Blog — Page 224 of 281

Exploded View

Sam McPheeters

Talos Publishing

Born Against.

Vermiform Records.

Error Fanzine.

Men’s Recovery Project.

Wrangler Brutes.

Punk Planet.

On-air disputes with Sick of it All.

Touring Europe with Articles of Faith.

To accurately fathom the influence Sam McPheeters has had on your humble narrator during his formative years, one would need to employ the services of a couple of flowcharts.

Needless to say that I was intrigued when Sam started dabbling as a writer, with Loom of Ruin from 2012 being his novel debut, which, in essence, was a amalgamation of cliffhangers meandering to an apocalyptic end.

What makes Exploded View an engaging read is that McPheeters seems to have had an open concept during the writing process, with current and personal events finding their equivalent in this science fiction novel.

In the age of “fake news,” Exploded View with its short chapters evoking a cinematic feel tells the story of this decade, where falsifying news is de rigueur and where adjusting and modifying what is fed to the wider public as “reality” is a mere man-made changeable, nuanced constituent rather than an immutable constant.

With Sam McPheeters constantly reinventing himself, Exploded View whets the appetite for his next project.

Italian Film Festival 2017

Palace Cinemas

Sydney, AU

September 12, 2017

The Opening Night of the Italian Film Festival, which was a lavish affair with live entertainment, Italian themed food and drinks and was graced with a screening of Let Yourself Go! (“Lasciati andare”), the winner of the 2017 Italian Golden Globe for Best Comedy.

The screening was framed with a festa of Italian culinary delights, think samples of everything delicious that Italian cuisine has to offer, and a pre-part with live music with the band Soulganic and an afterparty with mozzarella testing’s, doici by Gigi and Italian tunes by DJ Sveta.

The Italian Film Festival will continue in different Australian locations until October 25.

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Photos by KAVV

MEW

Manning Bar

Sydney, AU

September 12, 2017

MEW are a Danish alternative, experimental outfit pivoting between styles with a career spanning more than twenty years, across seven acclaimed studio albums, that classifies itself as “indie stadium” and has been described by others as possessing the musical grandiosity that leads people to classify them as progressive rock while they themselves stoically resist any identification with sub genres.

After their successful maiden voyage to Australia in 2015, MEW returned to showcase their extensive back catalogue and their new album Visuals.

MEW in a live context is a mélange of classic pop melodies and bombastic synths, swooning keyboards and lush high-pitched vocals that create a solemn, unassuming yet beautiful immersive microcosm of its own.

Grand and epic yet concise and economical, growing small melancholic melodies into full blown eruptions eliciting heartfelt crowd singalongs and at times indulging in bloodcurdling yet comforting walls of noise arias.

Performing with a deliberately down tuned stage presence in front of intensely imaginative visual projections created but lead singer, Jonas Bjerre, the music blends with the displays and creates a third layer of artistic expression that is bigger than the sum of its individual parts and creates another, deeper dimension of sensations.

A performance not unlike a warm embrace, which the audience, i.e. “Frengers” as per the portmanteau that MEW created for a hybrid of “friends” and “strangers” and the name of one of their albums, lapped it up.

Witnessing MEW performing with the passion of a metal band yet emitting their ethereal Scandinavian sounds result in a unique experience.

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Photos by T

Placebo

Qudos Bank Arena

Sydney, AU

September 9, 2017

Last in the country for Soundwave Festival and a pair of sideshows back in 2014, the Placebo returned to Australia for a 20th anniversary tour, the Sydney incarnation of which saw them perform hits, revisit early material and more obscure offerings from across their impressive seven-album catalogue at Qudos Bank arena.

The show started off with a trailer comprised of snapshots and videos gathered throughout the last two decades of Placebo’s career, culminating is the “Every You and Every Me” video, which got all aficionados in an enthusiastic frame of mind to welcome the band entering ths stage.

Placebo’s backbone and foundation is the solid chemistry and dynamic between the still androgynous Brian Molko with his trademark nasal voice and saddened self, his co-author, the ever composed and defiant guitarist, bassist and piano player Stefan Olsdal and the touring member Matt Lunn’s powerful drumming and interludes with Fiona Bryce on violin. A flawless performance of accomplished musicians that covered the claviature of the lane that Placebo has created for itself within the confines of alternative rock.

The evening was testament to Placebo’s relevance with the high consistency of their output and the effortless delivery that hit the main points without neglecting nuances, all the while focusing on the performance without any unnecessary bells and whistles.

The first half of the show focused peaked with an ode and tribute to Placebo’s avid supporter David Bowie, i.e. Without You I am Nothing, which was framed by footage of the band and him collaborating on screens that were utilized to broadcast the performance employing a range of different animations, filters and camera angles.

The show was tinged with melancholy and nostalgia, key ingredients of Placebo’s sound, which did not deter the crowd from frenetically celebrating every song. 

In 2017 Placebo has not lost its allure – a band of outsiders that carved its own niche by cultivating their eccentricity, making it their raison d’être and cementing their status by finding a likeminded followership.

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Image from artist website

Sydney Contemporary

Carriageworks

Sydney, AU

September 7-10, 2017

The term “third place” was coined by Ray Oldenburg, an American urban sociologist.

The “first place” denotes "home where we place to role of son, daughter, mum, dad, etc. The “second place” is work where the role is whatever position one represents.”

The “third place,” according to Oldenburg, “denotes territory that is inexpensive, easy to get to, welcoming, offers food and drink and people to chance to meet new people and feel companionship."

Carriageworks, the multi-arts precinct in Redfern, Sydney, is a “third place.”

Quite a transformation indeed: A derelict idustrial site that has successfully transitioned into a multi-venue arts centre and forum for a myriad of art related activities, still radiating the charme of the original railway workshops it once inhabited..

Social and cultural diversity ranks high on Carriageworks’ agenda with a focus on artists themselves being at the helm of the operation and artist-led in nature, the organisations in residence produce diverse multidisciplinary programs and collaborations in its cavernous halls, corridors and spaces in tandem with local and international artists.

A location that could not be more ideal for Sydney Contemporary’s Opening Night which opened the floodgates for Australasia’s premier international art fair with the country’s largest and most diverse gathering of local and international galleries.

Dedicated to injecting new blood and vitalizing Sydney’s art scene, the third edition presents over ninety galleries from across the Southern hemisphere alongside an ambitious five-day program that includes curated projects, installations and panel discussions with the artworks running the gamut of mediums and sizes.

First and foremost, it is an accessible and not at all the artsy fartsy elitist affair other art events limit themselves to but an inclusive, immersive and expansive experience.

The Fair is also home to pop-up restaurants by Sydney’s much-loved dining institutions making it an all-encompassing art and dine experience, e.g. Billie Kwong and Kitchen by Mike as well as a Glenfiddich whisky bar and a Petaluma wine bar.

The official opening night party offered ample opportunity to peruse the offerings of the galleries whose presentations have grown commensurate with the size of the now yearly event. The focus of the exhibits were on new oeuvres, making the affair live up to its name: A truly contemporary display of the status quo which over the five days will expand outside the confines of Carriageworks to culminate in afulminant celebration of all things art, includingdance and choreographic performances and an array of free late-night parties.

Sydney Contemporary takes place from September 7-10 at Carriageworks and participating venues around the city.

Find more details under: http://www.sydneycontemporary.com.au

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Photos from Sydney Contemporary website.