Puff'n'Stuff

There's a chill in the air, a whisper on the wind and a whole lot of goddam rain on Puff's washing, which is why Puff's currently wearing a towel, some culottes and a pair of beanies. It's a look whose time has come and one which will shortly be the talk of the catwalks of Milan when Puff's Winter Range is released to the fashionistas. It's funky, it's fabulous and it takes haute couture to a dimensions that no-one even suspected: it's like String Theory in fashion form, but with less gravitational radiation and more knitwear. You might scoff, but come August everyone else is going to be wearing ensembles from PuffWear and you'll be sitting there in your "pants" and "shirt" like some sort of jerk. Terry-towelling is not just the new black: it's also the new green, the new biscuit and the new plaid. Get on board the fashion train, kids: there's a new engineer in town.

CD launches ahoy! Frequentseahorse have reconvened from across the nation (one Andrew in Adelaide, the other Andrew in Canberra) and, like the Wonder Twins, have combined their magical powers to produce a new album: it's called 'For Mu(sic) Lovers' and they're launching it at the Grace Emily on Fri 19 May with The Finishing School.

Whyalla-born hip-hop trio Shadows (which, incidentally, is an acronym for Soldiers Hungry Approaching Difficult Obstacles Wanting Survival) are ready to launch their self-titled debut CD-EP with an all-ages hometown show at Whyalla's Centrals Football Club on Sat 13 May before coming to the slightly bigger smoke for a launch at the Jade Monkey on Sat 20 May with The Westside Boys.

Ms Suzi D, aka Salty, has also finished work on her full length CD 'Just Because', which she's launching at the Wheatsheaf Hotel on Fri 9 June with pals Linus (who gave her her first ever show, don't you know. Isn't that sweet?).

It's the end of an era here at dB Magazine as Andrew P Street prepares to shed the mantle of Music Editor and head to pastures new - but he's also playing a farewell solo gig at the Prince Albert on Fri 12 May, with Emma Capone. Get along and wish him well.

Oh sure, Patriarchal Death Machine. "We're breaking up," they said a few weeks back. "W're playing our last ever show," they claimed - and Puff, who believes what Adelaide bands say because there's nothing but love and respect there, printed it. Now they come back and say actually they're playing their last show (for a year, at least) at the new Lizard Lounge in the old Night Train on Light Square on Sat 13 May, along with The Brews, Before It All Ends and The Rip. And now Puff's a little more wary, but there you are. We'll just see, shall we?

It's not exactly a CD launch, but the lads from Miracle Hat are delighted to announce that attendees of their show at the Jade Monkey on Thurs 11 May will get first dibs on their debut CD-EP - and hear the sweet sounds of Fall To Rescue and Crying Blue Rhetoric in the bargain!

Were you at the last ever Crowded House show on the steps of the Sydney Opera House ten years back? Take any snaps? Yes? Sweet. EMI would like you to go to www.farewelltotheworld.com and consider submitting said pix for the forthcoming DVD of the 'Farewell To The World' show - but make sure you read the conditions first, mind.

Want to shake your booty down to the ground? You're in luck: Thursdays at Rocket Bar now features dB Magazine's own Lenin Simos spinning the discs alongside live bands and special guest DJs (Wolf & Cub's Joel Byrne was one such just recently, with other rock personages lined up for coming weeks). And, what's more, it's free entry.

Youth Group are number one in the charts and in our hearts with their cover of Forever Young - and they're also at Flinders Uni on Sat 20 May.

Well, better late than never: The Dirty Three haven't had a chance to tour the nation in support of their wonderful 'Cinder' CD last year, but they're making up for it now via a show at the Gov on Thurs 22 June.

Stuff From Puff: We're back in Puff's Reformation Corner again to get the news that 90s US indie-rock darlings Candlebox are back together and doing a huge US tour in support of their forthcoming retrospective... Similarly 90s grebo kids Ned's Atomic Dustbin have reactivated and are set to release their first single in a decade, aptly entitled Hibernation... Puff told you a while back that Evan Dando had reactivated The Lemonheads for a US tour: now comes word that they've also signed a new deal with Vagrant and will release their first album in a decade later this year... Shooting At Unarmed Men - or, as Puff prefers to call them, The Band That Bastard Jon Chapple Broke Up McLusky For - are just about to release 'Yes! Tinnitus!' but have also split up since John's just moved to Melbourne. However, word is that he's reforming the band with new members in his new town. The important thing to recall, however, is that McLusky are still broken up and therefore the world is a cold and miserable place... System Of A Down are definitely not breaking up, they insist: they're just going on (everyone together now) "indefinite hiatus" after they complete the Ozzfest tour in the US summer. "I'll always be a member of System Of A Down," frontman Serj Tankian told mtv.com. "There's no rule that says you have to make records constantly, like clockwork, to continue being who you are." Amen, Serj - after all, who says bands need to be defined by things like "playing music", "touring" or "making records"? Get off your high horse, you smug definition-Nazis... Former Beta Band mainman Steve Mason has apparently chickened out of music altogether after cancelling the upcoming UK tour with new outfit King Biscuit Time and issuing a statement to the effect that he's "out of here. It's been amazing but I've had enough. The mountain beat me and sadly you too. That don't mean you should give up. It just wasn't me. Over and out." Wuss... The world breathed a sigh of relief with the news that Keith Richards is supposedly on the mend after his mysterious head-related hospitalistion in New Zealand and the Rolling Stones are still planning to plough ahead with the European leg of their world tour. And let's face it, how wrong would it be if Keef was taken out by something as mundane as a brain haemorrhage rather than, say, a silver bullet... David Bowie, meanwhile, has told the New York Metro that he can't be arsed with the music industry at the moment: "I'm taking a year off, no touring, no albums." Of course, you might recall The Dame underwent heart surgery in 2004 when a blocked artery forced him off the road and hasn't done much since, so Puff says whatever the man needs to do is fine... Las Vegas' Screeching, High Cheekboned Harridan exchange programme is clearly in full swing with the announcement that Cher will replace Celine Dion when the latter's multi-year residency at Caesar's Palace expires in 2008. Puff hopes there's some sort of knife-fight to establish dominance... NYC rapper Gravy (known to his mum as Jamal Wollard) was shot in the buttocks whilst waiting outside radio station Hot 97 for an on-air interview on Wed 26 April - however, he showed how hard he was by still doing the interview before being taken to hospital by police who found him hobbling around outside... And while we're talking about people who are adept at the art of rapsmanship, Snoop Dogg was released without charge after he and his entourage were arrested for causing a fracas in the business lounge of Heathrow Airport on Wed 26 April. It seems that the Dogg attempted to get members of his crew into the lounge despite the fact that they were traveling economy class (oh Snoop, how non-bling of you), and they threw a bit of a hissy fit when they were refused entry. Then, when the group were told that their behaviour meant that they wouldn't be permitted to board their flight to South Africa, where Snoop was set to perform, they upgraded from "hissy" to "downright cranky" and the bobbies were called in. Yo, bum rush the complimentary nibbles and broadband access, motherfuckers.

Puff welcomes new Adelaide supergroup The Kites, who are a steaming casserole made up of bits of Kaleidoscope, Snapperhead, The Tierras and Some Kids - and you can plop a portion of it on your sonic plate by getting along to the Wheatsheaf Hotel on Sat 13 May.

Hey, songwriters: the good people at SCALA are looking for entries for their 13th Festival Of Original Music Song Competition, so if you're keen on making your play for some rad prizes and getting on the next SCALA compilation then log on to www.scala.org.au for all the details. And get a wriggle on: entries close on Fri 30 June.

TommyGun have had a bit of a break lately but are getting their rock back on with new drummer Aiden Moyse (him out of Running With Horses and late of Bad Girls Of The Bible) and an album all ready to release - and you can learn all about it by catching them at the Jade Monkey on Sat 13 May with Poly & The Statics and Lindsey Low Hand.

Ms Clare Bowditch is well loved around these parts, so the fact that she and her mob The Feeding Set are heading back our way for the last time before heading overseas is cause for no small amount of celebration - and celebrate you shall at Fowler's Live on Fri 23 June, when they'll be supported by Dan Kelly & The Alpha Males.

Fancy some all-ages ska? You're in luck: there'll be buckets of it at The Underground when Travelling Sacks, Son Of Dad, Fallout, 8 Corner Pocket and Pulsating Porpoise join forces on Fri 12 May.

The Assassination Collective (featuring former members of Jihad Against America) are bringing some of their abrasive screamo action our way for a show with pals Firewitch at the Crown & Anchor on Sat 13 May. 8, 06

Tonight we're gonna party like it's 1985," with "we" meaning "people who love Ian Moss, Jon "Noiseworks" Stevens and The Choirboys" and "tonight" meaning "both Thurs 11 May and Fri 12 May at The Gov". Tucker's Daughter, Hot Chilli Woman and Run To Paradise on the one bill - it's like the golden years of SAFM all over again!The very night that this issue of dB Magazine hits what The Kids refer to as "the streets" is also the night that Ben Harper & The Innocent Criminals bring the vibe to the EntCent (which, frankly, could do with some vibe-bringing). In the unlikely event that you don't use the arrival of dB Magazine as the basis for your timekeeping, that date is also known as "Wed 10 May".

Man, that remarkably rad triple bill of The Living End, Gyroscope and Kisschasey that's playing at Thebarton Theatre on Wed 17 May and Thurs 18 May sure will be a hell of a show - pity that you won't be going unless you already have tickets, since Wednesday's sold out and Thursday will also be sold-out by the time you read this.

Angelik will shake of 18 months of not-playing and show off their new rhythm section to boot when they play at the Enigma Bar on Sat 20 May with Before The Aftermath and Kamikaze.

That colourful character that you and Puff both know as The Bedroom Philosopher (you know, he did I'm So Postmodern) is coming to Adelaide for shows at the Grace Emily on Tues 23 May and the Rhino Room on Wed 24 May, both shows with The Beards.

Eskimo Joe have a brand spankin' new single out - Black Fingernails Red Wine, to be exact - and reckon that the best way to let you love it most is to play it and a bunch of other songs at you. They're coming all the way across the country to do so, and all you have to do is pop down to Fowler's Live on at 20 May and hear them and Picture Perfect (made up mainly of former members of Hunting Season, incidentally). How easy is that?

This issue of dB Magazine is so, so chock full of writerly excellence that we couldn't fit some stories in there - so if you're still peckish for music-journalistic deliciousness when you complete the print version, you can check out www.dbmagazine.com.au for special bonus interviews with Dimmer (aka Shane Carter, late of legendary New Zealand band Straightjacket Fits), alt-country troubadour Josh Rouse and US popsters The Cloud Room, who are about to visit us for the first time supporting End Of Fashion. Do you get that sort of bonus love from other magazines? No, you damn well don't. That's the dB Magazine difference - right, Cloud Room (The)?

Full moon in the city and the night was young: Puff was hungry for love, Puff was hungry for fun - and if you share these sentiments, you'd best...

Get Out Of The House!