Melbourne Spring Fashion Week
Designer Series
Tuesday, August 31

From the Arnsdorf collection

It didn’t feel much like spring at the first runway show of Melbourne Spring Fashion Week on Tuesday night; the one thing everyone was wearing as they came up the red carpet to the Melbourne Town Hall was a light coating of drizzle.

But the gloomy weather was in contrast to the excited mood of the crowd, which, instead of jaded buyers and fashion scribes, consisted mostly of the general public – although just how ‘general’ you could label one who wears glitter dusted stilettos I’m not sure.

There was also the requisite raving homeless man adding a little spark to the mix, and keeping the ushers busy as they courteously engaged him in conversation while tactfully keeping him from bounding up the stairs into the building.

Once the doors were swung open the crowd was only kept waiting about 15 minutes, not long in the world of the runway show.

Opening to a thumping beat and a collective craning of heads was Melbourne-based label Arnsdorf. The collection, by designer Jade Sarita Arnott, featured skirts fashioned into cup-like geometric shapes that came to life in their own right, standing away from the body.

From the Gary Bigeni collection

Arnsdorf also set the tone for the evening, which was bashful nude tones, muted pastels, a generous handful of black and white and elegant prints.

Next up, Gary Begini’s outfits brought to mind images of Italian movie stars lounging in sun soaked cafes on the Riviera. There were lots of loose swinging pants teamed with sharp shouldered-jackets, a perfect grown-up way to combat the warmer weather.

Retail chain Assin presented designs from Flannel, Dhini and Lui Hon. Leather shirts – reminiscent of Celine’s fall 2010 ready-to-wear collection — and panels featured alongside suede and sheer fabrics that both demonstrated the models were not wearing bras while also posing a dilemma to any potential buyer as to whether they would throw away their modesty and follow suit, or try to select a bra that would prove complimentary. But then fashion has never been a friend of practicality.

Adding to the small but noticeable presence of utilitarian materials, leather also cropped up in Material By Product’s range, with knee-length skirts (reinforcing the global trend toward longer lengths and more modest styles) and trench coats bunched together with a belt at the waist. A two-second pose by the model was long-enough to appreciate the detail, with a line of tiny cut-out circles etched down the back of one of the jackets.

From the Kawaii collection

Alistair Trung’s collection was apparently inspired by space travel, with metallic knitted panels and soft moon-like greys.

Kawaii continued with the mature tone of the evening, sending out an off-white shirt-dress with a chunky collared sleeve. It was the perfect office outfit for the warmer season.

Another retailer represented was Alice Euphemia, which livened up the parade with sequins and some oh-so-rock-star over-the-knee boots by the latest name on everyones’ lips, Anna Plunkett and Luke Sales’ Romance Was Born.

Finally, Therese Rawsthorne capped things off, reiterating the trends towards leather, mature soft tailoring, flowy draping and clean cut minimal designs. Her blood red dress ended the night with a splash of welcome colour, a jolt of warmth for the crowd before we were left to brave the brisk spring night outside.

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A three-piece live disco outfit from Australia’s city of churches?

Meet the Swiss, made up of Sid, Tony and Luke – a legit Adelaide disco act, the self-proclaimed “real deal, wading through an insurmountable wash of pretenders” are on their way to Melbourne.

The Swiss are leading a burgeoning disco resurgence in Australia. With snappy drums, synthesized strings, danceable punchy bass and dizzy pops, their music is catchy, chilled and ferociously infectious. Their ethos: ”We live, only to make you dance.”

The past 18 months has seen the band: snapped up by Modular (the home of Tame Impala, Cut Copy and The Presets); creating hits in the studio with whiz kid producer Donnie Sloan (Empire of the Sun, Sneaky Sound System); supporting Ladyhawke on her national tour; and providing backing band duties for Empire of the Sun’s Luke Steele, right around the world.

So when I tried to get in touch with the boys for a quick chat about their upcoming visit to Melbourne for Parklife, I had some trouble tracking them down. Luckily I managed to nab five minutes of their time somewhere between LA and Brooklyn.

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The term disco is often misused and there are few, if any bands, that are doing what you guys are doing right now in Aus. So what brought about your interest in disco and the formation of The Swiss?

We really want to play (fl)acid jazz but no one pays for an acid jazz band to play… yet. But no honestly, we’ve been playing disco for ages, it just got cool recently. I guess we’ll become dorks again when it goes out of fashion.

So it’s Luke on synth, Tony on drums and Sid on bass. Do you ever switch it up?

There’s some percussion on stage so everyone has a crack at that. We all make music on our own too. But yeah, in The Swiss it’s one of the few things that are pretty tightly regimented.

You’ve caught the attention of some well-respected music folk like Aeroplane and Sinden. Does the success of these guys inspire you to work harder?

Yeah it’s really good to hear praise from people whose music we love. It would be even more inspiring if it translated into record sales.

Is there any musician (past or present) that truly inspires you to continue doing what you do?

Sid kind of idolises Arthur Russel. Tony is into Mr. Oizo and Luke finds inspiration in Arnie.

You have been touring around the US for a week or so now, LA, Philly, Brooklyn…What has the reception been like? Any crazy groupies in tow?

Yeah there’s this one girl, no wait we can’t tell you that. Oh and Sam Sparro. But that groupie relationship works both ways.

What’s on your ipod playlists as you trek across the US?

Beats In Space podcasts, Steely Dan, Discovery, Homework, Boys Noize, Donna Summer, Shit Robot, Horse Meat Disco Vol 2, Das Moth, Hidden Cat

Luke Steele requested you for his backing band for last years Parklife festival. Did he coerce you into wearing some of his costumes on stage?

Yeah we’re still touring with him and still wearing costumes.

I heard a rumour that you may have a hand in producing the next Empire of the Sun album. True or false?

False

This year at Parklife, you’re going it on your own, no backing, just The Swiss headlining their own stage. What can we expect?

Lots of dancing and maybe some guest appearances.

Where are we likely to find you hanging out when in town for Parklife?

Obviously the laneway cafes. Is Third Class still around?

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Little Red is surely a band that needs no introduction — the Melbourne darlings of doo-wop have been making waves for some time now.

For anyone who has been living under a rock, the band comprises five local lads. Four of them contribute lead vocals and harmonies over skintight primal rhythms, provided by the remaining adorable drummer.

Little Red shot to prominence in 2008, after winning the Australia-wide Garage to V competition. Since then the band has strode ahead in leaps and bounds (recycled suits in their wake) jumping on stage at the Big Day Out, Pyramid Rock, Falls and Meredith festivals. In between, they’ve hit the road and with the likes of good mates Vasco Era and even supported Vampire Weekend during their first Aussie tour (I must say, Little Red simply stole the show…  and trust me, I’m a Vampire fan)

As for their sound? Well, there’s soul, there’s funk, there’s blues, there’s 60s beats and, of course, those sweet harmonies. They sing pretty ditties about girls and love, and coca cola and ice.

I recently got chatting to guitarist and vocalist Adrian Beltrame. Funnily enough, I first met Beltrame way back when in a dodgy Melbourne bistro at the ripe old age of 16 — a time when socialising meant raucous house parties when parents were away, and stealing booze signs after guzzling whiskey nabbed from forbidden alcohol cabinets. A decade later, not much has changed; Beltrame might be performing in front of crowds of thousands, but he hasn’t lost his penchant for fun.

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You boys have known each other while, what inspired you to start making music together?

Just listening to really great music together, it’s the best thing in the world. I remember back in the old days, when we were just starting, we used to play music in the day and listen to early Elvis records well into the night, playing cards. One time, Dom and I listened to Elvis’ first record 8 times in a row.

I know for you guys there is little else that comes close to playing live, so do you have a standout gig?

When we had just started up the band, we played some residencies. One at The Tote in Collingwood and the other at Northcote Social club and I remember those shows were really exciting because we knew we were onto a good formula. Also Big Day Out is a pretty amazing gig to be part of.

Tell me a little about your headline show at the Lexington in London late last year?

It’s always a bit nerve racking playing gigs, but we were well rehearsed for that show and playing in front of new people is easy because we know they’ve never seen anything like us before. The whole experience was just amazing. We did some recording for a couple days, which was probably the best bit.

As harmful as it may be to the whole rock star image, can you admit to having a come across any musicians that have left you star struck?

I met Johnny Marr (guitarist for the Smith’s and also a member of Modest Mouse). He was staying in the hotel room next to mine and he seemed like a real genuine guy and wished me luck.

When it comes to fashion, I would say your style is as old school as your music. So is it op shops or designer garb for you guys?

Op shops all the way. The op-shops in Northern NSW and Queensland are usually the best. We do try to co-ordinate but lately some of the boys have got into wearing tropical shirts, which confuses things a bit. I myself, am mostly into suit jackets because they make me look smart but they tend to get a bit smelly after a few shows and no washing [charming!]

So yesterday was yesterday, but what does the future hold for Little Red?

We are getting ready to record a second album, hopefully early this year. I don’t want to get ahead of myself but I think we have the potential to make a really special album.

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And so that’s Little Red, modest to the very end… but I spy big things on the horizon.

www.colourmeskinny.blogspot.com/

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Are we changed from listening to Naomi Wolf speak?

Wolf, author of seminal feminist text The Beauty Myth, received a warm welcome in at Melbourne’s Capitol Theatre this month, and she returned the favour by praising Australia’s “gutsy” and “down-to-earth” women. Her talk was in many ways an introduction to, or rehash of, her bestselling book from the ’90s, with some musings on how things have changed in the 19 years since the tome was published.

Her argument — that while women have made legal, educational and professional strides over the decades, they have been bombarded by cultural images to keep them insecure about and fixated on their attractiveness — in many ways changed feminist discourse. That women are key in this — internalising many of the shallow attitudes they oppose at an intellectual level — is worthy of greater thought. It’s no longer about blaming ‘the man’: women’s discussions about other women are frequently more cutting than those by men; critiques about female appearance more commonplace; expenditure on clothing, beauty products, surgery etc. disproportionate.

It’s a tricky situation acknowledged by Wolf; while arguing that the multi-billion-dollar cosmetics, dieting and plastic surgery industries want to “mess with your head”, she has no easy answer on how to affect self-confidence enough to ensure obsessive ruminations on appearance do not plague the lives of girls and women.

According to Wolf, the ubiquitous porn industry leaves women feeling they are second-rate and wanting to reproduce the new ideal: porn everywhere, showing all manner of women — though there is a porn ‘type’ — doing all manner of things (or, to use more masculine language, having things done to them). She argues that while people used to be turned on by people, by flesh and blood lying next to them in a bed for example, a women in her flesh cannot be assured that she will be accepted and desired nowadays because her partner has seen so many commodified and extreme images. This theory holds weight among some men, Wolf says, who are “dialling through a DVD of images” to become sufficiently aroused. As people relate to a bunch of strangers in their beds a kind of loneliness descends and relationships are drained of their vitality.

Still, this train of thought sits alongside an instinctive, though nuanced, anti-censorship stance. Having argued that the negative consequences of porn are preferable to all-ought censorship, Wold advocates that men in particular make a choice to abstain from excessive pornographic consumption in order to respect their sexual response, thereby enabling their “sexual energy” to be turned to their partners rather than into the abyss. Wolf encourages women — in a self-confessed ‘California’ frame of mind –to “see the goddess within”, which I presume is code for fortifying self-esteem.

Wolf notes now that as expectations of beauty and attractiveness have become more widespread — “taking pride” in your appearance, “making an effort” — it’s hard to ‘just be’ at times. And she harks back to a key argument in the The Beauty Myth that being an attractive woman, though it has its perks, is no utopia. Plenty of men objectify you; woman can be hostile. (When an audience member questioned whether the mantra that people should embrace the diversity of women’s looks could inadvertently lead to a hostility towards those who fit the modern-day ideal — the label ‘real woman’ seems to imply the existence of ‘unreal’ women – Wolf dryly noted that such negative stereotypes tend to subside as a woman ages.)

© Al Wilson

As the sun goes down on Melbourne, office workers flood the streets, pumping like blood through the public transport system; the city turns on her neon lights and cranks up the volume.

The Yarra loses its unhealthy brown lapping and takes on a petrol black sheen, throwing back the lights of the city like a mirror in her face. Walking along the river’s banks you can hear them before you see them; the party boats.

The most common variety, the “pigeon” of the river, chugs long low to the water, like a semi-submerged bus; a tiny deck carved into the rear like an afterthought, or a beer garden tacked on after Melbourne’s smoking ban came into force.

Neon disco lights stamp out flashing silhouettes of the revellers within, as they dance to pumping top 40 tunes.

It’s a particular style of party that goes on within these boats. The kind that conjures memories of university parties, with beer-soaked chips and cheap wine. They are commonly the venue for the kind of parties that feed the greeting card industry; milestone birthdays, hens’ and bucks’ nights, the office Christmas bash or year 12 graduation — parties with purpose.

And so it is that I am here; being told to “watch my step” down the stairs, as I navigate my way from the metal gangplank, and down into the depths of the boat. Ours is the Yarra Duchess, property of Melbourne River Cruises.

It is a friend’s 30th birthday, and unfortunately for us it happens to be around 35 degrees in Melbourne. The encroaching night sky seems only to have trapped the day’s heat like a water glass over a cockroach. Stepping into the boat therefore becomes like stepping into a sauna. Rule number one; party boats, lined with their large-touring windows, suck in the heat.

The effect is such that our party steps into the boat and, like salmon seeking out their stream of birth, we file along her breadth and up out onto the deck behind, knocking our heads in quick succession on her low-hanging exit as we go. Rule number 2; watch you head, and try to grow only more vigilant as the night wears on.

On the deck you can survey the city with the wind in your hair. It is a warm and hairstyle destroying wind, but it is pleasant nonetheless. The city truly is beautiful from this vantage point, bathed in a flattering evening light.

There is a small bin on one side of the deck which will necessitate the constant breaking up of chatting groups throughout the night as people seek out a refuge for their cigarette butts. At least I hope this was kept up, although I honestly can’t swear that some weren’t put off by the effort later on and emboldened by the night’s shadows to surreptitiously sink their rubbish into the river. All I can say is thank god for the river’s rubbish traps, however jarring they may be aesthetically.

We are given a lecture on safety. It concerns listening for the boat’s horn, at which we must duck down if we are outside on the deck. Apparently the Yarra’s bridges are quite low.

And then the bar is opened. The beers are served in glasses smaller than your average water glass. They’re smart, these party boat operators. Years of 18ths and bucks parties have taught them the value of tiny portions.

There’s food also. It seems to have been transported from some time in the past when all party food came festooned with its own toothpick. So we prise meatballs from their woody supports, and more meat, this time stacked kebab-style, from along skewers. There are sandwiches too, crusts removed, and ready to party.

The circular route that our boat laps offers vistas of the city, cutting through Southbank and the Docklands, as well as views of parkland, including the Botanical Gardens. There is also the chance to see a display of Melbourne’s moneyed homes as they lounge, sprawled and decadent, down the banks of the river in Toorak, Kooyong and Hawthorn.

With the DJ spinning and popular r&b pumping, the heat is not enough to put people off.

The staff are dressed in slightly ridiculous sailer getup, but the costumes still demand authority. Later in the evening, when one of the brass-buckled employees is straddling a support pole within the ship, swinging suggestively at the circle of onlookers, it adds a kind of fetish-party flair to the evening. Horny sailor boys and shiny poles, you like them? We got ‘em all on board the party boat.

All in all it’s a fun night. The staff are friendly, possibly too friendly, but only much like all service staff are.

After four hours onboard, the exit is assisted much like the entrance, with a “watch your step, have a good night”.

At 11pm, on the banks of the river and with Melbourne laid out before us like a web of opportunities, the party boat pushes us off for our next adventure. I imagine this is how most parties end on the river, with a new beginning somewhere else in Melbourne’s streets.

Although we sailed with Melbourne River Cruises, there are numerous other cruising companies set up to cater for your wildest partying dreams. Melbourne River Cruises runs a fleet of seven ships, including the Yarra Countess, Yarra Empress, Yarra Queen, Yarra Princess, Yarra Duchess, Yarra Explorer, and the Spirit of Melbourne.

The ships range in size and cater for parties from 40 people to 150 at the most for cocktails, and 100 for a banquet-style event. For enquires you can visit the website, or pop along to Vault 11 Banana Alley, Melbourne.

Save Live Australia’s Music (SLAM), a group recently formed in support of Melbourne’s live music scene, is staging a protest on Tuesday 23rd of February. The group, whose clunky name conveniently makes for a catchy acronym, is demanding that the government review the current restrictive liquor laws on live music venues and give more support and recognition to Melbourne’s live music scene in general.

In an event timed to coincide with the 34th anniversary of AC/DC’s hit ‘It’s a Long Way To The Top’, the protest will feature a flat bed truck slowly making its way down Swanston street with the RocKwiz Orchestra belting out the chords from the song. A spectacle sure to conjure up images, in those old enough to remember, of AC/DC pulling the same stunt in their video clip three and a half decades earlier.

The push is being led by Quincy McLean and has the support from a large number of well known Australian artists, including Paul Kelly, Tim Rogers and Clare Bowditch. SLAM has formed mainly in response to the closure earlier this year of the Tote, but is deeply concerned with the damage current laws are having on other live music venues in the city. They are asking that current laws be reviewed as soon as possible to ensure that no more venues go under due to more costly licensing requirements. The group is also calling for more support to be given to Melbourne’s live music community and for recognition of the essential role it plays in the cultural fabric of the city.

So far the event has enjoyed a great deal of virtual support. With thousands joining the facebook page, this issue is clearly ringing true for thousands of music lovers across Melbourne who see restrictive licensing regimes as harmful to the culture of the city.

The event is being touted as the beginning of a longer campaign for politicians to give live music in this city a fair go, with organisers promising further concerts and political action throughout the year.

The government is clearly concerned, with efforts being made to meet the group’s demands prior to the protest. While they are clearly more concerned with their electoral vulnerability in inner city seats than about the state of live music in Melbourne this should result in progress on the issue.

Regardless of political intent, we will hopefully soon see liquor laws which give a fair risk assessment of live music venues in Melbourne and a resurgence in the viability of these institutions.

Laneway encourages all live music lovers to get down to the State Library on Tuesday to voice your concern to the State Government. If you are part of a band, you are encouraged to register on SLAM’s website and march together on the day.

Encourage your friends to come along to make this a really big event in support of Melbourne’s music scene.

SLAM will protest against licensing restrictions on live music venues on Tuesday 23rd of February. The Protest starts outside the State Library at 4pm. Guest Speakers in front of Parliament House from 6pm-7pm.

Collingwood’s premier live music venue, The Tote, has sadly announced that this weekend will be its last. Proprietor Bruce Milne made the shock announcement on the hotel’s website that come Sunday, January 16, The Tote will reopen its doors no more.

It seems as though a cruel combination of financial troubles, kill-joy bureaucrats and city nuff nuffs has ended the tenure of this iconic establishment. After putting in place stricter liquor licensing rules, following the determination of drunken halfwits to beat themselves senseless outside city nightclubs each weekend, the state’s licensing authority has stubbornly insisted that The Tote should fall within a ‘high risk’ category. Faced with a 500 per cent jump in fees, the hotel’s management dedicided it couldn’t afford to fight on.

Despite its location on the corner of Johnston and Wellington Streets, The Tote has never had a reputation for violence, attracting modest crowds of live music lovers rather than mobs of brawlers. But, to the astonishment even of local police, The Tote ended up in the same risk category as the mega clubs that do draw those hoardes, incurring the high costs which have driven it out of business as a result.

The closure may not come as such a surprise for those who’ve followed the hotel’s story over the past year, with hints that things weren’t going so well. Most notably, the venue failed to sell at auction in March and then appeared likely to go under in May following a paperwork technicality which forced its doors closed for a few days. Nevertheless, there seemed little fear that the hotel would fizzle under financial pressures. Tragically though, it seems that this is the case.

Laneway dips its hats to the noble institution that was The Tote, and our team will be heading there this weekend to have one last drink and reminisce about good times past.

If you want to protest the closure of The Tote, a group will be demonstrating on Sunday, January 17, at 6pm outside the hotel. Get down there and stand up for the proper licensing of Melbourne’s live music venues.

Collection made in Melbourne

Peering through the window was a little like looking into a wonderland that was half Alice and half Yellow Submarine: in the window itself, felt sculptures in white, red, pink and orange resembled a sea of deformed eyes, while beyond it, past the shelves displaying pale ceramics and misshaped wood, a neon world of string, fur and splattered paint unfolded like a fantastical volcanic eruption.

For anyone still under the illusion that craft is boring, I’d recommend a visit to Craft Victoria. This shop-cum-gallery is among the most beautiful spaces in Melbourne: its bright, welcoming rooms are filled with the creations of local designers and makers. Each object here is part of the city, a tangible piece of its individuality, and, for me, what’s between these walls is a big part of what makes Melbourne such a great place to live.

This is a subject close to my heart, as I’ve always invested so much of myself into the objects around me. Many hold memories of a person or place and others just make me happy, but the things I surround myself with all say a little something about who I am. I love that objects tell a story.

Along with antiques and vintage, handmade objects are the best storytellers. Their stories begin as an idea, or a word, or a joke, and work their way through a person’s mind until they are crafted into reality. Before they even reach a shelf they are imbued with thoughts and memories, a shadow of their maker and the experiences that led them to create in the first place.

Luckily for us, Melbourne is full of people making their stories. Each object and each story will appeal to different people, but the ones that get me excited are those told with playfulness and humour: I like to see the funny side of things and so I surround myself with objects that bring a smile to my face. Even better if they make me giggle like a lunatic.

Brands such as Limedrop have mastered the cute/funny aesthetic, with their range of wooden necklaces and pop-out earrings in the shapes of paper planes, dinosaurs, and sinking ships. Birds and forest animals in particular are popular muses and can be seen across a huge number of ranges in every colour, shape and material; Prudence and Horatio do it very well, cutting out vintage pictures of native birds, putting them on rubber backing and coating them with resin to give them a shiny, glass-like finish.

Jewellery is the most common medium, and within that it is the brooches, badges and buttons that most consistently tickle my funny bone. The Philos-o-face brooches (also by Prudence and Horatio creator Prudence Rees-Lee) are great, featuring the faces of well-quoted philosophers such as Nietzsche and Socrates. With a Philos-o-face or two in your collection you can, in the words of the Prudence, “Put your thinking face on,” whenever you please. Who wouldn’t want that?

While there are an obscene number of people making things that feature lovable critters, there are also those who are doing things no one else is. Lisa Kearns, who works under the brand name Kearnsie, has created badges that are not only funny and sweet but have the potential to break down social barriers. Her colourful ‘Hello’ badges are a play on name tags, but instead say things like ‘Hello, I like to skim stones and take long walks in the park’. There’s a feeling of vulnerability about them that is inherently charming.

Click below to keep reading…

So, I’m a guy in a suit who’s just booked a sweat-box of a meeting room inside a large, soulless, corporate building, yuppie iPhone in hand scribbling madly on a pad.

I find myself trying to work out how to dial out from a phone – that has enough buttons and special features to launch a nuclear missile – whilst conducting something resembling an interview.

It’s 5pm. Looking outside of my glass prison I see my co-workers looking tired and stressed, and.it’s only Monday. Enthusiasm is sadly lacking.

It’s with great pleasure that I inject a sense of hope and optimism into this article in the form of Richie from Tumbleweed. You see, over the past four months Richie has been involved in getting one of the seminal Australian rock’n'roll bands of the early-mid nineties back into the consciousness and forefront of the punters mind.

This project of reasonably epic proportions culminated in the original lineup of Tumbleweed’s first gig in about 15 years, occurring last Saturday night in Woolloongong.

So how was it?

“Absolutely awesome – it was incredible. It was sold out before the doors were open – which was a good thing”

Tumbleweed

“It was a huge group of people from the past 20 years of our lives there, so it was a really special time and it sounded great. We played well and everybody enjoyed it – it’ll be something I’ll remember for a long time.”

Delving into Tumbleweed’s past, it’s a minor miracle that the gig on Saturday night ever came to fruition.

“I didn’t think it would happen, I don’t think anybody in the band had given it any thought that we might get back together again.” However, this year marks the 15th Anniversary of the Homebake festival and with Tumbleweed’s long history with the event, it seemed like now was as good an opportunity as any to rekindle the magic.

“We hadn’t talked for a long time and I suppose when Homebake was offered to us earlier in they year they asked if we could do it because we had so much to do with the initial Homebake,” adding, “They thought it would be a good thing to do to come full circle and all that”

Some local press may have also been a contributing factor in the band reforming. “A story in our local newspaper eluded to the fact that we would never get back together again, because of me, and I saw our guitarist by chance out at dinner one night about four months ago and mentioned it wasn’t exactly true what the newspaper article had said.”

“We ended up back at his place, had a few wines and kept talking and he said: ‘if that’s not true, we need to talk about this,’ and you know we had a band meeting and within two weeks we were in the jam room. I think from the moment we played the first song together it felt right, it felt fantastic and we thought it was something that we felt we could do so we decided to embark on this thing.”

Asking my best Richard Wilkens-like questions, I ask them about their new album.

“It is one gig at a time at the moment, like the old footy cliché.”

“You just don’t want to ruin the magic and if you start looking too far ahead you lose what’s happening in the moment and what’s happening in the moment is pure enjoyment – we are absolutely loving playing the songs again and loving sort of getting to know each other again after 15 years”.

He adds, “When we broke up it wasn’t pretty and there has been a lot of water under the bridge. We’ve actually started becoming friends again and its absolutely awesome, not only for the collective of Tumbleweed but individually for all of us its just an amazing period in our lives – so we don’t want to ruin that. Never say never and maybe the opportunity will come to record something or think about continuing it on but at the moment we are giving people a taste of what we thought was an incredibly special moment and that was the original Tumbleweed lineup. We are trying to represent that as true as possible and you know if Saturday is anything to go by it’s just absolutely amazing – I just cant explain how incredible Saturday was.”

“I think the danger is getting trapped or caught up in the game, we are not sort of into doing that, we just want to live outside of Tumbleweed, outside of music” muses Richie when questioned about what they will do differently this time around.

“It’s something we don’t have to do, it’s something we wanted to do. I don’t think in our music lives, post-Tumbleweed, we have experienced anything quite like it. It’s not about the popularity, its about the sound and the effortlessness of having those 5 individuals in the room. There is a magical quality that comes out of it and it something that took a 15 years break to get back, to realise that’s what was so special and that we loved the songs and to let go of the negative aspects of what it became when we were young and not wise enough to appreciate what we had. Now it’s just an absolute revelation to play our songs again. It’s the most magical thing in the world.”

With upcoming Melbourne shows at the Hi-Fi Bar (10/12), Meredith Festival (11/12) and The Espy (NYE) it dawned on me that there will be a sizable chunk of kids who have never experienced a Tumbleweed gig and know them only from their back catalogue of albums.

“I was surprised by the amount of young people who rocked up to the Wollongong show the other day” he notes. “I don’t know whether it’s because we have a name in Wollongong or older brothers have passed on our albums. The sound hasn’t changed, we’ve still got the original amps we used back in the day, original pedals, original guitars – everything is original.”

“There’s been no modification to the sound and I think young people will be surprised with the sound. I know that even after hearing it back myself I was surprised by the sound. I forgot it, I’ve still got our records but they are not a true indication of what our live sound was. It’s honest, it’s true, we deliver it with the same passion we always did. It’s timeless and I think the kids will accept it no differently to anybody else.”

So about the level of commitment required to undertake a tour after such a significant break?

“We have been practicing every week, every Sunday” (We are) doing pretty good, still on schedule, we were pretty conscious of getting up there an not being able to cut it so we have been putting in the hard work, and its pretty much on schedule. So by the time we get down to Melbourne we should be in form. If the other night was anything to go by it’s gonna be great”

I leave my translucent cage with an unnatural sense of enthusiasm for a Monday and the promise of some amazing shows to come.

In this age of bland, corporate, middle-of-the-road rock’n'roll, occasionally circumstance impregnates necessity, giving birth to something the masses crave without ever realising it.

Ladies and Gentlemen, I present to you Tumbleweed. Enjoy.

The Melbourne music scene is often described as ‘rich,’ ‘vibrant’ or ‘eclectic’ – or any other manner of exciting adjective. And if you’ve ever taken a quick squiz at the gig guide on any night of the week, there’s plenty there to suggest such descriptions are warranted. Tinpan Orange, as one of the relative newcomers to the Melbourne scene, closely represents all that is rich, vibrant, eclectic or other about the Melbourne music landscape.

But amongst a landscape that often sounds like it’s all beer and skittles, the road of a Melbourne indie artist is one that usually involves less of the beer and not as many skittles as you would otherwise imagine. Yet the realities of the industry certainly haven’t seemed to dull the passion of Tinpan Orange’s Emily Lubitz, Jesse Lubitz and Alex Burkoy, enough to devote their life to it.

So when I got the chance to chat with Emily, I wanted answers. As they strive in an industry as competitive as it is exciting, I wanted to know why they do it, and I wanted to know how they do it. Strangely enough, it seems answering the latter provides some obvious answers to the former.

The Tinpan Orange story began in familiar territory, no doubt, as it does for many musical-types keen on making music. Jamming with her brother Jesse, busking, going to open mic nights, writing songs if and when they felt right… it was a social thing, an outlet, and largely an unconscious, gradual process towards what we now know as Tinpan Orange.

Perhaps surprisingly, the life of an indie artist was never originally a conscious decision for the band – after all, they were just going up to Darwin to hang out with friends, do a bit of busking, do some markets and play in a few pubs, maybe sell a few CDs along the way. It wasn’t until they sold a few more CDs each week than they expected, during what Emily describes as “a real random winter up there”, that they started to approach this vocation with a little more seriousness when they returned down south.

The small world that it is engineered a chance meeting with Alex Burkoy in 2005, whom they previously went to school with, and whose musical ability and sensibility seemed to fit like a glove with the direction the Lubitz siblings were heading.

So they now had the band, and the building blocks of their sound. But that’s not enough to allow an indie artist to enjoy even the modest success that Tinpan Orange are now eexperiencing. The difference, as is often the case for those indie artists with any kind of longevity, is the song writing.

Emily shoulders much of the song writing responsibilities for Tinpan Orange, with brother Jesse chiming in here and there. Listening to their second and latest release, The Bottom of the Lake, it’s clear that such crafting was not only a crucial aspect of allowing them to choose such a life, but also one crucial aspect that will no doubt foster their longevity on the scene.

Yet by her own admission, Emily is not the most prolific of songwriters. Their new record, for instance, was two years in the making. But, as she prefers the song to come to her, rather than her going to it, being prolific is not often the way to find quality. While every songwriter has their way of finding, crafting and ultimately delivering the tune, Emily’s process is more inspiration than perspiration.

“Often I can feel a song coming, it’s a really weird sensation. I feel it in the air, or inside me, but I don’t really know at that stage how it goes or what I’m trying to say, and it’ll take maybe 3 days, maybe 3 weeks, to get it out. But it’s actually a really lovely feeling. It’s kind of like this feeling that something’s about to hatch,” she explains.

But that’s not to say they all turn out to be good ones. One of the benefits of being an indie artist means you’re only working under the pressure you place on yourself. Emily puts it simply: “I find the songs are written because they need to be written, because they need to come into existence for themselves – to frame a moment or present an idea that I feel I can’t really present in any other way.”

It’s the absence of pressure, too, that helps shape the quality of tracks that do get recorded. And when it comes to letting go of a song that has hatched but shows little promise, Emily has the luxury to let it fall by the wayside without having to force it. For the punter, this means that each track you hear on the disc is their highest quality. As she explained the process of sorting the good from the bad for their latest record, the benefit for the listener is obvious: “With this record, we only recorded the songs that we loved.”

Ultimately, however, it’s the audiences that can often determine the success of a song. Sure, each idea goes through the rigours of the band, arranging and re-arranging to get the right feel. But it’s often the Melbourne audiences that will help the band determine what makes it to the record and what doesn’t. 

Surely the Melbourne scene is the perfect testing ground, too? Yes and no. Emily admits that the Melbourne scene for an indie artist is an awesome place to be with so much happening and so many venues to play in, but in the same breath, she also admits it’s a scene that could be a little more supportive of its artists.

Much of this can come down to the venue, which, depending on the venue’s dedication to, and respect of, its acts, can have a similar bearing on the audience it brings. For Emily, winning over such an audience can be a richly rewarding experience.

So it seems the Melbourne scene can be a double-edged sword for those following in the Tinpan Orange mould; so many accomplished artists so keen to play their music to the masses, and so many venues concerned with the dollar more than the artist.

Tinpan Orange's new album: The Bottom of the Lake

As success for Tinpan Orange grows, however, it allows them a little more choice in the venues and festivals they play. Bennett’s Lane is a favourite, and the scene of their latest album launch, the Thornbury Theatre, proves to hold much promise – “It’s a really dedicated music venue, it’s an old ballroom, so it’s got this beautiful décor, and red velvet curtains and gold trimmings, so there’s something quite grand about it. It looks very beautiful. I’m looking forward to playing there”, Emily explains.

Being able to choose their venues, choose their gigs, is a simple of measure of success for the band. They’re not looking for the big break. For starters, Melbourne doesn’t always want the big names, opting more for the credibility of the artist. And Tinpan Orange, like so many other indie acts, aren’t in it for the break or the money.

While the Melbourne scene brings opportunity, opportunity does not necessarily bring riches.

The benefit for Melbourne audiences is that when you attend a Tinpan Orange show, you know they’re in it for the sake of the song. But then that will be obvious from the quality of the songs. So if you’re a punter in Melbourne, I recommend you catch a Tinpan Orange gig sometime. It’s ‘rich’, ‘vibrant’, and ‘eclectic’ – and no doubt you’ll find your own adjective to aptly describe it.

Tinpan Orange playing the Thornbury Theatre on October 1, 2009, launching their second album, The Bottom of the Lake.