Album of the week- The UV Race: "The UV Race"

My fondness for these young pups' live outings has never been in doubt. After the early fumblings of their live-at-Missing Link cassette, and the demo/party mix CD (which included tracks by the Seeds, VOM, Stooges, Electric Eels and others mixed in with the band's own stuff) it's a relief to get hold of this album and realise they've pulled it off.
Scuzzy, raucous, utterly instinctive and full of self-confidence, it's everything you, or I, or any other band, could hope for from a debut album.

A sly Thursday.

Well, that was fun.
I survived the inaugural Sydney Flip Out, just. Highlights are too numerous to mention, really, and basically boil down to hanging out with fine people and keeping within earshot of great music. Oh, and some beer. There are live sets from most of the bands here - thanks, Morris.
If you are in Melbourne and can't wait, this show at the Tote tomorrow may help:

James Arthur is a Texan hick who spent a lotta time as the driving force behind some of the best '90s underground garage/punk/psych bands like Fireworks, Necessary Evils, Feast of Snakes and the Golden Boys, among others, and recording for all the hippest labels of the day like Crypt, In The Red, Sympathy, even appearing on fine Aussie imprints Au-go-go and Dropkick. He's been dormant for a while, distilling a toxic brew of psychedelic noise in the basement of his ranch in the Hill Country outside of Austin.
He's just got together a new band, JAMES ARTHUR'S MANHUNT, and has recorded an LP for Australian taste-makers Aarght! Records. We are proud to bring you the first such JA foray in some time. Manhunt will be touring
Australia in August & September of this year in support of the LP, playing at both Flip Out Festivals in Melbourne and Sydney, with a handful of side shows.
We don't know what a manhunt is. James is kinda gay.
Which is cool and all, and ballsy for a Texan.

That's only$10, and kicks off around 8.30pm

A handy guide.

There seem to be a few bands around town at the moment with vaguely similar names. It's not as bad as the great wave of Wolf/Hand/Bird acts of a while back, but regardless, here's a handy guide, to make sure you don't end up at Pony when you should be at the Birmy.

Wasted Truth are an awesome noisy two piece.
Truth From Facts are an awesome noisy trio, with an album due soon.

Mother and Father are the first act signed to new Melbourne label Z-Man Records.
Mother and Child do not have a record deal. Nor, it seems, a MySpace page.

Useless Children are a fine noisy bunch of youngsters, with a six-track EP out.

Brain Children are Mikey Young and Max Kohane, and they have an EP out too, on Aarght! Records. It looks like this:

Not to be confused with Baby Brain , by the way.

I can't find much info on Racing Daphne or Scott and Charlene's Wedding, but here are some pics that turned up in image search:

Make of that what you will.

Sometimes it's OK to be a racist.

I like UV Race. I like them quite a lot. They have been busy of late- their debut album is due out soon, they got profiled in hipster rag Vice ( a publication I would never wish to appear in) and have a very busy weekend lined up.

On Saturday they are supporting the Late Arvo Sons on the first of their April Tote residency shows. Future supports for the Sons will be Flying Scissor Kicks on the 11th, Chinese Burns (18th) and Super Wild Horses on the fourth and final show on the 25th, by the way.


The Race are then part of the bill at the afore-mentioned Super Wild Horses own single launch, at the Lithuanian Club, along with the Twerps and Noah & the Arks, as well as "Eddy Current DJs", which I'm guessing is basically Mikey Young with some records- good ones.
They are also doing a private party gig later that night. Fuck these kids have stamina.

Flip Out

Now, ordinarily, this show, at the Espy on Friday night, would be head and shoulders above the rest:

The Visitors were one of a clutch of bands (see also- the Hitmen, the Other Side, Comrades of War, New Christs and New Race) formed from the debris of Radio Birdman on their return from Europe in 1978. They played a dozen or so shows, recorded an album, released an EP's worth of it, and then disbanded. The album eventually emerged years later, and is now being reissued, on Citadel Records, to mark their reunion. I never saw them, and am really looking forward to this. I mean, it's not often you get to see legends play. Vocalist Mark Sisto's role as Birdman's "Minister for Defence" led to me being christened "Minister for Offence" during my time roadieing for GOD. And, it's free, yet. Make the most of it.

But even that looks like being relegated to warm up status, because on Saturday the first (of many, hopefully) Flip Out Festival hits the Corner Hotel.

A solid attempt to get a decent festival going in Melbourne, without the big bucks and sponsorship. There is so much going on here, in addition to the music. The first 200 people through the door will receive a free 18 track Aarght Records/Stained Circles sampler. There's a record fair 2 – 6pm, a rooftop BBQ will run from 5 – 8pm, and the Gimme Shelter and Primitive DJ’s will be playing tunes in the front bar.

PERFORMANCE TIMES - OVER 2 STAGES:
3.00 SUPER WILD HORSES
3.45 THE UV RACE
4.30 THE STRAIGHT ARROWS (SYD)
5.15 THE FROWNING CLOUDS
6.00 THE PINK FITS (SYD)
6.45 DEAD FARMERS (SYD)
7.30 KNIFE FIGHT (NZ)
8.15 THE STABS
9.00 KING AUTOMATIC (FRANCE)
9.45 DEAF WISH
10.30 M.O.T.O (USA)
11.15 BEACHES
12.00 EDDY CURRENT SUPPRESSION RING

And if that isn't enough for you, the Straight Arrows are using Flip Out to kick off a tour to launch their new single, and you can go and see them again on Sunday at Bar Open in Fitzroy.

That starts around 8.00pm, with the Arrows on at 11-ish.

Monday morning is far away as I write this, but I suspect it won't be a pleasant awakening.