Sydney, Australia
A little while ago our good friends Dead Letter Chorus approached us to help with their EP launch. We jumped on it, of course! But Candy's just didn't seem like the place for a folk band. No we needed something a little more intimate but just as big. Unfortunately intimacy and bigger don't normally correlate (we're not talking about anatomy here!).
So we thought of all the usual venues and nothing came to mind. That is until one after work drunken stumble into a little hidden treasure just off Broadway.
Hoorah, we found what we were seeking. A beautiful courtyard situated between four buildings with a large bar inside one of them. It was too good to be true. Plenty of space, cheap drinks, great acoustics and a real urban environment that only Melbourne can compare. This is a venue where we could stage a variety of music styles... inside and outside. It was obvious... let's do a mini-festival.
So UTS, The Loft is the scene and we're putting on an Itty Bitty Festival featuring a broad range of music genres from artists we love. The stars of the night are the ones who got us here in the first place, Dead Letter Chorus are launching their highly anticipated EP, Listen Carefully (We Shall Say This Only Once). This is an excellent record from one of Sydney's most exciting folk bands and we're just damn happy to be part of their launch.
The other artists on show are (and in no order of importance) Brian Campeau, Jack Ladder, Walrus, Marching Room, Cuthbert & The Nightwalkers, Cloud Control and DJ's Banshee, MUM, The Claps and The SClub Collective.
We'll be featuring all these artists in the upcoming weeks so check back but for now, here's a playlist to familiarise yourself with the musical culinary extravaganza of May 19th.

Only a week now until Adelaide's Robert Jarvis graces the stage for the first time ever under his new guise, Zeal, with a sound he says resembles 'Architecture in Helsinki if they happened to be covered by Sufjan Stevens and then remixed by Lamb under the guidance of Massive Attack'.

Adelaide, Australia
Our friends Poly & The Statics have just made the final touches on their new EP, Paper Lanterns. From the preview we've heard, it's going to be a scorcher. An eclectic mix of pop, prog rock and folk - in fact, the EP has so many different music styles, you'll need to pinch yourself to realise you're actually listening to the same band.
To coincide with their release, the band are playing a few dates in Adelaide and Sydney (not Brisbane - thanks Sam!) check them out if they're in your town.

Upcoming Shows
Sydney - 4th May 2007 MUM@World Bar w/ The Seabellies
Adelaide - 18th May 2007 Jade Monkey
Adelaide - 20th May 2007 URTEXT! (All Ages) w Fire, Antony, Skye Harbour, Keepsakes, DJ Helen Skeletor

Here's one of my faves off the EP. A nice little sixties styled pop song that, funnily enough, reminds me a lot of Burt Baccarat.
Also check out their myspace site where you can download two of their earlier EPs for free.

Melbourne, Australia
Folk Noir is a genre that is largely misunderstood. Okay, If you are deliberating over a bottle of sleeping pills or assembling a Charles Manson shrine in your bedroom, than I wouldn't recommend it. But if you are of relatively stable mind, this music can help you safely explore a darker side of your personality that all the cotton candy indie pop has long been obscuring.

Start with The Orbweavers from Melbourne with their ominous vinyl vocals that teeter on the edge of malign and magnificent. A perfect example of this fascinating genre, and one that noone else in Australia seems brave enough to explore.

Montreal, Canada
Although I have cousins who live in French colony New Caledonia and other cousins who live in Quebec, Canada I can't and will probably never speak a word of French. So I guess it's a little unusual that one of my favourite bands is, indeed, completely french speaking. Malajube, hailing from the Canadian Mecca of music, Montreal.
For a good year and a bit, they've caused quite an impact on the blogosphere, but unfortunately this more than often won't translate into making it on radio, yet alone Australian radio. Well I was delighted to hear on Triple J yesterday a familiar favourite french-speaking band. Being a little excited, I wanted something to write about this momentous occasion... then I came across this video of 'Montreal -40C'. A little gem that makes you so warm on a cold Autumn day. This would have to be my favourite video of 2007 so far.

Adelaide, Australia
I'm in a little bar in London. I walk out of the bathroom and find a stranger slouched down next to a cigarette machine. "Are you okay down there?" I ask. A lengthy conversation ensues and my new friend invites me to a barbeque the following day. There I meet a guy wearing black dunlop volleys. He's from Adelaide. This is his favourite band from back home...

MP3: Little Ice Age - Road (Tunnel Vision)
MP3: Little Ice Age - Learn To Forget
myspace - label: none

Sydney, Australia
A younger breed of Coke 'n' Red Bull drinking, fairy bread eating musicians has burst onto our stages of late. They match it with the seasoned veterans for skill and finesse whilst still holding themselves in a 'yeah whatever' swagger. Here is one more to add to that 'Under Aged, Overly Talented, Might Have to Kill' list. The Scream.

Looking at the few gigs they have played and the songs they have available, one would wonder where this hype is coming from? The only answer for all you sceptics out there lies at Sandwich Club, next Thursday 26th of April. Lets see if the brandy free proof is in the pudding. Here is a sample (rough) to taste.

MP3: The Scream - Hold On
myspace - label: none

Sydney, Australia
Dappled Cities are locked in a fierce battle for MTV US videoplay supremacy - well kind of. Their video, 'Fire Fire Fire' is facing off against The Good, The Bad & The Queen, The Horrors and some US gangsters for a spot on the Freshman show which have previously 'discovered' bands like Bloc Party and Franz. Call me slightly biased, and I do really like The Good, The Bad & The Queen and The Horrors do ok (gangster rap... not worth yours or my 50cents - pardon the shite pun but shite is all gangster rap gets), but Dappled Cities should win this hands down... for the good of taste. They do need our help though and you can vote for them all week as many times as you like here.

Currently, Dappled Cities are number 1 but The Horrors are closing in...

Sydney, Australia
Sydney band, The Wahas, wear their grungey influences on their sleeves, and up their sleeves, and in their scuzzy, unwashed hair. They've have been playing together for about a year, headlining a cross-school band comp at the Annandale. They impressed Andy Clockwise so much that he jumped in to produce their debut EP, We Love the Wahas. His touch is fairly obvious after seeing the difference between the EP and their live set.

These are my 2 faves.

Melbourne, Victoria
One of the bands that were part of the original Sandwich Club line ups back in 'Ye Olde 2006' have since put their noses to the grindstone, churned out an Ep and most importantly broken out to the international market with rave reviews and airplay. Once I heard Dardanelles' latest claim worthy feat, a remix of Of Course You Said by those favoured electro cutters Riot In Belgium, I had to preach. The original track induces a feet stomping, head throwing fit and in adding to its dark electro flavour, RIB have dotted every 'i' in the 'Indie Remix Code of Conduct'.

MP3: Dardanelles - Of Course You Said (Riot In Belgium Remix)
myspace - buy EP - mosquito's tweeter

Melbourne, Australia
There is no doubt about it, the scene is moving faster than Carl Lewis on roids. Why for a mid-20 something it only felt like yesterday that I was gorging on Brit-pop anthems from the likes of The Libertines, The Rakes, Futureheads and even The Strokes (want to know one great local act that has the sound down pat? Check out Marching Room). Then someone had the balls to pull out a synth and it was all over. Electronica came back and I was having mad flash backs of the eighties... playing with transformers in kindergarten.
Whether it be good or bad electronic pop/rock/punk is here for the time being and it's making for many an interesting sound. One such group I'm particularly into at the moment is Foxx On Fire from Melbourne. In keeping with the sound of the day, there's plenty of synths, handclaps and a little distortion but I feel this band has a sound that even the rock purists would love. By the way, check out the percussion in both these tracks - there's some awesome tribal thing going on...

Sydney, Australia
Can anyone believe that we're already through a third of this year already? I swear the gods are playing a joke on us... 'Argghhh, I'm bored Zeus! How much longer do I have to spin this damn Earth for?' 'Another 657,829,394,192,202.4 rotations but I never said you had to do it at one speed Atlas!' Fuckheads... Ok it is Friday afternoon.
So 4 months have gone by and I now have two clear frontrunners for favourite Aussie album of the year: Dappled Cities - Grandance and Belles Will Ring - Mood Patterns.
Yes, Mood Patterns - the debut LP from the lads (and gal) from the Blue Hills. A brilliant release flying the banner high for Sydney label Architecture. Beautiful psychedelic folk that really does warm the coldest heart. This is Australia's answer to Broken Social Scene or The Fields (I think they're better).

Sydney, Australia
The Religion have been pet favourites of our little club ever since their lead singer and self-taught pianist, Joe Kelly, played a mind-blowing solo set in the sandwichclubhouse garage last December. It took about half a song before he had stupefied the rabble into silence, where they stayed until his last Tom Waitsy growl.

As The Religion, the addition of guitars and drums makes the sound a lot more anthemic. The crew of four have been playing together for a bit over a year and just released their ‘Innercile’ single in March. Stayed tuned for their EP launch in the coming months.

Sydney, Australia
My heart has been missing a musical piece lately. Since the break-up of a band that shared the name of The Fonze's 'G.F' in the closing stages of last year, the raw 'rocky horror glam rock' as we have dubbed it has vanished from our stages. With an email, I discovered, that can all change. I am pleased to say it has re-surfaced in Lions At Your Door. Only it packs slightly more snarl as opposed to it's original howl, ready to swipe your life from your earlobes. They will come knocking at Sandwich Club this April for their first live appearance. What was once a patented Pinky ingredient has now evolved. The bunch are now truly a new breed of beast set amongst the wolves of Aussie music. Get ready for the 26th of April!

MP3: Lions At Your Door - L.A.Y.D
myspace

Perth, Australia
The Love Is My Velocity label remains one of our favourites here at SClub, with some great pop bands under their wing, such as The Tucker Bs, Institut Polaire, and The Bank Holidays. Moving away slightly from the accessibilty of these bands, is another of their signings, Airport City Shuffle. Their alien-spaceship guitar/synth pop makes them immediately recognisable, and whilst they may not be everyones flavour, they get big thumbs up for their energetic live shows.

As veterans of the WA indie scene, forming back in 2002, and have released a bunch of stuff since their inception. The band is currently working on material for their debut studio album, and have teamed up with label buddies The Tucker Bs to release a split vinyl single called Its All The Same to Me. You can check it out on their myspace.

Toronto, Canada
I for one am sick of hearing "I Come From The Land Down Under" blurted out during every sporting event featuring an Australian (and occasionally kiwi) athlete. It's time to move on... to all those commentators and event coordinators thinking it's the 'patriotic' thing to do - you ruined a great song; there is only so many times one can listen to something before it becomes excruciating boring. Anyway...
Here is an alternative from a great band from, out of all places, Toronto. They're called The Bicycles and have written one of the nicest songs about our fair land. It's off their recent release The Good, The Bad and The Cuddly which I couldn't recommend more. One of my favourite albums at the moment.

Happy Easter comrades.

Austin, Texas
Usually we endeavor to post only one international band per week. Apologies as my face was turning purple. I had to let this out. No doubt you have heard of the Austin folk superheroes Okkervil River. Combining their passion to explore the more sombre elements of their songwriting, Will Sheff and Jonathan Meiburg formed Shearwater in 2001. Since then the fivepiece has evolved from a creative outlet into an outstanding combination of versatile vocal projections and swooning instrumentals, evident in Seventy-Four, Seventy-Five and I Can't Wait. Having just signed with Matador Records the band's latest release Palo Santo (2006) has been completely remastered and partially re-recorded. I can't wait to hear all the tracks live. If the finger food provided below doesn't quite satisfy you then pay a visit to Shearwater's myspace (although they seem to hate the 'Murdoch Monster').

MP3: Shearwater - Seventy-Four, Seventy-Five
MP3: Shearwater - I Can't Wait
website - myspace - buy

You'd be hard pressed to find many better Australian indie acts than Tic Toc Tokyo. From the very beginning of SClub we have been devoted followers of the Toc. A relationship forged over myspace, then their first tour to Sydney playing at our first SClub night, a weekend stay at the Sandwich Clubhouse and the rest was history. In other words, we love them to death and although many of you may have read plenty about these guys on our blog, too much is never enough.
So I'm particularly into one of their newer songs at the moment. Titled "What Was The Question?". An incredibly catchy riff that has Cure written all over it, even Simon on vox sounds identical to Robert Smith.