Next gig up is The Handsome Family at the Grace Emily on Wednesday night. I’ve heard lots of good things and am looking forward to seeing them.

(UPDATE Apparently the Handsome Family sold out the Grace when they were here 2 years ago, so if you want to see them mae sure you get there early or pick up a ticket beforehand at the Grace, they’re $35.  )

Also on Friday, No Through Road and Straight to Video support Sub Audible Hum at Electric Light.

That’s it for this week but remember also that tickets for the two V Festival shows, featuring The Pixies amongst others, go on sale tomorrow.

There are a couple more upcoming gigs to announce. As well as the Fringe guide it’s worth getting hold of the Garden of Unearthly Delights program too because it has some stuff that isn’t in the Fringe. Of particular interest to me is GB3, the current project of former Underground Lovers (one of the best Oz bands of the 90’s) guitarist Glenn Bennie. Also in the band are former Undies Phillipa Nihill, Maurice Argiro and Andrew Nunns, plus Robert Tickner (who is also playing elsewhere with Conway Savage – see below) , and “Evil” Graham Lee of The Triffids. They sometimes play with other guests too. They play on Sat 31 March at 7:15 at the Umbrella Revolution, $25.

Also worth checking out are Bad Seed Conway Savage who plays with backing from Robert Tickner and Amanda Fox on Fri 30th March at 8pm at the Bosco Theatre, The Wagons on March 31 at 11pm at the Bosco Theatre, and The Bird on Fri 16th March at SoCo Cargo 10pm.

Also at the Garden is The Future Music Festival featuring Carl Cox, LTJ Bukem, Felix Da Housecat, Ferry Corsten and many others. Now don’t get me wrong, I’m sure it will be a perfectly good event, but I think they’re going a bit overboard with all the “experience the future” crap in the advertising – come on, is the future really 80’s acid house, 90’s drum ‘n’bass, Chicago house and trance? I mean isn’t all that stuff kind of in the past? Sure, if it was Kraftwerk in the 70’s, Detroit techno in the 80’s or Warp electronica (especially Autechre) in the 90’s but now … no doubt there’s futuristic stuff out there, but this isn’t it. Anyway, not having a go at the event itself (obviously much of what I recommend is hardly cutting edge, so I’m not saying there’s anything wrong with that) just the way it’s been promoted is a bit ridiculous.
On the Stereo
Zulya and the Children of the Underground – The Waltz of Emptiness (and other songs on Russian Themes) cd+dvd (Unstable Ape)
The Fall – The Twenty Seven Points 2cd (Castle)
Mouse on Mars – Varcharz cd (Ipecac)
DJ Food – A Recipe for Disaster cd (Ninja Tune)
Gang of Four – Hard/Solid Gold cd (Wounded Bird) [Actually, only listening to the Solid Gold half since Hard is fairly awful]
Bob Dylan – Highway 61 Revisited cd (CBS)
Bob Dylan – Blonde on Blonde cd (CBS)
The Triffids – Born Sandy Devotional cd (Mushroom)
Hit the Jackpot – Hit the Jackpot cdep (Fken Stoner)
Yo La Tengo – I Am Not Afraid of You and I Will Beat Your Ass cd (Matador)