No winter blues.

Hmm, after last week's blowout, pickings are kinda slim this week. But not to worry.
Hobart's Native Cats are at the Birmy, with their buddies the always-excellent Super Wild Horses and the always-unpredictable UV Race.

Not sure what that costs, but it'd be worth a look. And you can pick up a copy of the Cats new album at the show, too.
Otherwise, you can catch up on your Tim Burton big screen experiences, at ACMI.They are having a retrospective of all his movies in conjunction with that exhibition that's on there right now. I actually saw "Pee Wee's Big Adventure" at a cinema once, for some unknown reason.

Shipping alert.

A nice spread of stuff on this week. Like this, at the East Brunswick Club on Friday:

Mistletone proudly presents legendary New Zealand band The Chills in their first Australian tour since 1992, playing two shows only in Melbourne and Sydney. One of the key proponents of the Flying Nun sound, The Chills have been much loved since the early 1980s for their charming, hook-laden guitar pop. The combination of their live energy and the consistent quality of their songs have established them as one of the most well-known NZ groups to date - particularly in the USA, UK and Europe. Having grown more iconic and relevant to indie pop as each year passes, there is huge anticipation for the return to Australia of The Chills and their heavenly pop hits.

Supports are from Guy Blackman and the (excellent) East Brunswick All Girls Choir. but I think that may be sold out.

On Saturday, my mate Zac (who mans the complaints desk over at Pissing On The Mainframe) insists that the Old Bar is the place to be, and I think he may be right:


And- is this Muppet lovefest on Sunday night at the Thornbury Theatre some Gen Y thing? Raised on "Sesame Street", I never really rated the crappy English TV show. But clearly some people did, and still do. This is an all-ages show to mark the 20th anniversay of Jim Henson's death, and has a hugeline up:

Performed by an array of local bands, dancers and comedians including Eagle & The Worm, Bum Creek & Shags Chamberlain, Super Wild Horses, Guy Blackman, Simone Page Jones, Clairy Baby Browne and the Bangin' Rackettes, Sophia Brous, The Suitcase Royale, Ooga Boogas, The UV Race, Heavy Mental, The Ukeladies, Manas Pandey & Lilith Lane, Evelyn Morris & Extreme Wheeze, Geoff O'Connor, Jessica Says, with Jess McGuire & Tony Biggs from RRR as Statler & Waldorf, the Thornbury Primary School chorus line and our very special guest star Kamahl!

It's all a bit academic for me, though, as I plan to spend the weekend admiring a couple more of Victoria's fine coastal lighthouses.

Get your own trumpet.

Look, I don't want to boast, but LTH 4 really is the best thing on this weekend. Well, apart from the X/UV Race show, but that's on Friday.

Aided by a massive press campaign (thanks, Paddy) it's a cert to sell out early. I'll be at the bar if anyone needs me.

Back to school weekend.

Following a huge performance at the last night of the Tote, them dirty old Meanies hit the Old Bar on Friday.

You may want to get there early- this will pack out, and for good reason. I wonder if they will set the onstage fire alarm off? AND my good friend DJ Frankie Teardrop will be playing from 1.00 til 3.00am, as well.

Then, on Saturday, a great line up, honouring a great guy:

Jay Reatard died last week at the age of 29, one of the most prolific punk musicians and song writers of our time, leaving behind a legacy of hundreds of records, thousands of songs and millions of shows in about 20 different bands over the last 15 years.
In the last two years, he'd toured Australia twice to rabid response from Melbourne, and on Saturday 30th January Melbourne is returning the favour by paying tribute to his life and music with a one-off show at the Ding Dong Lounge featuring reatarded Melbourne bands like Kamikaze Trio, The UV Race and Useless Children.
DJs Candy Cut, Pissing On The Mainframe and Stained Circles will blast tunes from his enormous back catalogue, and songs that influenced him or were influenced by him.
And as a one off, we will be showing footage from one of his wildest shows in his first European tour with the Jay Reatard band early in the night.
Doors are at 8:00pm, entry is $10, money from the door will go towards a charity to be elected by Jay's father specific to his life in Memphis.

That Melbourne-Memphis connection just keeps growing stronger, it seems.

Album of the week- The UV Race: "The UV Race"

My fondness for these young pups' live outings has never been in doubt. After the early fumblings of their live-at-Missing Link cassette, and the demo/party mix CD (which included tracks by the Seeds, VOM, Stooges, Electric Eels and others mixed in with the band's own stuff) it's a relief to get hold of this album and realise they've pulled it off.
Scuzzy, raucous, utterly instinctive and full of self-confidence, it's everything you, or I, or any other band, could hope for from a debut album.

Flip Out returns, and expands.

It was one of the live highlights of last year. Now the Flip Out Festival returns, and is also extending slimy tentacles north to Sydney.
It's on at something called the Manning Bar on Saturday, August 29. Line up:
Eddy Current Suppression Ring
Pink Reason (USA)
Goodnight Loving (USA)
James Arthur's Manhunt (USA)
Ooga Boogas
Naked On The Vague
The UV Race
The Stabs
Super Wild Horses
Slug Guts
Deaf Wish
Royal Headache
Zond


There's a fairly hefty Melbourne contingent heading up for that, including yours truly, ahead of their hometown leg, which is staying at the Corner, and is on Saturday September 5, with the following:

Pink Reason (USA)
Goodnight Loving (USA)
James Arthur's Manhunt (USA)
Ooga Boogas
Naked On The Vague
Super Wild Horses
Slug Guts
The Disbelievers
The Native Cats
Dick Diver
The Twerps
Teen Archer
Repairs


There's the usual barbecues, records stalls, shenanigans and beer going on. Seriously, if you blow a chance to get to one of these- or both, maybe?- you are a damn fool.

Caution- contains football.

A big night at the Espy on Friday, with GUT, Dollsquad, Gun Street Girls and the Meanies playing out back in the Gershwin Room, and Kids Of Zoo, the Once Overs and the New Christs in the front bar. The whole thing is free, which makes me wonder why the two rooms are being separately promoted. I also wonder why the fucking Espy now has a Flash site, which makes it impossible to snag images.
The New Christs show is by way of launching their excellent new album, "Gloria", out now on Impedance Records:

They'll also be playing at the Tote on Saturday, and are promising to return soon as part of a full tour.
Speaking of the Tote, on Sunday afternoon their footy team takes on the Old Bar Unicorns (motto:" Feel the Fantasy"). Also playing are the Bar Open Bats versus the East Brunswick Club. Kickoff is around 1.00, at Brunswick Park, Hope St. Brunswick. That's a kid, dog and booze-friendly event.

And you could follow that up with the latest in the (appalling named) Sundae Workers Series, at the Workers Club- which is just the old Rob Roy tarted up a bit.
This week's is the last one, and features the Primitive Calculators, UV Repairs (some unholy blend of UV Race and the Repairs) and Brain Children DJs, all for $10.00

UPDATE: the football referred to above has been put back until next weekend. And moved.

Sometimes it's OK to be a racist.

I like UV Race. I like them quite a lot. They have been busy of late- their debut album is due out soon, they got profiled in hipster rag Vice ( a publication I would never wish to appear in) and have a very busy weekend lined up.

On Saturday they are supporting the Late Arvo Sons on the first of their April Tote residency shows. Future supports for the Sons will be Flying Scissor Kicks on the 11th, Chinese Burns (18th) and Super Wild Horses on the fourth and final show on the 25th, by the way.


The Race are then part of the bill at the afore-mentioned Super Wild Horses own single launch, at the Lithuanian Club, along with the Twerps and Noah & the Arks, as well as "Eddy Current DJs", which I'm guessing is basically Mikey Young with some records- good ones.
They are also doing a private party gig later that night. Fuck these kids have stamina.

Better late than never.

Being the sensitive and caring kind of guy I am, I was thinking about International Women's Day this weekend just past, when I realised that the Melbourne music scene are celebrating a week late.
Yes, ladies, the most handsome men in town are playing for your pleasure this weekend.
On Friday 13th, at Ding Dong, Rowland S. Howard plays with the Stabs and Nathan Hollywood*

Rowland's band for this show includes J.P. Shilo on bass and Mick Harvey on drums. This is definitely worth a look. $12 on the door.
Then, on Saturday at the Espy, there's an Aarght! Records showcase of sorts, featuring New Orleans duo Quintron & Miss Pussycat, Eddy Current Suppression Ring and UV Race. I do not know why there is no poster art for this event- here's a picture of Quintron instead:

* nb- Hollywood is actually quite handsome, so I'm told.

Flip Out

Now, ordinarily, this show, at the Espy on Friday night, would be head and shoulders above the rest:

The Visitors were one of a clutch of bands (see also- the Hitmen, the Other Side, Comrades of War, New Christs and New Race) formed from the debris of Radio Birdman on their return from Europe in 1978. They played a dozen or so shows, recorded an album, released an EP's worth of it, and then disbanded. The album eventually emerged years later, and is now being reissued, on Citadel Records, to mark their reunion. I never saw them, and am really looking forward to this. I mean, it's not often you get to see legends play. Vocalist Mark Sisto's role as Birdman's "Minister for Defence" led to me being christened "Minister for Offence" during my time roadieing for GOD. And, it's free, yet. Make the most of it.

But even that looks like being relegated to warm up status, because on Saturday the first (of many, hopefully) Flip Out Festival hits the Corner Hotel.

A solid attempt to get a decent festival going in Melbourne, without the big bucks and sponsorship. There is so much going on here, in addition to the music. The first 200 people through the door will receive a free 18 track Aarght Records/Stained Circles sampler. There's a record fair 2 – 6pm, a rooftop BBQ will run from 5 – 8pm, and the Gimme Shelter and Primitive DJ’s will be playing tunes in the front bar.

PERFORMANCE TIMES - OVER 2 STAGES:
3.00 SUPER WILD HORSES
3.45 THE UV RACE
4.30 THE STRAIGHT ARROWS (SYD)
5.15 THE FROWNING CLOUDS
6.00 THE PINK FITS (SYD)
6.45 DEAD FARMERS (SYD)
7.30 KNIFE FIGHT (NZ)
8.15 THE STABS
9.00 KING AUTOMATIC (FRANCE)
9.45 DEAF WISH
10.30 M.O.T.O (USA)
11.15 BEACHES
12.00 EDDY CURRENT SUPPRESSION RING

And if that isn't enough for you, the Straight Arrows are using Flip Out to kick off a tour to launch their new single, and you can go and see them again on Sunday at Bar Open in Fitzroy.

That starts around 8.00pm, with the Arrows on at 11-ish.

Monday morning is far away as I write this, but I suspect it won't be a pleasant awakening.

A month off

So, I took a month off from this, and a few other things, for various reasons. But I'm back, and as of next week will have some shit hot new portable wi-fi tools to play with, so may end up posting even more.
Anyway- THIS:

Really, nights like this come along all too rarely. Get there if you can.
On Saturday, if you rug up warm you can probably trot up and down Johnson St. and catch some of this, too:

Get out.

The Sand Pebbles launch their new album "Ceduna" on at the NSC on Saturday. They went to the beach last summer and made a concept album inspired in part by an old travel diary- wait, wait, come back. It’s really nowhere as pretentious or silly as that makes it sound. Its much better indeed. So let’s re-phrase that- as the Drones did with ‘Gala Mill’, the Sand Pebbles went to a place and took some inspiration from it, which they have channeled into their new album. But there’s no over-arching narrative or theme beyond that, though- as they say in the liner notes, they got high, and they wrote these songs. All of which are well worth your eartime.
The launch features well-chosen supports from Ross McLennan (whose recent Mistletone LP, “Sympathy For The New World” is also truly excellent) and Andrew McCubbin and the Hope Addicts. All for $10.00

Also on Saturday- UV Race kick off the first week of their month-long Saturday afternoon residency in the Tote front bar. That’s free, from around 4.00pm. They don't have a CD out, but this is what their "Lego Man" single looks like:



From the youngest to the oldest- across town the legendary X are playing at the Espy with a few friends:

Jay Reatard

Meant to mention this earlier, actually.
Local outfit Stained Circles brought Jay out for a tour, to coincide with their local release of his excellent "Blood Visions" LP.
I only got to one show, the Tote BBQ on the Monday, but it was well worth it.
The album runs through 15 tracks in 29 minutes- if anything, he played harder and faster live. There's a bit of YouTube from the Brisbane show here that'll give you an idea.
And there were excellent supports, including the slightly demented UV Race, and one of Digger & the Pussycats final shows before they leave for a (47 date) European tour.
Definitely an early contender for gig of the year.