Sydney’s music scene is still feeling a little down and out these days, what with all of the venue closures gripping this vibrant city. That’s why this news is just so damn beautiful. A piece of the city’s musical heritage is back from the dead with The Lansdowne Hotel reopening its doors over the weekend. After a near 90 year run, the historic venue closed shop back in 2015 following the introduction of the lockout laws, as well as a number of other setbacks.
Jake Smyth and Kenny Graham of Mary’s/Unicorn Hotel fame have teamed up with The Annandale’s Matt Rule to breathe new life into one of Sydney’s lasting mid-sized venues, following the demise of the Newtown Social Club. They have moved the live music portion upstairs and kept downstairs free for daily trade i.e. punters who just want to play a game of pool and throw back a Mary’s Burger pizza (as you do).
To announce their resurrection, the guys decided to throw a four-day-long party featuring a bunch of absolutely stellar names, including The Preatures, Palms, The Pinheads, Skegss, and Sydney’s own supergroup A Band.
Comprised of Elliott Hammond and Michael Tramonte (The Delta Riggs), Thomas Champion (The Preatures), Paddy Cornwall, Seamus Coyle and Freddy Crabs (Sticky Fingers), they belted out a slew of covers along with some special guests, including Royal Headache’s Tim “Shogun” Hall, Gideon Bensen, Hayley Mary of The Jezabels and Johnny Took (DMA’s) on slide guitar duties.
We snapped up all of this and Skegss at the tail-end of a massive Sunday lineup, flawlessly closing out the four-day bender.
Needless to say, we’re stoked to have The Lansdowne back and are looking forward to a sweaty mess of new memories.
A Band
Skegss
Photos: Dani Hansen
One of the best live bands going at the moment, The Delta Riggs have just released their third full-length album Active Galactic and are heading around the country with newly solo Preatures ex-pat Gideon Bensen and coastal boys The Vanns. We caught the action live in Sydney.
The Vanns
Gideon Bensen
The Delta Riggs
Photos: Dani Hansen/Howl & Echoes
It’s video roundup time! Once again, Howl And Echoes are coming in hot with the freshest, most eyeball stimulating music videos to be dropped by the artists you love and some of the artists you don’t know you love yet, of this week. We do all the dirty work and herd them all into one convenient web-based location for you to enjoy every Friday so that you don’t have to. Have yourself a good old gander at the latest offerings from:
Spring King – Rectifier
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yONyEewXraU
We’re starting out the gate with a bang this week, not being ones to be here to fuck spiders of course. It’s Rectifier, the new single from UK noisemakers Spring King. Punchy, heavy and, like all good garage rock, the amps turned up to 11 on everything., Rectifier is a track bristling with raw power and energy and will have you hooked as soon as you hear it.
The music video follows drummer and vocalist (boy do we have a whole lot of respect for those guys) Tarek Musa as he fleshes out the song in his basement before taking it to the jam room and eventually the stage playing to a huge sweaty crowd.
We’re hoping for a whole lot more outstanding stuff like this from Spring King in 2016.
Gideon Bensen – Talk Talk
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aqFbYI-M1dA
Also making some noise this week is Gideon Bensen, well-known for his duties on guitar and backing vocals for The Preatures but currently enjoying a stellar run as a solo artist. We loved his first track and its accompanying video last year and we had the chance for a great old chat with him earlier this year. This week he’s released his second single and music video for Talk Talk.
It’s a short and sharp smashing together of rock and roll with some deliciously new wave synth flavour, Bensen’s smoky baritone snaking its way around the track, showing a pretty remarkable vocal range as well. The video is lo-fi cool and features Bensen’s head replicated and warped in front of a travelling background, the bursts of red and blue complementing the bursts of different noise sparking off throughout the song.
The Kills – Doing It To Death
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=498zUzNGQxY
Hard rocking duo The Kills have put out a brand new single and music video this week in anticipation of their next album Ash And Ice that’s scheduled for release in June of this year. Doing It To Death is the title, the riffs gigantic, the rhythm deliberate and a definite touch of ice behind the vocals of frontwoman Alison Mosshart.
The music video wins the title of Best Funeral Procession ever. There’s rap squats atop hearse hoods, a parade of black clad pallbearers dabbing their way through a Los Angeles cemetery, Mosshart giving a eulogy with a durry in hand. It’s a song and video combination that kicks so much ass, do yourself a favour and watch it.
Ash And Ice is out June 3rd via Domino.
Bad Vision – Goons
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5DEBvHq9lgc
This next one comes from Melbourne rockers Bad Vision, who have this week released the first single from their upcoming album Turn Out Your Sockets. Titled Goons, it’s fantastically dance-y and jangly rock and roll with shouted choruses about looking for good times and verses about Miley Cyrus eating at shopping malls. Glorious.
The video is a nifty one-taker, so picture that scene in Goodfellas where Henry Hill takes Karen on a whirlwind tour through the back door of his nightclub, only replace gangsters with the titular ‘goons’ and the nightclub with a suburban share house and you’ve just about got it.
Turn Out Your Sockets is out May 2016 via Adagio 830 Records.
Boys Noize – Overthrow
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FQD_WpsYtiU&feature=youtu.be
The latest single from German producer Boys Noize is Overthrow. Dark and twisting and starkly industrial, pulsating rhythms building up before a confronting and harsh drop full of squealing synths mid-song.
The music video, directed by Lil Internet and Boys Noize himself, takes the industrial tones of the track and visualises them. Shot mainly in black and white, it focuses on street life in Los Angeles after dark and the intersecting of a pair of rival gangs. Apparently no actors were used in the video, upping the authenticity of the video entirely.
There’ll be more to come from Boys Noize this year.
Le Pie – Up All Night
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J3rRe2D23us
Sydney singer-songwriter Le Pie goes full badass on her latest single and video for Up All Night. Combining punk rock with pop hooks while losing none of the edge of the former, the track is as catchy as the flu, full of clever lyrics too.
The video does it justice and then some, shot in beautiful black and white and opening with Le Pie tagging a brick wall before her and her gang of greaser girls legs it from ‘the fuzz’. From there they wander the streets looking like a more menacing version of the T-Birds, boozing it up, swinging baseball bats and golf clubs and raising general hell.
You can catch Le Pie and the Sha La Las on the Up All Night tour this weekend, where they’ll be rolling in to rough up the Lass O’Gowrie in Newcastle on Saturday night. Look out!
NxWorries – Link Up
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PsXaSRBO5kM&feature=youtu.be
If NxWorries is a name that’s still unfamiliar to you then it won’t be for long. It’s a super-duo made up of producer Knxwledge and vocalist Anderson .Paak. Link Up is their newest single, the second from their debut EP Link Up And Suede that capped off a massive 2015 for both men.
The song is funky as all hell, smooth vocals from Anderson .Paak layered masterfully over some lights out production from Knxwledge. The music video is fantastic, featuring a very disgruntled Eric Andre confronting Knxwledge the convenience store attendant and wondering aloud how he’s supposed to get fucked up on only three pinots (before being knocked the FUCK out).
The rest of the clip features an impossibly cool dance party hosted by .Paak and Knxwledge in the chilled section by aisle three, the duo turning all kinds of up. None other than Earl Sweatshirt shows up at one point (apparently he does sometimes like going outside) to buy a 40.
We need an album out of these two real soon.
DMA’s – Step Up The Morphine (Live Acoustic)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oe9Tn9n50sg
The sky is presently the limit for DMA’s. They’re a week post the release of their debut album Hills End, which landed to rave reviews across the board. The band are going on tour both in Australia and internationally, with a guest spot on The Late Show With Stephen Colbert that promises to see their star rise even higher.
This week they’ve released a brand new video for one of the standout tracks on Hills End, the stunning Step Up The Morphine. They’ve reworked it into a stripped back acoustic version recorded live on a sunny afternoon in Kings Cross that will take your breath away. The steel guitar from Matt Mason adding some very welcome extra smoke to the song.
Catch DMA’s on their Hills End tour across Australia in May and June.
You may know Gideon Bensen as guitarist of The Preatures, but he’s now coming into his own as a solo artist, too. With the release of his solo debut EP Cold Cold Heart, Bensen is set to both surprise and satisfy his fanbase, showing off a new, immersive sound a remarkable step away from his typical output.
We chatted to Gideon about the origin of his EP, why he felt the need to pursue music as a solo artist, releasing music under his very own label, and channeling inspiration from hip-hop beatmaking.
What have you been up to this morning?
Not much! Just doing a couple of errands and now I’m on my way to a rehearsal for my solo stuff because we have some shows coming up.
Has it been how you expected it to sound live?
Yeah definitely. At the core of it there is a lot going on in the track. We are taking what we can, and what makes sense to put in a live environment to make it sound live and raw. That seems to be what’s working, I wanted it to sound like a band anyway. There will be five of us on the stage so it should be good.
So what instruments have you got involved? Any sarps?
There is a sax up there! Also a couple of analogue synths and your standard guitar, bass and drums. Yeah it’s been fun putting it together.
How was working with saxes and synths after doing guitar rock for so long?
It was a little strange, but once it was there it made sense. Initially it was a bit strange but now it’s all good.
You’re releasing the EP under your own name and label. Is that more nerve-wracking?
I think it’s just the same to be honest. I’m not really putting that much pressure on myself because it is what it is. It’s just what I did during a period of time. That’s where my head was at and now that’s coming out. Sure, it’s a first release on my own label, but some people may find it amazing and others just won’t be into it. It’s out of my control really. It’s a bit different to a band, because then you share it with five other people so there is that added weight to it. Who knows what will happen, but I enjoyed making it and had fun doing it. It was an outlet for me and still is an outlet for me which is really good. The label thing is a different kettle of fish. At the moment the label roster is just me, but down the track we will see how we go!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qT3tdb_uxso
What kind of bands would you sign to your label, what style would you be after?
Probably keeping with what I have already done, so sort of that soul vibe. But I guess it would all just depend on what it was. So like, I haven’t thought much about it, but I’m trying to listen out and see what’s out there. I think just with time some things will happen naturally. I might do a compilation or a small release or whatever, so I just think those things will happen with time. I’m more concerned about getting my own solo stuff up and running at the moment though so people can hear it and get an idea of what it is all about.
Why did you choose to release All New Low first before Talk Talk? All New Low is very different to The Preatures, was it to sort of change the preconception of how your own music could sound?
I put All New Low out because it was my favourite track, so I wanted to start with that one. But it is very different because it’s something I have never done before and I really liked the way it came out. I kind of thought it would be a good place to start, it was different to the other songs on there. Inevitably when you’re playing in a band and you’ve been in that band for five or six years, it’s going to rub off on you. The lyrics tie everything together but I thought Talk Talk was pretty punchy from the get go – straight out of the gate.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lKDXmtDOJXY
How would you describe the other two tracks on the EP?
More of that soul kind of vibe I guess. There is one that is a bit more ballad like with a slower tempo, and then there is another poppy one, so I guess people will have to listen to them and make up their own mind about how it works for them. I always find it hard to explain, but there is a real mix about them.
Where did the soul influence come from?
I’ve always loved new wave bands and that entire 80’s kind of scene. I guess the guitar sounds that I lean on are very much taken from that. I’ve always been a fan growing up, and I’ve tried to combine it with what I’ve been listening to on the radio and what I’m buying. Some people might not get it, but it’s hard to explain what’s happening.
What were you listening to when you were recording this material?
I listened to D’Angelo quite a bit and lots of hip-hop stuff. So Flying Lotus and all that kind of vibe. I was really interested in how beatmaking happened and what went into hip-hop and all. I decided to try my hand at it in a kind of naive and amateur way. I’m just trying to fuse all the different sounds I like together to see how it all goes.
It’s video roundup time! Once again, Howl And Echoes are coming in hot with the freshest, most eyeball stimulating music videos to be dropped by the artists you love and some of the artists you don’t know you love yet, of this week. We do all the dirty work and herd them all into one convenient web-based location for you to enjoy every Friday so that you don’t have to. Have yourself a good old gander at the latest offerings from:
LDRU – Keeping The Score
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KDv8Qu8S7ac
Part of a new wave of Australian producers coming out of the gate young, hungry and bursting at the seams with sonic brilliance, LDRU has dropped the visuals for his absolute airwave scorching banger Keeping Score. With a chorus that’s custom built to lose your shit to whether it be on a dancefloor or in a festival moshpit, the accompanying clip does its absolute darndest to pour every colour of the rainbow into one fever dream of a ride. Full of tropical motifs that match the sweltering beats of the track, this one is a hell of a watch.
8 Graves – Two Wrongs
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qzlc-uE1QlM
Having freshly released their debut EP War Out There, New York City RnB duo 8 Graves have followed up with a powerful video to go with one of the tracks off that album, Two Wrongs. Dealing with social equality, the clip features a series of simple black and white shots of the interactions of various couples, all clearly deeply in love.
The song is uplifting and the message is even stronger: two ‘wrongs’ can make a right. Beautiful.
Gideon Bensen – All New Low
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qT3tdb_uxso
If Gideon Bensen is a name that tugs at some far flung corner of your memory, you’ve probably also seen him pulling guitar and co-vocal duties for one of Australia’s best and brightest new bands The Preatures. As most musicians this talented in their own right are wont to do, Bensen has released some stellar solo work with new single All New Low and a video for it.
There’s some star power on the track, with one Megan Washington drafted for backup duties and fellow Preatures guitarist Jack Moffitt also stepping up to the plate to help out. Bensen’s slow-burning baritone will mesmerise you over the top of a melting pot soundscape of jazz, soul, electronic, hip hop and a touch of the rock and roll (with a killer guitar solo) that he and his Preatures bandmates are so lauded for.
The video looks like a lo-fi Bond intro, full of silhouetted dancing girls and crimson red lighting that’s as ensnaring visually as the song is sonically.
Leisure Suite – Feel
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pvSk90ScFKw&feature=youtu.be
If you’re looking for some ice cold electronic pop to relax with on a Friday afternoon, the new track and video from Melbourne duo Leisure Suite might be just up your alley. Silky smooth vocals and a minimalistic backbeat are the soundtrack to an oddly soothing video, just lo-fi shots of the backs of people’s heads as they stand or lay or walk around doing their daily activities in various locales.
It’s the kind of song that goes well with a glass of red in a dark room. Look out for their forthcoming EP.
Harriet – American Appetite
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MSbrlk8PvGs
Lyric videos are usually lame as hell, but the one for American Appetite from Los Angeles quartet Harriet is beyond a cut above the rest. A POV day in the life of a faceless suite, the way the lyrics are presented just gets increasingly more and more creative as the clip goes on. It’s actually quite fitting that the lyrics to are the main focus, as they’re superbly penned, dealing with the ENRON scandal of a couple of years back.
American Appetite is heavy on the hooks, lightly smoked in some nifty jazz and builds to a positively raucous crescendo. It’s a track and a story that will keep you coming back again and again. It’s off their debut album of the same name dropping January 29th next year.
Breaking Heights – High
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7wDtVtLgdN0
Sticking in the City of Angels for this next one. High is a song I’ve gone through and listened to several times now in the writing of this, still don’t know what to make of, but nonetheless love the holy heck out of. It’s like some kind of eclectic mashup of elements of psychedelic, grunge, funk, reggae and electronic. And then that chorus, that breezy, soaring chorus is magic. Then all of a sudden, swerve, we have a rap verse but then we’re back to that skyscraping chorus again. It all just works and has me hitting the repeat button even now.
The video is amazing too, with the Breaking Heights trio taking a wander around what looks like where Trevor lived way out West in Los Santos and just having every shred of fun they can have amongst the dust and the shimmering afternoon California heat. I checked their Facebook for some more details on these guys and found it populated by a grand total of 11 people. 11! Does nobody else have ears?
If they keep putting out songs and videos as infectiously good as this that number is going to get a couple of zeroes added to it, I’m certain.
J Motor – Jungle Daze
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1fD2aN6HT8E&feature=youtu.be
Also in the business of bangers is J Motor, also known as Jonathan Vassallo, who has dropped the video for his debut single Jungle Daze this week. With soaring vocals over clever trap beats, J Motor also samples the trumpeting of elephants, those wise old lords of the animal kingdom, Jungle Daze has summer written all over it. The video is a vibrant explosion of colour, featuring elephants, cobras, crocodiles, waterfalls and a whole bunch of other jungle staples.
Not only that, but J Motor’s aim behind the song was to raise both awareness and financial assistance for the plight of elephants around the world, so even if you don’t dig the track, that’s a message everyone can get behind!
Metric – The Governess
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YvIuswQc1XY&feature=youtu.be
Toronto indie rockers Metric have released the latest single from their sixth studio album Pagans In Vegas this week. The Governess is beautifully simple and slow burning rock, the twang of the acoustic guitar riff and the slow stomp of the beat perfect for the music video documenting the lonesome journey of frontwoman Emily Haines down a highway somewhere between California and Nevada and into Las Vegas both in the glitzy neon of the strip and the seedy underbelly just beyond it.
I loved this video purely because of the intense nostalgia of an American road trip of my own a few years ago, if you’ve ever done a similar trip or even just been to Vegas, you’ll love this too.
The Tallest Man On Earth – Darkness Of The Dream
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lI7J018XGiY
Having released his latest album Dark Bird Is Home to an uproar of critical acclaim earlier this year, The Tallest Man On Earth, otherwise known as uber-talented Swedish musician Kristian Matsson, has this week released a video for the latest single from that LP, Darkness Of The Dream.
Full of gorgeous scenic shots in areas both leafy and barren and juxtaposed with some fantastic contemporary dance routines, the song and clip are gloriously warm and soul-stirring (there’s also a puppy!). The Tallest Man On Earth is responsible for some of the most beautifully introspective music around and he’s done it again with Darkness Of The Dream.
City Calm Down – Son
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h_vimerqyJo
Currently basking in the end of a mammoth breakout year and the recent release of their amazing debut album In A Restless House after three long years in the making are Melbourne rockers City Calm Down. Son was the last single they released before dropping that album and they’ve now dropped the accompanying video for the track.
Son is full of crafty hooks and melodies, subtle horns dancing around the molten, echoing baritone of frontman Jack Bourke. It’s just one of a wide range of styles the band melded an album out of and most of all it’s catchy as all hell, especially that whirlwind chorus. The video, entirely in black and white, features the band playing in a grand cathedral. Bourke croons from the front of the church, a monk twirling around in a visual representation of the internal struggle of the song.
Marvellous.