Wonderdome

Entertainment Quarter 

Sydney, Australia 

Until 30 January 2022

The last couple of years have seen the incarnation of quite a few visually immersive experiences on terra australis. 

Most of them were interesting, however, not each one managed to actually come close to accomplish the dissolving the boundaries between the third dimension and digital realities in a bid to let the audience experience an entirely new one.

Housed in a pop up 360 dome, the aptly titled Wonderdome employs cutting edge technology to transform what is thought possible within the confines of cinematic entertainment: 

Merging elements from movies, music and underlying artistic concepts, Wonderdome creates with projections emanating from twelve individual sources and the employment of a blur edge blending technique an idiosyncratic virtual reality where one feels like being an active part of the experience. The fact that Wonderdome creates a seamless experience on an overarching screen instead of complementary individual ones only adds to the cohesive appeal.

Diverse in nature as far as the themes of the immersive worlds are concerned, ranging from exclusive Australian productions centred around the celebration of indigenous dance and song via David Attenborough narrated National Geographic and playful children friendly films to vibrant space odysseys and more abstract, aesthetically challenging artistic concepts, the common denominator is that Wonderdome presents a new way of not only watching but literally experience films.

Once seated in bean bags with supporting neck rests, one is in the perfect position to get lost in world of stimulating, superb imagery, which results more often than not in emotionally heightened reactions. I cannot wait for technology to advance for regular feature films to be experienced in the Wonderdome manner.

The Formative Years

Septic Death

I vividly remember the first I was exposed to Septic Death. 

It was unlike any other hardcore punk, thrash or crust punk I had heard before. 

Not only were the songs thematically centred around themes like fear, paranoia, terror, mental illness and political issues of 1980s cold war era, but sonically I was blown away by how effortlessly and technically concise Septic Death conveyed the horror of the songs’ lyrical content. 

Singer Brian Schroeder’s, i.e. Pushead, detailed second-to-none idiosyncratic artworks added another intense mind-altering dimension to make the package complete and sealed the deal with the way he created gripping and immensely recognizable visual equivalents to the music and made Septic Death instantenously one of my all-time favourite bands.

Septic Death was and to this day remains a unique band in that it not only created its own unrivalled haunting niche sound, which was lightning fast, extremely erratic and noisy, but a whole world on itself.

I loved the fact that Septic Death did not really rely any metal tinges to add a punch to their emission, but was in league with bands like Deep Wound, Siege, the fervour of furious Italian hardcore punk like Cheetah Chrome Motherfuckers and Raw Power, trailblazing rudimentary European outfits like Pandemonium and Laerm as well as Japanese hardcore thrashers like S.O.B.: Septic Death’s guitar parts sound at times like condensed white noise, drums are reminiscent of a madman running amok with a pair of metal sticks in an abandoned industrial site and stating that Pushead’s varied, well thought through and at times deliberately obnoxious vocal delivery was unorthodox would be an understatement par excellence.

Needless to say, Septic Death’s legacy influenced how punk music evolved from the likes of Discharge and Black Flag to what became widely known as powerviolence, trashcore and other blast-beat dominated extreme music.

One of the most imaginative, pioneering, seminal hardcore punk bands that occupies a special place in my heart.

Thus Let Us Drink Beer

Public Brewing, King Road Brewing & YH’s Beer’a’dise

Public Brewing Co. has been on my to-try list of Australian craft distillers for the longest time, not just because of the fact that its head distiller Gab Porto previously channelled his alchemy at Akasha Brewing, but because word around the campfire has that its focus is firmly put on a sustainable, environmental footprint limiting community-first approach. 
 
With its portfolio centred around approachable pale, red and sessionable beers that are bound to appeal to a wide range of brew lovers, it is specifically the special releases and collaborations with other breweries that intrigued me. Case in point: Public Brewing’s Maku hemp range of beers. The Maku IPA is based on a melange of  Columbus and Amarillo hops, interweaved with hemp, which imbues the tried and tested grapefruity citrus foundation with idiosyncratically nutty, piney and biscuity highlights, rounded out by dry, earthy finish.

The nomenclature of Andy's DDH Oat Cream IPA could not be more spot-on in that it delivers via a velvety mouthfeel both in terms of lactose heavy, sweet malty aromas, as well as a medium bitterness and mild notes of coffee.

My favourite of the range, however, is Public Brewing’s collaboration with Akasha Brewing, i.e. the much fabled about Sour Blueberry IPA. 

Clocking in at 6.7%, this little number is the result of dry hopping a sour with resinous, woody and stone fruity Talus hops to then add an extra flavour infusion with a metric hundredweight of blueberries post-fermentation. A fantastic accompaniment to a dram of Ardbeg Corrywrecken and much less a novelty beer than the name would suggest. Au contraire, it is a veritable pity that it was incepted as a one-off project that has now sold out.

Now, being a lover of hoppy DIPAs, I for one am not the biggest fan a light beers, so when I like one it attests to the fact that a knockout brew has been created that still ticks all the boxes in the flavour department without leaving one lusting for much more, which is exactly where Public Brewing’s Feather Weight Craft Light Beer shines, striking a balance between a delicate bitterness and subtly fruity aromas, which dance on a canvas of Cascade and Amarillo hops.

King Road Brewing

Looking at its genesis and the constituents involved, King Road Brewing Co is an example par excellence for a family business. What started as a humble hobbyhorse in the realm of experimentation with cider making has become a veritable powerhouse on the firmament of the Western Australian craft brewery scene and there seems to be no end in sight as there are currently further expansions underway.

Starting out with a core ranged based on two seasonals, a classic Wheat, a Pacific-style Session Ale and one arm of their operation being dedicated to the production of freshly hand-pressed cider, their core expression of which is a crisp, clear and refreshingly strong aromatic one.

Intrigued by King Road’s approachable Pale Ale with its distinct bitterness courtesy of Amarillo and smooth tropical and floral nuances derived Citra hops, which shine against a backdrop of caramelly sweet maltiness, things piqued my interest when they started to experiment with the release of their creative limited editions and the launch of their first IPA expression: 

King’s Road IPA is a solid, multi-layered brew and I love how the waves of passion fruit and citrus blend in with strawberries at the green and acidic end of the spectrum, to then take a surprising yet welcome U-turn into wonderfully dank and resinous territory, which is borderline reminiscent of cannabis. 

My favourite of King Road Brewing’s recent emissions must be their fantastic Hazy IPA. 

Based on the hoppy triumvirate of tangerine-tinged Zamba hops, stone fruity and slightly bitter El Dorado pellets and smooth floral Citra hops, it should not be further wondrous that the result is a fulminant flavour bomb that meanders between well-calibrated juicy tropical nuances to then round out and culminate in a clean, dry and nicely bitter landing. Clocking in at 7.4%, this babyh packs a bit of a punch and alcoholic warmth as well. 

I can only hope that King Road Brewing will try their hand at the creation of a double IPA…

Young Henrys – Beer’a’dise

Let us wrap this instalment up with one of my favourite local community-based breweries, i.e. Young Henrys. 

After a myriad of interesting and boundary pushing initiatives over the last couple of years, thematically centred around YH’s quality brews, this time around they have channelled their alchemy to create a melange of music, art, skateboarding, surfing and Australian mateship through joining forces with skateboarding powerhouse Volcom in a bid to celebrate their thirtieth birthday in style. 

To honour the occasion, Young Henrys brewed a limited edition beer, informed by avalanches of tropical goodness. 

A pale ale in nature, the limited Beer’a’dise release is an example par excellence for a sessionable brew and a tour de force at it, with the nuances of citrussy highlights, mandarin, pineapple vigorously dancing against a refreshingly, medium dry backdrop.

Another quality release that I was lucky enough to get a taste of, as not unlike Young Henrys other limited emissions, it sold out immediately.

The collaboration between Young Henrys and Volcom also fostered the drop of specifically designed limited edition merch, fusing the iconic illustrations that have somewhat become a trademark of Young Henrys with Volcom’s quality garments to create gear that will have you primed and covered for the upcoming summer on terra australis.

I hope that we will be able to cover the upcoming extension of the YH x Volcom birthday celebrations in more detail, i.e. the Welcome to Beer’a’dise party, which will see a floating device meandering across Sydney Harbour in between the Harbour Bridge and the Opera House to host a skate showcase serenaded by bands like Hockey Dad and guest DJs, along with other surprise guests.

The Formative Years

Krautrock

What emerged in Western Germany the late 1960s as a deliberate, experimental departure from the tried and tested formula that was blues inspired rock music, took a while to really resonate with me as during my early teens what was presented to me as “kosmische Musik” by my music teacher could have not been farther from the immediate jolts I was looking to get from listening to punk and other forms of extreme music.

However, once I found access, the often improvised hypnotic, textured, repetitive ambient  rhythms courtesy of krautrock bands exerted a thrall that proved to be hard to resist. 

It was the odd melange of psychedelic and piston pumping Teutonic detachment that made krautrock an idiosyncratic and exciting style of music that was unlike anything else and thereby provided fertile ground for the development of art rock, electronic music and proto-punk.

Driven by what became known as the “motorik” 4/4 beat, bands like Can and Neu! took notes from avantgarde composers like Stockhausen, adapted rock standards from the like of Pink Floyd and the Beatles and fused them with concepts of jazz to venture away of conventional song structures into the unknown to create their own lanes.

The influence krautrock exerted served as a sheer endless source of inspiration for bands like Roxy Music, Hawkwind, David Bowie, Brian Eno, Cabaret Voltaire, new wave at large and through bands like Kraftwerk even on electronic dance music.

Looking back at the legacy of krautrock bands, I find the hugely influential sheer visionary potency of their depth and breadth astounding as it not only reverberates throughout current pop culture but has indirectly influenced almost every form of music.

It has become an inherent cornerstone and reference point of any classification-resistant spontaneous experimental musical endeavour, no matter the style of instrumentation.

If you have not yet been exposed to the genre, a treasure-trove of unearthly, crazed and genuinely experimental music awaits.

Alestorm, Gloryhammer, Bootyard Bandits

University Of East Anglia, Norwich UK

December 9, 2021

After a two year wait Scottish pirate metallers Alestorm are back on the circuit for an 11 date tour of Ireland and the UK. Along for the ride with them are symphonic power metal outfit Gloryhammer and the UK's "most wanted" country metal band Bootyard Bandits, stepping in for the originally billed melodic death/folk metal 4 piece from the US Aether Realm who unfortunately had to pull out. That is alot of different metal for one night but a concoction guaranteed to be a lot of fun!

Firstly, I must apologise to Worcester based Bootyard Bandits for my tardiness as due to the gig being on a Thursday night I was a bit pushed to get to the venue on time and so arrived halfway through their set. They certainly looked the part in their cowboy outfits complete with banjo and inflatable cactus stage props. They had a big stage presence and even though it was weird hearing them talk in their native English accents the crowd were really getting into it. They had a few sing along anthems with titles like "Hoedown Showdown" and "Let's Rodeo". Personally I did not get into the band as much as others as I am not a Country music fan and found the posturing, line dancing and weedy sounding banjo rather tiresome but fair play to them, they know how to get the crowd going and put on a lively show.

Next up were the fantastical Gloryhammer, a 5 piece symphonic power metal band that sing of great battles both past and future, stories of undead unicorn invasions and wizardry. A side project of Christopher Bowes (vocalist and keytarist in Alestorm) started in 2010, each band member has their own character, costume and backstory and are well known for their comedic and incredibly catchy songs. Right now however the band are currently attempting to bounce back from a bit of bad press. After their performance at Bloodstock festival in the UK this summer they parted ways with singer Thomas Winkler which came as a surprise to Winkler himself and caused quite a lot of outrage amongst the fans. Not only that but soon after this a string of private Whatsapp messages between the band members were leaked showing them in an unfavourable light, for which they have all since apologized. Their new singer, Cypriot born, Sozos Michael (Eons Enthroned/Harmonize) has very quickly picked up the hammer and raised it triumphantly aloft on his first appearance on tour with the band. This was my first time seeing Gloryhammer as I've only really got into their music in last couple of years, when I bought tickets for this tour Winkler was still on board so I was a bit gutted to hear of his sacking and that I would never get to see him perform with them but Sozos Michael has a very similar vocal style and range and I was very impressed with what I saw. In a short space of time the band have managed to rehearse and perfect a solid performance and great onstage banter as a band. Their set consisted of their most well known songs from "Hootsforce", "Masters Of The Galaxy" and "Universe On Fire" to "Gloryhammer", "The Unicorn Invasion Of Dundee" with a little rendition of "Legendary Enchanted Jetpack" thrown in for good measure. The response from the crowd was huge, it kind of felt like a double headline thing going on and there were certainly no bad feelings towards the band at all. They played an epic set and left the stage showing a united front. 

As the stage was cleared of Gloryhammer's gear the familiar sight of Alestorms giant inflatable duck was brought out and started inflating. Anticipation grew as the duck filled up for we knew that once fully inflated the band would hit the stage! Alestorm recorded their sixth studio album "Curse Of The Crystal Coconut" in 2019/20  just before the pandemic hit, releasing it in May 2020 whilst everyone was in lockdown. They had to cancel all the dates they had planned for the album tour so this is the first time they have been able to play their new material. Alestorm are a band of habit though and they always choose a great mix of songs spanning the majority of their back catalogue. Kicking off with familiar opener "Keel Hauled" flowing seamlessly into the new material, from "Curse Of The Crystal Coconut" they played the first single "Treasure Chest Party Quest" and continued with "Tortuga", "Zombies Ate My Pirate Ship", "Shit Boat (No Fans)" and "Pirate Metal Drinking Crew" interspersed with some old favourites such as "The Sunk'n Norwegian", "Captain Morgans Revenge", "Nancy The Tavern Wench", "1741 (The Battle Of Cartagena)" they even did their cover of "Hangover" and, of course, ending with their classic sing along "Fucked With An Anchor"! It is safe to say that Alestorm and Gloryhammer have been sorely missed by the British public as they both received a riotous response from the crowd and a great night was had by all. The band were on top form as usual and loving every minute of it. The sound was a bit muddy when Alestorm first came on but I get that trying to balance the sound of 2 keyboards along with the rest of the band in a large crowded room of very drunk people is a tricky business and they managed to sort out the sound issues very quickly. Bands like Alestorm and Gloryhammer are often discredited as gimmick bands which may be so but neither of these bands take themselves seriously at all and they really don't care what people think of them they are just here to put on a great show, play some metal and just have fun! Everybody needs a bit of these bands in their lives sometime and I for one cannot wait for them to come back! 

Gloryhammer:

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all photos by Sarah Jane