The Brag

Modern ballet has ditched the tutu. Not too many moons ago, as the twentieth century revved its newly invented engine, ballet visionaries looked beyond the canonical field of Nutcrackers and White Swans to a new, modern style. And this month The Australian Ballet present their latest contemporary number, Vanguard, to celebrate the moments that steered a new course for dance.

Posted: May 7th, 2013 under Arts, Arts - Interview, Brag 511.
Tags: Australian Ballet, Shannon Connellan, Sydney Opera House, Vanguard

Karl Hyde has spent more than two decades as the lead singer of Underworld, but his debut solo album sees him taking a step away from the world of stadium techno. Entitled Edgeland, its dreamy, droning songs inhabit a mysterious twilight place between day and night. Hyde’s lyrics have always taken inspiration from urban life, and this project, he tells me, is inspired by the outer suburbs of London – the strange, forgotten places where the city crumbles into the countryside.

Posted: April 22nd, 2013 under Brag 509, Music, Music - Interview.
Tags: Alasdair Duncan, Concert Hall, Karl Hyde, Sydney Opera House, Vivid Sydney

Much has been made in the press of Tegan And Sara’s decision to “turn pop” on their newest album, Heartthrob. The record places a new emphasis on bouncy synth lines and catchy chorus hooks. The truth is that, if you’ve been paying any sort of attention to the duo’s music over the last few years, the sonic shift doesn’t come as that much of a surprise. The incredible harmonies, the canny melodies and the lyrical heartbreak are all still there – they just come in a slightly shinier package than before. “Our previous records had lots of keyboard elements,” Sara Quin says. “The only difference is that on those albums, they were present in the small details, whereas this time, we really wanted to focus more openly on the idea of pop music.”

Posted: April 12th, 2013 under Brag 507, Music, Music - Interview, New.
Tags: Alasdair Duncan, Concert Hall, Heartthrob, Sydney Opera House, Tegan And Sara

“We’re gonna keep the chit-chat to a minimum,” explained Wilco frontman Jeff Tweedy, “because we don’t have the fucking time.” Indeed. An Evening With Wilco – or rather just the 90 minutes we were afforded – hardly seemed like long enough in the company of such thrilling musicians.

Posted: April 8th, 2013 under Brag 507, Live Reviews, Music.
Tags: Concert Hall, David Wild, Sydney Opera House, Wilco

“Some people are very confident about sex –they videotape themselves, which I’ve never understood. After I’ve had sex all I can think is, ‘At least no one saw it’.” This was my introduction to the brilliance of Mike Birbiglia, from 2006 album Two Drink Mike. It’s the joke that got me hooked on Birbiglia’s comedy, and while he’s a sublime storyteller, Birbiglia’s early years were largely influenced by one-liner legends like Steven Wright.

Posted: April 1st, 2013 under Arts, Arts - Interview, Brag 506.
Tags: Drama Theatre, Mike Birbiglia, My Girlfriend’s Boyfriend, Nick Taras, Sleepwalk With Me, Sydney Opera House