The word ‘Freedom’ means different things to different people. It can be somewhat ambiguous and open to interpretation, but always elicits an emotional response. With that in mind, it seems the perfect choice of title for Geelong’s very own interstellar libertarians’ sophomore album. “Everybody has the opportunity, especially in this country, to be free – to live free and to have free thoughts,” affirmed The Space Keys’ TJ Richardson (vox and bass).
Pretty City is bringing the balls back to Australian rock ’n’ roll. Most recently, the band has just released their latest single ‘Roll On’. With blues-influenced psychedelic riffs, it is a positive sign of what is to come from the group on their debut album which is set to be released by the end of the year. When we sat down to chat with Hugh Matthews, he was getting amped for their support set for Stonefield at the Gasometer that night.
June saw the release of Best Kept Secret, the third solo album from Ballarat emcee Mr Esvee, and one partly dedicated to his sister. Given the sparse information on him to talent ratio, it is an appropriate title for him as well. Good thing then that we were able to steal a few minutes to learn a little more.
398 years after his death, William Shakespeare is still inspiring generations beyond imagination. From paintings to tattoos, his wise words can be found almost everywhere. A long-time lover of Shakespeare’s work, Ildiko Susany was destined to land a role in Damien Ryan’s rendition of Henry V. While some people may completely shut down at the mere mention of Shakespeare, there are reasons why plays are still using his words hundreds of years later.
Play readings mightn’t be everyone’s cup of tea, but with the Remix Readings at Courthouse ARTS they’re mixing things up a bit so even those who cringe at the word should give it a go. This time around creator Mitch Cunningham has infused narrative, sound and performance to recreate the idea of traditional play readings. “Our goal is to take five scripts from five young writers and to chop, change, revise and remix those scripts into a unique series of performances,” Mitch says.
Brooklyn-based garage rockers Obits were every bit as chuffed to hear they’d be returning to our friendly shores as we were. Picture this: the year is 2012 and a quartet of exceptionally gifted musicians touch-down in Australia impressing even the most savvy rock ’n’ rollers with their stripped-down sound. Then, in the blink of an eye, they were gone, leaving thousands of Obits covets in their wake. I recently caught up with guitarist Sohrab Habibion who explained why they like to love audiences and leave them wanting more.
There are some of us who are void of inhibitions when it comes to letting loose on the dance floor. But for those of us who practice the Robot and dance along to the Spice Girls in our living rooms alone, we don’t get the same relief. That’s where No Lights No Lycra comes in, who work by the mantra “that everyone can dance” and everyone has the right to dance. Thanks to Charlotte Hamilton this phenomenon, that’s hit not only Melbourne but also the world, has now come to Geelong and will be coming to Ocean Grove on August 4.
Anglesea’s Jessey Jackson simply loves music more than anything else on earth – the perfect motivation for her musical career. The singer-songwriter says that music means absolutely everything to her. “If I’m not a musician I’m nothing. It’s pretty much that simple. I can’t do or be anything else and if I don’t have music in my life I’m completely lost. “
There are bands who have meteoric rises, and the English indie-rock quartet Circa Waves who are set to play Splendour in the Grass are one such band. When they wrote, recorded and uploaded their single ‘Young Chasers’ to SoundCloud in a single day, they didn’t expect much to happen. That very night, it was picked up and played on the biggest radio station in the UK, and the young band hasn’t looked back since.
In celebration of the tenth anniversary of Eskimo Joe’s A Song is a City, frontman Kav Temperley is hitting the road and playing the entire album start to finish – just himself and an acoustic guitar. “I went down to a café called The X-Ray. I often go down there and do little anonymous acoustic sets or whatever I feel like doing and they are kind enough to let me take over from time to time,” says Temperley.