News:
·Puff 'n' Stuff
Everything that's happening in Adelaide this fortnight.
·Industry
The latest from the music industry.
·Dance
Dance and electronica news.
·Metal
Updates from the wide world of metal.
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Puff 'n Stuff
If you thought the glut of Festivals here in Adelaide ended once summer was over, then Puff is sorry to inform you that you were dead wrong. The Adelaide Festival Centre has just announced the Adelaide Contemporary Music Festival will be celebrating new classical music from around the world over the weekend of Fri 4 to Sun 6 April.
The five young Melbourne lads known as Her Nightmare have a thirst to play crushing hardcore fuelled by anger and sincerity, and there's certainly a lot of both of those in their 'Come Anarchy, Come Ruin' album out soon, which they'll be plugging with a show at Enigma Bar on Thurs 27 March.
Puff's always been amazed that more MCs don't make use of the John Foxx/ Ultravox! rhyme, but perhaps that will all change when the electronic pioneer and former lead singer of that band brings his synthesisers and handsome good looks to Fowler's Live on Tues 6 May. And here he is looking suitably dark and mysterious.
Fresh from supporting the Hilltop hoods on the national BDO slots, local funk/ soul combo Lowrider are set to launch their new album with a national tour. Playing material from their self-titled debut album as well as premiering tracks from the soon to be released 'Diamond Amongst The Thieves,' they'll be supported by five-piece hip-hop group The Winnie Coopers who are also launching their new album, 'Worth The Wight' on Sat 29 March at The Gov.
Apparently AAMI Stadium simply isn't big enough for all of AndrŽ Rieu's Adelaide fans, but because he couldn't find any bigger venues to play he's simply been forced to add a second show to his itinerary, which means he'll also be performing there on Wed 19 Nov.
After a massive response to his sets at last year's Parklife, Miami's DJ Craze will be returning for a set of headline shows. The three-time DMC World Champion will be hitting the Crown & Sceptre on Thurs 20 Mar for one of his famously eclectic sets.
Guy Sebastian may have missed a trick when he dusted off a bunch of southern soul classics for his latest album by not calling it 'Guy In Memphis', but he sure is putting the soul in his 'Memphis Tour' by bringing original Stax session players and former MGs Steve Cropper, Donald 'Duck' Dunn, Steve Potts and Lester Snell along with him, and they'll all be coming down to Night Train on Wed 19 Mar.
David Campbell certainly likes to think he's a smooth, swinging type of guy, and judging by the reaction to his two Swing Sessions albums, there are plenty of people who agree. He'll be bringing the classic songs of Bobby Darin, Frank Sinatra, Cole Porter, Dean Martin and Sammy Davs Jr. to the stage in a spectacular two hour live show on the cunningly titled 'Swing Sessions 2' Concert Tour, hitting Her Majesty's Theatre on Fri 28 and Sat 29 Mar.
James Blunt may have become the subject of some rather unflattering rhyming slang since his ubiquitous You're Beautiful single, but don't you listen to those nasty types - he's actually a lovely man. With a new album. 'All The Lost Souls'. released last year, he hopes that everyone's forgiven him enough to come along and wish him well at the Thebarton Theatre on Wed 7 May.
Locals rockers Russia are launching their new CD on Fri 7 Mar at the Crown and Anchor with indie popsters Bernee and Finding Grace...Cat Power & The Dirty Delta Blues will be playing a range of covers, and a few of Ms. Power's own tunes, too, at The Gov on Mon 10 March.
With his hypnotic, uplifting blend of rootsy/folk, 60's pop and eastern psychedelia, you're not likely to confuse Old Man River with Paul Robeson anytime soon, but expect at least a little showboating when he plays at SoCo Cargo in the Garden of Unearthly Delights on Thurs 28 and Fri 29 Feb.
Local funkateers The Transatlantics have been handpicked by Nova to play at the Explode! Showcase at the Fuse Festival on Wed 27 Feb at Fowler's Live, and they'll be backing it up with a show the very next day as part of the Fuse Festival's Ignition! Showcase at The Crown & Sceptre with Botanics and The Ramblers.
The Promethean will host a mix of cabaret, jazz and drama over the Fringe, including a cappella quartet The Idea Of North who are performing twice nightly between Wed 27 and Fri 29 Feb. The17-piece Mike Stewart Big Band will play late night shows from Wed 27 Feb to Sat 1 Mar and Thurs 6- Sat 8 and Thurs 13 - Sat 15 Mar while world/ jazz fusion band Marmalade Circus play on Sat 1 and Sun 2 Mar.
Swedish melodic metal pioneers Soilwork meld the aggressiveness of metal and genuinely catchy choruses as few other bands can, and they'll be showcasing tracks from their latest releases, 'Sworn To A Great Divide' when they bring those talents to Adelaide on Sat 17 May at Live On Light Square.
It's going to be a busy weekend for King Daddy, who are still bathing in the glow of their recently-released album 'Evil Love', but need to suit up to not one but two blistering live acts renowned throughout the world of rock. First up, on Fri 29 Feb they'll be supporting madman blues party warrior Bob Log III with The Town Bikes, then they'll be backing up their weekend of tinitus with a support slot for the rock'n'soul turbo-charged double drummer assault of The Dirtbombs at Rocket Bar on Sun 2 Mar.
Live world music, visual arts, the written word and the latest in contemporary DJ talents will all conspire to transform the historic Adelaide Hills' village of Macclesfield into the 'Valley of Earthly Delights' this Fringe. The biggest attraction will be the very hippy-dippy sounding Sumer Of Love, a free family world music event featuring acts like Dandelion Wine, Akoustic Oddyssey, The English Tourists, Tibetan vocalist Wangyal Gangri and indigenous roots band The Merrg, as well as workshops on African drum making and playing. And did Puff mention it's all free?
Speaking of WOMADelaide, that very festival will take place in the lugubrious Botanic Park from Fri 7 to Sun 9 Mar, featuring the talents of the very funky Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings, blind Cambodian lute player Kong Nay, kora virtuosos Mamadou DiabatŽ and Toumani DiabatŽ with his Symmetric Orchestra, New Zealand dub rockers Kora (who don't feature that instrument), the Soul Jazz Sound System, Peruvian enchantress Susana Baca and locals Highway 31 and Lowrider, among plenty of others.
And while there'll be plenty of world music at WOMADelaide, if that's still not enough for you, than you're in luck. For those craving some East African guitar work, Thomas Mapfumo, the'Lion Of Zimbabwe', and his 10-piece band The Blacks Unlimited will play their uplifting protest songs on Wed 23 April at The Gov.
And in a further development in the 'large themed music festivals in Adelaide parks' front that heaviest of beasts, Soundwave, is looming large on the horizon. Invading Bonython Park on Sat 1 March like the proverbial Viking hordes will be the likes of The Offspring, Incubus, Thursday, Alexisonfire, Motion City Soundtrack, Plain White T's, All Time Low, Mindless Self Indulgence and plenty of others over five stages, while Carpathian will also be there, bravely flying the flags for the Australian scene.
Perth-raised R&B Artist Cristian Alexanda has worked with some of the biggest names in the world of urban music, and even convinced acts like Ja Rule and Fabolous to appear on his new album, 'Urban Nature', coming out later this year. Before that, he's launching his Too Fine single with a show at Red Square on Sat 29 Mar.
Those who missed it first time around will get another chance to see Luke Thompson singing the songs of James Taylor as Taylor Made at Nexus Cabaret on the corner of Morphett St and North Terrace, on Fri 29 Feb and Sat 1 Mar.
Adam Page loops sounds live and drapes them over on another to create intricate grooves bended from his saxophone, bass, keys, percussion, didgeridoo, mbira, nose flute and vocals. Unsurprisingly, it sound like not much else your likely to see anytime soon, and you can see him do his thing at the Promethean from Thur 13- Sat 15 March.
On the cusp of Autumn, Perth metal types Miles Away are bravely refusing to look facts in the face, and embarking on their 'Endless Summer' tour, joined in their quest to halt the inexorable turn of the seasons by Japan's FC Five and fellow Western Australians Blkout! for an all ages show at The Underground on Fri 7 Mar.
There was plenty going on in the Garden of Unearthly Delights even before Bank SA were let loose, but once they began programming free concerts every day in the bandstand at 5:30, it became almost impossible to keep track of everything that was going on. What Puff does know is that among the acts playing free gigs are The Mamaku Project, Human Water Fountain, DJ Cat Kid, the Grease Lightning Drag Show and Flipside Circus.
It's big enough to be a mini-festival, and in any other state it might be, but we set the bar high here in the Festival State. That's why you won't find anything suggesting it's more than a regular gig when Pennywise, The Vandals, Sum 41 and Bowling For Soup convene at the Thebarton Theatre on Mon 14 April, but one look at the line-up's enough to realise that it will be bigger than a Texas gig in Texas.
'British India Make Teenage Mothers' screamed the press release, but when Puff got around to reading it, it turned out that all this meant was that Teenage Mother is the final single to be lifted from that band's album 'Guillotine'. On the plus side, they've decided that this, along with a re-issued copy of the album featuring a DVD, is enough reason to hit the road again and will be celebrating the album's Indian summer at Jive on Fri 14 Mar.
Similarly eye-catching is the title of Emily Davis and Jayne-Anne Power's Fringe show, 'Stripped Down'. An emotional, interactive and powerful musical performance, it will see the two songwriters offering up stripped back versions of their own songs as well as covers, and they'll be joined by a host of surprise guests at The Wheatsheaf Hotel on Fri 14 and Sat 15 Mar.
If you like your music funky, Soul Underground's The Sounds Of Blackness may well be for you. At Caos Cafe on Sat 8 Mar, specialist DJs Gaz Byrne and Todd C will be playing a series of 45s from the last four decades, ranging from Northern and modern soul to deep funk, rare groove and soulful house.
After a sell-out run at the Festival Centre's Cabaret Festival way back in 2006, the musical tale of Australia's most acerbic politician will return as the Festival Theatre's 'Australian Stories' program presents 'Keating! The Musical'. Playing at Her Majesty's Theatre from Thurs 3 to Sat 19 Apr, there will be a host of new characters and songs turning it into a whole new theatrical and musical experience.
Superbee, The Beards, Tony Font Show and Soft White Machine. If you don't know who they are, you don't know jack about the Adelaide music scene. Each band holds the power to bring capacity venues to their weakened knees, and for one night only you can catch the awesome power of these bands all together at Jive on Thurs 28 Feb.
There are more strings to Tiger Army's bow than there are on Geoff Kresge's stand-up bass, but foremost among their talents is playing some damn exciting psychobilly, and the immaculately coiffured three piece will be doing exactly that at Fowler's Live on Fri 12 Mar.
Horsell Common are no strangers to our fair town, but it's been a long time since they came without some headliner desperately worrying about being outshone by the support act. But there'll be no such worries on Fri 4 April at Fowler's Live, when the boys from Melbourne finally come to town as the stars of their own show.
They call themselves 'Northern hyperblast', but you can refer to the Canadian death metal band as Kataklysm. Or, if you want to get really friendly-like with them, simply 'that band what's playing an all ages gig at Fowler's Live on Thurs 27 Mar'. It's up to you, really.
You know what I'm sayin...
Get Out Of The House!
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