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[acoldsoda]

"Human Waste” by Cold Meat

Perth band Cold Meat are the kind of "real-deal” punk band where nobody gives a shit whether they can play their instruments, yet it comes together somehow because of the pure energy and rage. They deliver bloody, raw punk tracks directly to your pulse, and “Human Waste” is no exception. It’s urgent, venomous, low-fi femme vox, disillusioned with the world outside and frantic on the inside. 

Cold Meat might still be finding their feet, but it is that kind of hard garage-punk that you like exactly because it’s so awful. It’s the kind of music which, after I listened to it a few times, had my mum coming to check what all the racket was about.

Ashley’s vocals really carry this band: she has mastered a vocal balance, treading carefully between a voice that is at times full, and at others, unhinged. She allows the passion to crack through when the time is right, evoking a sense of calamity. Instrumentally, Cold Meat still has a lot to learn: “Human Waste” starts out fine, but with a song like this you want to steadily build to a climax. Like too many songs of its kind, “Human Waste” takes off too soon and then fails to maintain interest because of a lack of variation in tempo or tone. They attempt a guitar solo to break it up, but this too needs work.

All that considered, this is their first recording, soon to be released on their “Sweet Treats” demo cassette, packed with six juicy slices of raw punk. It will be interesting to see where they go from here, and how the recording process will allow the band to develop further.

- Jess

[acoldsoda]

Camp Doogs Festival (Coel Healy & Stephen Bellair): Interview

(Photo: Pippa Wolfe)

I attended Western Australia’s Camp Doogs festival in 2014 and greatly regret missing it this year. My memories of the 2014 Doogs include: epic all-day lineups of the newest garage/punk/psych bands, the perfect scroggin (or “trail mix”, as you might call it), mingling with musicians, artists, modern day beatniks and poets around the fire pit, and late-night boogying in the Deep Doogs disco tent. The best part of Doogs is that there is no hierarchy, if you attend, you are as much a part of the festival as the people on stage. If you take it upon yourself to contribute, anything is possible.

To make up for my failed attendance, I’ve decided that today we’ll break from the usual track reviews to chat with the co-founders of Camp Doogs, Coel Healy (festival director) and Stephen Bellair (programming manager).

Camp Doogs is a unique festival, “small enough for giant spin the bottle”, set alongside the picturesque Blackwood River. This year it ran from Friday the 9th to Sunday the 11th of October at a secret location in the South-West of WA.

Hosting a wide variety of Perth acts, along with some national and international features, and with a focus on alternative, home-grown music, Camp Doogs is intimate, innovative, and immersive. Hugh Manning- frontman of Shit Narnia, a ripper band who played last year- informed me that the best punk/garage bands to perform at the festival this year were Scott & Charlene’s Wedding and Kitchen People.

This interview won’t make up for my missing the camp in 2015, but at least it’s something.

How did Camp Doogs start out, and what were some of the challenges in bringing it to life?

Initially we were looking for opportunities to play anywhere other than the usual venues. The first year (2013) was pretty low-key, more or less a large party to illustrate the concept, we've come along way since then. The second year the party was a bit bigger and more organised. Any project will face a whole mountain of hurdles to get off the ground, we've learnt a lot in the last few years!

What exactly is a Doog and what does it look like?

A doog is Aussie slang for a rare and precious marble.

If Doogs was a cold soda, what flavour would it be?

Coconut

What were the key performance highlights this year?

The Bedroom Suck showcase, No Zu, Kirin J Callinan crowd surfing, Catlips' all-pink set featuring dancers

Do you think you'll ever start getting more international acts?

We are still a grass roots organisation but we are continuing to build relationships with overseas artist and labels, particularly from the Asia-Oceanic region. We have had some of our favourite artists, Sarry and DJ Nozaki, from Japan play the last two years.

Doogs has also gained significance in the Perth visual arts scene. Which visual artists were involved this year?

Dimity Magnus, Ana Palacios, Ash Brockman, Aaron Manhattan, Jarrad Martyn, Andy Weir, Jess Day, Seb Becker, Alex Tate, Olivia Tartaglia, Jae Criddle, Chloe Tine and Alex Last.

If you had to describe the "ethos" of the festival, what would it be?

Be chill. Be chill to each other, be chill to the environment and be chill to yourself.

There are a lot more people attending the festival now than ever. Has this changed the vibe? Do you think it's going to keep growing, and if it does, how will you deal with that?

Compared with real festivals, it's still pretty small. We like the intimate nature of the event.

Where do you see the festival headed in the future?

We aren't looking to grow the numbers much further past last years capacity but there'll always be new surprises at each camp.

- Jess

[acoldsoda]

“Nanganator” by Drunk Mums

“Nanganator” is a highlight on Gone Troppo, the new album out from Melbourne band Drunk Mums. It reminds me a little of this time my friend drove a bunch of us down south in his shitty car and turned into a roundabout in the wrong direction. For a brief moment we were all yelling at him wildly as a huge truck headed right towards us. By this, I mean to say that “Nanganator” has that reckless driving pace and the roundabout repetition. We got out alive, with a wild story to tell.

The first time I heard Drunk Mums they were playing at Mojo’s, my favourite bar in Perth. While most of their other songs are a bit too sluggish for my liking, “Nanganator” was the song that had us all on the floor. The chorus is easy to pick up, and I recall yelling it at the band while bouncing off my friends’ shoulders with hair and sweat whipping my face. And if that’s not what you want in a song, well, I don’t know if I can help you.

- Jess