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.
|
|
 |
Puff 'n' Stuff.
Nothing makes Puff feel more warm and fuzzy than when pointing out CD launches to you, the valued reader. Hence, you can imagine just how cozy and befurred Puff is to reel off the following list of talented local types committing their muse to plastic, starting with The Adult Bookstore, whose full-length 'Beard:Stroker' will be set free at the Lizard Lounge on Fri 27 May, with support from Melbourne visitors Clinkerfield, newcomers A Family Card Game and Casino, and the always-reliable Mr Wednesday.
Newcomers Munchkin (made up of members of Circle Clan and Barcode)
will launch their debut collection of groovy, chilled and bass-heavy
sounds at Jive on Sat 28 May, with The Phobias and Brillig on
board in support.
The Mandala Project are also rich with CD launching good vibes: their 'Fort Da' CD will be set free at the Jade Monkey on Fri 27 May with BAU (also know as Business As Usual), The Freemasons and Counterfeit Traitor; and since they're keen to endorse the whole DIY ethic, they invite any zine/t-shirt/patch creators to come along to the show and hawk their wares.
It's not just CDs that are getting launched: the good folks
at Paroxysm Press have returned with a new anthology of short
stories from the nationally-published likes of Luke Davies,
Kami, Martin Downey, Hop Dac, Shane Jesse Christmass, Ian Messenger
and Allan Boyd. 'Waste' is getting a solid launch at Jive on
Thurs 26 May with several authors getting up for some spoken
word alongside Kerryn Tredrea, Miss Jessi and musical guest
Home For The Def.
Those all-acoustic, Cajun-flavoured, country-gospel-blues-singing'
madmen Thunderbox Carbuncle & The Lonely Cosmonauts are launching
their self-titled CD at the Wheatsheaf on Sun 29 May; it kicks
off at 4pm, so don't be late.
The Gels are pretty chuffed that their three-year-old single
I Wanna Be A Ramone has been added to yet another compilation;
this time it's one 'At The Forum Vol 2' by London-based Stalker
Records (alongside Evan Dando, as it happens). They're also
hard at work on album number two with former Superjesus bassist
Stuart Rudd in the big, comfy producer's chair. Why not ask
them all about it at their Crown & Anchor show on Fri 27 May
with NFI and Melbourne's Devil Rock 4 (featuring most of the
now-defunct Fez Perez)?
Speaking of compilations, Special Patrol's The Love That
Holds Me To Ransom as been selected for a World Wildlife
Fund comp (also featuring the likes of Jack Johnson, Bob Dylan,
Coldplay and Missy Higgins), as well as licensing some tracks
to a Brazilian compilation for mid-year release. Closer to home,
they're supporting Idlewild at Fowlers Live on Sun 29 May.
Metallers Lycosa reckon their CD launch will be the head-bangingest,
hair-swingingest CD launch Adelaide's ever seen, and who's Puff
to argue? Test their hypothesis by getting along to the Enigma
Bar on Sat 28 May, especially since you'll also enjoy Imminent
Psychosis, Deadlock and Chakkra.
Meanwhile, Sympathy Orchestra have found a new home after ending their four-and-a-half year residency at the Union Hotel last year. In the eight months since they've written a bunch of new material, recorded a CD and slimmed down from a sextet to a sleek four-piece, and you'll notice all the changes every Friday night at the Territorian Hotel as of Fri 27 May.
On a sadder note, Russian Teammate have informed Puff that they're
calling it quits after three years. The split has been caused
by geographical differences rather than musical ones since a
couple of members are heading out of Adelaide, but they'll be
having a proper goodbye on Sat 4 June at Jive, with The Trafalgars,
Sunset Club (or The Artists Formerly Known As Hunting Season,
And Most Of Them Were In Lifo Before That) and Shane Shepherd,
with DJ Craig getting all indie on the decks.
Those Bloody McKennas need little excuse to visit their favourite Adelaide haunt, so it's no surprise they they'll be pulling out the rockingest, rootsingest set imaginable (wah-flute, anyone?) on Sun 29 May in the service of their recent 'Time And Tide' CD-EP.
Nuts To You, Adelaide Part 6004: Stereophonics are heading to
Australia in June to play in Perth, Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane...
notice any mainland capital missing from that list? At least
The Sights had originally planned to come to Adelaide with The
Pictures before a scheduling cock up meant Adelaide, Perth and
Hobart dates have been pulled from their June/July tour. Oh,
and The Detroit Cobras can't be arsed coming to Adelaide in
June either. It's enough to make you spit, frankly.
The Lizard Lounge are holding 'Friday Night In Outpatients:
A Tribute To The Smiths & Morrissey' on Fri 20 May, with a bunch
of bands paying tribute to the Mozster with The Paddington Bear
Affair, Sound of Mercy Killing (featuring Ben Moss), Sweet Raxxx,
The Hated Salford Ensemble, Leigh Stardust, Nick Lambert & Andrew
P Street (from The Zero Kelvins) and Robert Jordan set to pull
out their favourites.
With their first album for Liberation in, as they say, "the
can" and set for an August release, The Hot Lies make a triumphant
return to the Enigma Bar with an all-ages show on Sat 21 May
with The Scare and Liability Of My Own.
A few issues back Puff had the sorry experience of announcing that Low had canned their proposed Australian tour behind their new album 'The Great Destroyer' (which was We Liked It And You Will Too' earlier this year). At the time it was explained that bassist Zak Sally and his partner were expecting their first child, but with the cancellation of all their US dates, singer/guitarist Alan Spearhawk has posted a long explanation at Low's web forum explaining that it's his own mental health that's led to the cancellations; and hinting that Low fans might be in for a long, long wait: "I have not been very mentally stable for the last while. Due to this, touring at this time has become too much of a burden on everyone involved," he explains in part. "My current problems and instability create undue and unnecessary stress for everyone close to me, especially on the road, so despite coming back from several months of shows we have thoroughly enjoyed playing and being a part of, I have to respect their best judgment... It is too much to ask those around me to have to put up with that any more." It goes on to thank fans for their patience and praise his band (which includes his drummer/wife Mimi Parker) and colleagues and asks that fans who had planned to attend their gigs spend that day walking with friends "somewhere where there's trees or rocks and dirt or plants. I plan to do the same, each of those days, right here in beautiful Duluth... or at the funny farm." Word is that there are still Australian dates pencilled in for November, so here's hoping...
Tasmania's best-loved daughter Monique Brumby has been hard
at work on her third studio album, but she'll be making one
of her occasional mainland visits on Sat 28 May, when she'll
be strumming up a storm at the Tin Cat Cafe for a special 11am
performance before heading to the Wheatsheaf Hotel for an evening
show with Emily Davies.
Ah, you can really taste the goat... Sorry, Puff was just enjoying a Mountain Goat ale on tap. Well, not really, since that would involve being at the Wheatsheaf Hotel, who are using the excuse of their second birthday under the new(ish) management as an excuse to get Mountain Goat's brewers over to celebrate: go enjoy a birthday tipple with them on Thurs 26 May.
Hey, smartypants! Fowlers Live are holding a quiz night on Sat
28 May as a fundraiser for three-d radio. It will quantatively
separate the trivia sheep from the quiz goats, not least because
it will reunite the old Crown & Sceptre/Music House Rock Quiz
hosting team of Jeremy Reglar, Lara "Dakota Jones" Derham and
Andrew P Street (who's promised/threatened to dust off the blue
safari suit for the occasion). There are big prizes on offer,
and it's a scant $5 per person (or $40 for a table of ten);
reckon you've got what it takes? Give Fowlers Live a call on
8212 0255, or folwerslive@internode.on.net to book your table
- if you dare!
Melbourne hardcore kids The Knives Of Neptune are popping over with their new CD 'DigitalBildungsRoman', which they'll be launching at Jive on Fri 27 May with support from the similarly noisy likes of My Sister The Cop, This City Dynamite, Realist Few and The Paddington Bear Affair.
Don't forget that the very day that this issue hits the streets
- Wed 18 May - is topped off by an evening in which NYC's own
Rogers Sisters (who were interviewed in last issue) play at
the Grace Emily, with Melbourne's Love Of Diagrams and indescribable
Japanese noise-pop exponents Limited Express (Has Gone?).
Puff was going to mine another hearty seam of comedy gold with some more of Puff's Complete Lies, but decided against it since the world seems determined to rise to Puff's challenge and get too implausibly weird to mock. Take The Fall, the million-year old band fronted by the notoriously crotchety Mark E Smith; according to the deliciously salacious Popbitch, their upcoming performance on Jools Holland's UK music show is the first in the program's history to hinge on a clause in the band's contract which demands that Holland not play any of his irritatingly intrusive boogie-woogie piano over their songs. Meanwhile, Tone Loc (yes, he of Wild Thing and Funky Cold Medina fame) reportedly responded to an invitation to sell what remained of his dignity by appearing on the fading-star reality TV contest 'I'm A Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here' by politely faxing the producers a copy of his 2004 tax return showing after-tax earnings of about $US1.5 million (apparently he invested most of the proceeds from his brief but incandescent burst of fame in a diverse portfolio of business and residential property). Really, where can Puff go with that? Then there's the various legal kerfuffles keeping legal experts in opulent splendour: for example, Otis Ferry, fox-hunting enthusiast and 22 year son of Roxy Music's Bryan, is in hot water at the moment after making an ill-advised lunge at newly-re-elected UK Prime Minister Tony Blair. Ferry, who's felt somewhat miffed since his favourite blood sport was banned earlier this year, allegedly bellowed "I've had enough of this government!" after seeing Blair outside a London gallery and made with the lunging. Ferry also charged the floor of the House Of Commons last year when the fox hunting bill was being debated; and people say that hunting enthusiasts are a bunch of hot-headed madmen! Bobby Brown is also facing jail (again) for non-payment of child support; Mr Whitney Houston claims that he doesn't control his financial affairs: "For me, it's easy to not know that a payment is not paid because other people are supposed to pay them," he explained to the court, who presumably also hate it when their underlings let them down. Foxy Brown, meanwhile, is confident that she'll walk free from court in July, where she's appearing over charges that she beat up a nail salon employee. However, the story that made Puff finally give up was when nme.com revealed that Albert Hammond Jr, ultra-cool guitarist with The Strokes, had a glamorous pre-rock career as... a championship-winning roller skater. "The weird thing is, I used to skate in front of, like, 5,000 people and I was never nervous, but the first time I got on stage, there were four people there and I vomited," Hammond Jr explained. Er, lads, you might want to move...
Sun 22 May means one thing: Eurovision! And Eurovision can only
mean DJ Ian Bell hosting live Eurovision on the big screen at
Fowlers, the perfect environment to experience cheesy music's
night of nights!
Former Swannee/Stevie Wright Band guitarist Gwyn Ashton has been resident in the UK for a good long while now, but he's popping back to SA for a sring of solo acoustic gigs: catch his soulful bluesery at the Meningie Hotel on Thurs 26 May, the Old Clarendon Inn on Fri 27 May, Port Adelaide's Ales & Sails on Sat 28 May and the Land Of Promise on Sun 29 May.
Another fine gig that's happening the first night covered by
this issue (Wed 18 May) is Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds, who have
quite possibly sold out Thebarton Theatre by the time you read
this...
If you have tickets to Mr Cave, however, make sure you get along early to see support act the Darling Downs, featuring Messrs Kim Salmon and Ron Peno (late of Died Pretty).
Enigmatic US alt.country type Sime Nugent makes his first appearance
at the Grace Emily on Thurs 29 May in suppoty of his new 'Broke
& Banned' CD, with CW Stoneking along for the ride.
There'll be more hip-hop than you can poke the most imped-up of sticks at on Thurs 19 May at Fowlers when US MC Tim Dog pumps out the mad rhymes with an all star local DJ lineup of Delta & Staen 1, PBody, DJ Reflux, DJ Snair and DJ Nish.
Speaking of the hipping and hopping arts, the final for the
national Out4Fame MC battle is happening at Fowlers Live on
Fri 27 May, hosted by the Hilltop Hood's MC Suffa and featuring
special US guests Time Machine.
The Dairy Brothers are performing another show with their dear, close, suspiciously-similar-looking friends The Beards at the Goodwood Park Hotel on Fri 20 May.
The Queens Arms will be rocked and, if needs be, rolled when
Her Majesty's Finest bring their mod-infused pop action on Sat
21 May, with Hairy Lemon and The Trafalgars in support.
And whatever you do, don't forget that Henry Rollins (or, as Puff affectionately refers to him, Mad Dirty Hank) will be ranting and raving in most entertaining style when he brings his spoken word tour to the Norwood Concert Hall on Sat 21 May.
Lordy loo, that's a crazy amount to try and squeeze into the
one small fortnight: grab a nice warm coat, make sure you have
enough for a cab home and...
Get Out Of The House!
|
|
The latest issue
available now!
|
