Sydney stubbers will be pleased to hear that UMLAUT, RUINS – ALONE, and DARTH VEGAS will be playing on the same bill next month, when Tone hosts Feather Fest 2011!
The official word:
Feather Fest is the Bird’s Robe Collective’s annual one-day showcase of progressive and experimental rock. This year sees their most impressive lineup to date, with legendary Japanese drummer TATSUYA YOSHIDA performing for the first time in Australia as RUINS-ALONE.
Yoshida is best-known for his work with avant-garde duo RUINS. Formed in 1985, the band have inspired countless musicians and have released over 30 albums during their career. Yoshida is the group’s driving force, described by Tzadik.com as “the indisputable master drummer of the Japanese underground.” He is also noted for his work with notable experimental acts Zeni Geva and Koenji Hyakkei. Since 2004, he has performed internationally as Ruins-alone, including at the 2010 All Tomorrow’s Parties festival curated by Matt Groening. His performance at Feather Fest 2011 is a treat for long time fans and follows a stream of legendary Japanese experimental acts to have toured Australia recently including Boris, The Boredoms, Vampillia and Melt Banana. This bootleg performance footage should give you a taste of what’s to come http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vp5XqUxxe94
The second headliners for Feather Fest 2011 are Melbourne-based UMLAUT. Featuring Mr. Bungle’s Bär McKinnon along with a stellar local cast, they will be closing the night’s festivities. Umlaut play like a storybook told by a kid who never grew up, with “meticulous melodies and asinine vocals through the lens of a whacked-out lounge group” (The Dwarf). This is the band’s only planned Sydney performance before touring South America with Secret Chiefs 3 later this year. Watch them jamming it out live with Mike Patton here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1j2grqavOg8
DARTH VEGAS are well known as one of Sydney’s most colourful and scarily entertaining underground acts. The masked troupe is led by Monsieur Camembert alumnus Michael Lira and they have devastated festival audiences as far afield as Woodford and Peats Ridge with their mix of lounge-rock with jazz-metal. They rejoin Feather Fest after a long-awaited return to live shows in 2010. View their video for ‘Spook House’ at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EzG8TZ5QAf4
SLIMEY THINGS are Australia’s greatest sci-fi rock band. Their latest album ‘Quantum Reality TV’ spawned universally positive reviews and saw them tour the east coast as part of the 2010 ‘Menagerie’ festival. With kudos from the likes of FBi radio, JayKatz, Dannii Minogue and more, they are the progenitors of the annual ‘Space Prom’ event and one of Bird’s Robe Records’ most beloved acts. See their video for ‘Space Toast’ at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qvY6J_hK9G8
SHANGHAI are staunch supporters of the experimental music scene. Their curiously-constructed cabaret-esque oddball pop has earned them JJJ airplay and supports with the likes of Dead Letter Circus and Japan’s Vampillia. Following last year’s curiously-packaged cassette tape release ‘The Battle of Mount Analogue’, they have been at work on their debut album ‘The UltraViolent’ due to hit this year. See the album teaser here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3v8zMIzFCPw
CAPTAIN KICKARSE AND THE AWESOMES awake from a brief hiatus to anchor the festival lineup. Famous for their energetic live performances and pushing the boundaries of psychedelic-groove-rock, they have been quietly working on a follow up to 2009’s acclaimed ‘Falsimiles from the Facts Machine’ and will showcase a mixture of new and old at this year’s event. The band have also been hand-picked as tour support for Ruins-alone’s dates in Adelaide and Hobart. Fans know their set is sure to be a festival highlight. Watch them play to a sold-out Excelsior Hotel herehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UXp10Tz1ZBc
GODSWOUNDS – recently returned from recording their debut album in the US, the band are in fine form. Godswounds’ performances maintain a healthy respect for the spirit of experimentalism amongst their prog-pop-jams. Band leader Lachlan Kerr is also the creator of Sydney’s John Zorn inspired game piece troupe Violence in Action. The band are seasoned tourists, having graced stages as far afield as Japan and Taiwan. Listen to their multi-lingual efforts herewww.myspace.com/godswounds
THE BZNZZ are perhaps the most mind-bendingly complex group we have come across. Each performance is a competition between drummer and bassist, for ultimate mastery of their intimately constructed musical language. Not for the closed-minded, this is a set for those interested in tech-prog and avowing vowels. Fans of Ruins will rejoice at the duo’s whimsical approach to even the most technically compelling passages. Listen here www.myspace.com/thebznzz
SERIOUS BEAK are a local-core supergroup, featuring members of Adrift For Days, Squat Club, Slimey Things and Ebolie. This proud collision of talent will please fans of the heavy variety – they will gladly destroy the ambience of one’s afternoon with a brutal assault of riffery and math-metal. Listen here www.myspace.com/seriousbeak
THREE WISE MONKEYS are fast becoming one of the most respected prog-fusion trios in Sydney. Fresh from supporting Perth heavyweights Injured Ninja, the band open the show with their melodic yet jammy funk-inflected prog, compounded by the slick drumming of Liam Chandler. In surely a first for the underground scene, they also sport their very own iPhone and Android apps! Clips like this should encourage you to get involved http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vheIRE4kQn0&feature=related
FEATHER FEST 2011 will be held at one of Sydney’s newest venues:
TONE (16 Wentworth Avenue, Surry Hills).
Doors open 2pm.
Presale tickets will be available shortly – details to be announced.
For more info visit www.birdsrobe.com
