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Everything that's happening in Adelaide this fortnight.
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Updates from the wide world of metal.
·7 Things To Do
7 Things To Do In Adelaide This Fortnight
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Puff 'n' Stuff Brace yourselves, Adelaide, because The Happy Endings are descending upon us once more to swill beer, make merry and fill our lives with rock when the play on Thurs 15 May at the Electric Light Hotel, Fri 16 May at The Exeter and Sat 17 May at Jive Bar.
Just the other day, Puff was involved in an argument about who was the best dressed band in town, Newtonheath or the Tony Font Show, and though anyone in the room at the time was left in no doubt as to Puff's personal pick, some people will just never be satisfied until they find out for themselves. If you're one of those foolhardy souls, then you'll be happy to know that those two very bands have teamed up with local street wear label 'are/why?' to launch their winter range along with Soft White Machine and Secrets In Scale at The Gov on Sat 31 May.
It's a while since Puff has been this excited about a gig, but it's been a long time coming. Acclaimed exploratory turntablist Philip Jeck will manipulate vintage phonographs and old wax into a droning soup of sound on Sat 17 May at The Jade Monkey with support from the newly re-formed Headdress Of Neon Flames, Ezulai and Dane Hirsinger.
 It looks intimidating, but once you get the hang of it, Mihirangi's name isn't too hard to pronounce -it sounds something like me-hee-rung-ee, but the delightful beat-boxing, live looping self-harmonising guitar and flute player will surely be more than happy to help you get it right should you make it to her show at the Wheatsheaf on Fri 16 May.
It's been a long time coming, but that grand old Elizabethan Jimmy Barnes will finally be undertaking his first major theatre tour in more than a decade. Though he may be leaving his lines behind this time around, he'll be treading the boards at the Thebby on Sat 28 June, while the support from his daughter Mahalia Barnes to make sure he doesn't act up too much.
It's getting busy at the SA Folk Centre once more, as they've just had their Annual General Meeting, and now Martin Pearson's coming by for a live solo show of his musical comedy on Fri 16 May and 'The Spelling Errors Of Bolkien', his very popular 'tribute' to 'The Lord Of The Rings' on Sat 17 May. Other upcoming events include the Bushdance on Fri 6 June and the Winter Solstice Dinner with Spiral Dance on Sat 28 June.
Those Swedish sure are organised - not only do experimental metallers Meshuggah manage to mix death metal, mathcore, thrash and progressive metal, they also organise their tours months and months in advance, which is why Puff can tell you already that they'll be playing at HQ on Tue 14 Oct.
OK, we get it, we get it - Swedish metal bands like to mix genres and announce their tours way ahead of time. Even more exciting for many people will be the news that after they release their next album on May 31, legendary free form metal band Opeth will undertake an Australian tour that brings them to the Thebarton Theatre on Thurs 4 September.
If you blinked at the wrong moment (or have a burning hatred for realityTV), you would have missed it, but I Killed The Prom Queen's original vocalist Michael Crafter, who was announced to support them on their upcoming tour, briefly jeopardised his participation with a stint on 'Big Brother'. Voted in by the public as their number one choice, he lasted all of three days before the same fickle public drove him out, though on the plus side he'll now be able to kick off the band's farewell tour on Thurs 22 May at HQ.
Mathcore experimentalists Dillinger Escape Plan play at Live On Light Square on Thurs 15 May...Swedish Melodic Metallers Soilwork then take over Live On Light Square on Sat 17 May... Melbourne lads Trial Kennedy have supported everyone and their dog over the last year, but on Thurs 22 May they finally have a headlining show of their own at Jive.
Puff's no slouch when it comes to dreamy Sixties singer-songwriter types, so it was no surprise when Damien Leith's Catch The Wind turned out to be a cover of the Donavon tune, and he'll be covering that and plenty of other songs from that era n Fri 11 and Sat 12 July. Puff just hopes that Father & Son isn't among them.
Local independent label Mixmasters Records is celebrating its fifth birthday with a massive gig at the Grace on Sat 17 May. Having helped countless local bands put their first EPs and albums together, Mixmasters will get a little love themselves, as The Brels, John Baker Duo, Delia, Cookie Baker, The Yearlings, Redwood, Your Motive For, Booster, Special Patrol and Southpoor all get together to show their appreciations for Craig and the gang.
Thanks to half a uni mathmatics degree, Puff was able to calculate that as The Wheatsheaf is celebrating its Fifth Birthday on Mon 26, it's about the same age as Mixmasters. And though there won't be a similar cavalcade of local talent playing at the Wheaty's bash, they do have a darts board and plenty of tasty brews on tap and behind the bar, while Mo' Roots will provide the live music.
Goldentone may have left Adelaide some time ago, but Puff will always have a modicum of affection for any band that got its start here, and so does another Adelaide institution, Big Star Records, which is why they'll be playing the basement there on Wed May 14 (that's print day, kids) from 5:30 and at The Ex on Sat 17 May, with original bass layer James Bosworth making a guest appearance.
 Another bunch of Adelaide defectors, Muscle Car have even had the temerity to change their line-up, if not their straight ahead garage power pop style. Coming home for one show only, they'll be playing at the Cranker on Sat 17 May with The Screwtop Detonators and The Molting Vultures.
Since changing names from Nereeda, locals Twelve Dollar Monkey have gone from strength to strength, and now they're getting ready to bring on their debut EP, 'Habitat'. Promising a big surprise for fans on the night, one they won't even tell Puff about, they've invited Candida to help make sure the night goes off with a bang at Jive on Sat 24 May.
The last time they were here was as part of Gigantour, but Lacuna Coil don't need anyone's help to rock a massive party, and they'll be proving just that when they embark on their first headline tour of our nation this June, bringing their gothic melodic metal to Fowler's Live on Sun 22 June.
He's a bad boy of rock, there's no doubting that, but Puff doesn't want to know what he did to upset the staff at The Thebby enough to make him change the venue of the show. Nevertheless, former Skid Row frontman Sebastian Bach will now be gracing HQ on Thurs 29 May rather than the previously announced Thebby.
Another venue change of note is the one affecting Brisbane melodic rockers Dead Letter Circus, who have moved the show on Thurs 5 June from Jive to The Enigma Bar.
Fresh from a Swedish lunatic asylum, where they recorded their second album, The Dukes Of Windsor will welcome the relatively mild Australian winter, but just to make sure they don't get too cold, they'll stay on the move with a tour around the country, including a brief stop at The Producer's on Fri 13 June.
 There's been plenty to like about the Trans:Mission program so far this year, and with the addition of Flamenco legend Paco Pe–a, it just got even better. Bringing his Flamenco Dance Company with him, the show will include three guitarists, three flamenco dancers, two singers and a percussionist livening up the Festival Theatre with the fiery music of Andalucia on Sun 1 June.
He's been given the thumbs up by John Butler, The Waifs and Ani Di Franco, but Paul Greene's not the type of guy to let praise go to his head, so despite the high praise he's received, he's still doing things completely independently. His latest album, 'Distance Over Time', is no different, and the singer-songwriter will be launching it on Sun 25 May at the Grace Emily.
 Several years on, and the strange yet somehow beguiling facial hair is still there, as are the monstrous rock hooks and crashing melodies, but whatever your reason for wanting to see them in the flesh, Cog will be rocking out at The Gov with a Licensed All Ages show at The Gov on Thurs 12 June and an over 18s show the following night, Fri 13 June.
Puff's still not sure exactly which of our avian friends Birds Of Tokyo named themselves after - perhaps the melodic roc - but what Puff does know is that the band descends on Adelaide on Wed 21 May when they play Fowler's Live with In Fiction and Day On Fire.
Puff loves a show for a good cause, especially when there are no old rich blokes proselytising onstage, and given that the Oaktree Foundation's volunteers are all aged 26 or under, it's a fair bet that the Global Night Shift will be devoid of that phenomenon. What it will have, on the other hand, is music from Tzu, The Shiny Brights, Femme Fatales, Poetikool Justice and The Lost Show. The whole shindig's in aid of ending child slavery, a pretty worthy cause to get behind, most people would agree, and takes place at the Queen's Theatre on Fri 16 May.
The Electric Light's Bootleg indie night is back for another instalment, with Former Child Stars, Mona Lisa Overdrive and Canes Venatic all getting onstage while Lady Strangelove hold it down on the wheels of steel this Sat 17 May.
And speaking of Lady Strangelove, it's lucky they're down for the DJ slot, because they've had a bunch of gear stolen, so they've put this message out. "We had alot of gear stolen out of Damo's car while it was parked down the side of the Ed Castle around 1am on Friday 9 May. We had just played Rocket Bar an hour before. We are offering all the $ we made at the Rocket Bar show (over $500) in return for these items, no questions asked. Just message Azz 0439134835 with the place and the gear. We don't care if we never meet you or how you got them as long as we get them back. We are struggling musicians with little money to spare as all of our own cash and the little money we make as a band all goes back into equipment and touring."
Alternatively, if anyone knows the whereabouts of these items, they are urged to call Azz, who is willing to offer in return a free double pass to The Black Keys show in Melbourne and/or Adelaide in June (which the band is supporting) and lifetime free entry to any Strangelove Headline shows.
What's that, you didn't know about those Black Keys shows? That's because they've been kept on the down low until now, but the duo will indeed be launching an all out blues attack on the Gov on Mon 23 June with Lady Strangelove as support.
 The Holy Sea launch their latest opus, 'A Beginner's Guide To The Sea' at The Grace on Sat 7 June... 78 Saab are back, and they're playing at Jive on Fri 16 May with Richard In Your Mind.
 It's not a name that you're likely to forget in a hurry, and given that they follow in the wake of bands like Babes In Toyland, L7 and The Lunachicks, it's a fair bet that you'll remember any Bitchslap show you witness for some times, as well. They'll be appearing in all their heavy, crunchy, loud, fuzzed out guitar glory at The Electric Light Hotel on Sat 31 Mat with Toxic Shock and Miss Golly Gosh.
It's not so very long since they graced the cover of this very publication for their album tour, but The Getaway Plan are launching on an even bigger tour this time around behind their single Where The City Meets The Sea, and they'll take in The Gov on Sat 28 June.
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