Fortitude Valley has always been a hive for live music with community radio station 4ZZZ a definitive catalyst in Brisbane’s original live scene.

Many bands including The Saints, The Riptides and The Go-Betweens would establish a unique environment for independent alternative music to flourish. Artists from Custard, Powderfinger, Regurgitator, George, The Grates, Evil Eddie, Resin Dogs, Pete Murray, Screamfeeder and The Boat People have all left their mark on Brisbane as well as the rest of the world.

However, a fertile environment is nothing without the garden. Without live venues to display such talent, our bands would have nowhere to perform, to inspire and be inspired. Brisbane has been distinctly fortunate with a rich history of live venues including Festival Hall, The Roxy, The Tivoli and Cloudland notable spots across the years. And while time and urbanisation has managed to swallow most of these places, The Zoo, Ric’s, The Press Club, X&Y, The Joynt, Black Bear Lodge and The Hi-Fi still remain at the core of our live music scene. Though The Valley is the heart of nightclubs and DJs come Friday and Saturday night, it’s the soul to live bands for the rest of the week. And Boom Entertainment and The Fans Group will add a bit more sparkle to the scene by bringing back The Rev.

The old Fortitude Valley Presbyterian Church has seen many a change since its foundations were laid over 130 years ago. It was designed by Irish-born Richard Gailey, architect also to The Regatta, The Elephant & Wheelbarrow (now Elephant Arms), The Empire and The Orient. A distinctive love for finely detailed arches supported by masonry walls proved both agreeable and practical for Brisbane – not to mention also aesthetically thrilling on the ear in brilliantly carrying sound. During the 1990s, Warner Street became a hub of music, with jazz and blues site The Healer and The Rev bastions to Brisbane’s live music, forming a golden triangle of sound with The Zoo. When The Rev closed in 2006, live music appeared somewhat tenuous. But while the government and 3am lockout have done all they can to agitate the foundations of the music scene, original live music continues to flourish.

With The Rev now under the care of The Fans Group and Boom Entertainment, this will prove a major boost to the entertainment precinct, with Triple J darlings San Cisco helping to herald in a new era this Sunday, with a plethora of live gigs to follow over the coming months. While The Church will stay home to DJs on Friday and Saturday nights, the doors will open from Sunday to Thursday evenings regularly for live bands. After renovations to The Church, Boom Entertainment promises that “the sound system is state of the art and equipped with intelligent lighting, while still allowing for patrons to move freely through the venue without missing the action on stage”.

During its prime, The Rev was a host to star performers. Alice Russell wowed Brisbane with a voice full of sass for Quantic Soul Orchestra and backed by Melbourne’s The Bamboos. Infusion memorably released their 2004 album ‘Six Feet Above Yesterday’. Washington DC’s royalty in downtempo sounds The Thievery Corporation pummeled the walls. K-Oscillate bought their unique brand of live drum & bass to the stage. The Avalanches toured their Brains nightclub concept here and Grandmaster Roc Raida showed Brisbane what turntablism really meant. The Presidents Of The USA, Sunk Loto, Faker, Van She, The Valentinos and Bliss N Eso all left their mark with unforgettable performances, marking The Rev as a Brisbane icon.
For The Rev’s former venue manager Jason Kinniburgh, the memories of the Warner St venue still burn brightly with one particular highlight being Coco Rosie. “We had to winch a grand piano on stage and wrestle with harps!” Jason also recalls: “Everything from live sets with Regurgitator, Sage Francis, The Drones, Jeff Lang, Def Wish Cast, Lyrical Commission, to DJ sets from !uestlove [The Roots], Kid Koala, Calyx and Krust & Die. It was also home to many great local acts — from the who’s who of Brisbane hip hop with Katch, Resin Dogs and Miss Brown. Great jazz, funk, soul, roots, reggae acts like Afro Dizzi Act, Kaftka and Kooii, and rock acts like Intercooler and Giants of Science.

“The Rev was also the mid week HQ of the local hardcore scene, with seminal bands like The Amity Affliction honing their craft. I was aiming for total underground music variety with an emphasis on original live music, but also accepting of future thinking live electronica. The current live scene is thriving despite the current economic situation, and we could always use more venues.”

San Cisco christen the new era of The Rev this Sunday December 9 before THE Call The Cops XMAS PARTY WITH DZ DEATHRAYS, YACHT CLUB DJS AND BLEEDING KNEES CLUB ON Thursday December 13.

UK visual artist/ DJ/ producer Jon Gooch has propelled his latest alias, Feed Me, into the vibrant lasers of underground dance.

Jon first cut his musical teeth on the flute in school orchestra, later turning his fingers to piano and guitar. His first alias, Spor, was an acquiesce to his graffiti days, leading to his foray in underground music as a noted drum & bass DJ/ producer. The industry clamoured for his talents, with record labels vying for his attention and artists from NERO, Robyn and Gorillaz enlisting his remixing duties, while his production skills were utilised for such indie topping tracks as Example’s ‘Midnight Run’.

And now, with Feed Me already stunning the dance world, Jon’s talents as a musically inclined visual artist – or would that be a visually inclined musician? – is spinning faster than a dancefloor’s rotary lasers.

“The first electronic music I paid attention to,” Gooch notes, “was Aphex Twin and Prodigy. I also grew up listening to Queen — which is theatrical and camp and over the top. I enjoy the way you can set such a dramatic tone. When I’m making tracks, I’m looking for a lot of energy and the biggest drama. It’s not necessarily aggressive or thrashy, it’s more about the energy and emotion. I’m very fortunate where everyone is very openminded with genres, and the music is dynamic, the visuals are bright and the party is happy.

“Feed Me,” Gooch explains, “is a twenty-foot by ten-foot two-tonne LED light rig which I control via custom software on Abelton. He’s being built by the same person who did the special effects for ‘Prometheus’ and will be fully automated and alive.

“The character is an exaggeration of my behaviour — he came from the first time I worked on some tracks. I hadn’t made music like that before and I sat down and drew this cheeky green gremlin while I was writing the music at the same time.”

Future Music Festival audiences can expect quite the show when Feed Me lands next year.

“Parklife 2012 was one of the best festival experiences in my life,” Gooch declares. “I want to one up myself when we come back for Future and I hope everyone will enjoy it.”

Feed Me plays Future Music Festival at Doomben Racecourse March 2. 

Cabaret: it’s The Cabaret Club on Brunswick Street. It’s a movie. It’s a tourist attraction in Paris. It translates from French into English as ‘wine cellar’. It’s an art form. It’s song, dance, music and comedy rolled into a floorshow in an intimate venue for adults. And it’s a festival in Brisbane.

Brisbane cabaret stands to create its own unique account of this multifaceted art form with its spectacular origins and colourful history. The landmark of Brisbane cabaret is best represented with The Tivoli Cabaret and Bar; an opulent art deco venue built in 1917 featuring one of Brisbane’s most incredible acoustic layouts and a rich lineup in entertainment from Frank Sinatra to Katy Perry.

However, one special setting that stands out in Brisbane’s history and is never to be forgotten is Cloudland Dance Hall. The distinctive 18 metre-high parabolic roof arch was built in 1940 atop Bowen Hills with a sprung dancefloor, hosting events from Buddy Holly to ballroom dances and Midnight Oil. Formerly the pride of Brisbane, Cloudland has been immortalised in Midnight Oil’s ‘Dreamworld’, a ballet choreographed for the 2004 Brisbane Festival, and in 2005 featured in ‘Foolish Things’; a stage show developed by local artists Leah Cotterall and Helen Russell depicting a nostalgic journey in Brisbane music.

As a style of entertainment, cabaret goes back to France, referencing in its translation the small rooms where the entertainment was born. In the 1880s, Le Chat Noir was established in the infamous entertainment district of Monmarte. It was a casual bar catering to poets, artists and composers for sharing ideas and testing material, with artists like Debussy and Satie frequenting the establishment. Over time, European cabaret would evolve into a supper club and floorshow, spreading to the States, Cuba and across to Australia.

The cabaret bought a casual spirit to public performances with bawdy humour, black comedy and salacious wit. Whatever was frowned upon by opera-loving spectators  was certainly welcomed at Paris’ Moulin Rouge or Berlin’s Uberbretti. In The States, the speakeasy flourished in basements and backrooms, with bootleg hooch, saloon singers and plenty of whoopee the order of the evening. With life a harsh reality, satire, sentimental jazz love songs and transvestitism with whiskey and intellectual punch ruled.

Generally, cabaret clubs are intimate venues, jammed with tables and featuring a small stage with low lighting often obscured by cigarette smoke as part of the ambience. The music is mainly jazz and Broadway, with the more scandalous material left for later in the evening. To this day, cabaret clubs are the perfect place to impress and seduce.

Alison St Ledger, one of the leading faces of The Brisbane Cabaret Festival clarifies what cabaret is in Brisbane. “Cabaret is an experience,” she explains. “And it is an experience that depends upon the intimacy of the venue and the audience. The interaction between the audience and the performers is as important as the show itself.”

Indeed, venues are purpose-built for cabaret in their acoustics and staging with all the makings for a supper club featuring prominently in the setup. Local venues like The Manhattan Club and The Emporium Cocktail Bar will serve as accessible venues during the Brisbane Cabaret Festival, with Albion’s Stockholm Syndrome Café Bar and Showroom, Bowen Hill’s Stage Door Dinner Theatre, The Judith Wright Centre and East Brisbane’s Studio 37 selected specifically for their space to highlight the festival’s varied performances. And with a selection of acts from Tripod to The Kransky Sisters to Courtney Act and Women In Voice, Brisbane Cabaret Festival is sure to appeal to the naughty adults in us all.

No doubt the Brisbane cabaret community will continue to develop. “Cabaret,” Alison maintains, “is a kaleidoscope of various incarnations, and a postmodern, 21st century, up-for-anything art form.” 

Brisbane Cabaret Festival Runs From Oct 25 — Nov 11.

As musicians turned DJs, Booka Shade represent the perfect synthesis of electronic and live music.

It has been a quarter of a century since Arno Kammermeier (drums) and Walter Merzieger (keys) first met in a school band, with the hope of gaining a foothold in the ‘90s pop industry. While their pop-stardom was short lived, the road to creating the Get Physical record label in Berlin alongside friends DJ T and Mandy has been an enduring one.

With an excess of studio gear, smash hit records and performances across the globe and deserved industry respect, Booka Shade have forged their own unique path to stand the test of time as innovators of dance music.

“We wondered how to promote our own music,” Arno recalls of Booka Shade’s beginnings. “The best way to do it was as musicians in live shows. Then we started DJing – there was not enough diversity in the music in our show at that time.

“The live show will always be the thing we love most, because we love the big shows and we love playing those instruments. But we found a way to make DJing interesting for us — it’s not only mixing two songs. We have a lot of synthesisers and effects boxes as well.”

And it looks like Booka Shade will be putting those effects boxes to good use, following the announcement the famed German techno duo are among the headliners for next year’s Summafieldayze.

”It will be the first time in three years since the last live show and it’s going to be a completely new production,” Arno reveals. “It will be a new world tour for the album for 2013. We’ll have loads of new songs that we haven’t played live, though we’ve played many of them in the DJ sets. We want to have even more live elements in this show.

“People know us and appreciate the fact that we put a lot of work into the live show. We’ll push it a level higher and have more instruments. And of course we’ll have a visual element. We’re thrilled. We’ve had a long break now from live playing, and it’s time for us to return with new songs.”

Booka Shade play Summafieldayze, at Doug Jennings Park, Saturday Jan. 5.

Nothing can equal the dynamism of a stage of musicians blowing their horns, banging the drums, beating the bass and hitting the keys with a gorgeous jazz singer who writes her own lyrics out front with a Shure S52 in hand.

The process for live music is an organic beast: it’s a development that begins with learning the craft by stitching together the music — writing the lyrics, bringing the musicians together, laying all that work down on a track before performing it to an audience.

In this weary world where cheek has replaced charm, talent is revered at the push of a button and the word ‘band’ is often confused with a multitude of dancing singers. So, it’s a breath of fresh air when a singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist blows into town with a band of musicians in tow.

And this breath of fresh air is Shameem Taheeri-Lee. Just like Sade and Madonna, this chanteuse needs only one name for introduction. Classically trained, with foundations in funk and soul and all the calibre of a jazz singer, Shameem is Australia’s latest talent heating up stages and sound systems.

With an exotic name and an equally exotic background thanks to a Chinese-Malaysian father and an Iranian mother, this melting pot of global ethnicity has formed a distinctive style in her music.

A graduate of Australia’s elite Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts, music has been in Shameem’s blood her entire life.

“I started being classically trained on piano and cello. Then in high school, I got into jazz which really changed the direction of where my music was going. My parents listened to a lot of funk and soul music around the house: Michael Jackson, Earth Wind & Fire so that was definitely embedded in my psyche forever more. The collection of all those things came together to influence what I do now.”

And what she does now is vibrant. Fresh from the release of her debut album, a stint in the UK with Grammy Award winning producer James Bryan and an on-fire performance burning up the stage of Perth’s The Ellington Jazz Club, Shameem is set to heat up the rest of Australia.

“I’m looking forward to coming to Brisbane,” Shameem promises. “You can expect the band to be really powering. We’ve been playing together for two-and-a-half years. The guys are all amazing — I’m really happy with how we’re sounding. I hope that every night we can share some beautiful stories and beautiful emotions.”

With Brisbane her destination on Saturday night, Shameem will be performing her original collection of jazz and soul tunes inspired by moments and experiences from her world.

“I get inspired by life. I think the world is an amazing place, and I think there are some terrible things happening in the world too. I like to talk about the good things and the bad things and the beautiful things and the things that should be better. My songs are all stories: personal stories or they’re thoughts and feelings.”

With lyrics musing on the red birthmark near her left eye, to pondering being a woman in a man’s world or reflections on the disappointment of friends, Shameem takes life’s topics and transforms them into heartfelt ballads, cute melodies and vigorous showstoppers.

“An idea comes to me and it’s normally a lyric idea or a topic. Then I’ll flesh out the musical ideas first and then finish off the words. Sometimes the music and the words come at the same time; most times the music comes and then the words come after.”

The response to her talent is huge, with Australian jazz icon James Morrison touting her immense abilities. But though she loves the process of creating the music, and is certainly as deft with her instrumental abilities as she is with her songwriting, it’s being in front of the microphone where she really belongs.

“Live is all about being live. Albums can be all about shaping your music and your sound,” Shameem reflects, her preference for the stage suiting her personality.

Volatile, passionate, eager and playful, Shameem is a mover and shaker, and she’s pepped and ready to go.

“I love audiences and I love the energy.”

Shameem plays the Brisbane Jazz Club this Saturday, July 28.

Fortitude Valley is a highly competitive area to establish a club — most clubs rarely last beyond their first five years.

As Electric Playground hypes for its second birthday with The Ultimate Birthday Party next weekend, Wayne Wakefield looks back with his newly-blushing bride and business partner Hollie Paterson on a decade with Boom Entertainment; reflecting on ten years of survival in one of Queensland’s most ruthless industries.

Unlike Brisbane’s other establishments, Wayne stands out in his own right as DJ Wahoo who dared to dream a dream and take the risk to open his own club. Wayne has defied the odds: starting out as a V8 racing car driver he changed tracks to become a DJ and open the now iconic dayclub Boom, before establishing Planet that has evolved into the Electric Playground and Magic City of today.

“I first started clubbing at The Hamilton Hotel,” Wayne recalls. “Music-wise it was a normal nightclub: playing anything from rock to dance. It was my brother Gavin (aka DJ Kandi Kane) who found the dance music before me. He took me from pop music to dance. Gavin was going to The Beat and we always used to compare songs with each other. Gavin opened my eyes to dance music, but I thought his stuff was too hard at 150-160BPM. It was Wild FM that was my proper introduction to dance music – not too many people had their hands on this and it was great music back in the day.”

But it was seeing Carl Cox in The Boiler Room at the 2001 Big Day Out that really changed everything for Wayne. “From that day forward, it was all about dance music — hearing that sound system. The Boiler Room has that tag: the production was spot on; the lights matched the show and I loved the way it hit the DJ. It was like my blinkers had been taken off — it changed the way I looked at music,” Wayne recollects. “Not long after, Andy Macca and I started going to The Beat and to Central Station Records — even though I didn’t own a record player.”

In what is now The Thirsty Camel, Boom opened as a day club in 2001, catering to hard dance lovers. When The Healer closed on Warner St, Boom took over. But times were a-changing. By 2006, the day club was sliding fast.

“Boom just couldn’t do it anymore — Macca and I were struggling,” Wayne remembers. “Hard dance had nosed over, and as much as we loved it with all of our hearts, it had had its time. The rules of the Valley had changed. We didn’t think we’d have the chance, but we put our necks on the line, took out the license and took the risk. We just believed.”

When Planet opened, Wayne remembers that’s when “shit got real — everything was serious now. We just had no idea what we were signing up for.”

Since then, he’s seen LMFAO, 50 Cent, Chris Brown, Rihanna, Eddie Halliwell, Roger Sanchez, John ‘00’ Fleming, Aly & Fila, Tritonal, Signum, Sean Tyas and a plethora of superstar artists parade through his doors.

Wayne and Hollie know they will always have the odds stacked against them, but looking back on ten years in the business sees them extremely proud of Boom’s achievements. “We aren’t trying to be trendy. You don’t have to act a certain way or be a certain way. Music is all encompassing — it’s for everyone. We make it so that everyone has access to the music. That’s why the after parties represent us best: it’s real. It’s not about pretty makeup and ‘I-just-went-and-paid-$300-for-such-and-such-a-singlet’. It’s all about the music. That’s why our after parties are epic.

“It’s been a rollercoaster. We’ve nearly fallen off the tracks so many times, but we’re still here. We live, eat, sleep and breathe our business. It’s tough, but it’s music. When you stand there and hear the production and see that room full while everyone’s lining up down the street, you think, ‘wow, we did this’. The minute you come through that door, you may not know us, but you will love us.”

Electric Playground celebrates its second birthday on Saturday May 26. electricplayground.com.au

The strength of a scene is judged by its industry. A strong host consistently needs fresh recruits and ideas, or confronts the danger of becoming staid, pretentious and boring.

For a refresher in Brisbane’s dance and electronica arena, merely look to Central Battle: a DJ competition steeped in reputation, history and honour, and comes with a history of SE Queensland’s crème de la crème in dance uniting to showcase and focus on technical skill, mixing and levels, originality and song selection. While most DJ competitions encourage audience interaction and popularity, Central Battle is distinguished as the rare gem that concentrates solely on talent. For this competition of DJ competitions, no other currency will do.

With 2012 barely off the ground and running, Central Battle has infused great energy into Brisbane’s dance and electronic arena. Across the six weeks that Central Battle took over Electric Playground, it is an incredible comfort to know that the future of dance music is in safe hands. The judging pulpit, local DJs, venue managers, the media and chin strokers alike united in the cause of finding the next DJ deserving of such a crown. All Murray Brown, the curator of Central Battle since its inception, wants to see for the conquerors is that they get a gig. And every Central Battle winner has certainly emerged a winner not just from the competition, but a champion of the industry.

From behind the wheels of steel, combatants come armed, mirroring the current dominating genres of Brisbane’s clubland. 2012 was no exception, though — surprisingly — dubstep did not dominate as much as expected. Ample seasoning of NOVA, electro, trance and progressive liberally fleshed out the competition. But it came to those who dug deeper and remained uncompromising in their sound to stand out and ultimately be rewarded with a berth in the final.

The top three of Central Battle 2012 were a fine reflection of the different musical tastes: Kitty Konfuzion, Scranton and Brett Noreicks clearly stood out. But it was Brett emerging as the victor, thanks to his tidy mixing, a varied yet eclectic taste in song selection and clean levels to his sound.

It is with Central Battle’s blessing that Brett Noreicks will go forth and shine.

The Original

While Tiesto and Armin van Buuren were still in their DJ swaddling, it was Fatboy Slim who first introduced the concept of the superstar DJ to the world.

His albums and music clips persist in this contemporary age as original works of art, from their structure, to the visuals, emotions and movement. Yes, UK DJ Norman Quentin Cook has come a long way, baby. He has forged a steady path in music, first finding success in the 1980s in rock bands before striking out on his own as a DJ. “I was actually a DJ before I was in bands. In those days, being a DJ was a hobby rather than a career. And then when dance music took off, I was finally making music I really love. At the end of the day, I feel I am a much better DJ than I am a bass player.”

Fatboy Slim first came to the underground world’s attention from a burgeoning UK electronic scene that culminated in epic beach parties on Brighton’s shores – parties that remain the stuff of electronica legend. It’s from such days that his seamless sound of big beat steadily grew upon the world; a sound propelled by hits ‘Praise You’ and ‘Right Here, Right Now’. Such tunes are a foundation to today’s music — he’s even responsible for a hit titled ‘Dub Be Good To Me’. But he confesses that the music of today confuses him too.

“I dunno if it’s an age thing but I can’t get my head around dubstep. I don’t play dubstep in my set. It might be me getting old, but sometimes it just sounds like a load of scrunchy noises without a tune holding it together.”

If there’s anything that holds Fatboy Slim together, it is wisdom. While there are indications he’s been on a wild ride, at the end of the day, it’s still all about the music. He may deviate from being a DJ with musicals alongside Talking Heads frontman David Byrne or conditioning his body for marathons, but he still comes back to DJing in front of epic crowds.

“I always come back to doing what I do: the bad-ass straight-ahead dance music. I’ve got a audio-visual show coming for Future,” he vouches. “I’m more of a VJ these days. We write visuals first, and as I play the CDJs, that triggers the visuals. We have synced visuals which makes for a tighter show. I’ve always loved touring Australia — just getting back there and seeing the mental crowds you have there. It’s quite a nice line-up as well. I’m looking forward to hanging out with Swedish House Mafia.”

As with every artist, his craft has come with sacrifices and suffering. Plagued with health issues and controversy, Fatboy’s veneer has cracked under the struggle. “When I’m at home I’m Norman Cook,” he explains. “When I get on the road and put the Hawaiian shirt on, I turn into Fatboy. Norman is a good husband and a good dad. Fatboy, frankly, is an irresponsible party animal. But I faced my demons; beat them off with a stick. I’m happier, healthier and I’m doing a better job. I’ve been focused on my inner well being.”

Accompanying mega stars Swedish House Mafia for the national Future Music Festival tour, we should expect a stage of huge personalities and huge big room sound. Certainly, Fatboy guarantees his trademark structured mayhem.
“Swedish House Mafia have got that huge big room commercial sound down pat but I’ll be wandering down a noisier, more raucous path ... it’ll be the same full-on acid house party nonsense, really.

“I’ve always got something to prove – no one does it quite like me. You’ve got your young contenders like the SHM – ultimate respect to them – but I plan to give them a run for their money every night.”

Fatboy Slim headlines Future Music Festival at Doomben Racecourse March 3. futuremusicfestival.com.au

Let The Games Begin

The Eastern religion of Taoism proclaims it is not the goal, ‘tis the journey that matters.

In competitions, many enter the race but only one can cross the finish line. Yes, it takes effort and discipline training and sheer will to finish first; for everyone loves to win. Battling keeps nerves and wit sharp, and talents honed. And in a supportive and positive environment, competition is healthy.
Since 1995, Brisbane’s Central Battle has established a fine reputation in Queensland dance for exposing the great and the laudable.

Over the years, a long line of collateral damage has accumulated in the wake of Battle’s reigning champions with only the crème de la crème of DJs and DJanes worthy of the crown: from Jen-E to Murray Brown, tyDi, Jeremy Iliev and Tim Plunkett. All victorious battlers have gone on to command the greatest respect, with many names attaining international and national status. Central Battle should be proud to have launched such stellar careers.

And the man leading the lambs to the lions is Murray Brown, having kept Central Battle refreshed and flourishing since the grand days of Central Station Records. In January, Murray will bring 32 entrants to Central Battle 2012 at Electric Playground. Entries are open to all amateurs with newbies, bedroom and wannabe DJs urged to exhibit their weapons of choice on the wheels of steel – particularly those who haven’t had a paid gig in the last three months.

Central Battle will be a playground of interest, with the dance industry coming from across Brisbane to bear witness to the city’s freshest talent. From virgin DJs taking that first step and performing to a live audience, to chinstroking tune connoisseurs or wizened beat masters; Central Battle will be the DJ battle of DJ battles.

Partnered by Lightsounds and Midnite Music, Central Battle will be certain to stir the dance pot. Don’t enter simply because you expect to win it. Participate because you can put yourself out there and become a part of an industry that builds, supports and elevates. Most importantly, Central Battle serves as a doorway into the dance community. It represents purpose and drive. By all means, Central Battle is a competition. But at the end of the day, each DJ will face the greatest judge and harshest critic of all: themselves.

Entries to Central Battle open Tuesday December 20 from 9am. Entry spots will be picked on a first come first served basis. electricplayground.com.au

#1 The Rev returns with a smash to Warner Street, featuring Triple J darlings gearing up for the release of their debut album – Sunday December 9. San Cisco’s Wild Things Tour with supports at The Rev at The Church.

#2 It must be summer when The 2013 Annual hits the streets – Friday December 7. The Ministry of Sound Annual Tour featuring Sam La More at Eatons Hill Hotel.

#3 Things just got hard and serious on the hard side of the force, with Hixxy, Mad Dog, Hardforze (pic) and our local hard kids – Friday December 7. Summerbass 2012 Hard Dance Festival at The Arena.

#4 Brisbane’s most loved beatboxer and Channel V personality teams up with Brisbane’s #1 waxer for a night of mayhem and partybass – Saturday December 8. Anything Goes featuring Dr Rhythm & Cutloose (live Drum and DJ show) at Alhambra Lounge.

#5 Balmy nights, local treats and salacious old fashioned whiskeys are the order for Brunswick Street Mall’s one and only rooftop party – Thursday December 6 to Sunday December 9. Weekends at Sky Room