JAMES KENYON (SINGLE LAUNCH) + THE GRAND MAGOOZI + DAVEY CRADDOCK
8.00PM: DOORS
8.30PM: DAVEY CRADDOCK
9.10PM: THE GRAND MAGOOZI
9.50PM: JAMES KENYON
Melbourne musician James Kenyon has become known for his out-standing songwriting. Sometimes dark, sometimes sweetness and light, his songs have been described as a “view from a car or a silhouette of a silo or a window in a hall; songs that stand tall for the ages.”
The former aborist, shearer’s hand and social worker’s songs reflect the land where he lives and works. The characters, stories, tragedies and triumphs form a lyrical road map of the country and suburbs. They’re often personal but always allow the listener a way in to share the journey.
Kenyon is renowned for his powerful live performances, which have seen him play throughout Australia and internationally alongside Marlon Williams, Liz Stringer, Charlie Parr, Jordie Lane and many others.
He won the inaugural The Age Stage award and has been shortlisted for the Vanda and Young Song contest. His critically acclaimed debut album ‘The North Pole’ will be followed with his sophomore release ‘Imagine you are Driving’ due mid 2016, from which the current single ‘Motorbike Song’ is taken.
The Grand Magoozi occupies the stage in a dreamy twilight world that lie somewhere between the jazz club and the barnyard. Susie Scurry’s smoky vocals and simple song writing deliver tenderness and subtle wit in equal measure, singing about lovers lost, Paul Newman and the heartache of a modern world gone awry. Accompanied by a host of talented and acclaimed local musicians, The Grand Magoozi recently launched her debut album in March 2016, recorded by Australian recording luminary Nick Huggins (Little Lake Records). The Grand Magoozi is a striking new voice in Australian music that will leave you in a soft glowing stupor.
Cracked asbestos fences, tangled romances in fishing towns, the smell of horse shit on ANZAC day and a hommus-stained taxi receipt – welcome to the world of City West, the debut album from West Australian singer songwriter Davey Craddock.
Recorded live to tape at Perth’s RADA Studios with his band The Spectacles, the album is the culmination of a big 2015 for Davey which saw the album’s first single Better Alone added to rotation on Double J, extensive national radio play and touring, a WA Music Award nomination and critical acclaim from the indie folk and alt-country community -“his name has been plastered all over the blogosphere and everyone seems to be singing his praises”, said the Timber & Steel blog.
City West is about the grey areas between the city and country. The culturally and physically messy collision of the sleepy fringe with the bustling centre (such as in new single Peaceful Bay). It sees Davey, who was born in regional WA before moving to Perth just as the state’s infamous boom kicked off, singing about a place in flux. Some of his characters want to get out fast (There Will Be Light), some are burning out (Girls Light Fires, Ayers Rock) and some just want to have a damn good time (Three Sprays). The natural landscape is the ever-present backdrop to the album’s spacious take on folk, alt-country, soul and rock n roll styles – shifting sandbanks, miles of desert and a patchwork of aqua beaches and emerald cricket ovals.
