So the “Hedonistic Clusterfuck of Awesome” that is Double Dragon IV is just around the corner, taking place this Friday Oct 14th at Q Bar, and I thought you should all be prepared. With the line up sporting 17 bands touching on everything from rock and punk with the likes of Regular John, Mother & Son and Kira Puru & The Bruise, to hip hop with Big Dumb Kid and Old Men Of Moss Mountain, to glitched out electronica and dance music with Albatross, Nakagin, Disco Club and Moon Holiday, not to mention Lost Valentino Jono Ma treating us to a very special laptop set, the average mind would crumble under the weight of indecision with such a wide range of options on offer. And so, lo and behold, I am here, laptop in lap and smug air of self satisfaction in tow, to give you a user’s guide on the night and the bands playing. Let’s do this alphabetically shall we.
So here’s the list, scan down to where you need to
Albatross
Big Dumb Kid
Disco Club
Grams
Jono Ma
Ki Mono
Kill City Creeps
Kira Puru & The Bruise
Kokomo
Moon Holiday
Mother & Son
Nakagin
Old Men Of Moss Mountain
Regular John
Seagreen Clarence
Sick Python
Tombstone
First up is Albatross. Signed up with Astral People, home of beat driven wunderkind Jonti and the smooth glitch RnB duo Collarbones, Albatross are following the vein of Sydney electronica forerunners Seekae, while at the same time working with their own style and identity. Albatross will be playing last on the main stage in 34b for all you stragglers.
Big Dumb Kid is the next stop on our way to Z, who’s been impressing audiences all over Sydney with his high energy stage show. Blending elements of pop and hip hop together with highly earnest lyricism and delivery, his music speaks with an authentic Australian voice without sounding cliched or, god forbid, too bogan. Big Dumb Kid is playing second last on the side stage in Vegas right after Old Men Of Moss Mountain.
Disco Club have long been a favourite of Music Feeds, ever since we hears their early tracks, including their sublime remix of Bridezilla’s Western Front, and have consistently impressed us with how they’ve developed and grown. Currently under the stewardship of driving force SunSun, aka local director and video artist Joel Burrows, the music has been transformed in the last months, as SunSun takes to the stage with only a Korg Electribe and Kaos Pad to build up epic dance tracks that put almost all others to shame. Visceral and direct, this is dance music like it used to be. Disco Club are playing second last, right before Albatross, in 34b.
Lost Valentino Jono Ma is also playing on the night, treating us all to a very special laptop set in the Rest Area in the main bar of Q Bar. An accomplished producer in his own right, having worked with the likes of Foals and Ewan Pearson, as well as local outfits, Sherlock’s Daughter, Cassette Kids, and most recently Ghoul, Ma is a hotpot of collaboration, playing with a wide range of different bands across the years, my personal favourite being the improvisation based supergroup FLRL (Fashion Launched, Rocket Launches) also featuring Kirin J Callinan, Daniel Stricker (Midnight Juggernauts) and Julian Sudek (Mercy Arms, Danimals live band). Playing after Moon Holiday in the Rest Area, Jono will be treating us to an hour long installment of beats and god knows what else.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T32YdewoP-4
Ghoul – Lodum (Rising) by inertiamusic
Now we’re on to the K’s, a letter which has quite disproportionate representation at this particular event, with Ki Mono, Kill City Creeps and Kira Puru & The Bruise all playing in the night.
Ki Mono, alter ego of Kimberly Galceran bassist from Jusgo Mosh and the amazing mind behind Octopus Pi who have brought you the weekly night of psychedelia Wormwood, will be opening the rest area with one of her stunning laptop and VJ sets, as well as collaborating with local artist and designer bou for her installation. Crafting electronica that is at times delicate and at others forceful, don’t miss what is sure to be one of the highlight of the night, beginning at 10pm in the Rest Area.
Kill City Creeps is the latest project from Daniel Darling from The Dolly Rocker Movement amongst other bands, who’s surrounded himself with beautiful women this time around roping in Amy Yoshiko and Mon Cherie from Dora Maar on lead guitar and drums, with Nina B rounding out the line-up on organ. Churning out tasty slabs of garage pop with a remarkable authenticity, these guys have been grabbing people’s attention all over Sydney and beyond in the short time they’ve been together. These guys are on second in 34b, just before headliners Regular John.
Next up in the K department comes cabaret rock powerhouse Kira Puru & The Bruise. With a touring ethic that has seen them travel wide and far around Australia and a live show that demands attention and earns respect, this band have left a trail of wide mouthed admirers in their wake, myself being one of them. Performers in the classic sense, with front woman Kira Puru sporting a voice that would knock more than just your socks off, don’t miss when they demolish Vegas after openers Seagreen Clarence and Tombstone.
Last but not least come Kokomo, one of Sydney’s newest and most exciting bands. Made up of Sam Vine, lead guitarist from Allies, Marc Silvers aka Maatzi from Old Men Of Moss Mountain and producer Olvier Marlan, better know to some as deranged serial killer troubadour Lou Swan, Kokomo make music that blends together every genre from rockabilly to itallo disco under a very tight pop umbrella. With vocal harmonies reminiscent of The Beach Boys and lyrics dealing in love, lust and self devotion, don’t miss it when these guys close Vegas after Big Dumb Kid and Old Men Of Moss Mountain.
Moving on we arrive at the letter M, which gets two entries this time round, with both Moon Holiday and Mother & Son taking it as their debut letter.
Having put out her self titled EP on Future Classic, Moon Holiday makes pop music that is very contemporary. Reminiscent in energy and approach, if not always in style, to artists such as Lykke Li and Rokysopp, she laces her vocals through a spindly web of effects over a bed of synths and programmed beats. Still under the radar at the moment, I won’t be surprised to see her all over the festival circuit and radio in the future, so be sure to not miss her when she headlines the Rest Area after Ki Mono and bou‘s installation.
Moon Holiday – Capsular by future classic
Two piece Mother & Son are proof that bass players are by and large useless. Sounding bigger than most band twice their size, these two boys from the gong kick out swampy rockabilly jams that make most other bands trying to do the same look like a bunch of amateurs. They’ll be headlining Vegas right after Kira Puru & The Bruise.
Solo Sydney producer Nakagin aka Hugh Ludscombe is one of the most convincing glitch/beats artist to emerge in the wake of Seekae. Having recently released his debut EP Elsewhere to critical acclaim, the title track even featuring Marcus Whale of Collarbones fame, at only 19 years of age Nakagin is an early bloomer to say the least. Kicking off the beats jam in 34b straight after Regular John wrap up their set, if dancing to Dilla-esque beats is your thing, you know where to be.
Elsewhere Ft. Marcus Whale by Nakagin
Currently working on their follow up the critically acclaimed Swamp EP, Old Men Of Moss Mountain are bringing their up beat and pop chorus laden brand of hip hop to the party with a vengeance following on from their recent slot at the opening of This Is Not Art festival, as well as performing at a certain highly talked about local film set. Renowned in local circles for their tight vocal delivery and three way harmonies, don’t miss these guys when they kick of the hip hop party in Vegas after Mother & Son and before Big Dumb Kid.
SWAMP by Old Men Of Moss Mountain
Described by one local pundit as “the only bad in Sydney who could beat you up,” headliners Regular John have made a name for themselves on the back of raucous live shows and grungy punk anthems that make you want to get up and kick things in a manly and unchildish manner. At work on their follow up to their highly successful album The Peaceful Atom Is A Bomb, don’t miss them when they take to the stage to headline 34b after Kill City Creeps.
Language by Regular John by difrntmusic
Frontman and songwriter from local four piece Cabaret Callado, key figure of local improvisation collective PING! and the man behind Low Bar’s interview and gig series Seagreen Talks, Seagreen Clarence will be treating us to a very special solo performance, which he refuses to describe. Possibly using a laptop and guitar effects or maybe even going straight acoustic, Seagreen is a versatile performer who stretches himself across many different disciplines, from traditional songwriting to ambient soundscapes. He’ll be opening the whole night, going on stage in Vegas at 8:30pm ahead of Tombstone.
Having only recently returned from their Axis Of Evil tour which saw the band try and make their way through the Middle East as best they could (the show in Lebannon was apparently amazing although rare in that they weren’t chased off or arrested) Sydney’s kings of reggaeton and dancehall Sick Python are home again, treading the Double Dragon stage for the first time since late 2010, the time of the infamous performance that saw three lowies get crushed a the front of the Oxford Art Factory stage. Playing after Nakagin in 34b, be sure to catch these guys play but try and avoid catching anything else from them.
Finally we come to Tombstone. A band who don’t like to mess about, these guys deliver high octane swamped out and spaced up rock n roll with a vengeance that would make even Bruce Willis cry for his mammy. Featuring Sean from La Mancha Negra and the indomitable John “Tron” Hynd, taking a break from his violent sexual art on drums, this band have a reputation for insane live shows that often see the rest of the band holding Tron’s drum kit together as he smashes away at them.
