1 July 2014
Deep down there’s a pop lover in all of us, and if there’s one sickly sweet album you pick up this year make it Foxes’. With her emotive and silky smooth vocals, Louisa Rose Allen couldn’t have put together a better debut. Though this album has been under works for quite a while, it’s been three years since Foxes first started performing. It’s a welcome addition to the CD shelf.
1 July 2014
Jack White is a god. Lazaretto, his latest release, is an absolute rocking listen right from the get-go. Released in the last fortnight, it has had rave reviews from all over the world and has been featured on triple j. From the overdriven guitar lines to the rollicking twelve bar blues piano and simple lyrics, there is definitely something here for everybody to enjoy.
1 July 2014
The humble beard is currently in a renaissance, the likes of which we have never seen. Celebrities, sportsmen, musicians – the list goes on for those embracing the once oppressed facial feature, all thanks to the tireless work of four brave men. “We knew we were up against it spruiking for such a highly maligned attribute. Certainly at the time those were dark years; we’d walk down the street and people would spit at our feet,” says Facey McStubblington, lead guitarist of The Beards on the time the band formed 10 years ago.
1 July 2014
If you’re after a town that’s huge with all of the high street stores you could imagine, whilst still retaining the quintessential English feel, then Leeds in Yorkshire, England is that place. Leeds, in a 2011 survey of the urban area, had over 1.7 million people living there! They operate a one-way driving system through town, which I suppose was implemented to help people but to me seems to make things a little harder than they should be! With the smaller English streets though, and roads that turn into pavements, it seems to keep the traffic in order.
1 July 2014
A smaller kit with a huge sound! Great for wedding bands, busking, and many other ‘space poor’ venues or environments. With venues closing down, gigging spaces becoming smaller and a shift away from louder styles of music, it could be the perfect time to reevaluate your need for a dual-kick, five-tom set-up. In reality a 16” bass drum is hardly the definition of ultimate sonic versatility, so a reduction in size carries the possibility of a reduction in price.
1 July 2014
International Supermodel of the World RuPaul has been wowing us with her musical prowess since the early ’90s, so it’s a given who the Splinters choice for best drag musical act of recent years may be. Her most recent album, Born Naked, became her most successful on the Billboard charts in years and has spawned many a recording career. And whilst it’s hard to look past sonic gem-makers like Divine for drag-related dance-pop from the late ’70s and early ’80s, it was the music of RuPaul that paved the way for so many drag queens that would come after her.
30 June 2014
There is a well-kept secret on the Bellarine Peninsula: on a wintery long weekend in June the ‘clans’ gather in the seaside town of Portarlington. Amidst singing, dancing, drinking, eating and playing music, a celebration of friendship is held. For those well-versed with the Irish and Scottish traditions, the National Celtic Festival is compulsory. Meanwhile, for those not initiated, it is a wonderful surprise to find such amazing music and dedicated musicians in our midst.
29 June 2014
They’ve been hyped as a riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma, so when news came in that Tom (aka T, one half of the core duo behind the publicity-shy collective) called Forte Mag to dispel a few myths, jungle fever spread throughout the office. Not to be confused with American hip hoppers Jungle Brothers, heavy metal rockers Jungle Rot, UK girl band Neon Jungle or Brisbane’s own indie four-piece The Jungle Giants, the London-based collaborative Jungle were noticed by all the right people at this year’s SXSW Festival, toured Europe and the UK with Haim and are now heading our way for Splendour in the Grass and a one-off Melbourne sideshow.
29 June 2014
So this issue we’re gonna shake things up a bit and focus on Australian bands for a change. The internationals ain’t goin’ anywhere, and I’ll give ’em a burl next time! Geelong three-piece rock/pop/grunge/punk combo SPIDEY have dropped their new full-lengther Disappointingly Weird, and it’s a corker. The lo-fi recording works in the record’s favour, as a crisp, clean recording would diminish the warm tone that permeates the album. Another thing I dig about this record, is that it wasn’t what I expected.
28 June 2014
Welcome to THTH, Forte’s premier source of all things heavy, hard, fast and metal. To somewhat little fanfare, the seemingly understated and conservative UK Metal Hammer Golden God Awards ceremony for 2014 was held the other day. I’m not entirely sure if the statue winners were decided by a public vote but looking at the winners list, and considering the mag would encourage reader participation, the winners aren’t much different to recent publicly-voted award winners.
28 June 2014
A funny thing happened a month or so ago: we had a week where no new movies were released. Well, there were new movies out there somewhere, if you were willing to travel to Melbourne to one of the smaller or arthouse cinemas, but as far as big new releases at the mainstream cinemas? Nothing. The plan had been for the Arnold Schwarzenegger movie Sabotage to be released that week, but after a lacklustre box office performance in the USA distributor Roadshow decided to cut their losses and send it direct to DVD.
27 June 2014
A couple of weeks ago I wrote about the origin of the blues down in the south of the USA. The other major style of blues arose in Chicago at the time of the Great Depression. The depression began in 1929 and there is argument as to when it finished. Those at the top of the heap say it lasted about five years, but for most people it didn’t end until World War II in 1939. Being a soldier was the first full-time job many had. I could go on about conservative politicians blaming the unemployed for being unemployed, but that’s an old song.
27 June 2014
Among the celebrities who have admitted to bravely tapping their name into Google’s search engine is Reese Witherspoon, who said: “I know what I’m in for. You never read anything positive … You’re fat, you’re ugly, you’re tired, you’re worthless, you don’t have a career anymore, you’re a bad actor. It’s just an affirmation of every horrible feeling you have about yourself.” Though she admitted to such behaviour only during darker times, the web and anonymity has bred a playground for the cruellest of personal attacks, something that has been well documented. Then there are those who find themselves the centre of a death rumour – and they’re in a league of their own.
26 June 2014
Before Little Creatures Brewery was in South Geelong, there was a little family-run business that arguably started the craft beer revolution in Geelong. That little place is the Odyssey Bar & Tavern on Torquay Rd that, with the guidance of owner Grant, has been serving up fine beers and ciders, along with live music, to locals for over two years. And they’ve served up quite a few, as each week they rotate through eight beers on tap and regularly have up to 70 beers to choose from in the fridge.
26 June 2014
There’s no doubt that Angus and Julia Stone is one of the biggest folk-rock duos in the world (and will return with a new album in August). However, before we get too carried away, before all of the stardom and acclaim to their music, Angus Stone was just sitting around in his bedroom writing some of their biggest hits. If it wasn’t for Julia getting the duo out to open mic nights and eventually getting a record deal, we may never have heard of their music. If you are a young local musician in the same sort of scenario, be sure to bookmark Blues Boot Camp in your calendar, which is set to take place at Courthouse ARTS on the 2nd and 3rd of July.
26 June 2014
Don’t you go forgetting the swing dancing, cabaret and vaudeville extravaganza that is the Gangsters’ Ball. Taking place on September 13 at The Forum in Melbourne, the event is a fabulous recreation of a 1930s Speakeasy Club. Performers include Stephanie van der Strumpf, Frankie Faux, Mr. Gørski, The Great Gordo, Ruby Rubberlegs, Headfirst and The Sault Poets. Dress to kill.
26 June 2014
Ave Satani! Hail Satan! And of course his demonic little offspring, Damien Thorn. When people think of director Richard Donner they tend to think of 1978’s Superman, but only two years before that he directed one of the greatest horror films of all time – 1976’s The Omen. With Friday the 13th having recently passed I was planning on watching one of the Friday the 13th sequels and writing a thematically solid column, but before this could be done I found my wife had never seen The Omen. That was enough of an excuse to purchase the trilogy on Blu-ray.
26 June 2014
In a sad day for Australia’s festival scene, American company C3 has confirmed the Big Day Out will not go ahead in 2015. C3 is now the official owner of the BDO after AJ Maddah recently transferred his shares to the American company. If there is any light to cling to, the company, which also runs Lollapalooza, said in a statement that they are proud of the Australian brand and that they “intend to bring back the festival in future years”. Thanks for the memories.
26 June 2014
He once compared going out on tour with fellow bandmates as being like Christmas lunch with family: they drink too much and bicker. But these days frontman Nick Finch is singing a different tune. “So far everything’s been great! I just got back after being away for five days. The shows have all been really fun – we’ve had great crowds, but it’s been nuts! There’s still some heavy drinking going on but we’re not screaming at each other, we’re just having a really good time together. Hopefully it lasts!” Nick joked.
26 June 2014
It is with great excitement that I can announce the first line-up of the 2014 Queenscliff Music Festival. Chances are that some of the people reading this article will have already heard the first announcement which took place last Friday; however, this year sees Perfect Tripod, The Jezabels, Kasey Chambers and D.D Dumbo coming to the festival for the first time and Xavier Rudd and The Church returning for the first time since the early 2000s.
25 June 2014
September 12 is when you can expect to get your hands on The Worry, the third album from Sydney/London electronic trio Seekae. But you may just be able to hear a few songs from the album before then, with the band announcing a string of dates in just a bit. One of the songs you may have already heard is ‘Test and Recognise’, which premiered on triple j late last month. 170 Russell – August 22.
24 June 2014
Mike Rosenberg, or he who is known as Passenger, has announced a healthy run of shows for early 2015. Good news, as we sure do seem to love him around these parts. Passenger also just dropped album number six, Whispers. He says: “…There are also some sombre moments about loneliness and death but, hey, it wouldn’t be a Passenger album without those. Mostly though, it’s a really positive album.”
23 June 2014
In 1989, Luc Lemay, Sylvain Marcoux, Éric Giguère and Stephane Provencher formed technical death metal band Gorguts. They released their debut album, Considered Dead, in 1991, an album that features James Murphy and Chris Barnes. They released their latest effort, Colored Sands, last year – their first since 2001. Luc Lemay has remained the only constant member throughout their existence. NSC – November 14.
21 June 2014
One of the UK’s biggest artists, Tinie Tempah is set to touch down in Australia this month. Born Patrick Chukwuemeka Okogwu, Tinie made his name after he joined the Aftershock Hooligans in 2005. As a solo artist, Tinie has released two albums, his latest being last year’s Demonstration. Tinie also features on Cheryl Cole’s comeback single, ‘Crazy Stupid Love’. Trak Lounge – June 25.
