Britain’s very own DJ/Producer whiz Rory Phillips is set to embark on a spring tour of Australia in October posting gigs in Oz’s three biggest cities – Sydney, Melbourne & Brisbane.
Best known for his iconic sets alongside Erol Alkan at London’s premier taste making nightspot Trash (R.I.P), his mutant-disco workouts at East London’s Our Disco and his main room slot at Trash’s successor Durrr, Rory Phillips’ unique style of awkward dance, forgotten post-punk classics and electronic oddities has seen him play to mass crowds across Europe, Asia and the USA.
Summer’s on the way, the festival season is almost upon us. Beginning September 11 2010, the first of many Soundwave Touring showcases hits Brisbane’s Riverstage on a perfectly tempered spring eve. The temporary fences are up, the box office open, lights are on and 1000’s of patrons begin the seemingly endless walk up the gardens path toward the peak of gardens hill. A most anticipated entry. In conjunction with announcements of Side Waves; the world’s most sought after bands to be frequenting our shores over the next few months, Soundwave Touring paint a new metal face on 9/11.
What will tonight bring? Could these hardcore brethren breathe the fire of the riff across so many receptive faces? An audience of youth seeps out of the shadows, girthing the ever familiar grassy knolls of Riverstage and creeping toward the stage front where the grass gives way to stone.
Glancing left and right there’s nothing abnormal about the sea of black that rises and falls beneath us. The odd white shirt is ever-present and distracting like a pseudo rose in a field of poppies. Poppies that if you plucked from the soil, stripped of their seeds and ground to a pulp; would taste like a smoky blended tea called Bring Me Cancer Bullets.
Thirsty Merc takes new single Tommy & Krista to the road for a second round of Australian shows this October/November. Tickets on-sale NOW.
One of Australias most loved bands, THIRSTY MERC, has announced dates for their national SPRING Tour, which will see them play twenty-four dates through seven states and territories this October/November. Kicking off in regional New South Wales, the
“I’ve used the oven manual for the air conditioner and I’m roasting myself alive!”
Tommy Murphy is one of Australia’s most impressive playwrights: canny, dangerous and very funny. His plays include Holding the Man, one of the great success stories of recent Australian theatre with a very successful season in London’s West End earlier this year.
We’re thrilled to be co-producing his terrific new play with the legendary Company B Belvoir, directed by Australia’s finest director, Neil Armfield. Neil is fresh from his Broadway triumph with Exit the King, which starred Queensland’s Geoffrey Rush.
Gwen is 90. She woke up to discover that purgatory is sitting in a new house in a new subdivision, trying to work out if the remote in her hand operates the TV, the air-con or the fan-forced oven. As she muddles her way through the baffling technology, her family gathers around to battle over what’s going to happen next. Father Ezekiel is on his way to bless the house, so things are looking up…
“Full of laughs but also extremely emotional, Gwen In Purgatory is the best play to hit a Sydney stage this year.” The Daily Telegraph
“9/10…Melissa Jaffer is hilarious as Gwen, a feisty senior citizen with selective hearing and prone to misunderstandings, both real and deliberate. The comedy is truly Australian, pitched close to vintage ABC sitcom Mother and Son…Highly recommended” Sun-Herald
“Gwen is the story, I suspect, of every family. Or is it just mine?…Funny, very funny…I can’t think of another playwright who’s a keener, more insightful observer of Australian suburban life, let alone one who can document it so redolently…Gwen In Purgatory is a play for and about all of us. It is warm, funny, sad, tragic, poignant, moving and unsettling. Just like our lives. Life on the page, or stage, doesn’t get any better than this. This is the (very) real deal. A+” – Curtain Call
“Neil Armfield’s production is just about perfect, and exceptionally well cast. Melissa Jaffer combines radiance and dodderiness as Gwen. The bemused and homesick Nigerian priest Ezekiel (Pacharo Mzembe) and Gwen’s knockabout grandson, Daniel (Nathaniel Dean), are warmly drawn. Grant Dodwell is spot-on appalling as Gwen’s son, Laurie, and Sue Ingleton exhibits brilliant timing as the self-flagellating Peg.” Sydney Morning Herald
Production Credits
Director | Neil Armfield
Set Designer | Stephen Curtis
Costume Designer | Bruce McKinven
Lighting Designer | David Walters
Sound Designer | Paul Charlier
Assistant Director | Cristabel Sved
With | Grant Dodwell, Nathaniel Dean, Sue Ingleton, Melissa Jaffer and Pacharo Mzembe
Venue
Roundhouse Theatre, 6 – 8 Musk Avenue,
Kelvin Grove Urban Village
PERFORMANCE DATES
Preview 29 September
Opening Night 30 September
Season 30 September – 24 October
After Show Discussion Night 8 October
PERFORMANCE TIMES
Tuesday – Wednesday 6.30pm
Thursday – Saturday 7.30pm
Sunday 5pm
Matinees 11am 5, 12 & 19 October
2pm Saturday 23 October
DURATION
1 hour 45 mins, no interval
TICKETS
Preview $25
Opening Night $63 (includes VIP party)
Full Price $46
Concession $39
30 years and under $26
Group discounts $40 for 5+ (excludes group booking fee)
Review: Lana Harris
[Image courtesy Brisbane Festival]
Have you heard the one about the Spiegeltent? A girl and a guy walk into this travelling bar – a pointy topped sphere shaped by mirrors, wood and glass. Golden poles, blood red velvet curtains swooping overhead, low lighting and dancing shadows. Smoky. Drinks service on the curve, booths hugging the circumference. A big-top boudoir with an audience.
The girl and the guy start out cautious in this ringmaster’s playground. They clamber carefully onto the high wire – wobble and steady, wobble and steady. She wears a pair of lasciviously red heels as she teeters. The shoes return sporadically throughout the acts, as do the scene setting ukulele and tinkling pianola. Music through out invokes alternately past, present and future – offered in no particular order. Subject to whims and acrobatics, time periods depart and return often. Continue reading Cantina @ The Spiegeltent (Brisbane Festival) 5th September 2010 – Live Review→
Is knitting French? The first glimpses of the Goodwill a la Paris show a portaloo covered in crochet and various other styles of weaved wool, ministered to by a lady who appears to be wearing a full pants suit made of crochet squares. Disappointingly, up close this is just a pattern on ordinary
“Move over Green Day, Paramore have created their own epic” – Spin Magazine
“Few bands play punk-influenced modern rock as proficiently”; and with that glowing endorsement from Spin magazine we are thrilled to announce that RELIENT K have confirmed as support for the upcoming PARAMORE Australian tour.
This soft single is the latest release from Brisbane vocalist Bec Plath, best known for her vocals with local band The Bloodpoets. At The End of The Night follows Plath’s 2009 debut EP Unrequited, and gives a taste of what we can expect from her next EP.
The single starts with a smooth yet strong piano intro with guitar kicking in shortly before Plath’s melodious vocals. During the chorus, Plath’s vocals take on a slightly sharper edge, building in intensity before softening again for the verses. The piano remains a subtle but constant presence throughout the song, which flows effortlessly through key
changes which add to the track’s originality. Plath’s lyrics are introspective comments about living in a stressful world to which many people would be able to relate. Her vocals are imbued with both honesty and a sense of heart that makes listening seem like a deeply personal act. The music meanders for a while, almost seeming a bit lengthy, before coming to a powerful crescendo towards the end of the track, and then fading out softly. At The End of the Night is a slow-burner with a lot of emotion, and worthy addition to any compilation.
After dipping toes in the bubbling grease of contemporary dance for Rockshow in Nov 2009 they dropped the strainer in the chip fryer, frittered away on some new years festival appearances along with a few shows in the past few months. Back in their classic 3 piece mode, after approaching Rockshow in this guise, and with Seja embarking on her own solo career they recently played some stand out performances (including Seja’s last keyboard stand with them) at the Brisbane Powerhouse 10th birthday… and sold out shows in Sydney and Melbourne.
Event: No Anchor w/ Fangs of a TV Evangelist @ Tempo Bar, Brisbane
Date: August 27, 2010
Venue: Tempo Bar, Brisbane
Acts: No Anchor, Fangs of a TV Evangelist
Bringing together some of Australia’s most notable and long standing metal acts; Astriaal , Pod People and Blood Duster ; The Globe Theatre opened their doors on Bastardfest last Saturday to let the shred ignite the stage and appease those curious enough to have been lined in entry.
Punters of all shapes and sizes graced the venue and packed the bar, but although The Globe seemed full up, it was more of an illusion caused by the tinned sardines hovering in the foyer when in reality we were quite short of a sell out. Numbers may be have been lacking but it contributed only, to make the experience more personal.
