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
It’s Wednesday, four nights before what ended up being the best New Year celebration of my life, Beyond The Valley. Following a car ride from Melbourne city out to the Lardner festival and setting up the campsite, it was boogie time almost immediately, with a mystery international guest in tow to entertain the earlybird campers. And so, the festival began with an intimate set from none other than Claptone, whose chiming house tunes bellowed through the central park, gathering all attendees into the one spot for the first and last time of the festival – an amazing way to kick things off.
Image: Facebook – Beyond The Valley
Day 2
Waking up on day two, the skies were looking dim, and to make matters even more interesting a heavy storm was predicted to hit mid to late afternoon. So, we got out to as much as we possibly could. Alex Lahey cleared the skies and brought the sun and good vibes with her, delivering her signature Australian twang and down to earth lyrics making for a warm welcome to the main festival. Running through tracks from her debut EP like Wes Anderson, and PTSD early on, she amped up the crowd with the inevitable revelry of Let’s Go Out, and closing number You Don’t Think You Like People Like Me.
There was no question though, that the day peaked early with Boy Better Know’s CEO JME, drawing an energetic crowd at 3PM. Joined by BBK’s resident DJ, DJ Maximum, JME opened on strong with his latest album’s title track Integrity. Being his first ever Australian show, there was a solid mix of both classics alongside the more recent album cuts, smoothly transitioning from the tracks like Serious to Taking Over.
The energy in the crowd was wild, despite many not being fully aware of the artist, who is also the brother of grime’s standout king Skepta. Still, his raw and gritty delivery atop booming instrumentals was so on point that they were impactful whether you’d heard them before or not. Adding to the stage antics, at one point an Australian cork hat was thrown on stage, and JME proceeded to flip some of his verses and freestyle about Australia and the hat itself.
Soon, the rain began to pour, showering onlookers with much needed cool water. We were drenched from top to bottom, but we were happy with one of the highlights of the entire festival.
Image: Semplesize – Christopher Cohen
The storm picked up even stronger, so headed back to the tent to gather out gumboots and ponchos, ready to head to the main stage. While JME took us into the rain, GoldLink braved the storm and pulled us out the other end. Although he arrived little late (no doubt because of the rain), his DJ did an amazing job to keep the energy up and the worries away, playing tracks like Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head and Migos’ Bad and Boujee.
GoldLink emerged, thankful that his fans actually still came out in such weather. Tracks like Sober Thoughts and Dark Skinned Women had the intimate yet devoted crowd belting his lyrics, and the energy really heightened when he had a little covers jam, dropping tracks like Next Episode, Killing in the Name Of and Smells Like Teen Spirit. Sliding back into his own hits, Dance on Me and Fall In Love provided just the right upbeat energy needed to create another magical moment.
Thundamentals came through next with yet another energetic set that helped us forget about the weather. Joined by a DJ and live trumpet, the tracks sounded fresher than ever. Tuka’s vibrancy and jumps around the stage were infectious, while tracks like Smiles Don’t Lie and Got Love worked the crowd into a sing-along frenzy, while Thunda’s experienced their very first mudslide.
The highlight of the night came courtesy of Hermitude, who had a fully live set with an MPC (drum machine), turntables, keys and synths to bring their tunes to life. A well balanced mix of their own productions alongside remixes, they flipped tunes from Rihanna, Kanye and even The Lion King in between their own hits. Blitzhing through the classics, Speak of the Devil had an amazing breakdancing video, Searchlight featured a special appearance from Yeo, and of course Hyperparadise, which they couldn’t play without the Flume remix, resulting in a sea of screams and a chant of “I don’t have to worry!” As if the good vibes couldn’t get any better, they even handed out a gnome to the crowd, as this apparently brings good luck to whomever touches it. The only thing left was The Buzz, and boy did that go off.
Day 3
After Hudson Mohawke pulled out of his Australian tour, the anticipation was even higher for his TNGHT collaborator Lunice. Known for his dark, bass heavy beats, it was extremely weird to see him perform bright and early at 3pm. nevertheless, the Canadian’s DJ set was really fun and entirely unexpected. Rather than stay behind the decks pumping fists, he climbed on the table, partied with the crowd, and most of all took us on a journey (one that didn’t include actual DJing, clearly). Gliding through tracks from Rihanna, Travis Scott, Chance The Rapper, Goldlink and Kanye to name a few, he also delivered grime from Skepta, Novelist and producer Faze Miyake. From there, it only got heavier, with BPM continuously rising to a point of experimental hardstyle, and his own TNGHT tracks Higher Ground and Buggn. It ended suddenly, and we wished it could’ve lasted much longer.
Things took another turn with Luke Million, who delivered the funkiest set in the dance tent. 80s dance musicinspired dance music had the listeners grooving to their hearts content, and rather than simply spin tracks he too was performing live with additional synths and keys. When Arnold dropped, the audience followed suit in incredible fashion, squatting up and down to the bodybuilder-turned-politician’s voice, while Luke fired up the stage with a belter of a keytar solo, all in all making for an incredible moment. Of course, his Stranger Things remix was another hit, having enjoyed massive runaway success last year.
Returning to the state they used to call home, The Delta Riggs were certainly welcomed warmly. Keeping the energy high singer Elliott Hammond kicked the set into gear, quite literally with his bag of stage theatrics. Each track felt livelier and livelier. The Record’s Flawed and … got the crowd in a ramble, and despite the early microphone failures which popped and crackled through tracks, their raw bravado and punk nature kept things full steam ahead. Supersonic Casualties rung out through the arena as their final track, and regardless of their psychedelic sound their set had taken us on one hell of a trip.
Image: Tone Deaf – Brandon John
Emoh Instead of What So Not fame was the first of the three heavyweight acts to grace the main stage that night. If you had to describe his set in one word, fat would be it. Every drop felt bassier, grittier, deeper than the next, and pulled the crowd further into his grip. He delivered a varied set of his own tunes and remixes, including his own heavenly trap take on the Stranger Things theme. We sang to Gemini, moshed to Tell Me and Waiting, and went wild to Jaguar.
As far as stage setups go, ZHU’s eerily cloaked band members was incredible. His set was jazzy, funk rhythms, delicately wrapped up in a range of bouncing beats. With the addition of live guitar and saxophone from the cloaked band members, the American producer’s electronic jams sounded tastier than ever. Each tune received warm praise, but it wasn’t until Faded that the crowd really livened up in the latter end of his set. All in all while I enjoyed his set, the change from What So Not was so different that I found myself really just craving the next act.
The man of the hour year, festival headliner Chance The Rapper was the next and final to appear on the main stage for the night. Showing up around 10 minutes late, he wasted no time, jumping right into Angels. Cutting the track half way through, he switched to Blessings, before apologising for having lost his voice. It was clear that his voice was cracking a little, but it seemed so sincere and genuine, and the energy did not waver for a moment. Lesser artists would have cancelled with a lost voice, yet he pushed through, delivering the best set of the entire festival. Introducing Acid Rap, he then delved into some favourites like Pusha Man, Cocoa Butter Kisses and Favourite Song. He then performed a couple of tracks he’d guested on, namely Action Bronson’s Baby Blue (which he dedicated to his ex) and of course, the brilliant Ultralight Beam.
But he wasn’t done just yet. After a brief wait, Chance launched into a back-to-back medley of No Problem, Mixtape and All Night, bringing the energy higher than ever. Thanks to The Social Experiment behind him, he was also able to change things up a bit in comparison to the recordings, delivering a stripped-back, heartfelt All We Got and Blessings part 2 as the final track, blasting confetti out over the crowd. Frankly, only thing keeping this from being a perfect set was that the audience surrounding me weren’t as hyped as they should have been.
Image: Tone Deaf – Brandon John
Day 4
Finally at long last, New Year’s eve had arrived, bringing clear skies and good vibes along with it. The daytime was mainly focused on electronic singer-songwriters, with our favourite being the super talented Wafia. Delivering one of the most solemn performances of the festival, her emotive yet danceable music was the perfect kick off for the day. Racing through her own jams alongside those produced with collaborator Ta-ku, and we even got a glimpse into new material with an ‘unnamed track which doesn’t yet have a home’. While her performance was relaxed, and the audience mimicked this, the atmosphere was still extremely positive, and the set was so enjoyable.
Brisbane’s stoner rock heroes Dune Rats contrasted these calm vibes with a weed-filled whirlwind soon after. Walking out onstage to the Rocky theme song and jumping straight into Dalai Lama, Big Banana, Marijuana, it packed a mean punch from the get go. Tracks like Fuck It and Superman are perfect for festival sing-alongs, and later, they held a shoey competition, even giving a fan the stage for one song. What followed was a sloppy reinterpretation of Nirvana’s Smells Like Teen Spirit, yet once the drums slapped in, the mosh went wild, before they ended their set with the unruly Bullshit.
Image: AAA Backstage – Emily Mathison
Tokimonsta matched Lunice as my favourite DJ set of the festival, with her incredible ability to really transport the crowd. Beginning with hip-hop bangers like The Next Episode and Alright, it soon blended into trap, slowly getting heavier, bassier and more experimental, keeping punters on their toes. She also played a new track that she has in the works with one of our favourite artists Anderson .Paak, a tune we’ll be eagerly waiting for.
The night was now fully underway, with 2017 fast approaching. Phantogram delivered a gritty and dark set which masterfully demonstrated their blend of hip-hop, rock and electronic vibes. Their stage presence was intoxicating, especially when You Don’t Get Me High Anymore rang out, setting the bar high for the rest of the night.
Canberra kings Safia came through next with a mystical performance. Playing crowd favourite My Love Is Gone early on, the bass vibrated to a new level, and with only a few tracks into their set, the man next to me claimed that he could now die happy. Make Them Wheels Roll added to the adrenaline, but the major highlight was when the trio merged Led Zeppelin into their hit Counting Sheep.
As the countdown neared, Sticky Fingers took to the stage for one of the final sets before their hiatus. It was a bittersweet moment, and the topic of many discussions among the mosh. While they were meant to show up ten minutes before the countdown, the lads decided to take it time, only arriving in time for the ten second countdown.
Confetti exploded as the crowd cheered their way into the year, as the band launched into Australia Street, followed by Our Town and Gold Snafu; this was the the blast into the year we wanted, and we got. Gliding through their catalogue, it was clear that despite the controversy facing them of late, their fans are as dedicated as ever belting out every word as if it was their own. After playing through some recent tunes, their classic material really took the cake, Rum Rage, Caress Your Soul and of course closing with How To Fly made for a great start to a (hopefully) great year.
Image: Sam Brumby
The night was coming to a close, but first, Motez and Dom Dolla rounded it off in amazing fashion. With Motez on the hill and Dom in the tent, each set went off and kept the party going until 3am.
At risk of sounding reductive, everything about this year’s Beyond The Valley was incredible. The music was loud, and I mean loud. The stage designs were next level, and each even had its own side-of-stage DJ booth to keep the party going between sets. The people, food, bars and campsites were great, but it was the music curation that really won out. Okay, we would have preferred a bit more hip-hop, but that’s just us. The variety of local and visiting talent was so solid, and it made for the best possible way to ring in the new year. Bring on BTW 2017-8!
Header Image: Facebook – Beyond The Valley
It’s almost that time of that year, where merry festival-goers nationwide journey to the remote Lardner Park to party their hearts out and ring in the New Year with style at Beyond The Valley. If you haven’t yet got the memo, this year in particular is boasting Beyond The Valley’s biggest lineup yet, showcasing an even wider range of hip-hop, electronic and rock artists then ever before.
If you’re still contemplating whether to go or not, or simply aren’t just entirely sure who to see, don’t worry, we got you! Here’s our top ten picks for Victoria’s tastiest New Years fest.
Jme
If you don’t know his voice by now, have you been living under a rock? Born in Hackney and raised in Tottenham, Jme is one of UK Grime’s early originators, and is a definite must see. Co-founder of Boy Better Know alongside his brother, who you may know from last year’s Beyond the Valley in Skepta, Jme has been making music for over 10 years now, cementing himself as one of the realest in the genre.
His most recent album Intergrity > embodied this. One of the hardest albums from the UK in recent times, it was an incredible mix of bravado, lyricism and classically grimey beats. Make sure you don’t miss out on one of the finest proponents of a genre that has never been more popular.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rivFCwwvoh8
Alex Lahey
Dropping her critically acclaimed B-Grade University EP back in July, and performing on Splendour In The Grass’ main stage as a Triple J Unearthed winner, it feels like almost overnight that Alex Lahey managed to brand herself as one of this year’s most promising breakout Aussie acts.
Backed by her upbeat and entirely feel-good style of garage rock, it’s almost the perfect soundtrack for those New Year vibes and hits like Let’s Go Out Tonight and You Don’t Think You Like People Like Me will be sure to make the crowd go wild.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GDBqxBbdWS8
Ryan Hemsworth
From his distinctive sampling style, mixed alongside his even more notable electronic and hip-hop sound, there’s an adept level of diversity with Ryan Hemsowrth as he produces anything from a complex soundscape to a bass heavy trap tune.
No doubt the Canadian is one of the more unique producers around at the moment, and live this is no different. His mixes share this variety, smoothly transitioning from the ill-est trap to the cleanest house tune in a heartbeat. We’d also like to acknowledge that Ryan is definitely our favourite Hemsworth and it’s not even close.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=14-OVAmgFo0
GoldLink
Despite performing so recently at this year’s Laneway Festival, we definitely aren’t going to complain that Washington emcee GoldLink is back so soon. He’s not coming empty handed though, since then he’s gone on to drop two new singles, the sultry Kaytranada and BADBADNOTGOOD-produced Fall In Love, alongside the equally groovy Rough Soul.
Adding these to his already diverse range of festival favourites, we can’t wait to see him bring his slick flow and dance-inspired raps back to our shores.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OX6_tfJaFaM
Motez
Arguably one of Australia’s best dance producers at the moment, it doesn’t take much to be drawn in to Motez’s deep and booming house sound. From his signature funky bass-lines, to his irresistible grooves and soaring synths, it’s a combination that can easily slip you into a trance and have you dancing for hours on end.
No doubt you’ll see us cutting shapes when Motez time comes.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7LkorIdXrHw
What So Not
Despite losing founding member Flume in February of last year, Emoh Instead has been continually repping the What So Not name, and damn has he been putting in work. His latest EP Divide & Conquer without a doubt was his boldest work yet, packed to the brim with an array of choppy sounds and banging beats and contrasted with yet another selection of sky-high electronic ballads.
With this kind of diversity, who knows what he might bring to his set at Beyond the Valley. All we know is we’ll be grooving hard.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jsvPgCAAq1Y
Sticky Fingers
Armed with an even larger selection of powerhouse rock anthems with the addition of their latest album Westway (The Glitter & the Slums), this certainly wouldn’t be a top ten list without a mention of our favourite Sydney lads Sticky Fingers.
While we’re still recovering from their truly mind-blowing set at this year’s Splendour, their truly infectious blend of hard-hitting rock riffs, reggae-infused grooves and bellow-along choruses can’t come sooner, and we can’t wait to vibe out to them once again.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AQ-pnbOxhcY
Kllo
Amidst all the moshing, shape cutting, and throat ripping sing-alongs, it’s helpful to your festival stamina to take things down a notch once in a while to avoid burning yourself out too quickly, and what better than with the cousin duo act Kllo. With singer Chloe Kaul’s beautifully luscious tone gliding over a range of their down-tempo and house influenced beats, it’s hard to deny the pair’s unmistakable chemistry.
Coming off the release of their debut EP, this invigorating duo certainly aren’t to be missed.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NYd4t5uINNY
Lunice
It’s been quite a few years since we last saw the Canadian bass king, but luckily for us he’s made it back. While you may know him for his work alongside Hudson Mohawke (also at BTV) with their duo TNGHT, Lunice‘s solo work is just as incredible, with a brutally dark and heavy sound that needs to be heard to be believed.
At the start of this year, Lunice onfirmed that his debut album 360 would be arriving sometime throughout, but despite this acknowledgement there still haven’t been any signs… yet. Perhaps Beyond The Valley will be the place we might finally hear some of these heavily anticipated tunes?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wv70IhlW5D4
Chance The Rapper
If you weren’t planning on seeing Lil Chano, seriously…what are you thinking? Chance The Rapper is without a doubt one of the most genuine, talented artists in the game right now. After just three projects and a slew of collabs, his unique, loveable and feel-good sound has captured the hearts of millions worldwide, branding him as one of the most vital artists of our time.
While we can’t predict the future, it’s safe to say that seeing Chance live will be a lot more than your average gig, so just make sure you’re there to recieve these blessings, and if you’re having an off day and still need more reasons to see Chance? Check this out: What to Expect from Chance the Rapper’s Debut Australian Tour!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eedeXTWZUn8
Beyond The Valley:
28 December 2016 – 1 January 2017
Lardner Park, Victoria
Get Tickets Here!
Image: This Is Radelaide
Witnessing the career trajectory of Newtown’s favourite vagabonds Sticky Fingers has been one of the more remarkable stories in Australian rock and roll. Rock stars in the most honest sense of the word, they swaggered onto the scene as young and hungry upstarts on debut Caress Your Soul, they reached a near-untouchable pinnacle on sophomore effort Land Of Pleasure and they’ve since faltered and recorded the drop and the steady rise back to the top on third LP Westway (The Glitter & The Slums).
Here finding themselves burnt out to within an inch of the band’s life after near non-stop touring for Land Of Pleasure, Sticky Fingers were on the verge of a break-up before Westway was recorded. It’s easy to see why they probably felt invincible after their last record skyrocketed them to the upper echelon of Australian rock bands. Where Land Of Pleasure was their chest-beating call from the mountaintops having just planted their flag, Westway, recorded in tropical paradise in Thailand as the band unwound themselves from each other and their heavy lifestyle, is Sticky Fingers’ stepping down from the edge and acknowledging their own vulnerability.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AQ-pnbOxhcY
Opening track One By One, a steady, blissful, almost Strokes-y rocker, reacquaints the listener with the band, frontman Dylan Frost singing in a weary voice “we reached for the stars but it fell downwards”. His voice strengthens across a redemptive chorus, wailing that they’re “picking up the pieces one by one”. You get the sense that this is the headspace Sticky Fingers wrote and recorded this album in; broken, frazzled, but determined.
Lead single Outcast At Last, with its swaggering, funk-heavy riff that reeks of Chilli Peppers snarls through the speakers, that same supreme confidence that permeated Land Of Pleasure still palpable here. Sad Songs quickens the pace and is one of the most upbeat moments of the record. The hook of the chorus (“what’s the use complaining when your love is gone”) is positively intoxicating, so is the bass line from Paddy Cornwall that scuttles across the track and a ripping guitar solo from axeman Seamus Coyle too. The band flip the bird at the sadness that had been dragging them down, here admitting that they weren’t themselves and pushing forward with renewed vigour.
Angel is a slow-building break-up song, cresting to an emotional wave that crashes across the chorus. Second single Our Town resonates with gentle summer vibes and softness. Sticky Fingers, outspoken in the past on the state of Sydney and its night life in a world post-lockout laws here instead reflect on the good that still comes out of that city. As Frost sings in the chorus, this is their town and they won’t let bureaucracy and greed blemish what they can make of it.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-OXYTWVHeZA
Westway makes a shift in sonic direction from here. You’d be forgiven for thinking Stickies might have ditched their signature reggae-infused sound listening solely to those first five traditional rock-heavy songs, but on the title track we’re treated to the familiar molasses-thick grooves and cosmic synths that Sticky Fingers have entranced listeners with across their first two albums.
Something Strange pours the reggae rhythms on generously and marks the only feature on the album, this one employing the lyrical talents of Remi, whose understated and smoky flow blends so well with Sticky Fingers’ signature sound you’d assume he was the sixth member. Something Strange is the meeting of two of the best young Australian talents in their fields of rock and hip-hop and it works perfectly.
Flight 101 is another high point on the record. Slow-burning and anchored by icy keys from Freddy Crabs, the chorus hook of “I used to be scared of flying, now I wanna fall out the sky” is one of the best lines the band have ever put to paper. There’s an undercurrent of darkness and nihilism here, Frost’s vocals smouldering over the verses as he croons about selling his soul for cigarettes.
Tongue & Cheek rips back in with a giant mid-00s rock riff and rapid fire percussion pummelling your ears from Beaker Best. Amillionite is a rare acoustic moment from Sticky Fingers, Frost singing over a jangly riff. “You can hide upon a shelf but you’ll never get away from yourself, not in your wildest dreams”, he warbles. Intentionally or not, you get the sense that he’s singing this about the band itself in response to their near break-up. There’s a beautiful lighter-waving outro that some festival crowd will be singing back to the band one day before final track No Divide plays the record out, punk rock chord progression and some more mournful Chillis-esque guitar licks over drum n bass beats
As you wrap up Westway, you find yourself almost relieved that Sticky Fingers made it. That they didn’t break up. Not when they’re capable of sweeping, introspective, clever, self-effacing and sonically satisfying records like this, all at once powerful and vulnerable. It’s not all glitter and they might not be in their fictional Land of Pleasure anymore, but it’s also not all bad either. It feels like the trials and tribulations that led to this record were worth it, because it finally feels like Sticky Fingers are comfortable in their own skin as a band.
It’s a two horse race between Sticky Fingers and Violent Soho for biggest rock band in the country right now, and we are all the better for being able to bear witness to it.
Image: ABC
After delivering an incredible set at Splendour in The Grass 2016, Sydney lads Sticky Fingers have announced details of their forthcoming third album, along with tour dates for its grand debut.
Their third album is to be titled Westway (The Glitter & The Slums), and was recorded at the start of 2016 over four weeks at Karma Studios in Thailand, along with producer Dann Hume. The album is said to contain their darkest lyrics yet, with the band addressing the tolls that years of endless touring has taken on the five-piece.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AQ-pnbOxhcY
“The team surrounding Sticky Fingers were really worried about this record,” writes bassist Paddy Cornwall. “Last year we found our threshold in terms of how much time we could spend on the road… I recall being on some kind of month long December bender and missed my first flight [to Thailand]. Then Bowie died and I didn’t have anyone to drink with. I’m still banned from Qantas and I don’t know why. Once we’d settled in though it was magic. A studio built into a villa on the beach. An uncomfortable number of maids and kitchen hands. We spent almost the entire month all clad in white. It felt like we’d checked into rehab, except this time we actually wanted to be there because we were creating something beautiful together.”
Keyboardist Freddy Crabs also explains, “Westway is lyrically darker… It deals with rehab, break ups and loneliness, mixed with the transient nature of constantly being on the road and what that does to our bodies and our heads. The sound is more mature, heavier hitting but we still keep the sticky flavours in the pot to keep it all together. Expect stronger musicianship, bigger and better solos, fucked up synths and high falsettos… Westway is gonna be the best, it’s special album and a moving story that I’ll keep close to my heart for ever.”
Westway (The Glitter & The Slums) is set for release on Friday 30th September. Find all tour dates, artwork and tracklist below, and head to the band’s official website for tickets and more information.
Westway (The Glitter & The Slums) Tracklist
1. One By One
2. Outcast At Last
3. Sad Songs
4. Angel
5. Our Town
6. Westway
7. Something Strange (Feat. Remi)
8. Flight 101
9. Tongue & Cheek
10. Amillionite
11. No Divide
Sticky Fingers tour dates:
Fri, Oct 28th: Enmore Theatre, Sydney
Fri, Nov 4th: The Tivoli, Brisbane
Sat, Nov 5th: NightQuarter, Gold Coast
Fri, Nov 11th: Odeon Theatre, Hobart
Sat, Nov 12th: Festival Hall, Melbourne
Fri, Nov 18th: Metro City, Perth
Written with Emily Fernandez
Image: Supplied
Friday night of yet another long weekend and Melbourne’s Forum Theatre is buzzing, shrouded in a collective cloud of smoke. Sydney band Sticky Fingers have sold out this third-last date of their national tour. As the night quickly proves, perhaps no venue other than this, the one known for its strangely comforting mix of opulence and grunge and the nude statues that flank the stage, would have been as fitting.
Taking to a purple-lit stage after a few technical difficulties, Sti Fi are quick to prove that nothing is going to slow them down. Frontman Dylan Frost descends from the shoulders he was carried in on and the set starts with Land of Pleasure, sending the audience into a frenzy from the drop of the first note. Having made it just in time for the start of the set, we find ourselves a lot further back than we’d expected, but from here the pulsating sea of a crowd looks nothing short of a sweaty, rowdy, gorgeous mess. This is something Frost points out a couple of times throughout the set, most pointedly when he drawls that everyone is looking “fucking luscious” from where he stands up on stage tonight. Between the first and second songs, he picks up a package that’s been thrown on stage and is stoked to find it contains a floral bucket hat – the only thing his outfit was missing.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=60Uev-p406I
Launching into These Girls for the first all in singalong of the night, there is a glimmer of concern that perhaps Sti Fi are going to burn bright a little too quickly. No such fucking luck. Even when they try out new, previously unheard material from the album they tell us is currently being mixed right here in Melbourne, the excitement from the audience feeds back to the stage and builds upon itself the entire set. Maybe it’s down to the fact that while there’s no questioning that everyone present is a massive fan, Sti Fi kind of feel like you’re seeing your mate’s band – which means you’re comfortable enough to let completely lose. There’s no doubt that it’s in partly down to their own rep as the loosest legends out. There is no feeling of “us” and “them” dividing things up between the people on stage and those they dive onto to surf around the theatre.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1MpRnAIbZaI
Which is where things take a strange turn, even for a rowdy Sti Fi show. They’ve played a stellar set of songs from the contagiously sunny Gold Snafu to Just For You with what is still one of the finest refrains going around to Liquourlip Loaded Gun which fills the entire massive room as though it is theirs alone. But when Frost launches into the crowd at the end of the song, there’s a long pause of concern that drifts right from the front to the very back pews of the theatre – because he takes his sweet time resurfacing.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yMyz8xVp8-s
It is another two minutes or so before we see someone clamber back up on stage. A light shining on what is now a bare-arsed Frost as he grabs the mic and calls out with a laugh a particularly rowdy section of the crowd who are brandishing his pants like a pirate flag. Even now it’s hard to discern if Frost is genuine in his amusement – especially considering that after strutting around covering himself with his hands while the pants were being coaxed out the clutches of the crowd, he finds his trousers ripped to shreds and walks off stage for a good while. Bassist Paddy Cornwall tells us to hang tight: earlier in the night we had “instrumental issues, now we’re having musician issues.” Fair enough, really. The rest of the band are left to tinker around on stage as best they can while Frost sorts his situation out, but when they stop their instrumental interlude after a few minutes, everyone starts to wonder if he’s coming back at all.
But he does, in pants a fair few sizes too big and launches right into Rum Rage. The rest of the set plays out smoothly and at one point, we wonder if he’s going to jump back in for another go, but he doesn’t. Outcast At Last has only been out for a month, but it’s already a firm favourite. How To Fly flows into closer Australia Street which is the most fun of the night, placing us perfectly in that wonderful space between reggae, psych and rock that Sti Fi do so well.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TETVNH3k8Ag
The green and gold lights fade to purple and Sticky Fingers leave the stage, Frost pulling down the pants he’s commandeered to flash us his smiley face tattoo and flip the bird. There is no encore. Still, everyone hangs back a while in hopes of seeing them play one more before they leave for the US in a few days time. It isn’t until the lights come back on and we can see all the statues and the wrecked floor clearly that everyone spills out onto the street, buzzing for that new Sti Fi album and their return. One thing is for sure: they’re going to be fucking brilliant at Splendour.
Read our interview with Sti Fi’s bassist, Paddy: Sticky Fingers: ‘It seems like the current government couldn’t care less about live music or art’.
We were lucky to catch Sticky Fingers last week in Sydney, where they performed to not one, but three sell out crowds at the regaled Enmore Theatre, following equally sold out shows throughout Perth, Cairns and Airlie Beach. This week sees the band heading back up north to Byron Bay, before visiting Melbourne and Brisbane, with the tour concluding this Sunday, April 24. Immediately afterwards, Sticky Fingers head off to the USA and Canada for a full month-long tour from April 27 – May 27.
The much-loved Sydney boys have gone from strength to strength in recent years, and it’s been amazing to see their fanbase, not to mention audience numbers, growing every single time they release new music or announce a new tour. No doubt one of Australia’s strongest exports, having performed across the USA, UK, Europe and beyond last year, we were on ground to catch them at the much-revered venue in their hometown.
Read our recent interview with Sticky Finger
Sticky Fingers Tour Dates
Wed, Apr 20: The Great Northern, Byron Bay
Thur, Apr 21: The Great Northern, Byron Bay
Fri, Apr 22: The Forum, Melbourne
Sat, Apr 23: The Tivoli, Brisbane
Sun, Apr 24: The Tivoli, Brisbane
King Tide
Sticky Fingers
Photos: Dani Hansen/Howl & Echoes
Australia’s loosest legends Sticky Fingers are back with their new song Outcast At Last and a trippy video to go with it. The song was released yesterday on triple J and is already got people fiending for their forthcoming album due out later this year.
The video looks like some kind of psychedelic gangster film, similar to what you would get if you mixed Fear and Loathing with Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels. The song itself has a heavier, more forceful sound than the sun kissed, mellow vibes of 2014’s Land of Pleasure, leaving us to wonder what we’re in store for when their new album drops. One thing that hasn’t changes is frontman Dylan Frost‘s strange but awesome head bobbing and groovy dance moves which previously featured in the video for Liquor Lip Loaded Gun.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AQ-pnbOxhcY&feature=youtu.be
It’s the first new music we’ve heard from the Sydney lads since they released their cover of The Specials‘ Ghost Town protesting lockout laws in their home town. In our interview with Paddy from the band, he said, “We just heard that song, I think someone was playing it in the car and we were driving through Kings Cross at the time and we were just laughing about how well-suited the soundtrack was to what we were sort of seeing, which was just the dead fucking streets of what was once a very populated and fun place to be out at night.”
After spending 2015 touring the USA, Canada, Europe, UK and New Zealand, the guys are back on home soil and embarking on a huge, already mostly sold out national tour.
Catch them on the following dates if you’re lucky enough to get a ticket:
Sun, Mar 27: The Beer Farm, Margaret River
Mon, Mar 28: Astor Theatre, Perth
Fri, Apr 1: Tanks Art Centre, Cairns
Sat, Apr 2: Tanks Art Centre, Cairns
Sat, Apr 3: Magnums Hotel, Airlie Beach
Fri, Apr 15: The Enmore, Syndney
Sat, Apr 16: The Enmore, Sydney
Sun, Apr 17: The Enmore, Sydney
Wed, Apr 20: The Great Northern, Byron Bay
Thur, Apr 21: The Great Northern, Byron Bay
Fri, Apr 22: The Forum, Melbourne
Sat, Apr 23: The Tivoli, Brisbane
Sun, Apr 24: The Tivoli, Brisbane
Sydney heroes Sticky Fingers have enjoyed quite the rise to the top. Coming from humble beginnings cutting their teeth around the Sydney area, putting in the hard yards gigging in small-capacity pubs and clubs before releasing their debut album Caress Your Soul and rocketing into the national consciousness off the back of hits like Australia Street, These Girls and the title track from that album.
They’ve toured nationally and globally since then, dropping album number two Land Of Pleasure last year and blowing up even more. They’ve been hard at work in 2015, slogging out a tour of the US and Canada, getting in the studio for their much anticipated third album and playing a homecoming show at The Enmore in Sydney that sold out before the band even announced it. Somewhere in that stretch they found the time to record a Stickies-flavoured cover of The Specials 1981 hit, Ghost Town, a track that takes aim squarely at Sydney’s lockout laws and the effect they’ve had on the local music and arts scene.
We had the privilege of a chat with Paddy Cornwall, the charismatic, good-natured and outstandingly articulate bassist for Sticky Fingers earlier this week.
Hey Paddy, how are you going?
Yeah man I’m good. Got a fairly chilled out day today. I’m actually pretty hungover from the weekend still so I’m just picking up all the pieces once again. We’ve got that Newcastle show on this weekend so I guess for the rest of this week we’ll just try and stay out of trouble and keep writing songs for this album we’re supposed to be recording in December.
Beautiful, now by ‘that Newcastle show’ you of course mean This That Festival this weekend. It’s coinciding with Halloween, are you boys dressing up at all?
Oh we always dress up mate. Nah, I hadn’t really thought that far ahead yet. In my opinion some of the heads of the members of this band are already scary enough as is so we might just leave it this time.
Fair enough, wasn’t sure if you still had the old Freddy Crabs costumes kicking about anywhere. Could be good to crack out again.
(Laughs) That actually wouldn’t be such a bad idea.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KLmWh7uzcxk
And your present hangover is from your homecoming show at The Enmore on Saturday night, which you guys sold out without even announcing. I imagine the atmosphere would have been through the roof there, how’d it go?
Yeah it was insane man. Also to be completely honest with you, there’s an element of playing hometown shows that I actually find quite stressful because you’ve got so many of your mates who want to come. And it’s kind of ironic because for the first five years in this band we had to beg all of our mates to come along so there wasn’t nobody there and now the second five years has been trying to get them all in but they can’t so that’s quite weird.
I also tend to be the most nervous at Sydney shows as well because I care about what my friends and family think a lot more than people who I don’t know but yeah, it was a great night.
And you all did a bit for a charity by the name of Youth Off The Streets before the gig, how did the fundraising go?
Yeah we did a meat raffle, we just thought it would be funny and it was. We had a guy named Charlie MacLean who’s the singer of my dad’s band 50 Million Beers present the meat raffle, but get this right, he’s such a funny bastard that I think most people in the crowd didn’t know what the hell was going on and I think the result is what shows that. The meat tray cost $100 and in the end we received $132 bucks (laughs).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=afi3Ly3f8uA
Well hey, at least you broke even.
Yeah that’s it, so we’ve written a sweet little cheque for Youth Off The Streets for $132, we hope they can put it towards something.
$132 big ones that they hopefully don’t spend all at once. We’ll move on to the other big news for you boys at the moment which is Ghost Town, your cover of The Specials song which dropped in the last fortnight and is your first new material since Land Of Pleasure dropped last year.
Yeah that’s it my man, and I guess we kind of just wanted to put something out just to give to all of our fans while they’re waiting for album number three. We were planning on being able to drop something from the album a little bit earlier than this but just with all of the touring and stuff the process is just kind of taking a little longer. Don’t worry though, we’re not about to chuck a Chinese Democracy on you. We’re not as precious… yet.
Axl Rose leaves some big shoes to fill.
Yeah we definitely won’t be like that. You’ll be hearing the first takes off the new album early next year around February or March.
Well even though it is a cover, it’s good that you didn’t leave us hanging, I know there are a lot of your fans out there fiending for new Stickies. I wanted to ask how you guys approach that song in terms of putting your own imprint on it?
Well one thing that we did is we figured out that the chorus parts with the ‘la-la-la’s’ and everything that those melodies still sound really beautiful. We changed all the chords to major chords from minor chords so if you listen to The Specials’ version it sounds a lot spookier and ghost-y I guess but we sort of brought a whole kind of nostalgic vibe.
We just heard that song, I think someone was playing it in the car and we were driving through Kings Cross at the time and we were just laughing about how well-suited the soundtrack was to what we were sort of seeing, which was just the dead fucking streets of what was once a very populated and fun place to be out at night.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sJTyi9GiM7w
Absolutely. I want to move on to the reason Sydney’s become such a ghost town in a second but I wanted to ask if you’d heard any feedback from anyone in or around The Specials since you released the song?
We’re actually good mates with The Specials’ accountant of all people (laughs). He’s a guy by the name of Grant who we met. He’s from London but he was doing this kind of surf camp somewhere on the East Coast of Australia many moons ago. We kind of made this deal with the surf camp once that we’d play a gig for them if we could stay there the night for free because we had no money and nowhere to go. So yeah, we’ve stayed in touch with him ever since and he dropped us a line and said it was tip top so that was nice.
Couldn’t think of anyone quite more opposite to running a surf camp than an accountant from London but there you go. Well, moving on to Sydney’s lockout laws which I know you guys are all very vocal about. I myself live in Brisbane where we don’t have these kind of stringent laws in place just yet so I’m kind of in the dark as far as what it’s actually like to deal with it. Could you tell us as a band from the Sydney area what your own experiences are with those laws?
Well it’s not so much us that I’m worried about. Our focus is on the way that it in particular affects arts and music. And it goes further than the lockout laws I guess but it’s just this feeling we’re getting that our current government couldn’t care less about live music or art seemingly.
When we were coming through the woodwork we were playing venues like the Annandale and the Hopetoun and the Lansdowne, these sort of salt of the earth venues, 150-300 capacity and they’re all just dropping like flies it seems. And if you don’t have those kind of places then you’re not going to get any good bands because you’ve got nowhere to carve their chops up and actually get good. Like, you’ll still have bands but they’ll just all be really shit and that’s a worry (laughs).
Definitely. Do you feel like there’s any kind of solution to this imminent or is it only looking to get worse?
Well the question is ‘what is the problem’, because I think if the problem is ‘Australia has an aggressive drinking culture’ then I don’t think that shutting down the city is the addressing the problem. I reckon maybe… well me and the lads did a surprise secret show on this day that happened about a month ago called the King Street Crawl which was in Newtown. Every single pub and club on King Street from top to tail had live music from midday to midnight and we really enjoyed that. We were there the whole time and the vibe was just so good and King Street was absolutely rammed, packed, but then get this, there was not one single report of violence on that day.
I reckon the reason for that is that people, if they’re engaged in something good like watching a band for instance, they haven’t even got time to think about punching someone and I guess maybe that’s where Kings Cross went wrong where they predominantly have strip clubs and ‘doof doof’ clubs. I’m not saying those two things can’t be a hell of a lot of fun but maybe instead of shutting down the city maybe the government could have stepped in to help organise actual events and things happening in Kings Cross if you know what I mean.
It’s keeping people engaged and with positive energy instead of negative bullshit.
Let’s hope they can work something out. Now Sticky Fingers just got done touring the US and Canada, how are the crowds over there continuing to receive you guys?
Yeah it was our second time in Canada and it’s going great my man. It kind of feels like what Australia and New Zealand felt like a few years ago, so we’re sort of playing around 500 cap rooms and they’ve been real hot and sweaty.
We took our time getting over to America and to Canada and the reason for that was that we’d heard so many stories of bands going over there who blow it too early. We kind of had it in our minds to tease them along a little bit and we think it’s working so we’re all really chuffed.
It must be kind of nice to go over there, coming from here where you guys are now one of the biggest bands in the country, and to be playing shows more on the scale of your earlier days, gigs with a little bit more intimacy. Kind of like playing in a timewarp.
Yeah it is man, we love it.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hKX9rEEgb0I
Speaking of back in time, a few years back there was a collection of some of your craziest tour photographs that were released and then annotated by you all showcasing your ‘Classiest Moments’ I think of 2013. Have the levels of wild stayed as consistent on tour for Sticky Fingers or is the experience a little bit more reserved now?
Ohhhh yeah I remember that. I guess we’ve certainly got good stories to tell. One style of touring that we’ve changed from then until now is that when we go to America and Europe we’ve figured out that what’s the point of having luxury when you can’t enjoy it. Like the idea of getting hotels every night, we figured out that we really hate the whole check-in/check-out process with hotels and hotels tend to really hate us as well and we’ve been running out of hotels to stay at that will have us.
These days we travel on one of those nightliner buses that have the bunk beds and the entertainment system and the little kitchenette and toilet and stuff. That’s obviously not as fancy as staying at a nice hotel but it means that we can play a show and then hop on the bus, sleep through the night and then wake up in a new city with the whole day ahead of us. So I guess it’s a case of luxury versus saving time.
For sure, saving a whole lot of time and wrecked hotel rooms I’m sure. You’re about to now tour Europe with that strategy in the next few weeks. Is there anywhere in particular that you look forward to playing when you’re over there?
I guess what’s really nice about being in a touring band is that over the years you sort of make all of these friends all over the place. Amsterdam in particular is a place where we’ve made lots of friends and there’s a certain part of Amsterdam called Noordermarkt where we always go and hang and it almost feels like walking down King Street in Newtown because we just know all the people. Berlin is fucking great as well, which is a notorious place for having Aussies go there and never come back (laughs).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TETVNH3k8Ag
Is there any unchartered territory for you guys this time around, anywhere you haven’t toured before?
Yeah I think there’s certain parts of the UK that we haven’t hit before and it sounds like we’ve been selling out a few of those shows out which is great to here.
One place that we haven’t toured before and we’d really like to and are planning to is South America. It feels like we have a fairly sizeable untapped kind of fanbase over there so we’re going to try and get over there in 2016.
Big things in the next year. Speaking of, you mentioned before you guys are hard at work on your third album, the follow-up to Land Of Pleasure, how are you finding the process? Does it get any easier given this is your third go around at recording an album?
Nah it just gets harder and harder but not in a bad way. I guess as time goes on we get harder and harder on ourselves. I can remember seven years ago we’d play a G chord and I’d play a G on the bass and then Beaks would hit the drums and we’d be like ‘Oh wow, that’s amazing’ and just the whole idea of being in a band was amazing. These days if something doesn’t sound tip top then it gets tossed away fairly quickly so we’re pushing to find the next sound and we’ve been finding a few for sure.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-0UXhHUk6PI
Great to hear. It’s not a bad strategy by any means for a band to continue to want to top themselves like that.
Yeah otherwise it would just be boring and we’re not interested in flatlining. We built our own little studio in January that’s down in Marrickville in the Inner West of Sydney so pretty much whenever we’re not on the road we’re just down there pretty much every day just working away.
No days off, excellent. Just to wrap it up, can you give us any hints, apart from the album, of what we can look forward to from Sticky Fingers in the next 12 months. What have you guys got planned?
Some time off at some point would be really nice (laughs)
I would say you’ve just about earned it.
Yeah man. I think the plan is just going to be to get in the studio, record this album and then just tour the fuck out of it. That’s where we’re the happiest to be honest, when we’re all together and on the road. We love the touring lifestyle.
Well enjoy. I’ll let you go nurse that hangover, Paddy. Thanks heaps for the interview today and good luck with the tour of Europe and recording the new album. We look forward to hearing it!
Yeah thanks my man, nice to talk to you too. Cheers brother.
Sticky Fingers have become the latest act to speak out about the controversial lockout laws that are in place in inner Sydney today, and covered English-ska band The Specials to do so.
Having contributed to the closure of many venues and club, big and small, the laws have been the subject of rising unrest. Implemented last year, the law now has a forced lock out of 1:30am, with the sale of alcohol stopping at 3am. There has really been no change in alcohol related violence or deaths, but there has been more than a few jobs lost and venues shut down which directly affects the local music and arts scenes. With lyrics like “This town is turning into a ghost town / All the clubs are closing down,” the StiFi boys have pretty much hit the nail on the head with this one.
Speaking to triple J about the release, bassist Paddy Cornwall said of the band’s decision to do so, “A few months ago, me and the lads were listening to The Specials’ version of the song and then we all just started laughing because the lyrics are so poignant to how Sydney is feeling right now”. He went onto say, “Lockout laws and the general attitude towards culture and live music in this city, and I guess all of Australia,” before discussing Australia’s “aggressive” drinking culture and proposing the answers could (are most definitely) in education and awareness.
“You can’t just shut down a city and expect everyone’s going to go home to bed and that nothing bad is ever going to happen again — it doesn’t really work like that… It’s going to be up to new mums and dads to try and teach their kids how to drink [responsibly],” Cornwall said – and he’s exactly right. Listen to the StiFi-fied cover below and read here for our feature on just how far we have, or haven’t, come since the laws were implemented.