The Waiting Room Never Saw It Coming From Iowa

Next week Brisbane is going to be invaded by Iowa. Not by the state of the USA; not by Mitt Romney; not by obscure Russian divas; not by fanatical Slipknot acolytes. No, Brisbane is going to be destroyed by the Melbourne trio whose debut LP Never Saw It Coming is a head mixture of all the best alternative/noise rock conventions of the 1990s, including adherence to hook and melody behind all the feedback. They are playing X&Y on the Friday August 17 (with able supports from Tape/Off and Sleepwalks), an afternoon sesh at Tyms Guitars on the Saturday, and then - drumroll - at The Waiting Room as headliners for this month's Sonic Masala Presents. They are bringing their new album in tow (including some on sexy yellow vinyl!) and a new single in the form of 'Love Song'. This is one not to be missed, including as it does support from the resurgent Seaplane, the destructive El Motel (who are promising something special for this show) and the debaucherous Crass Creatures. It's all for a tenner, with BYO, and I PROMISE YOU that this will be one of the strongest shows you will see this year. If not, Ill drink some beer - that'll teach me!

Here's the streamed Iowa album:


...and here is a little mixtape of tracks from the bands...

El Motel - Black RiderCrass Creatures - Cement
El Motel - Carnival Kid
Iowa - Panic Attack
Crass Creatures - Snake Hole
El Motel - Crazy Love
Iowa - Complete Control

...and because I don't have any Seaplane mp3's at work, here is a live version of 'Soiree'.



Get keen!

Sonic Masala End Of Financial Party Profiles #4 & #5 - Motherfucking Morgan Freeman & DJ Micronations

So this is tomorrow. One more sleep. Or you can go no sleep. I won't endorse it, because your body is gonna get pummelled by the likes of mnttaB, Gravel Samwidge and Bottlecock. But also these cretins, Motherfucking Morgan Freeman. Starting out as We Are Librarians and delving in more bedroom pop, sample heavy meandering ambience, this duo have beefed up their intent and decided to play actual shows for once. Their last show was also a Sonic Masala slamdunk, and they were beautifully shambolic, some noisy pop in all the right places. Expect more of the same tomorrow night. It could be one of the last chances you will get to see this band as is, and it would be a shame to put such a killer moniker to bed just yet without some fanfare. I don't have any sonics to lay out for you - just trust me that they are good.

And providing the mortar that will bind the whole night together is DJ Micronations, who will be leaving his beautiful Anonymeye persona at home and bringing the bling, showering you all with tunes of dubious monetary cred. It's at the Waiting Room from 8pm, just bring a crisp $10 bill and whatever liquor is your poison. See you there!

Sonic Masala End Of Financial Year Party Profile #3 - Bottlecock

Two more sleeps until the greatest 2012 end of financial year party ever, and Bottlecock are raring to rip into it. The local trio are steeped in grunge's afterbirth, sounding like early Magic Dirt yet with even more heroin. They have an elongated song that lovers of punchy grunge music hate, but I love. They are a sight to behold. They are some of the loveliest people Ive ever met, although they look like (and probably will) punch you in the face because you are wearing a Nirvana T-shirt. They just played in Melbourne last weekend with Penguins, another amazing noisy racket of a bunch, but also mnttaB - so they are primed for destruction. Above all else, they will melt your face off and give it to you in a Pablo Picasso Paster of Paris mould. That's worth $10 in itself.



Check out the deets to the Sonic Masala part-A here. Here is a funny write up about mnttaB from Nite Fields/Lost Race Records' Danny Venzin for website The Thousands. If that doesn't get you hot and bothered - then we just ain't compatible.

Sonic Masala End Of Financial Year Party Profile #2 - Gravel Samwidge

Marching out the bands from this Saturday's Sonic Masala show, and next up on the catwalk made out of crumbling Deutschmarks we have Gravel Samwidge. Led by the affably irascible Mark Spinks, the band have been around since 1989 when they formed in Sydney and shook the shitcan with the likes of Lubricated Goat, Munroe's Fur, King Snake Roost, and Tex Perkin's Butcher Shop before relocating to Melbourne in 1990, where there dirty grind garnered palying time with the brilliant Venom P Stinger. In 1995 they won a Triple J Unearthed competition, which helped them to actually put some shit out, but not make money - if they had it they would burn it just to keep warm. But seeing as they didnt have money for warmth, they relocated to Brisbane in 2001. In 2009 they came out of a six year orgiastic hiatus to shoot everyone in the ear with their debut LP Nonchalance (through Turkeyneck Records). And whilst these outsider dirgemongers may have put out a "retrospective" in the form of The Old Tapes last year, they are launching new material in 2012 in just another public display of infernal domination. For the best trick the 'Samwidge ever pulled was making people believe they didn't exist...

Combined with mnttab founder dik's connections when playing with Bastard Kestrel (they toured with Killdozer. KILLDOZER!!!), we have a wealth of experience on our hands to help bring about a monetary Armageddon. Get keen - it is this Saturday, with Bottlecock, Motherfucking Morgan Freeman and DJ Micronations all offering their wares! Try out this demo recording to indicate where they are kinda at now...

Sonic Masala End Of Financial Year Party Profile #1 - mnttaB

Only four sleeps until the next Sonic Masala party - and it's gonna be a end of financial year hoedown like none have seem before! With irascible rabblerousers Gravel Samwidge, uber laconic pit dwellers Bottlecock and lichen-growing hybrid enthusiasts Motherfucking Morgan Freeman unleashing all kinds of fiscal knowledge from their instruments, and DJ Micronations plying the Dow Jones commentary with the requisite monetary musical mixes, it's going to be hard to maintain control of bodily movement, function and spending.

But it gets better/worse, as taking up top billing is none other than Melbourne's master of musical mayhem mnttaB (pronounced Mount Tab). Otherwise known as Dik (Bastard Kestrel/S:Bahn), mnttaB focuses solely on brewing a glorious mess of tortured rhythms, deconstructed synth-punk and lo-fi yelling. It has evolved/devolved since the Shiny Stones and Miracles EP I spoke about in 2010 here, which is evident on new mini-release Rocky 4, 2 & 3. Head over to his Bandcamp to collect some slices of digital abrasion and buffoonery. I can't promise you will like it - which means you probably will.

mnttaB - Rocky 4, 2 and 3
mnttaB - Hollywood Nights

Tiny Spiders Deliver Killer Bite

Brisbane's very own grunge pop duo Tiny Spiders are the little band that could, and with their debut record on the cusp of breaching, they are ready to shove it down your throats. With love and smiles, of course. We've already heard 'Shadows' and 'Shoot The Rainbow Rays Out.' They are two great indicators of what Tiny Spiders offers. But there is so much that Cam and Innez want to give. Only three tracks breach the three minute mark, yet with they slink ('Midnight Movie') or roar ('Blurst') it's all done with verve and bluster, and more than a whiff of genius. As Cam once stated, "the shorter the better, that way people can't get bored." No chance of that, you modest arachnid!


It all goes digital this Saturday, (go bookmark this page and head back in a few days!) when the duo will blast a hole through Tym's Guitars' wall with a in-store that kicks off at 3pm. You can get your physical vinyl copies then - otherwise it's waiting idly til July. So you have been warned.

UPDATE - you can now buy the album digitally - click on the Bandcamp guff below. You can try before you buy, but you know that ain't necessary, sucka! Plus, you can now pre-order the vinyl along with a T-shirt for an extra fiver - what could go wrong? Nothing, that's what.

Tenzenmen Terrorists Take 1 (Brisbane Roars)

Shaun Tenzenmen keeps whipping out the releases, and here are two more to sink your teeth into - and they are both from Brisbane!


Little Shadow are offering what is their first release in Possessions, a six-tracker that welds melodicism, math-oriented compositions and some angular grit. Evoking the likes of Cursive and The Nation Blue in their penchant for honest storytelling (courtesy of To The North's Cam Gillard, dialling down the throat tearing for more melodic vocals) and brutal musicianship, Little Shadow are attempting to temper their hardcore edges to achieve something new. There is a lot of promise here.

Little Shadow - Balancing Act


A band that is NOT tempering anything is IDYLLS. A co-operative split label release with their own Monolith Records and tenzenmen, Farewell All Joy intensities in ten cities, man! 20 minutes of bristling fury. These guys are monster musicians too, so to hear such vitriol and despair rip through the ether into you headspace is incredibly confronting - and exciting.

IDYLLS - Funerals In Queensland
IDYLLS - Bombs Reign Youthless

Both bands have great shows lined up. IDYLLS will be launching Farewell All Joy this Friday night at Fat Louies alongside Marathon, Jurassic Penguin (NZ), Capeweather and Wallow, followed by a support slot to Nikko at the Waiting Room Saturday June 23. Little Shadow will be supporting Closure In Moscow on Thursday 28th June at X & Y.

Grab both albums here.

Dressed In Wild Colonial Gold & Red

Brisbane's Nikko have been busy with supports for ...And You Will Know Us By The Trail of Dead and Boris, plus having made a brief sojourn to Melbourne. And although one member still lies ensconced in that chilly city, and other projects have occupied some (Ryan Potter's The Scrapes and The Maryettas getting shows around Brisbane), they are about to drag you further down into their darkly eloquent Gothic Outback Western apocrypha as they prepare to drop new LP Gold & Red through the stellar tenzenmen Records (alongside Music Fix).

Opening with the brooding, ominous 'The Child', Nikko envelop you with their atmospheric wall of sound, here perfectly captured by Cam Smith (of Tiny Spiders/Ghost Notes/St Augustus fame, and whose recording efforts include Velociraptor and the mighty No Anchor) in the cavernous orchestral hall of Brisbane's historic Old Museum. In fact, such an environment is perfectly suited to the band's melodic post-rock steeped aesthetic, with that lost country twang in the saddle also (the drawl of 'About The Spirit' perfectly exemplifies this). Aaron Cupples (The Drones, Snowman) and Nao Anzai (Laura, Because of Ghosts) mixed and mastered respectively, and their presence is immediate. Anzai in particular is well versed in these instrumental-based multi-layered sounds. Ryan Potter's voice is beautifully captured here, which isn't an easy task (his deep baritone can lose its rich timbre if not mixed properly). In fact Gold & Red is epic in every sense, the noisy moments are incredibly emotive, the quiet moments offered enough space to dance to its own tune without feeling perfunctory. 'Never Danced' is one of the most beautiful songs they have ever created, whilst the chugging rush of 'Dark Eyes' is a locomotive of smouldering tension. The title track is the most likely to evoke Western epics like Deadwood or The Proposition in its plaintive plinks, the itch before the storm, and it is the perfect example of how clever and evocative these guys' compositions are.


Nikko continue to carve a unique path across the Australian musical landscape, and Gold & Red is further proof that such rustic post-rock mysticism is warranted - nay, vital - to our Australian musical landscape.

The album is out on CD soon, and later on gold & red vinyl - I'm gettin' me some o that! They are also launching the album at The Waiting Room on Saturday June 23, as well as having an in store at Tyms in July before embarking on a national tour.

Video Vacuum - Per Purpose, Father John Misty, Lyonnais, Strange Hands

Damn if it hasn't been a batshit crazy week! I even missed posting on a Monday, that nigh on never happens. Well, after the sell out show Sonic Masala put on at The Waiting Room on Friday night (happy snaps on their way), it's no wonder. But I'm desperate to put my nose back to the millstone, so here are some vids to take your mind of the fact that it's Neck Yourself Tuesday, hmmm?

Per Purpose have been not so quietly killing all and sundry in Brisbane over the past couple of years. Here is a DIY video for their 'Warburton' track which I really enjoy. For some reason Per Purpose remind me a bit of The Drones on this one - certainly not a bad thing, although I'm not sure that was what they were working towards. Nevertheless, it's a killer track.



Last week I posted about Father John Misty, and even showed the excellent video for 'Hollywood Forever Cemetery Sings' featuring the excellent Aubrey Plaza. Here is the third single from Fear Fun called 'This Is Sally Hatchet' - and it is even crazier in content than 'Hollywood Forever...' was! Love this drugged visionary. It's incredibly slick, and has me celebrating violence - win win?



Now I haven't mentioned Lyonnais before, but the Atlanta band's psych/drone meanderings are some excellent meditations on the existentialism of space...or something. It's great regardless, and this montage of natural desert landscapes and societies is a perfect complement to their music. I really rate this band, and so should you.



Finally we have the criminally underrated French garage band Strange Hands. Check out their debut album Dead Flowers - it's amazing technicoloured splattered vinyl, a great record, and can be gleaned from Azbin Records here.

Sonic Masala Presents Godliness

So we have reached that holiest of numbers that the preacher Black Francis preached to us about - Sonic Masala Presents #7. There is a crispness in the air that means winter is on its way, so let's bow down to the altar of Sonic Masala and stave off the cold with booze and tunes, shall we? It's one of the best line-ups yet, with Seaplane playing one of their rare shows (with new material in the caboose for an impending album release!!), a new look Tape/Off featuring Cam Smith (Tiny Spiders/Ghost Notes/Mt Augustus) on bass duties, 8-bit video game soundtracks done for realsies by the excellent Boss Fight, and loud as all get out scuzzy blues from hellraisers El Motel.


Sonic Masala Presents... is on this Friday down at The Waiting Room. Once again its a tenner and BYO. Bring your buds, your flames, your mistresses, your grandmas (hell, maybe they're all one and the same, no prejudices here!) and have a blast. This monkey ain't going to heaven just yet.

Sonic Masala Presents It's A Knockout - Round 2!

It's now time to dissect the last two acts on Friday's 6th Sonic Masala Presents... showcase. In this case we have two acts that are fledgling in terms of who their big brothers are, but are burgeoning talents in their own right


Star Lion is the relatively new project for Ben Thompson, he of the prolifically epic The Rational Academy. Whilst the band are percolating in preparation for their next tilt at global glory, Thompson has unearthed his inner electronic stargazer - and whilst it isn't that far removed from his day job (really, the spaces created in these suites of sound make sense), it has such a brooding intensity that it pervades the senses. That said, it will be interesting to see how his powers battle the sloppy erraticisms of the next act...




Closing out the evening in a waterfall of sawdust and beer suds, Woodboot are yet another arm of garage shambolism that branches from the Velociraptor/Tiny Migrants/Keep On Dancins tree. There are so many bands in this vein (The Quest For Glory is actually yet another one) that it is hard to keep track - and even harder to believe that each spawns its own personality and fanbase. Yet that they do, which is why Brisbane has such a spectacular scene right now. The simplicity of the duo adds to the allure (plus that the recording of their rendition of 'I'm A Genius' on YouTube has a Spaceshits song down the right hand side - THAT is grand!)



So the eclecticism is in full effect. But as they sang on the titular show...

THAT'S THE NAME OF THE GAME!

Come down on Friday to The Waiting Room in West End. $10, BYO and slapfights between grungy upstarts and elegant wasters to kickstart the weekend - there is no other reason to live.

Sonic Masala Presents It's A Knockout - Round 1!

It's a busy week on Planet Masala. On Sunday we helped send off Auckland noisemakers God Bows To Math (alongside Tiny Spiders and Quiet Steps, both playing their last shows for a while), and whilst it was a disappointing turnout, it was a lively and excellent show. I'm not resting on my or anyone else's laurels however, as this Friday sees the sixth instalment of our monthly showcases down at the Waiting Room. This one promises to be something markedly different than previous shows in that whilst it has always been eclectic, the lineup takes on two sides of the same tawdry coin that is our local music scene.


Today we are focusing on the first two acts playing the bill, squaring off in what I like to call "It's A Knockout!" Kicking us off is an unknown quantity in White Squall, a three-piece of laptop junkies who like mucking around in the bedroom before being coaxed out into the night to play. They have a couple "jams" that they've slammed down on Bandcamp here - below is one of them. Their ambient sample-heavy miasmas are quite impressive - the love of Boards Of Canada/Four Tet/The Weeknd and their ilk stands tall here. They may be a timid bunch, but expect an intense punch on the night.

White Squall - Pushed Pulled Mix


In the opposite corner, with fists cocked and rucksacks packed, are Brisbane's own adventure rockers The Quest For Glory. Embracing GIFs, zaniness, explosions and corny non-sequiters, the quartet don't get out much as a collective - if they did Brisbane would sink into a hole of preposterousness the likes that hasn't been seen since Test Icicles was deemed a good name for a band - so expect them to unleash the woody goodness with both barrels. Grab their "album" Derek Gene and the Gene Scream here - it's free.

The Quest For Glory - Politics
The Quest For Glory - Choose Your Own Adventure

Who will win out? And how will they tap into the ring to aid them in that final sonic piledriver to claim the ultimate accolades? Check back in tomorrow to find out!

Remaining Secular On The Quiet Steps

I wrote a review of the 2nd LP by Brissie post-post-hardcore trio Quiet Steps for Time Off (it comes out tomorrow), but I couldn't wait to put this out into the ether. Secular is available on Bandcamp under a pay-as-you-like system, and you really should invest some of your money crumbs. This may not be the balltearer they intimated after Think Aloud, their last abrasive opus, yet the changes in melodic structure and production has created a sleeker, more beautiful beast. I caught them play most of this live when they supported No Anchor last month, and they are still fiery in action too - they have really grown into themselves.


They are also playing the Sonic Masala-sanctioned God Bows To Math show at The Waiting Room this Sunday, so head here to grab Secular NOW, then come along on Sunday and for a tenner catch em live! Win bloody win!

Quiet Steps - Secular
Quiet Steps - Fire/Water

The Masala Before Time - The 4th Sonic Masala Presents... Show TONIGHT!!!

The Sonic Masala shows roll on, and tonight we delve into slightly more familiar territory. It's funny that I haven't put on a truly psych-entrenched band on until now, but Dreamtime are certainly the best band to open the account with. I was a big fan of their debut self-titled 12" last year, plus their slot in a Gin Club show around May last year was pretty special, so this will be a good show to catch. What's more, they are playing first due to work commitments (damn you Black Bear Lodge! Actually, don't - I like to blow money on White Rabbits when Im feeling like a Waylon Jennings vinyl fix...)!



Next up is The Maryettas, an outlet for Ryan Potter to present some of his sunnier tracks that don't fit the doom-laden goth noir stomp of Nikko or the elegaic instrumentals of The Scrapes. Normally in solo form, Potter tonight is joined by fello Nikko member Jackson Briggs and Brock (all the way from Goondiwindi no less! We drag in the big guns!) in what will be the world first electric performance! Special times indeed!



Then we have special guests Dingo's Baby (what a name), the "new" project from Dreamtime's Zac Anderson. Backing up from the earlier slot, Anderson and his cronies promise psych-punk-vomit-enlightenment (my words...). I have no real idea, other than to expect something special, regardless of what quarter of shambolism this one stumbles into. Could be the show of the night.

Closing us out is Ghost Notes, the eloquent instrumentalists that wowed all and sundry with last year's By Cover Of Night. They are playing witha truncated lineup, therefore offering yet another unique set. One of the members is The Waiting Room's very own Cam Smith, who knows this enue inside out, so expect the sound to be silky to the point of being invasive. Golden.




So come down. Once again it's at The Waiting Room, it's $10 and it's BYO. And hopefully it will be brilliant as the above artwork, done once more by the delectable Joanne Thies. This will be a great night!

PS The next night on March 23rd is yet another show on a very crowded Friday night, so we are going to strive for some special inclusions to drag you away from the other shows. Expect prizes, giveaways, maybe even a karaoke machine. Ill do what it takes to make you love me...

Do Away With The Rain With Sonic Masala Tonight!

I may have laid dormant in terms of posts, but Sonic Masala has been movin and shakin in other realms, predominantly in the live arena. December's showcase featured a blistering set by high-concept grungers Sleepwalks, an intimate sojourn with Do The Robot, some cathartic meanderings courtesy of Nite Fields and some balls to the wall blues bust-ups from El Motel.

Matt & Sarah loved that show so much that Do The Robot will kick off proceedings once more at West End's The Waiting Room tonight in a pre-Australia Day knees-up. It's a holiday tomorrow, so why not start the celebrations early? Joining DoT are the glass-eating Bottlecock, the ambient tantrics of Anonymeye and the noir gleam of Keep On Dancin's. Once again it's all for a tenner, all for giving bands a chance to get paid for their efforts for once, and all really just an excuse to see bands I like whilst getting drunk for really cheap (it's BYO, doncha know?)

Fuck the rain. This party is where the shit goes DOWN.

These Tiny Spiders Have Bite

Tying off the first day back in the saddle we have Brisbane sludge pop duo Tiny Spiders. Consisting of Cam Smith (Ghost Notes, Mount/St Augustus, runs Incremental Records and West End venue The Waiting Room) and Innez Tulloch (Feathers, Pastel Blaze, co-runs Nowhere Records and West End venue The Waiting Room), Tiny Spiders are simple, yet complex. Simple, because they play scuzzy as fuck guitar and rickety drums. Complex, because they are inherently pop. Result? Some of the rustiest, dirtiest pop sounds you are ever likely to hear. Which is something I inherently love.


Tiny Spiders have just released new single 'Shoot The Rainbow Rays Out' which is their tastiest slice yet, and have put it on record with three live cuts in what then becomes the Shoot The Rainbow Rays Out EP. The three tracks were recorded when they supported other local behemoths No Anchor during their 7-day squat at The Waiting Room, and the recordings are as close you will get to being at that performance without a revamped Delorean. Its great stuff. Get the EP here.

The terrible twosome are also launching said EP at the Alhambra Lounge in the Valley tonight for a tenner, and have roped in some stellar names for support, including Happy New Year (also spreading the love for her recent split with Nite Fields, that you can read about and hear in the previous post!!), Go Violets and Tangle.

Tiny Spiders - Shoot The Rainbow Rays Out

Sleepwaling Robots In The Nite Fields Motel

In October we had our very first sponsored/curate/whatever show, imaginatively called Sonic Masala Presents. It was a graveyard smash. Greg Charles was gloriously shambolic; Psy Ants were awesomely explosive; Nova Scotia were inimitably fun.

Tonight it all happens again for the second instalment. Headlining are the upper crust grungeheads Sleepwalks, whose debut LP The Milk Has Gone Sour (produced by Steve Albini no less!) came out at the crowning of the year. A smash and grab affair, it is a fun piece of work (despite the fact I gave it only three stars for Time Off at the beginning of the year, a fact I may never live down). This is likely to be a fantastically sloppy earblast, and the lineup is rounded out by much-loved husband/wife dream-pop manipulators Do The Robot, garrulous shoegaze explorers Nite Fields, and new kids on the block, rusty blues duo El Motel. All for a tenner (and BYO means it stays a cheap night!) It looks like it could rain again, but don't let that deter you for an awesome night of eclecticism and alcoholism! Should be madness, and it kicks off at 8pm - see you there!

No Anchor Present A Rise From The Dead

Seems like it isn't enough for No Anchor to rule their own terrain, they want to help take over all parts of the heavy music spectrum. I'm all for it to be honest. Ian, the bass player from the band (as opposed to the other bass player) had this to say:

"Look, I very occasionally book shows here in Brisbane for interstate bands because I dislike almost all bands, no matter where they're from. Bands are - if you think about it - usually a terrible idea. Bands from Melbourne, give me a break.

But...DEAD from Melbourne are No Anchor's best musical friends, forever AND they're great. Imagine Big Business meets Lightning Bolt (see attached track, if you don't believe me). Now imagine that it costs $10 to see them + there are four other rad bands playing on the bill + the venue is BYO.

Your imaginings can be real."

Yes they can. Friday night at the Waiting Room this will all come to pass, alongside support from Cyberne (from Japan), Idylls, Acid Snake and the next chapter of No Anchor-affiliated global annihilation, Black Hole Gazers (first show).

More about the show here. This looks to be a show that will rattle the glorified house to its very foundations - be a part of it when the shit goes down...

Dead - You Just Lost My Appetite

Dreamtime/The Rational Academy/Secret Birds - An Aural Triptych Feast

Seeing as I was doing posts about these three bands independently, and they are playing a show together tomorrow night, I may as well do it all now in a massive post, right? Strap yourselves in folks...


I cannot believe that I saw Secret Birds for the first time only this year. Admittedly Ive seen them about five times now, and never has one gig truly resembled the others. Their brand of undulating noise has ebbed and flowed over the course of their releases, hence such a disparity in their live sets, and this is once more prevalent in their latest release, Moon Clouds Infinite (out through Sonoptik). The sonic ambiance on display on the two sides of this record are a little less schizophrenic, yet showcase the reflections of noise and its denizens to beautiful effect.

Secret Birds - Part II


The Rational Academy are a band that have also been honing their craft in the Brisbane music scene and abroad for over a number of years and a plethora of releases. The latest - a small collection of cassettes detailing a stellar show they did at Brisbane's inimitable sweathole and musical palace The Zoo back in September (you can buy it, along with a tee, for $20 here). New songs, drastically remodelled oldies, it bodes well for the ever-evolving future of Ben Thompson and his battle-hardened brothers in arms...




The party though is all about enthusiastic psych-os (is that even possible? Or appropriate?) Dreamtime and the release of their debut LP. Ill be picking this bad boy up on vinyl for sure - its a stellar, assured debut that has as its highlight a space jam about Gympie (although no reference to the Muster...shame...). Seeing as it was cut with the help of Donovan Miller, he of No Anchor and the brilliant song about another Qld country town Gatton, this comes as no surprise.



Come on down to The Waiting Room tomorrow from 8pm!!

First SONIC MASALA PRESENTS... A Resounding Success!

Well, all's been quiet on the Sonic Masala front, and some of you must be wondering if it had anything to do with our first live music showcase that was due to be held last Saturday. Well, it went ahead, and despite a couple of minor setbacks (a few pre-show amp explosions, Charles Curse's Codeine Choir not making an appearance), it slayed!


Charles Curse (AKA Greg Charles) really stood up in the solo guise, and infused the largely old material (he's had most of these songs in the bag for years now) with a scratchy sense of urgency found wanting in most of his counterparts.


Psy Ants were a force to be reckoned with, a visceral punch to the eardrums, and the news that they are using their hard-earned dosh to put a recording out soon is fantastic news. Seriously, Psy Ants stood out tonight and were all the better for it! Get these guys more gigs pronto!


And Nova Scotia - what superlatives haven't already been used for these lovely lads? They may be down to a quartet (and soon to be taking a break - massive sigh), but they command every ounce of your attention. It was an assured yet inherently fun set from Brisbane's best band of the moment.

Nova Scotia - Round The Twist

Thanks to those who came out and shared in the fun and frivolity, especially Joanne Thies for the poster work, Ash Timms for helping out with the production, Vanessa Johnson who kindly gave her time to take photos, Belly and Dan over at 4ZZZ's Wake & Bake, Time Off magazine, Cam and Innez at The Waiting Room and Dave who did an amazing job at the coalface. If you didn't make the show (or even if you did), check out more of Vanessa's ace photos below.












SEE YOU DECEMBER 2ND...