Last Wednesday night as the diggers settled in for an early evening ahead of dawn services across the nation, British folk-rock act (they really need to drop the folk aspect of the label, but more about that a little later) Turin Brakes broke a decade long absence from our sunburnt continent with a glorious 90-minute set that straddled the really old, not so old and some damn shiny new material.

‘Average Man’, ‘Clear Blue Air’ and ‘Pain Killer (Summer Rain)’ featured from their seminal album, ‘Ether Song’, and sounded as fresh as they did circa 2003. ‘Fishing For A Dream’ featured a nice, acoustic re-rub.



While a midset mash-up of Pink Floyd had a spirited front section nodding away enthusiastically. Offering their sincere apologies for their ten-year absence from our shores throughout, the duo of Olly Knights and Gale Paridjanian, who were joined onstage by Rob Allum and Eddy Myer for a much punchy sound, unveiled two new songs. And judging by the fangs these two rock numbers had, album number seven will be well worth waiting for — second half of the year, guys. Come again real soon.

Photos: Munya Chawora

Part of the local hip hop scene since the early 2000s with The Serenity, West End’s Nick One evokes the gangsta lifestyle so prevalent within the genre. Now he’s preparing to support The Godfather Of Hip Hop.

Paint a picture for the readers; who exactly is Nick One?
Nick One is that dude who rocks up to your party with a car full of bitches and unplugs the DJ’s shit and smashes you with the illest hits.

You produced Verbill’s latest EP, which won the Best EP at the recent Ozhiphop Awards. You must be chuffed with that result?
It was good to see our hard work recognised. Now I just gotta kick back, relax, and wait for the cheques to roll in.

What other production work do you have in the pipeline?
I got a sick gangsta track comin’ out from a Bronx rapper called Bigfoot, and I'm gonna make my own rap album, plus an instrumental EP. Prolly make some Hostile Takeover tracks soon.

Your approach to production; do you bring that classic hip hop sound to the table? 
Yeah, I just try to find some rare shit and chop it up with some fat drums behind it. I wanna learn how to make trap and dubstep next. Holla at me DJ Butcher.

Give us a few lines about West End and what it means to the local artistic community?
West End is a sick little community with all these different people doing shit; playing flutes and shit. Kebabs errrywhurr.
You’re on the bill to support Afrika Bambaataa — what was your first response when you heard about this news?
Definitely stoked to be playing at this gig. The first thing I did was send my tracksuit to the dry cleaners.

What are you planning for your DJ set?
I'm going to start that shit with a Bambaataa track and play through my favourite tracks from the history of hip hop, with New Years Steve tearing it up on the cut. I think Miss Karleena is gonna spit some bars too.

Personally, what does it mean to have the opportunity to perform on the same stage as The Godfather Of Hip Hop?
I have always wanted to play on the same bill as DJ Katch, so that's dope.

Nick One's hip hop roots — the early years? What really drew you into the culture?
“Straight outta Compton, a crazy motherfucker named Ice Cube, from a gang called Niggaz Wit Attitude.”

Hostile Takeover is a project you're working with Dubmarine’s DKazman — are the fruits of your labour ready to be devoured? 
Yeah man, it's all improvised shit at the moment, but we've accidentally made a few film clips so we would like to record something soon.

For the uninitiated, what does Hostile Takeover sound like? You enjoy setting ‘shit on fire’, right?
Hostile Takeover is that bass heavy trap and dubstep shit with DKazman wildin’ out on top. We got a carload of dancers, and at least two of those girls are crazy for lighting fires on stage, which is confusing ‘cause our beats are so hot that the soundsystem is already smokin’.

You’ve been on the scene for a decade plus, since your days with The Serenity; Brisbane hip hop compared to the early 2000s... what’s the Nick One point of view?
To be honest I think the shit used to be a lot cooler. A lot of angry dudes yelling at a sausage sizzle ain't really my idea of a good time. Hip hop is supposed to be fun, not about glassing people.  We bringing back that block party steez.

The rest of 2013 for Nick One; do you have much simmering on the hotplates?
2013 is the year of the Hostile Takeover. If you are having a party this year, expect us to come and wreck your shit. And drink your wine.
There are so many sub-genres of genres that have already been fractured — what's the new sound, style, flavour that's going to get kids going apeshit on dancefloors?
Twerk is my favourite shit right now, and DKazman talking to the aliens on those fucked up trap beats.

Nick One supports Afrika Bambaataa at the Hi-Fi Friday May 17.

Part of Melbourne’s irrefutable hip hop collective Crate Cartel, Maundz is the outspoken rascal of Melbourne's rap-scene. Now he’s headed north this weekend’s independent hip hop feast, Stand Up.

The outspoken rascal of Melbourne's hip hop scene... what sort of rascalist behaviour has Maundz been up to lately?
Same thing different day as always yo! Top secret rascal bizzo.

Footy season is underway; how's your team tracking? September action in the tea leaves?
I actually go for Brisbane (I’m an old Fitzroy boy) so that's gotta win me some brownie points yeah?? Early days yet. The day after Stand Up I'm gonna hit the Gabba with the crew and watch us demolish the Dees, I can't wait! Let's go Lions!

You're in Japan at the moment - holidaying, work - bit of both?
Holidaying. I haven't slept in two days; gone hard in Tokyo the last few nights, and now definitely feeling the repercussions.

Is Maundz an early riser? Or do you prefer sleeping through the majority of the daylight hours?
Early riser unfortunately. Those bills and studio sessions don't pay themselves out here. I need a good sleep this arvo though for real!

Tell us a little bit about the Melbourne collective Crate Cartel?
We got Geko, Discourse, WIK, Fluent Form, Raven and myself. We've all been doing this lil hip hop thing for eons now. We do it ‘cos we love it and that's that.

CC is the team? How important to your development as an artist has Crate Cartel been?
It's been huge. The amount of work that these dudes put in to honing their craft is fucking amazing man. It's driven me to push hard and roll with the rest of the pack for sure. We're out here doing our own lil thing and trying to get the word out the best way we know how, and that's by making straight up hip hop.

You're headed to north to perform at the Stand Up event — it's a huge gathering of underground, independent hip hop. Going to be a huge night, right?
I really can't wait man, we always have a blast in Queensland. Brissie heads are my peoples! Definitely one of the nicest line-ups I've had the pleasure of getting up with. Dwiz, Gil Goon and the rest of the crew have done a number on the scene!

The interstate rivalry between the different crews; is it still part of the culture of the scene?
Love is love! If cats are salty on each other because of location they need to get their shit together and focus on the important stuff. But hey, ain't nothin wrong with city pride though, right? You gotta fly your flag.

Everyone seems to be the ‘next big thing’. Are you happy trawling away on the independent beat, letting others grab the spotlight?
I've been trawling for years now man, and that's what I'll keep doing. If things ever get bigger, dope, if not, no sweat. I can only be me. Respect from the hip hop heads is more important to me than shiny accolades anyways.

Pre-show. Is Maundz a ball of nerves, sitting in the corner focused; or the centre of attention, hyped and ready to explode?
I'm a pretty focused dude I guess. But give me a few beers and I'm ready to go balls out and wreck shop!

The next Maundz release; where are you at with another studio effort?
Just breezin’ through new beats at the moment. Working on a few little other projects with Geko and my younger brothers Afro funk band. Music music music! It don't quit.

You gotta choose between The Walking Dead and Breaking Bad — who's back you got: Rick or Walt?
Sorry world, but I think I'm still the only dude that hasn't seen either show. Randy Marsh or Moe Syzlack, now that's a fuckin noodle scratcher!

Maundz joins Lazy Grey, Kings Konekted, Tommy Illfigga, Ciecmate & Maggot Mouf and host of locals when Stand Up lands at the Hi-Fi this Saturday, April 27. The action kicks off at 2pm.

Friday night and the Brisbane Powerhouse housed Scottish comedian Danny Bhoy — yeah, you thought he was Irish didn’t you?!

So did the Irish American Association of New York, Danny informed us, who invited him to an Irish-American comedy festival a decade ago! It was an hour-plus plunge into the wonderful world of letter writing to major corporations. The theme of the show was birthed after Danny bought a new Epson printer last year ... when the ink ran out three weeks later, Danny was rudely surprised to find the replacement ink almost cost as much as the printer itself. After writing to Epson, Danny was inspired to write to other multinationals: Telstra, Oil Of Olay (Yulan), British Airways and Vodafone all received scornful letters from Danny. It was an interesting approach to a stand-up routine, but Mr Bhoy pulled it off seamlessly — even his story about his one true lost love in New York had many in the audience wanting to pick up a quill and vent on parchment. His letter to his 13-year-old self had the full-house roaring with approval; even the World Trade Center joke was met with a smattering of guffaws from those who didn’t think it was ‘too soon?’. If you haven’t witnessed Danny Bhoy before, make sure you cross him off your bucket list next time he writes [sic] into town ... the man can weave a funny story across a range of topics, orchestrating the laughs with aplomb.

Thanks for the ‘cheering’ evening Danny.

Last Thursday night, QPAC’s Concert Hall witnessed more funk than the venue had most likely ever encountered.

The perpetrator? You could say the nine-piece soul ensemble The Bamboos were the source. But even though frontman Lance Ferguson implored the seated audience to get up and boogie if the mood warranted it, it was that renaissance man from North Melbourne who fronts a bunch of rascals labelled You Am I that propelled the somewhat timid audience up onto their feet. From the moment Tim Rogers entered stage left he owned the stage, flitting about Lance and Kylie Auldist like he’d been in the band for years. The roll-call of songs was impressive — from You I Am covers to ‘60s soul numbers — while trying to keep up with Tim’s pelvic thrusts and running on the spot moves was impossible. Special mention to Ella Thompson, who took the breath out of the room while Rogers dealt with a costume change, singing a little ditty that showcased her amazing vocals.

One to keep an eye on.

click here to see more photos from the gig

Headed north for next month’s Brisbane Comedy Festival, Josh Thomas is currently questioning whether he’s a douchebag.

Your show is titled ‘Douchebag’. What makes someone an exceptional douchebag?
I use the word ‘douchebag’ to describe someone who does mean, obnoxious things on purpose. Like Kyle Sandilands or Bob Katter or Hitler.

Do you think anyone can be a douchebag?
Everyone is a bit of a douchebag, right? I think I'm ok, but then sometimes I can't help but tell my boyfriend his shoes look shit and he gets sad and I think maybe I'm a douche. They were fucking horrible shoes though.
The Brisbane Comedy Festival; do you enjoy travelling north to visit us?

I grew up in Brisbane, it's my home. I'll stay with my mum which is nice but she has cats, and cats stink plus I'm allergic to them. I adore Brisbane, but also have that thing a lot of people that grew up in Brisbane have where they think it's a bit lame.

What is it with bow ties and comedians? Both Wil Anderson and yourself are sporting them in your current promo images.
I'm very sure I was wearing bow ties before him. I might have to fight him.

Josh Thomas and cute animals; it’s like babies and politicians - how much effort goes into styling your promo photos?
My last tour was a big promo shoot — seven hunting dogs. Mostly because I had no ideas for the actual show so I was hoping that would distract people. This year it's just me and my dog and some afternoon tea, lovely. I'm much more confident this year.

Not to mock you or your dog John, but what the f#$k is a cavoodle?
Fifty percent poodle. Fifty percent cavalier King Charles spaniel. One hundred percent gangsta [sic].

Can you imagine a world today without social media? How would the current generation react?
Meh, we'd be fine. Everyone overhypes our reliance on it. If it disappeared within a few weeks we'd find something new to do.

You have 200k Twitter followers; dude, that’s insane... no?
I'm surprisingly popular. I don't know why.

Josh Thomas plays the Brisbane Comedy Festival March 14-17.

Last night I ventured to the Brisbane Convention Centre to witness Russell Brand, not really knowing what to expect. The self-confessed ‘Mrs Katy Perry’ has been a media-wet-dream, ready to downpour at any moment, and there have been many a cyclone over the last two or three years when it’s come to Russell’s not-so-private life.

But is he an egotistical prat or a genuinely misunderstood celebrity and recovering drug addict? I thought the former, but after a 90-minute tour de force, I left a convert — not the type who would be willing to throw his body towards the man with the black locks to challenge Messr Jesus' curls (I lost count somewhere around 25 of how many folks tried to do that  — both sexes as well); or whisper to him “I’m a horny stripper” with his microphone less than 3mm away; or flash boobs like the two girls did from row XX for what seemed like the longest five seconds ever — Russell certainly didn’t mind the delay!

No, no, no. Rather, I was impressed by Russell’s intellect — discussing the size of our solar system in the scheme of the entire universe and how “amazing” that is to illustrate why it’s ridiculous that sections of the community still find time to object passionately to men ejaculating in other men’s arses when there are so many other wonders to discover.

Or his voyage into the world of quantum physics and the theories of David Icke that had Russell convinced he should tell the world the Queen is in fact a lizard while performing ‘I Am The Walrus’ atop a psychedelic bus during the London Olympics Closing Ceremony.

His wasn’t over-the-top schoolboy toilet humour either. Russell had an agenda to enlighten the bigotry of the world, which he did with aplomb throughout his performance. His physically hysterical impersonation of Federal Opposition Leader Tony Abbott masturbating, along with a story about his mate who misheard Thorpedo being introduced at the Royal Wedding earlier this year as “a pedo”, while met with plenty of belly laughs, still left many unimpressed.

But fuck ‘em. Russell, it was a pleasure hearing you regale Brisbane with many a tale from your wonderful array of crazy and wacky adventures. Hopefully your hand didn’t fall off while signing all those autographs post show; and did you get that massage from one of your “night wives”?

Russell Brand played the Brisbane Convention Centre December 4 & 10. Stay tuned in 2013 for more Adrian Bohm Presents comedian tours.

Photos: Amanda Geary

Dutch house DJ Fedde Le Grand first started shaking global dancefloors half a decade ago with ‘Put Your Hands Up 4 Detroit’. The Flamingo Recordings artist is headed to Australia for another round of summer dates.

Fedde Le Grand the DJ today compared to when you were starting out at Danssalon in the late ‘90s; what’s the biggest difference in your DJing and productions?

I think it’s probably the confidence to do my own thing musically that’s grown and developed over the years. I know that I have my own distinctive sound that I’ve nurtured and cultured as I’ve produced each track, and in the DJ booth I know what I want to do, how I want to take the music, where I want to take the crowd and have the confidence to believe in myself. I’d say behind the decks that I’ve also become a lot more technically proficient than I was in the early days. I don’t have to think about the mechanics, which leaves me free to really get into the mix and the music and manipulate and twist it as my instinct and the vibe dictates.

Looking back at your career so far... the success you’ve had, has it only fuelled your desire to continue for another decade and beyond?

Yes, for sure. I kind of do a mental re-take at the end of every year, looking at what’s worked for me and what hasn’t. I think it’s important to learn from everything you do and to push yourself even further with every success. Whether something’s worked really well or perhaps something didn’t live up to my expectations, I need to take something from each experience and build on it.

The success you achieved with ‘Put Your Hands Up 4 Detroit’ — did that drastically change your lifestyle?

Like you wouldn’t believe! I was doing pretty well enough anyway, but of course nothing could prepare me for what happened when the track came out. It was a total mindblowing experience. One minute I’m DJing in my usual spots, the next I’ve got parties and promoters from all over the world wanting to book me, it just exploded. When you add into that all the radio play, the video going on TVs everywhere, all of a sudden everyone knew my name even if it was just associated with that track and my whole world had turned upside down. In a good way though.

Fedde Le Grand in the studio... what’s fresh outta the oven? Plans for another artist album?

Well actually there are! I'm working on a new album to be released in the next year. For the album I'm working on a lot of very cool tracks. And next to that there’ll follow a few very interesting collabs, with for instance Sultan & Ned Shepard and Deniz Koyu. Another project that I'm really excited about is a remix of an amazing classic. But I don't want to give it all away just yet, so follow me!

You’ve collaborated with the likes of Will.i.am, Robbie Williams, Madonna and many others; what’s been your most memorable experience?

I think for me the most memorable experience was working with Rob Birch from the Stereo MCs. He’s always been a musical hero of mine so to get to work with him on the track ‘Wild & Raw’ was really indulgent on my part. The track had a funky groove to it that wrapped around his vocals and worked really well. It was an honour to work with him, but also a great boost for me to know that I was getting to a point where I could actually work with people that I’d been dreaming of because of the respect that I had as a producer. That was a nice feeling.

Fedde Le Grand plays Summafieldayze at Doug Jennings Park January 5. summafieldayze.com

New Zealand D&B producer Organikismness — who also moonlights with fellow Kiwi bass animals Soulware — is headed to Oz with both acts in tow.

Proudly New Zealand, what does bass music mean to Organikismness?
Well I reckon bass music is to the 2000s/ 2010s what dance music was to the late ‘80s and 90s — it’s a way to bunch together a whole lot of musical genres so people can categorise it easier. I'd like to think that I don't/ we don't really write bass music — just music (with heaps of bass).

For the uninitiated, is there a ‘typical’ set from Organikismness?
It very much depends on the time, the place and the occasion. It’s always 100 percent my own music, and I always try to play as full a spectrum of music as I can get away with, without compromising the audience or my own personal direction.

You’ve been quoted by Knowledge Magazine as ‘one of New Zealand's most diverse and prolific producers to date’. How do you react to such commentary about your work?
Pretty stoked if I'm honest. I think the review of Soulware in the Sunday Star Times last year was the most epic one so far; I was in Australia when it came out and I had so many people from my family call me on one day [which was a very ‘long’ Sunday] that I thought somebody had died; turned out to be quite the opposite. We'd actually been given the only five-star review of 2011 and everybody from my mother to Tiki Taane were bigging us up for it — that was choice.

You’ve toured with the likes of Pendulum, Spor, Andy C, Tiki Taane, The Mad Professor... do you watch other artists like a hawk when they’re performing, recording to further your own education?
In the studio yes, live, no. I don’t like to get in people's space, mainly cause I don’t like people in mine, well not when trying to work in front of 1,000s of people. But in the studio, you’re eventually sharing a creative space so studying and learning off each other is a very important part of the whole process.

Organikismness and Soulware play Manifest, at Bestbrook Mountain Resort, September 28-30.