Events
White Woods features members from such past and present bands as Midnight Caller, K Mason, Love The Bomb, Ragged Anns, Kind Winds, The Astens and a bunch of others. They had a “pre Debut Gig gig” at Afterdark last week, and now this is their “Debut gig” proper. Wha? They pull out some noice indie jangle.
Ably supported by the bash + holler of Go Genre Everything, and the pop genius of Mr Dan Cross (star sign Cancer, Leo Rising).
Friday 2 May. Doors open at 8pm. Won’t cost much.
Tape Projects Presents Marcia Jane
Marcia is a video artist based in Melbourne, Australia. Her current video work involves images of her personal spaces and environments: streets and spaces encountered every day. Intensive editing abstracts these images away from their origins and combines them in new graphic and rhythmic relationships. Recent projects include live performance at The NOW Now Festival 2008; and the collaborative show Cluster at VCA gallery.
A selection of light refreshments will be provided.
Artist Talk
7pm Wednesday
30th April
Yes, it’s on. Bring pens, beer, food. All welcome.
Lost Animal
Barrage
Das Butcher
Friday April 18, 8.30pm, $cheap<
This Friday night features three of Melbourne’s finest solo acts. Wait, come back! There’s not a single acoustic guitar strummer amongst ‘em:
I think we might have said before that Lost Animal is one of our most favourite new local things. The top two influences listed on his myspace are Suicide and Serge Gainsbourg, and that kinda nails it, but, you know, not really. Sparse, raw songs with crooning vox and minimal backing. “Say No to Thugs” is a stand-out earworm.
Barrage: The Big Issue sez: “The austere moodiness of early 80s new romanticism and the bounce-riddled aesthetics of early 90s melodic electronics … [with] a strangely disturbing edge.” Mess + Noise sez: “A chronicle of order and disorder for a golden dawn” which is, uh, meaningless, but has a nice ring to it. We say that Barrage is just about the cutest little boy you’ll ever meet, and his brand of fucked pop is sweet AND sour, and largely pork-free.
Das Butcher reckons: “Mother used to always speak backwards to me, then one day I found a casio rapman in hard rubbish, I got dressed all in blood, made some noise, & this is what happened.” He’s not joking about the blood neither.
Khuruksetra (Indonesia)
Spit
Krystoffkrvstoffiston
Saturday April 19, 8.30pm, $cheap
Khuruksetra is an Indonesian experimental noise group influenced by Javanese performing arts and the Bharatayudha War. A collaboration between the members of Kalimayat, Whisperdesire, Hypervillain & a Poet. Now based in Sydney. Featuring Danif Pradana, Mikael Mirdad, Enrico Utomo and Andra Fembriarto. This is a rare opportunity to see em do their thing in Melbourne.
Spit is the performing title of Ryan Cockburn, a New Zealander who is a sometime/past member of EYE along with Peter Stapleton (Victor Dimisch Band, Pin Group, Scorched Earth Policy, Dadamah, Terminals, Handful of Dust, Rain, Sleep, Flies Inside the Sun… ), Nathan Thompson (Sandoz Lab Technicians, Sleep) and Peter Porteous (Empirical), among other things. He’s in Melbourne now and we’re not sure what to expect: Cheap toy guitars, mixers, microphones, turntables with busted records and computers are all part of his kit, and his recorded output seems pretty varied… His rekkid label (UFM) says “If the Dead C had kept making records in the vein of ‘Operation Of The Sonne’, but ditched the drums and the electric guitars, they might have ended up here. If the Clean got incredibly lazy and started forgetting to finish songs or turn the radio off or sing properly…” Best to just come along for a look yourself.
Krystoffkrvstoffiston: “From dehidrated northcote dusty lungs full of grief and god’s wrath splutter forth omnipitant pain and anguish. coroading twin neck guitar and organ acompany these death throughs only barely riseing from collapsing in heat stroke, this is mottled Southern Hemisphree Black & White Metal!!!! other project ST John’s Ambience, MOFFARFARRAH, Collapsed Toilet Vietnam, White Horse, MofHoRah, Malakat, Slotholith, 1/16th headed, Dumb Crystals, Paeces, MFFRvsBNS, EOH,Kimberly, Bohemian Knights, Alley oops (ex-Slam Dunk!) and Half man Half Moffafarrah.” So, yeah, these two guys who’re involved in a swag of skewed local musical projects do this great bleak/black (“bleack”?) metal / doom / drone + scree thing. And they’re doing it with the best bandname in town.
Fatti Frances
Beaches
Default Jamerson
Saturday April 12, 8.30pm, $cheap
Fatti Frances is a newish pop band featuring Raquel Solier (formerly Oh! Belgium, Jemima Jemima). With Help from Judy Garland aka Sarah Weston, Geoff O’Connor from Sly Hats/Crayon Fields, Max Cohan of Agents of Abhorrence and Tim Picone from Unstable Ape Records/The Night Terrors. They sound pretty sweet to me.
Beaches features folks from local groops like Love of Diagrams, Spider Vomit and Panel of Judges. They are good. Have a listen on the Myspace. My favourite Beaches review so far: “melbourne 2008 = south island 1983”
Default Jamerson is Marcus Cook. He just put out an album on Sabbatical. The best phrase in their album description is “Brilliant tone vapours”. They also use the word “ominous”. That should give you an idea.
An evening of sweet treats for ears, eyes, and open mouths.
Featuring:
Thugquota
Van Diemen’s Band
Deb Ball
Bethany J Fellows
Friday April 11, 7.30pm, $5
Thugquota, tough enough to rush at you with a swag full of his own twisted notions of pop songs and not fall over. Sweeter than a beach ball at least, heavier than a lamington.
Van Diemen’s Band, we know nothing.
Deb Ball has its first outing. Dan Bell, giver of inepitude and bad vibes to Ladder and Happy Party is leaving behind a mountain of half working electronics and travelling light with drum machine, keyboard, tape loops, pedals and home made trinkets. Searching for scratch and sniff kraut wallpaper.
Bethany J Fellows is a Melbourne based artist currently doing mostly performance stuff. Her subjects are wide and varied as she explores the iconic, celebrity and self, seeking to subvert the current social/cultural/political climate. Known for her humorous and offbeat projects, she is obsessive and quite acerbic in the kitchen. Some of you might remember her “Pray for Britney” shrine from our first market, and a few of you might have been lucky enough to catch her dressed as a taco on Swanston St. Bethany will be performing Energy Transmutation #1 Sugar.
WAVER are a 3-piece from Dunedin NZ. From pop to flop they look to channel the the ghosts of such greats as The Sandoz Lab Technicians, Snapper, Sneaky Feelings, Alchemy and the Dead C.
Holden Stingray (NZ) Noise-blues guitar improv, tempered by police assault and defenestration.
Featuring the following:
Seagull
Peter J Head
Psuche Ensemble
Popolice
Wrap Your Legs Around My Face
Great Earthquake
Low Rise Estate
Johnny Saw Horses
Aktion Unit
Extreme Wheeze
Genevieve & Jezebel
Fulton Girls Club
It’s $5 and All Ages. 5.30pm start