Perth Music

Panic At The Disco’s latest album, Pretty. Odd was recorded in Las Vegas’ Studio at the Palms, with additional production and mixing completed at the world-renowned Abbey Road Studios in London. Produced by Grammy and Emmy Award-nominated arranger/composer Rob Mathes, the album sees Panic At The Disco embracing a melodic, classic rock-inspired aesthetic while still maintaining the visionary pop modernism that made its debut among the new millennium’s most popular and successful releases. Their debut album, A Fever You Can’t Sweat Out sold in excess of 2 millions copies and they have just completed a national tour of Australia along with fellow rockers Cobra Starship and The Acedemy Is. On the afternoon of their Perth show, drummer, Spencer Smith spoke to Justin Middleton for this exclusive interview.

Click here to download the podcast of the entire interview. (14:34 - 3.3Mb)

“We finally got some sleep last night which was good. We got up and saw that movie Pineapple Express, it was great, it was funny.”

The band had arrived in Perth just 24 hours prior so I asked Spencer how our fair city had treated them. “This is the best weather we have had since we got into Australia. It is a bit of a change, we were in South East Asia and they were in the middle of their summer when we had gotten there in the beginning of August. It was a nice change to get out of the heat and today was right in the middle and feels like southern California or something. We got to walk around and get some lunch and it seems like a really nice place so I’m glad to be here. It’s been a lot of fun coming back to some places and being able to have more than 11 songs to play and being able to mix both the albums and play to some people that have probably never seen us before.”

Asked to describe the process in which the new album, Pretty Odd was created, Spencer replied “We had come off touring for almost two years from our first record and at first we didn’t really know for sure what we wanted to do. We hadn’t been writing very much over that time and we had all really got into different music and different artists. We had gotten bored a little bit with what was very current and with what we were hearing on the radio so we ended up getting into some stuff that we had grown up on and from our parents. That stuff really interested us, the late 60’s, 70’s, even Billy Joel and Tom Petty which goes into the 80’s. Jon (Walker), our bass player had joined the band about a year prior to the starting of writing. It took us a little while to get used to writing with him and get comfortable with what we were doing and really get a good idea of what we wanted our second record to be.”

Spencer also described how past and current pop music was an influence on the new album. “We started listening to what we considered the best pop/rock bands of all time and I think what’s weird now is that there is a different view of what pop music is. It is very different to what it was in the 60’s and 70’s, especially in the States where R’n'B and Hip Hop are the new pop. It’s the biggest selling music that there is right now. It is a weird time and it has been for a while now for rock bands but luckily with everything in the past 10 years with the internet it has completely changed the music business. For as many people that love hip hop and rap there are so many that love all other types of music. So it allows bands like us to maybe not be what was a possibility for bands in the 70’s and stuff but we are happy what we’re doing.”

“I think (The Beatles) are definitely a band that is one of all of our favourite bands and how can they not be if you like pop music. Me and Brendon and Jon had grown up on it, Ryan didn’t really grow up on them, he grew up more on classical country like Johnny Cash, so some of that stuff was new for him. Listening to things like that is so inspiring and almost refreshing. Specifically with them, they are the perfect example of a perfect career of 6 or 7 records of material that never seems to have a dip and a constant level of great songwriting that goes in different directions. They just didn’t seem to any agenda as far as their career went and just did wherever they wanted.”

I asked Spencer what crowds can expect from a Panic At The Disco live show as they have made quite a repuatation of great live performances. “When we started touring we toured for a while doing 2 or 3 tours in the States before ever doing our own headlining shows. And then by the time we were doing our own headlining tours at the end of the last album cycle we only had one album to play and we actually did a tour that was in arenas and pretty big places to 8000 people sometimes. So we were really interested in doing more than just going up there in jeans and t-shirts and we were into having more of a theatrical aspect and putting on a bigger show than we were used to going and seeing. And we were able to fill a headliner set with only one album’s worth of material. When we did this record and toured the US we were playing big theatres whhich is our favourite type of venue to play. There is still a lot of people and still a really good energy but you’re still in a theatre which is made for any sort of performance rather than basketball or tennis. When we recorded the album we did a lot of songs live because we were aware of what touring is…and soem of the songs definitely interact the crowd a lot more than the first record.

Panic At The Disco - The Green Gentleman

For more info visit www.panicatthedisco.com

The living legend in hip-hop, and one of the greatest rappers and pop culture icons of our time, Snoop Dogg, is on his way to Australia!  Joining him is one of the most important and influential figures in rap history, the legendary Ice Cube.

Together these purveyors of hip hop have sold tens of millions of albums worldwide and are known for their dynamic live performances.  The West Coast veterans kick off the ‘Smoked Out Australian Tour’ in Brisbane on October 29, before traveling to Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide and Perth. Grammy Award- winning rappers Bone Thugs n Harmony are also along for the ride making this an absolute essential show for any hip hop fan!

Promoter Andrew McManus remains extremely confident that the final part of Snoop’s visa application will be successfully processed in the very near future.

The ‘Smoked Out Australian Tour’ is truly a unique opportunity to see some of hip hop’s finest together on one bill.  Don’t miss out!

Tour Dates:
Wed 29th October - Brisbane Entertainment Centre
Fri 31st October - Acer Arena, Sydney
Sun 2nd November - Rod Laver Arena, Melbourne
Wed 5th November - Adelaide Entertainment Centre
Fri 7th November - Burswood Dome, Perth

Tickets on sale 9am Friday September 12th from www.ticketek.com.au & 132 849

Simple Plan has just announced their first Australian tour in over three years. Simple Plan will perform for fans in Perth, Newcastle, Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne. Special guests at all shows will be The Getaway Plan and Short Stack.

Simple Plan’s fierce and unapologetic sound has enraptured a loyal fan base worldwide, with Australian fans some of the most vocal. Simple Plan slammed their way into the music industry via the multi-platinum selling No Pads, No Helmets…Just Balls which spawned an array of hit singles (‘I’d Do Anything’, ‘Perfect’ and ‘I’m Just A Kid’), shooting the band to prominence around the world.

Simple Plan will return to Australia in support of their most defining album to date (Simple Plan – out now through Warner). The band challenged themselves to break the boundaries, and they did just that. Featuring ‘When I’m Gone’ and their latest single ‘Your Love Is A Lie’, the album continues to entice fans with a fresh new sound, showcasing the band’s unbridled energy. Contagious hook-filled melodies and intriguing lyrics proved that experimenting with their winning formula was well worth the risk.

Tour Dates:
with The Getaway Plan and Short Stack
Tickets on sale Thursday 11 September
Tue 14th October - Metro City, Perth (18+)
Thur 16th October - Newcastle Entertainment Centre (All Ages)
Fri 17th October - Brisbane Entertainment Centre (All Ages)
Sat 18th October - Hordern Pavilion, Sydney (All Ages)
Tue 21st October - Festival Hall, Melbourne (All Ages)

Hot off the heels of the most successful Global Gathering in the UK to date, Mellen Events, Future Entertainment, the Angel Music Group and Ministry Of Sound Australia announce the most dynamic and groundbreaking joint venture the Australian music industry has seen in a very long time; the launch of the Global Gathering Festivals across the country this coming November.

Since its launch in 2001, Global Gathering has become the world’s undisputed front-runner of dance festivals.  A massive 50,000 revellers congregate annually from all corners of the globe at the renowned Long marston Airfield, Stratford Upon Avon in the last weekend in July, creating the biggest dance and live music weekender of the European summer.  This year’s record attendance exceeded 55,000 and stood tall as the strongest performer amidst the myriad of UK festivals this summer.

This is a landmark union between Australia’s largest festival promoter and international touring agent, Australia’s most recognised dance music brand and record label, and the UK’s most successful dance festival promoters.

Global Gathering
Sat 22nd November - Sidney Myer Music Bowl, Melbourne
Sun 23rd November - The Esplanade, Perth
Sat 29th November - Brisbane Turf Club (Doomben Racecourse), Brisbane
Sun 30th November - Hordern Pavilion, Royal Hall of Industries & the Entertainment Quarter, Moore Park, Sydney

Lineup:
Kraftwerk (live)
Mark Ronson & The Version Players (live)
Gorillaz Sound System
The Orb (live)
Fischerspooner (DJ set)
Above & Beyond
Felix Da Housecat
ATB
DJ Sneak
Dirty Soth
The Potbelleez (live)
Kazu Kimura
LA Riots
Larry Tee
The Stafford Brothers
TYDI
and many more still to be announced…

Tickets on sale nationally at 12 noon this Monday September 1.  For more info visit www.global-gathering.com or www.mellenevents.com

Saturday 16th August 2008
Amplifier Bar, Perth
Trial Kennedy
Mere Theory
Grim Fandango

It was a cold night in Perth that saw a healthy crowd descend upon The Amplifier Bar to see three exciting bands put on a show that felt more like a local gig than a touring show. Parking next door, the music was pounding and I regretted running late but luckily the line outside was short so it took no time at all to get inside. Local rockers Grim Fandango were on stage as I entered but there was no sound. Everyone was running around looking a little stressed out and a little angry. Just then the band announced that even though it was half way through their set, the guitarist had blown the amp and could not go on. Quite ironic that an amp was blown at The Amplifier.

The crowd gathered closer to the stage as Adelaide’s Mere Theory started playing their no nonsense rock that exploded onto the audience. The bass player had everybody watching him as he violently started swinging his bass around him knocking over speakers, almost hitting lead singer, Chris Mellow, and just looking like he was out of control. Apart from that craziness the band did a great job entertaining all that were there with solid rock music. And it turned out later, after I saw him walking around with a walking stick, that the bass player was blind. Not blind drunk, but actually blind.

The whole place was buzzing as Trial Kennedy jumped on stage and got straight into showing everyone how good their debut album, New Manic Art, is. The band did a good job in trying to get on the local crowd’s good side dedicating three separate songs to three separate local bands, in Calerway (calling them great mates), Gyroscope (calling them the best band in Australia) and Karnivool (calling them cunts, as a joke). The big crowd pleasers were Neighbours, Colour Day Tours, Sunday Warning and The Great Escape. It was a fantastic gig and Trial Kennedy impressed everybody that was there, hopefully there will be many tours by these fellas very, very soon.

RTRFM 92.1 continues to turn Perth radio on its head with Radiothon 2008: Turn it up!

It’s that time of year when RTRFM 92.1 asks for your support to promote the upcoming festivities and raise the support and funds the station needs to supply the sound alternative to Perth’s airwaves.

Radiothon will kick off on Friday 29 August with a launch from Planet Books on Beaufort St during an outside broadcast of the Breakfast with Barr program featuring all the regulars plus some very special musical guests.

For one action-packed week RTRFM asks it’s listeners to express their love for the station by taking out an annual subscription (prices listed below).  Everyone who subscribes during Radiothon will go into the draw to win some massive major prizes!  With over $150,000 worth of prizes to be won and an average of 2,500 subscribers during Radiothon, you’re looking at some pretty good odds of being a big winner!  But more importantly, the station relies on your subscriptions during Radiothon to ensure it can continue to operate.

Subscribe to RTRFM 92.1 during Radiothon 2008 for your chance to win a massive HiFi system and CD pack from Simply Hi-fi and Universal Music, Honda scooter from West Coast Honda, private film screening for you and your friends from Luna Palace Cinemas, Stanton DJ Set-ups and bass guitar and amp packages from Kosmic Music, PA Package from Theo’s Music, recording time from Poons Head, music gear from Billy Hyde, books, clothes, free meals all around town, mountains of CDs, a year’s free broadband from Westnet, Perth Festival tickets and Lotterywest Festival Films season pass, audio gear, skydives, helicopter rides and lots more!

Listeners can subscribe by calling the Radiothon hotline, (08) 9260 9210, logging on to www.rtrfm.com.au or sending a cheque or money order to PO Box 842, Mt Lawley, WA 6929.

Following on from their incredible recent performances at this year’s Fuji Rock and Splendour In The Grass festivals, The Vines are pleased to announce that they will be embarking upon their first full length national album tour in over four years this coming October and November in support of their brand new long-player, Melodia.

After their many well documented trials and tribulations, no one really had the right to expect to find The Vines in such rude health in 2008, but with the release of Melodia, the band have come full circle, recording their best album since ‘Highly Evolved‘ and playing the finest live shows of their career. Anyone who has witnessed the band’s incendiary sets at Splendour, Homebake or Big Day Out over the past two years will attest to the fact that as a live force they are now nigh on unstoppable.

With the first single He’s A Rocker having reacquainted the listening public with the trademark razor-sharp pop instincts that led to The Vines becoming one of Australia’s most recognisable and passionately supported bands, the band will be releasing the album’s scorching opener Get Out to coincide with the shows, a song that has immediately become a festival crowd favourite.

Tickets on sale Friday 5th September

Tour Dates:
Fri 24th October - ANU Bar, Canberra
Sat 25th October - Hi Fi Bar, Melbourne
Thur 30th October - Great Northern Hotel, Byron Bay
Fri 31st October - Tivoli, Brisbane
Sat 1st November - The Metro, Sydney (Licensed All Ages)
Fri 7th November - Governor Hindmarsh, Adelaide (Licensed All Ages)
Sat 8th November - Rosemount Hotel, Perth

End Of Fashion - Fussy

End Of Fashion - Kamikaze

Upon its release, The Grates debut album Gravity Won’t Get You High immediately shot to the ARIA top-ten, was nominated for awards, and sold over 50,000 copies. The trio slogged it out for two years straight, with sold-out Australian tours, shows in the UK, US and Canada, and garnered gushing press coverage. With their new album Teeth Lost, Hearts Won, The Grates faced a new challenge in the studios: being their own co-producers for the very first time. While sound engineer/producer Peter Katis (Interpol, Mates of State, The National) joined the ride again, this time, The Grates were also alongside him closely at the producer’s desk at Tarquin Studios, a gutted-out attic in Connecticut, USA. Initially, taking the production helm - occasionally by themselves - scared them. Needless to say, the band’s newfound musical smarts have paid off. This batch of songs is more sophisticated and punch-in-the-guts catchy than anything they’ve done before. Hand-clapping, foot-stomping first single ‘Burn Bridges’ is a good indicator of The Grates’ new musical direction, but also provides a handy manifesto. Guitarist John Patterson spoke to Justin Middleton for this exclusive interview.

Click here to download the podcast of the entire interview. (9:00 - 2.1Mb)

“We are super happy. In the US we were in this house in Conneticut which was this huge stately mansion on a main road in a dirty area. We all lived in this house and it was half winter, half spring and we barely left. We worked upstairs and slept downstairs and that’s kind of how I like to work, just put everything into it and have nothing else to focus on. It was great. Peter Katis lives in Conneticut and the studio is in his house so we just went to his house. There was nothing special about the place except he was there.”

I asked John what it was like being away from Australia to record the album. “We’ve done both of our albums away from home and I would have a lot of trouble trying to work on something at home. There are so many distractions when you have to go home to your house and you have your family there or you pick someone up or drop someone off or you have bills to pay and stuff. When you are away you don’t have any distractions, even with the timezones no one can really call you up. It’s a great way to get away from everything.”

Second albums can sometimes cause problems with bands especially trying to live up to expectations and writing new songs. I asked John if this was the case with Teeth Lost, Hearts Won. “It was harder to write songs because when you first start writing songs it’s so easy because you’ve never done anything before. You feel so super original for writing your first 20 songs because you’ve never written songs before. The more you write the harder it is to feel you are doing something original and feel like you are doing something new. So it takes a lot longer to write songs and we had to put a lot of effort into making things feel organic. Even though it took a long time to arrange the songs and stuff a lot of thought was put into making it feel like they grew organically instead of just having that organic feel just because you wrote it really quickly.”

Asked what the songwriting process of the band was, John replied “The only way we have been able to get it to work is Patience and I start writing something at exactly the same time pretty much. I might write something on guitar and she sings something in the next 30 seconds or something. Otherwise we all get quite anxious and feel a lot of stress. If I write a guitar riff and leave it with Patience for a day or something, there’s no way she will be able to write anything for it because she will feel too much pressure. We have to do it both together at exactly the same time. It seems like that is the only way we can do it at the moment. I don’t know what it will be like for the third record but that was the only way we could it.”

“I think this one has much more of a theme than our last record. We tried to treat every song separately on the last one and this one was all written within a year and lyrically there are similar themes and musically I tried to bring in little melodies. We always try anything that is hanging around the studio. I played bass guitar and somebody else played bass guitar and we hadn’t done that before so I think there is bass guitar on six or seven songs this time. I think Patience can credit herself with handclapping as an instrument so she can sound like she can play an instrument. She does a bit of tamborine at the moment as well.”

Tour Dates:
Thur 2nd October - Sands Tavern, Sunshine Coast QLD
Fri 3rd October - The Arena, Brisbane QLD
Sat 4th October - Coolangatta Hotel, Gold Coast QLD
Sun 5th October - Great Northern, Byron Bay QLD
Wed 8th October - 21 Arms, Ballarat VIC
Thur 9th October - Peninsula Lounge, Moorooduc VIC
Fri 10th October - Hi Fi Bar, Melbourne VIC
Sun 12th October - Govenor Hindmarsh, Adelaide SA
Wed 15th October - Uni Bar, Wollongong NSW
Fri 17th October - Metro, Sydney NSW
Sat 18th October - Cambridge Hotel, Newcastle NSW
Thur 23rd October - Prince Of Wales, Bunbury QLD
Fri 24th October - Settlers Tavern, Margaret River WA
Sat 25th October - Capitol, Perth WA

For more info visit www.thegrates.com

The Grates - Burn Bridges

Read on… because here is the news that everyone has been waiting for! MGMT – the super cool Ben Goldwasser and Andrew VanWyngarden – are touring Australia for the first time ever this December. The band who’ve created a storm here in Australia & around the world over the last few months will perform headline shows in Perth, Sydney, Brisbane and Melbourne.

Whilst MGMT might seem like an overnight success, they’re not. Goldwasser and VanWyngarden have been performing together since their freshman days at uni back in 2001. After their graduation in 2005, the band took their hyped live show on the road and following a brief hiatus, secured their record deal internationally with SonyBMG.

From there things snowballed, with the band exploding onto the international music scene earlier this year. The trippy duo’s hit song ‘Time To Pretend’ was added to radio the world over, used on the hit UK TV show ‘Skins’ and the USA’s ‘Gossip Girl’ and earned the pair appearances on Letterman and Conan O’Brien.

The buzz band at this year’s SXSW, MGMT’s psychedelic debut Oracular Spectacular caused a wave of excitement amongst critics and fans alike upon its release in May.

Now with another hit song ‘Electric Feel’ flooding the airwaves and a wealth of live experience (including Glastonbury, T in the Park and Lollapalooza of late), MGMT will be the concert of the Summer.

Enigmatic Sleepy Jackson frontman Luke Steele will be the special guest support on all shows.

Tour Dates:
Sat 6th December - Belvoir Amphitheatre, Perth
Tue 9th December - Enmore Theatre, Sydney
Wed 10th December - The Tivoli, Brisbane
Thur 11th December - The Palace, Melbourne