It's a lazy time of year for everyone - and that includes bloggers. Almost all of SClub are on holidays at the moment so keeping up the daily post is very difficult. Most music bloggers will actually write out a list of top music they've come across throughout the year, then post a few songs daily on their list (which are already prewritten). Instead we've decided to put together a list of all the bands that have played at our SClub night and then post a track on some as the days go by up until New Years (each month = 1 post).
We love putting on this night. The calibre of music has been awesome. It's been great meeting many of the artists (even have them stay for the weekend) then watching them grow as they rise in popularity throughout the year - many are now mainstream in the indie scene.
The night has also grown in popularity... we were stoked, to say the least, at the turnout of the last two gigs. We hope to continue with our success in 2007. In addition we're looking at hosting a monthly folk night as well as some intimate 'unplugged' gigs.. We'll keep you posted (sign up to our mailist for more info).

Thankyou!

Bands Played @ SClub
The Camels
Tic Toc Tokyo
Bright Red
The Paper Scissors
The Dardanelles
Roger Explosion
The Mares
The New Black
Altona
Old Kent Road
Vespers
Souls On Board
Pork Pies
Poly & The Statics
City Riots
Cloud Control
Marching Room
Dance With Voices
Tokyo Blonde
Bird Automatic
Papa Vs Pretty

Sydney, Australia
Our Xmas bash was something special. Close friends, new friends, great music and drinks. We were lucky with the weather too... a quick afternoon shower just to cool the day down - everything came together. We all chipped in and pulled our weight but a very special thanks to Chuck Sandwich who perfected the feng shui for at least 2 days (and that's not including the clean up the next day!).

The setup was incredible. A backyard garage in Glebe served as the stage for the night. with Chris Sandwich steering the PA like a master. An intimate setting - candles, couches, great music, friends and plenty of grog. We had a ball. On show we had The Holidays and Joe from The Religion (vox and keys).

First The Holidays. One of the most exciting bands to come together since the last half of 2006. They've played literally less than 5 gigs together but this clearly doesn't show. An incredibly tight band that many found similar to The Strokes. Personally, I draw comparisons with The Arctic Monkeys. Are they the first of many to come? 2007 will surely show.
They have that popular sound though retain their originality. I like to think how lucky we were to be seeing Australia's next biggest thing in the garage of The Clubhouse. Watch out for these lads Australia... We will be plugging them to death when they release their first EP early next year.

Our second and last performer for the night (unless you count my trusty iPod) was Joe Kelly from The Religion. Wow! It was special. I think I shared 'a moment' with everyone who was there for the last song (this included neighbours who 'crashed' just to hear Joe sing). Because it's xmas I can be soppy. This was the true spirit of the year.
Antony and The Johnsons was the call throughout the set, with whispers of Joe Cocker. A remarkable voice that was incredibly moving. I actually commended Joe after the set and told him I thought he sounded like Antony. "Who's Antony and The Johnsons?" Um just some gay guy in New York... I think he took offence.

The rest of the night entailed more drinks, weird straight arm dancing, a 4am cook-up, and my best impression of David Boon. For the second night in a row I found myself sleeping in the back of my car. Tis the season!

mp3: The Religion - Innercile
mp3: The Religion - Mary (Fall From Grace)
myspace

The Holidays myspace

Photos to come...

Nothing better than to kick off the xmas cheer with good old fashioned debauchery and beer - Jesus who?

With The Goons of Doom headlining the night is sure to be fun. One of my favourite bands in Sydney. A talented 5 piece from the northern beaches who are as kooky as the name suggests. Surf inspired punk indie rock (how many genres is that?) with an entertaining stage performance that resembles some kind of 1930's horror movie. Definitely worth checking out.
Also a useless fact for Angus & Julia Stone fans: the bass guitarist for the Goons occasionally takes time out to play with the two (three if you count ex Beautiful Girls member Mitch Connelly).

After a brief browse through the great Sub Pop website I happened to see that The Shins have a new video from their upcoming album Wincing The Night Away. "Phantom Limb" is one of the stronger tracks on the album, more similar to their older stuff rather than the new (it's apparent the production has been upped in their latest album - not a bad thing either... it's an excellent release).
Anyway here is the vid (posted with permission of course!). Enjoy!

Video: The Shins - Phantom Limb

Sydney, Australia
I rarely get to see enough local folk music these days. I don't think it's because the Sydney scene is lacking in that form of music, I think it's more to do with the glitzy throw it in your face style of marketing being attributed to the faster forms of music such as the emerging electro pop (nu-rave?) or traditional indie old school rock. Obviously the marketing works - I find myself there all the time. Folk rock on the other hand gets neglected by me as far as live gigs go... this is strange because at least a quarter of the stuff I listen to is folk. Maybe I should make it a new years resolution to go out and see more (these new laws being passed in NSW may help - now restaurants and bars will be allowed to have 'unplugged' bands playing in the corner).

One such band that is a new years resolution to see is Dead Letter Chorus. An incredible little band that started off as a side project for Days Like Stars and Midnight Swim members which has recently grown with the addition of a beautiful female vocalist in Gabrielle Huber. Their music is special to say the least. Haunting and captivating, just close your eyes and it will wisk you away from the confines of the little room you're sitting in. There are hints of Dylan, Neil Young and even the slower country style of the Stones occasionally. Have a listen to a couple of these live tracks from the band. Make sure you listen from start to finish, stop, then take a deep breath and do it all again - special indeed.

mp3: Dead Letter Chorus - Fathers & Daughters (Live)
mp3: Dead Letter Chorus - Winter Solace (Live)
myspace

Melbourne, Australia
If only ARIA gave out a 'Best Album Art' award then Telecom would be one of the best known bands throughout Australia. Cartoons of 'how to be safe' on an airplane - you know the ones with the smiley happy people breathing oxygen masks because 'no we're not going to die.. breath this dude, oxygen is great man'. Awesome.
Their website states that 'Telecom Loves You', but I think I love them more. I have been addicted to their EP Modern Adventures for some weeks now. Energetic vocals, catchy guitar riffs. It's quality garage indie rock that is a hallmark of Melbourne music - something us northern folk seem to miss out on.
The 4-piece have been around since mid-2005 but late 2006 is really their time. They've been on high rotation throughout local radio stations in Melbourne and Sydney with even some solid airplay on national station Triple J as the Exposed Artist of the Week. Moreover the US is pricking their ears. KEXP out of Seattle has also jumped on the Telecom airplane blasting their tunes to the college masses.

Here are a couple of songs off their excellent debut EP which can be purchase here.

Some of you may have noticed that the site was down today only to be replaced by a disclaimer about getting this website into line with current copyright laws. We have not been targeted (and we wish to stay that way!) but we are concerned about the current state of affairs in relation to music piracy within Australia. A court ruling yesterday has paved the way for taking down websites that post copyright infringing material - this of course includes blogs.

Have a read here.

In light of these developments, The Sandwich Club is doing its best to become a legitimate blog. We have taken all measures to remove any copyright infringing material and in the future we will only post music or videos that we have been given permission to post - if permission is granted, they will only be available for 2 weeks. We believe this will have little effect on the content of this blog as the majority of music is either sent to us by the artist or freely available on the web by the artist (the latter is slightly shady however, so we will ask for permission under this circumstance until we know what the law is).

So a slight bump in the road but nothing major. We will continue to do our best to provide good quality music from here and abroad.

Thanks for all your support!

SClub

After a successful run with Dappled Cities (Fly) the other week, the guys down at DefHead are doing it all again with a live webcast of Expatriate tonight at 8pm AEDT. Expatriate have a whole lot of new stuff on show with their second EP due for release in February and an LP following suit.

Also for those of you who missed DCF's fine performance the other week, there's a replay on the site. See it here

Melbourne, Australia
I'm not sure of I'm going to get to hear anything more beautiful than the wonderful music of Minian Funken before the year is out. A pleasant surprise come highly recommended from a friend in Melbourne. My first listen was on my stroll to work, earphones pulled over my ears as I watched the world shift from chaotic to not-so chaotic as soon as the first melody took hold. Chilled electronica with clear influences from Massive Attack and Underworld - this music is incredibly uplifting. Better than a good cup of coffee.
If you're feeling the pinch from a stressful day of trying 'to finish things up for the year', then listen to these little numbers, take a deep breath and relax. It's not so bad now is it?

It would be unbloggy of us not to dabble in popular current events around this festive time of year. But the fact that Macquarie bank is about to buy Qantas and move one step closer to owning the whole freakin' country, is not exactly a hot topic in the music world. So we'll just follow suit with all the other blogs and post a crappy "Merry Christmas" song... But so crappy, it's good!

MP3: Shonenn Knife - Space Christmas
myspace - find other crappy songs about christmas here

and a song for the banks:
MP3: Tilly and The Wall - Nights Of The Living Dead
myspace - Sale of Qantas - Story about a Wall - more reading for the wannabe Anarchists - Thanks Lucy!

It's about 204 degrees and I'm fanning my face with a press release as I head to Liberation Record's Sydney office, to meet up with the boys of Melbourne's latest buzz band, the Temper Trap - Jonny (bass), Dougie (voice) and Lorenzo (guitar). The drummer Toby is at work. After whinging about the heat, Lorenzo offers me his half-shaded seat, but Dougie outdoes him: "Yours is still in the sun! Here, take mine instead... But you have to say in the article how well mannered we are!"

The Temper Trap are Very Well Mannered.

They were just in Sydney to launch their self-titled EP, and will be coming back Very Soon. If you haven't seen them, you should see them. Seriously.

The buzz around the band began when you were the only unsigned band at the Laneway Festival in March this year. Was that the best gig you've played to date?
Lorenzo: I dunno.. We played with Damo Suzuki before we played Laneway, that was pretty exciting. It was at Revolver in Melbourne, and there was a line going all the way down the street and around the corner. Three of the Stooges were there, Omar from Mars Volta... Damo Suzuki is a legend, from Can, he's been around forever.
Jonny: He's coming back in January and we'll be playing with him again, so that will hopefully equally as exciting for us.

The band is happy with their EP, in which they heap together a bunch of different styles. I ask them who they compare their sound to. Jonny evades, Lorenzo looks down. No one is keen to answer this question.
Dougie: To be honest I don't actually give it that much thought. I think it's a lot more interesting finding out what other people think we sound like...

I mention names like Mars Volta or Wolf Parade - there are lots of similarities there, especially in Dougie's voice. But there are also traceable Brit Pop influences in songs like Peter Parker's Alter Ego - Very Editors-ish. The band is nodding. They've heard this before. They've got so much in there - do they worry they'll just get pigeon holed into the indie pop scene?
Dougie: I think we already have been! It's not really a big concern... We'll come out with a hip hop album soon just to throw everybody off..
Jonny: The thing is, we all have different tastes in music, and we don't really sound like any of them -
Dougie: - As people found out at Purple Sneakers on Friday...

Ahh yes, you DJ'd there... How was that?
Dougie : Yeah we did a full on R & B and hiphop set and got told off..
Lorenzo: They thought we were being ironic... But no irony intended!
Dougie: Iconic maybe, but not ironic. Ahhhh we'll never work in this town again!
So, spit it out: Sydney Vs Melbourne?
Dougie: No, no, no! I just made a comparison in the last interview, and Melbourne people are gonna hate me if I say it again.

Say it again! Say it again!
Lorenzo: I suppose because there's so many bands in Melbourne - and so many good bands as well - it's just harder to stand out. It's great that we have an equally big a following here as we do in Melbourne. We've been blessed.
Jonny: People stand there with crossed arms in Melbourne and really just want to be shocked. Every second person is like an artist in Melbourne, and they have a really strong idea of what something should be. But in Sydney people are just up for a dance, for appreciating what's going on.
Lorenzo: In Melbourne you have to be on your toes the whole time in order to play the best you can, and try and stand out from the crowd. Someone once said to me that it seems like everybody in Melbourne works a day job to fuel their passions at night time -
Dougie: - Which is: copius amounts of drug taking.
Jonny: Shit, I just feel like I bagged Melbourne, and I don't really want to do that. I love Melbourne with a passion! I don't want to come across like - For the record, I would never live in Sydney.
Dougie: I WOULD!
Lorenzo: Dougie and I are re-locating

They tip Mercy Arms, Young and Restless, Snowman and The Instant as the next Aussie bands poised to make it big. But how can a band hold onto the hype?
Lorenzo: By not getting caught up in it.. That hype, it's just all the NME effect. They're the best people at creating and destroying bands.

So what sandwiches sustain the energy of the Temper Trap?
Dougie and Lorenzo: WE JUST HAD THEM!!
?
Dougie: Vietnamese. Pork. Rolls.
Lorenzo : That's where its at. Same with me, same with Toby as well. Anything with chilli, coriander and weird pate goes down. Either that or a roast beef sandwich.
Jonny: I like Vegemite.

Brooklyn, New York
It's clear Cuckoo Canoe have done their homework, and found a winning formula that will demand your attention.

An infectious tempo, carried by those simple jivey guitar riffs that echo through your blood and shoot through the hair on the back of your neck. A persistant bass line, and some clever, yet accessible lyrics delivered with a swaggering drawl. Backed up with a tumbling chorus, a sharp poetic mantra, and some buffed production, Cuckoo Canoe epitomise champagne indie-rock.
An independent DIY force, once again proving you don't need bags of cash to squeeze out something special. Expect alot of blog and radio lovin' in the coming months.
Feast on these unmastered tracks from their yet to be released, debut album, exclusive to all ye sandwich lovers!

MP3: Cuckoo Canoe - Alaska Wolf Says
MP3: Cuckoo Canoe - You Sunk My Battleship
myspace - debut album out 20 Dec (US)

Perth, Australia
The Silents are a 4 piece who have been floating round the WA scene for a while now. They released their debut Flicker and Flames EP in March which is packed with tight psychedelic pop tunes. What sets them apart is the acid laced guitars and rasping harmonies that bounce perfectly off each other.
The EPs first single was a thumping number called Nightcrawler, which has been getting some solid airtime across the year. The other one we've put up is Little People. It sounds kinda like The Beatles had a tune left over after recording Revolver and then got Craig Nichols of The Vines to come in and re-record it. That is... a Craig Nichols without the wail, or the erratic guitar flourishes, or the dope-induced psychosis.

Sydney, Australia
If you're doing nothing Sunday then get your arses down to The Basement to check out some very exciting bands from here and abroad. Glasgow rockers My Latest Novel and New Yorkers Home Video will be gracing the stage with Sydney act The Instant in support. It's an indie lovers dream - fairly priced, great venue and three top notch bands. Not swayed? Check out these tracks and decide for yourself.

MP3: My Latest Novel - Sister Sneaker, Sister Soul
myspace

MP3: Home Video - Penguin
myspace

Sydney, Australia
With gargantuan amounts of quality gigs coming up in the nex few weeks I just thought I would throw a spanner in the works and add one more to your probably already bulging shopping lists. Sydney's The Devoted Few are releasing their new single Don't Listen To Us on a quick whisp of the East coast. All their incessant touring and toil has finally paid off, their sound has gone from sonorous to sonic and they are about to record their second album!
Origami Studios have granted them 10 free days recording time with producers responsible for Silverchair and Powderfinger which prompts me to predict this sound to catapult these devoted few into the ears of every soul with a set of headphones. I eagerly anticipate this tour with clanging cutlery and drool. Have a taste of what is to come in the video for their latest release, here.

MP3: The Devoted Few - Don't Listen To Us (give into the reverse psychology!)
myspace - website - video

Tour Dates:
15 Dec; Ding Dong Lounge, Melbourne; with British India & Skybombers
16 Dec; Spectrum, Sydney; with British India & Skullsquadron
22 Dec; Lucky Country Hotel, Newcastle; with The Seabellies
23 Dec; The Troubadour, Brisbane; with Mary Trembles & Tragic/Athletic
28 Dec; Electric/Gasworks, Parramatta; with Neon Knight & FUZU

New York City, USA
Well this wouldn't be a true sandwich club sambo without a dash of our famous international spice. NaNuchKa have ninja kicked their way into the limelight of NYC's black belt music scene. This week has seen my playcount of Red tick over to gazillions. Its infectious with the catchy Ringo head wobble beat and hand clap! My this sandwich is turning me into one 'man boobed' blogger!

MP3: NaNuchka - Red