown of Kansas City.
Want to see Adelaide's up-and-coming freestylers
in a hip-hop battle royale? Yeah, you do - and you can, by getting
along to Da Klinic on Currie St on Sat 2 April for the SA heat
of Channel [V]'s national Aussie Friggin Hip Hop competition.
It kicks off at 3pm, the winner will "reprazent" SA in the national
final in Sydney in April, and the judges include that pulchritudinous
Ms of the mic, Maya Jupiter.
Melbourne's Black Pony Express are coming to Adelaide for a couple of shows: they're at the Exeter on Rundle St on Sat 26 March, then they spend Easter Sunday at the Grace Emily, along with The Scarfs and Swayback.
Sat 26 March also marks the first ever all-ages
Necromancy at the Enigma Bar. They'll be all the industrial,
gothic and darkwave DJ action you can handle, along with Ikon,
Zeitgeist and locals Chalice performing live for your dark and
slightly scary pleasure.
Puff's Legal Corner: as the Michael Jackson court case continues with the prosecution alleging that Jackson touches young boys in inappropriately sexual ways and the defence painting the accusers as money-hungry opportunists out to bilk Jackson out of money, with Puff in the middle going "hey, you're both right!", let's see what legal shenanigans other rock folks are getting up to. Li'l Kim, for example, was found guilty of perjury and conspiracy after denying any involvement in or knowledge of a shooting in 2001 at New York's Hoy 97 hip-hop station: she claimed not to recognize two of the gunmen, who were subsequently demonstrated to be then co-manager Damion Butler and former bandmate Suif "Gutta" Jackson (both of whom subsequently testified against her as part of their plea bargain). She's looking at a possible twenty year jail term, though experts think five to seven years is more likely... Former Stone Roses frontman Ian Brown, meanwhile, was arrested in San Francisco after an on-stage fight during a gig at the Great American Music Hall. Apparently he was complaining about the sound quality and kept stopping songs before an unidentified chap leapt out of the audience and tackled him. Brown was questioned by police after the show, but no charges were laid... The Decemberists are fuming about someone making off with their touring trailer late last week in Oregon, which rather inconveniently contained pretty much all of their gear: a valuable lesson for any musician who might be thinking "eh, let's just leave the stuff in the car overnight" after a late gig... And Rush's guitarist Alex Lifeson looks set to stand trial in May for a New Year's Eve altercation with police in 2003, in which he allegedly pushed a female officer down a stairwell and spat blood on another officer. Puff sighs heavily and asks, yet again: why can't we all just get along?
Admit it: you're a slave to the intoxicating
rhythms of the dance. There's no shame in it - in fact, the
good people at La Bomba are all set to cater to your every Latino
whim on Sat 26 March when they hold their Easter Festival at
the Governor Hindmarsh with Sydney's Matanza live on stage,
Veronica Vargas performing with gypsy singer El Titi De Algeciras,
the Salsa Dance Extravaganza, live Latino hip-hop from J-Castell
& Salva, regular DJs Chico and Zippy on the decks with MC Alirio
and - of course - the sultry moves of La Chicas Bomba... you
have no choice but to surrender to the rhythm, you know...
There's a hearty benefit show happening for Sudanese refugees at the Lizard Lounge on Sat 26 March, with MKB, Little Ice Age, Weary Dunlops, Spatial Monkey, New Pollutants, Boh Monkey, Paper Tiger and Business As Usual donating their rock'n'roll services to this most worthy cause.
Speaking of benefits, the folks behind the
Ripple Effect benefit show are raising money for TEAR Australia's
tsunami relief efforts, thanks to the talents of STR, Sounds
Like Chicken, Wone, MC Crisis, Krysalis, Deep Sea Guns and God's
Speed, who'll be playing an all-ages afternoon show at Christian
Brother's College on Sun 16 April.
All aboard the Showpony Express! Those quiet, retiring lads from Grinspoon and Shihad are joining forces again (after livin' la vida Loxton the other week for the Handpicked Festival) for a massive show at the EntCent on Sun 24 April. Since that's a Sunday, Puff assumes Grinspoon will have some sort of pills in evidence, along with their regular complement of thrills and kills. Ye-eaaaah.
Idlewild have just announced their Australian tour behind 'Warnings/Promises'
(which is this issue's 'We Liked It And You Will Too', as it
happens): they'll be at Fowlers Live on Sun 29 May.
Puff was all set to tell you about a couple of tours that were coming up, but they've both been postponed: Lulu was set to come to Adelaide in April, but is now rehearsing madly for a summer European tour with Elton John: new Lulu dates are to be announced shortly. Low were also set to grace us with their presence in May, but have postponed Australia until the end of the year with the news that bassist Zak Sally and his wife are expecting their first child. Awwww...
Mind you, there's a hearty host of other
tours on the horizon: The Cat Empire return to turn on Thebbie
on Fri 6 May (with Custom Kings), new-age superstars Secret
Garden play Thebbie on Tues 10 May, Peter Frampton is set to
also, er, come alive at Thebbie on Fri 13 May, Ben Lee brings
his brand new 'Awake Is The New Sleep' to the Gov on Sat 14
May, Hanson are bringing their more mature sound to Thebbie
on Sat 4 June, and Alice Cooper has just announced a national
tour that will see him at Thebbie on Sat 2 July (with Billy
Thorpe in support, no less).
Got your ticket for the four-header Jack Johnson/Xavier Rudd/G. Love/Katalyst gig at Memorial Drive on Thurs 31 March? Well, you really should. That's all Puff's saying. You'll see why.
That John Butler sure is a busy lad. His
eponymous Trio have just played WaveAid in Sydney and done a
US tour, they're currently off at South By Southwest and are
about to do some shows with the reformed Black Crowes, he's
just about to start sifting through the applications for his
JB Seed arts grant programme, and furthermore if you happen
to watch the David Letterman show on Wed 30 March (Channel 9,
1am), you'll see the lads performing live. He'll burn himself
out if he's not careful, that one.
Yes, that's a lot to take in at one sitting: Puff recommends that you have a little sit down and a cup of tea before you read it all again to decipher the hidden messages and use them to reveal where the terrible secret is buried: a secret so terrible and life-changing that you'll be glad you were told to...
Get Out Of The House!
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