Puff 'n Stuff

The Beards have been unchallenged as our most hirsute band for some time now, but rather than spend their days growing ever larger in the small pond that is Adelaide, they're venturing abroad to see whether they've got what it takes to match it with the best. To that end, they're attending the World Beard & Moustache Championships in Alaska next May, and they're bringing an Aussie team with them, the Australian Bushrangers (which also includes the band members), who will be the first to represent our country at the event. The team will be launched at the Governor Hindmarsh Hotel on Friday 9 January, and as The Beards are playing at the opening ceremony of the championships, it's only fitting that the well-endowed folk rockers are also playing at the team launch, along with Jackson Firebird, God God Dammit Dammit and Michael Bolton tribute band Bolty Bolt-Bolt & The Boltons. Anyone without facial hair is encouraged to show solidarity by wearing fake beards on the night as they'll be filming the whole extravaganza for a live DVD.

What better way to usher in the new year than with the gentle, sweeping post-rock jazz of The Necks, who will be doing their thing at the Gov on Sun 11 Jan.

Sleepless will be launching their freshly-mastered recording 'Semaphore' at The Grace Emily on Sat 3 Jan, and they're sweetening the deal with limited-edition CD and USB copies on the night complete with hand-folded origami packaging and golden stickers. Of course, even that's not enough to lure some people out, so they've made the new, improved version of the record available to download from their site for free, and have another show of melodic pop, jangly guitars and bittersweet harmonies scheduled at The Grace on Wed 11 Feb.

After a big year in 2008, Cold War Kids will be keeping busy with a trip down under including a show at The Gov on Tue 3 Feb.

That 1 Guy sure is a strange fellow. But while he follows his own, very distinctive musical path, he's not shy about inviting you to follow him as he plays his magical pipe, which will be conjuring all manner of singular sounds at The Promethean on Sat 20 and Sun 21 Dec.

Nothing says Summer like the Summer Cherry Festival, which will see The Gov putting on a full day of local and interstate music as well as off-stage circus performances and other activities. Among the musical entertainers are Rob Sawyer, Nicky Bomba, Brenton Manser & The Disciples Of Zen, The Bedroom Philosopher, Heather Frahn Trio and Soursob Bob, and the whole thing takes place on Sat 10 Jan.

Those spiky, spunky siblings Tegan And Sara are beginning 2009 on the right foot at the Falls Festival, but they're making sure Adelaide gets some love as well, hitting HQ up on Sun 11 Jan.

Puff's still not sure whether they really belong in a music column, but The Pussycat Dolls will be making their way down under with Lady GaGa for a full tour next year to follow up their brief promotional visit. The shows will be all-ages and Adelaide gets its turn at The Ent Cent on Thurs 28 May.

McLaren Vale's Singing Gallery are looking out for lovers of both celtic music and alliteration with their Celtic Christmas Cabaret, taking place on Sat 20 Dec. Appearing on the night are classical Irish singer/ harpist Hilary O'Neill, percussionist and Irish whistle player Tom Doyle and double bass player Ian Davis each giving their own take on Christmas carols and lesser-known songs from other parts fo the world.

Or you could choose to get cheery with The Joans, who are having their own celebration at The Wheaty with The Yearlings and the newly-renamed Baker Suite on Sun 21 Dec.

Of course, you don't need to get all Christmassy to have one heck of an end of year show, as the Metropolitan Hotel proves. With nary a season's greeting or best wish, they're giving the best present of all with an entirely free show on Sat 20 Dec featuring the likes of Thunderclaw, Love Bird Society, Box Elder, Shame Spiral and Fair Maiden.

If you're going to give your shows a gimmick, you may as well make it a good one, and with exactly one half of the band being a fahion designer, it kind of makes sense for Lovers Electric to play a series of boutique shows. After making it all the way down the east coast playing carefull-selected fashion houses, they're finishing up back home with a show on the balcony of Miss Gladys Sym Choon's on Mon 22 Dec.

With 200 years of great Australian songs to draw upon, The Beggars won't be short of material for their 'Bound For Australia' shows, a tribute to our fine land and the many colourful characters that have inhabited it that take place at Higher Ground on Fri 6 and Sat 7 Feb.

Though Eskimo was still one hell of a song, Wiley seems to have finally realised that 'eski beat' is never going to catch on as a term for his music, and Godfather of Grime is much, much catchier, anyway. Regardless of wot u call it, though, it's a fair bet that he'll be testing the sound system of the Adelaide Uni Bar when he plays there on Fri 23 Jan.

Beautiful Girls' leader Mat McHugh had a less than ideal beginning to his solo adventure, with an untimely motor bike accident that left him bed ridden in the USA for a month. Now the injuries have healed, the tour has been rescheduled and Mat is ready to bring his solo project out into the live forum with a band largely seconded from the Sydney jazz scene and a show at the Garden of Unearthly Delights' Spiegeltent on Sun 22 Feb.

Speaking of The Garden, it'll be open from Thurs 19 Feb to Sat 21 Mar next year, and as well as the return of the Spiegeltent and other venues including The Bosco Theater and Le Cascadeur, will feature performances from the likes of Renee Geyer, Tim Freedman, Diesel, Stephen Cummings and Dave Graney.

As well as these acts, there'll be the East End international Jazz & Blues Festival, TropFest and the Future Music Festival, which returns to Rymill Park on Adelaide Cup Day, Mon 9 March, bringing a very tasty first round of artists, including Basement Jaxx, N*E*R*D, CSS, Paul Oakenfold, Etienne De Crecy, Mr Oizo, Yacht and plenty more.

Impressive, yes, but even this line-up can't hold a candle to the mighty Laneway Festival, which dB writers picked as the best festival in 2008, and which will only get better next year, thanks to an amazing line-up featuring Stereolab, Jay Reatard, Girl Talk, The Hold Steady, Four Tet, Cut Off Your Hands, The Drones. No Age, Pivot, Architecture In Helsinki, Mountains In The Sky and, believe it or not, many more worthy bands that Puff would happily list if space permitted. The whole thing goes down in the Fowler's Live Courtyard on Sat 7 Feb, so start asking Santa now if you want to make sure you're there.

And the festival juggernaut rolls on with ScorcherFest announcing next year's event, Adelaide's biggest all ages local live music seeking expressions of interest from local talent, bands and artists of all genres. In 2009, the festival will be showcasing 50 live bands, a variety of dance groups, comedy, and the biggest three-a side twister competition held in the southern hemisphere. To be considered, and to find out further details, email andrewcooper369@gmail.com.

More festival talk, with the Big Day Out releasing their Lilyworld schedule that will no doubt once again baffle many but wholeheartedly please a few discerning fans. American soul man Barrence Whitfield will make sure that nobody leaves without a smile on their face, while Son Of Dave will bring some blues to the Lilypad and the intriguing-sounding Risenga's Bush Technology combine dancing, drumming and music from across the African diaspora.

The Fringe's equivalent of the outrageous antics on show at the Lilypad will no doubt be The House Of The Holy Afro. Featuring Third World Bunfight, performance poet Odidi Mfenyana and WOMADelaide performer DJ Dino Moran, it promises a riotous African nightclub spectacular to electrify the ears, eyes and bodies of everyone on the dancefloor.

Akoustic Odyssey play a special Christmas show at the Folk Federation Centre on Sat 20 Dec... American deathcore warriors Whitechapel are coming to town, ripping up Fowler's Live on Thurs 15 Jan.

Eugene Hideaway Bridges must really get the special treatment at The Gov, because he just can't stay away from the place. The American bluesman is back yet again next year, performing there on Fri 30 Jan.

Since forming in 2003, Deafening Silence have been displaying their brand of metal to fans here and around Australia for the past 5 years. Now, with a new CD 'Fear Is A Mind Killer' due next March, they're promising it will capture a side of metal rarely heard before. While you're waiting to find out what that sounds like, there's plenty of time to catch the band's high-energy live show with a mix of new material and old favourites at the Crown & Anchor on Sat 3 Jan alongside Day 13 and Se Bon Ki Ra.

For even more extreme metal, look no further than Cradle Of Filth, who'll be playing an all-ages show at Thebarton Theatre on Sun 24 May. One can only wonder what they'll be selling at the merch stand.

Another band back in business with a new release to celebrate are New White Sneakers. After spending much of 2008 missing in action, they'll be bringing the funk to The Gov when they launch 'Reasons & Excuses' on Fri 16 Jan.

Despite talk of some kind of global financial downturn, there seems to be no shortage of indie club nights, and in fact one could almost go as far as saying that there's a flat out boom in them at the moment. Adding their voice to the rising clamour are the folks behind Banquet, a new night that will take place at Enigma's upstairs Bar 3 on the second Saturday of every month, beginning 10 Jan next year, with tunes spun by disco disco DJs Koala Attack and Dan! Dan! Dan!

Although plenty of bands have been skipping Adelaide on their itineraries lately, for one day next year, Tue 17 Feb, the rest of Australia will look on in envy as we play host to no less than five, yes five international gigs. There's Cult Of Luna playing at HQ, The Stray Cats leaving their mark at Thebarton Thatre, Simply Red (supported by Kate Ceberano and Dragon) doing the Day On The Green thing at Peter Lehmann Wines in The Barossa, John McLaughlin and Chick Corea bringing their Five Peace Band to Her Majesty's Theatre and Fall Out Boy at the Ent Cent, who have just announced The All-American Rejects and Hey Monday as their supports. Of course, when The Gov heard about this extravaganza, they had to add their two bits as well, so Jolie Holland will be appearing there on the night as well.

Speaking of big international acts, there are few people just a little bit excited about The Kings Of Leon's upcoming show at Memorial Drive on Wed 11 Mar, none more so than The Stills, who have scored the support slot.

Until recently, Puff could only think of one great band who all had beards except for the drummer, and while Philadelphia Grand Jury may not have a drummer whose surname is Beard, that hasn't stopped them from impressing the pants off a bunch of people with their live shows, which are part of the reason they've just been announced as winners of the Sydney Big Day Out triplejunearthed.com competition, and with the release of a seven-inch set for early next year, they'll be here soon.

Blue Mountains psychedelic rockers Belles Will Ring are packing up their jangly guitar jams, beautiful harmonies and impeccable rhythm section into a metaphorical suitcase to promote their recently-released mini-album, 'Broader Than Broadway', with support from none other than the Sydney-based garage-soul rockers of Philadelphia Grand Jury and Brisbane indie-poppers Little Scout.

We've only just got our sideshows from the first announcement, but Playground Weekender have already put together their second announcement for the festival happening at the Del Rio Resort, an hour north of Sydney, from Fri 6 to Sun 8 Feb. Among the performers are Jose Gonzalez (playing here on Fri 13 Feb), Crazy Penis, Alice Russell, Yes King, King Unique, Spod, our own Transatlantics and, because he simply can't stay away, Lyrics Born.

However you celebrate this season, just remember:

Get Out of The House!