Port Royal, Toxic Fox, Planko
Friday | Hotel Great Northern | 9pm | Free
Formed over a shared passion for classic rock’n’roll culture, Brisbane’s Port Royal are fast spreading their message of self-belief and unity through their music across the country.
Hailed as one of Brisbane’s most exciting bands to watch, their latest single Ain’t Got You was released this June and swiftly reached 14K streams within its first two weeks. The uplifting, party-oriented nature of the track is a move away from the band’s bluesier rock’n’roll origins, but has been enthusiastically received by fans and critics alike.
Joining the bill are Toxic Fox, who have been busy developing a growing local fanbase in Byron and who also release their next, highly anticipated single Oil Painted Hill on 9 August. The gig promises to be an all-round celebration of new music. Also joining the lineup are local band Plenko.
Bricklayers, Squidlickers, Belligerent Goat
The Hotel Great Northern | Saturday | 9pm | Free
Bricklayers celebrate the release of their debut album Tan Black and Brown at the Hotel Great Northern on Saturday. Hailing from the murky depths of the Brisbane music scene, Bricklayers first formed for an impromptu support lot for WA’s Peter Bibby in 2017. Since then they have gone to work at creating their own brand of junkyard swamp rock. While writing and recording has been more of a focus, they have played sold-out shows around Brisbane, the DIY festival Calypso Beach Vibes in northern NSW, and helped to curate Forest Fuzz Festival north of Brisbane. Hailing from the psychedelic scene in Brisbane, playing in bands such as Swapt Jenson and Belligerent Goat, the guys have made a decision to step away from the sound they are known for and move towards a more angular, industrial, junkyard vibe. Showing their tender side in the title track Tan Black and Brown, this is also an open letter to frontman Nathan Glen’s dog!
Woodstock Reimagined
Brunswick Picture House | Saturday 17 August | 7pm | $20/25
On 17 August 1969 the Woodstock Music and Art Fair attracted unprecedented crowds to witness one of the most iconic cultural events of the 20th century.
To celebrate the 50th anniversary of Woodstock, folk balladeer Smokey Fields, alter ego of local singer/songwriter Chris Mallory, has gathered a group of talented local artists to perform fresh versions of the songs we know and love, paying homage to an event close to his heart.
‘To me, even though the event happened almost a decade before I was born, the music of Woodstock has had a strong impact on my life. I think my first exposure to Joe Cocker’s Help From My Friends was in the theme song for the 90s show The Wonder Years. I never got sick of the intro and seemed to understand instinctively that they were referring to something culturally significant.
In the late 90s a friend with great taste in music gave me a bunch of mixed tapes; one of the songs on these tapes was Richie Haven’s Freedom. I always knew it was a fantastic piece of live music, but it wasn’t until I started researching for this project that I realised it was from Woodstock and that he had made it up on the spot to stop the hippies rioting because they couldn’t fly in more artists.
Years later in 2009 I watched the entire performance of Joe Cocker at Woodstock for the first time in my life and I was completely blown away. He was superhuman in his delivery; I haven’t been the same since,’ said Chris.
Chris first hit on the idea to do a Woodstock 50th anniversary event earlier in the year when he was looking at the subject for a musical play that he is helping a Lismore-based disability organisation, Multitask, produce.
‘I started to research the music and the more live performances that I saw from Woodstock the more I wanted to do a separate show on the actual 50th anniversary date. So here we are, two weeks out, and it’s going ahead,’ said Chris.
The event will feature solo performances from accomplished local artists Rebecca Ireland, Áine Tyrrell, and the enigmatic Josh Shelton. Smokey has enlisted fellow fake Russians Matt Gulliford and James Dodds to add harmony and acoustic flair to the night.
The audience is in for a musical treat, with the stellar lineup, along with a true heartfelt connection to the sentiments of the history of Woodstock and what it represents in the modern era.
Woodstock Reimagined is at The Brunswick Picture House on Saturday 17 August at 7pm. Tix $20/25 at brunswickpicturehouse.com
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