The Thousands

Thursday May 20

Life's like a bunch of flowers, you never know what ya gonna get... Did I get that wrong? Anyway, flowers need water; beer, coffee or fresh juice, in no particular order. Flowers need to be groomed; a little trim doesn't hurt right? A container; a house or a thick coat is very handy on these chilly nights. Flowers of one kind are boring on their own and they need company; they need a bunch.

So, here is your weekly bunch.

Issue 027 - "a bunch of flowers"

On the site now (It's updated every day!):

HEAR: Sleigh Bells, 'Treats'
GOODs: Bosske Sky Planters
GOODs: Outlier Riding Pant 

Be our fan on Facebook
Follow us on Twitter
RSS HERE!

Cover photo by Luke Byrne. If you would like to submit a cover shot email daniel@rightanglestudio.com.au

What:
Wilson

Who:
Daniel Clowes

Where:
Good book shops like Kinokuniya

How much:
$36.21

Angry young men, angry old men, bitter assholes, condescending pricks... Dan Clowes paints in misanthropy the way ice sculptors chainsaw ice.

Best known for the film adaptations of Ghost World and Art School Confidential, Clowes' characters seem much sweeter, much sadder, and much more likable when drawn in his stark, tender, mannered style.

Wilson could be Clowes' most unlikable character yet - a bad tempered, opinionated, lonely old man. His story of family mishaps and losing touch is told through a variety of drawing styles, in single-page gag comic strips - sorta like Peanuts, if Peanuts had punchlines like 'Jesus Christ, that bum is taking a shit right on the sidewalk!'

The device can be disjointing, but it also elevates the story to work on several levels. Because Wilson isn't just a comedy, or a drama, or a spoof - kinda like real life.

Ultimately, Wilson says all the worst stuff you often think, but would be too timid, too polite, or too sane to say. He's a thwarted idealist and an old-fashioned romantic. And his rants about modern society and brainless blowhards are hilariously spot-on.

By Wilfred Brandt

What:
Lands

Who:
TTT

On:
Out independently via MGM

Show:
TTT launch Lands, Fri May 21, Rocket Bar, Hindley St, 9pm, with Fair Maiden and Terrible Truths

View map

TTT have had a change of heart lately. The band formerly known as Tic Toc Tokyo has shed the post-punk trappings and embraced a fuller sound. Lands, their debut LP, has placed an emphasis firmly on the rhythm section, trusting in masterful bass and drum to carry the weight of TTT's far-reaching songs. Guitar and vocals come from a distance, and the tension of the record comes mostly from this contrast. It is full of space, worried less about making you get up and dance and more about an exploratory feeling.

The title of the album gives it all away; each song is a section of landscape. Early on it's a straight forward affair, heavy on the rototom. The vestiges of Tic Toc Tokyo remain in the vocals, but these come like old echoes from way down in the mix. After lead single ‘Animal', the landscape changes as the band branches out and tries their hand at the ever-popular tribal chant in the album's highest point, ‘Hinterlands', which features withering horns screeching out of the darkness. The album is impeccably textured; it is dark and varied, probably best listened to far underground or with your eyes closed.

By Alex MacLaren

What:
Das ist Canis Lupis!

Where:
DAS, Shop 5, Ebenezer Place, City

When:
Opens Thurs May 27, 6pm

How much:
Free

Contact:
niichoolaas@hotmail.com

Image:
Nick Moran

View map

Everyone loves furry little animals right? No silly, not real ones. Real ones poop, and bite, and scratch, and smell. That ain't cute. What I'm saying is, everyone loves drawings of furry little animals. Nick Moran is amongst the finest of Adelaide artists and illustrators who love to draw animals.

I first saw his work in a huge dimly lit, hollowed out warehouse. Moran had crafted much-larger-than-life birds from layered card. They perched sweetly along the cracks in the old walls. A year later during Format Festival, Moran was selling teeny, tiny, perfectly accurate fox badges. Oh! And there was badgers and red pandas and rams too.

I'm not sure what it is about Moran's desire to replicate the animal form that I can relate to. It certainly doesn't spring from the place of animals in my everyday reality. There are none. Maybe that's it. Maybe in this ‘modern life' we all need a little romance and nostalgia for something that maybe never existed anyway. Picture a sweet thatched cottage on a green hillside, endless scones with jam and cups of tea, and rosy-cheeked girls and boys petting a tame fox. Picture rosy-cheeked girls and boys sipping cheap drinks at a fashion boutique in the heart of the city, coveting sweetly crafted fox badges.

By Chloe Langford

What:
Clarity Records

Where:
60 Pulteney St, City

When:
Mon-Thurs 9am-6pm, Fri 9am-9pm, Sat 9am-6pm, Sun 11am-5pm

Contact:
82271421

View map

There's something in a name. Pet dogs, humans, cars, and bizniz. A name can aid on the quest to becoming a winner - whatever that is. This too counts for record labels and stores, a 'place' that is supposed to be a conduit to a new reality like the music itself. I guess it's a 'brand' thing. Some of the best label names are those that touch on the celestial. Think Sun Records (first home of Elvis, Roy, Johnny Cash et al) Moon Ska (ska pioneers), Jagjaguwar; OK that isn't celestial as much as other-wordly. But the point is, it's better to be named something a little thoughtful, abstract maybe, rather than lame initials (looking at you you mega-mart) or just 'Record Shop'. (Though, in today's ironic times 'Record Shop' just might swing it). In the meantime, enter Clarity Records.

With fave local music haunts closing down, Clarity Records (good name!) is filling a hole in the music scene. A space for local bands to sell their music, punters to buy local product and rare releases; and to sound like the lamest person ever, it is what I always imagined Empire Records (good name!) to be like. Stocking not only records, but also merchandise, zines, art by local and interstate artists as well as skating paraphernalia. Plus their vinyl selection is pretty banging, boasting some of the best punk and hardcore selections you'll find. Clarity quite like putting on a show or two as well, so hopefully there will be more collaborative efforts put in place to really create an atmosphere that exceeds the shop itself.

By Jenna Hawkins & Gladys

What:
Harry Brown

Where:
In cinemas from May 20

Watch Trailer:
Here

Win:
Thanks to Icon, we have 2 prize packs consisting of a dbl pass and the latest CD from London MC and soul singer Plan B, who plays thug Noel Winters! To enter, email postal address to win@fivethousand.com.au with the subject line ‘You failed to maintain your weapon, son'

Sometimes it seems preposterous that Michael Caine should be playing doddery pensioners, first in last year's Is Anybody There? and now here. The geezer's not old! Actually, the geezer is 77. But he's not past being a gritty action hero just yet.

Harry Brown (Caine) is consigned to a hellish council estate where second-generation crim Noel Winters (Ben Drew) and his gang of drug-dealing hoodies rule with impunity. First his wife dies; then Harry's only friend Leonard (David Bradley), is brutally slain when the thugs torment him to breaking point, and well-meaning detectives Frampton (Emily Mortimer) and Hicock (Charlie Creed-Miles) are hamstrung by legal issues and police bureaucracy. Time for Harry to reach deep inside himself and pull out the brutality he'd "put in a box" since his days as a decorated Royal Marine in Northern Ireland.

Shot with grungy hyperrealism, Harry Brown is grim, graphically violent and richly satisfying in the way vigilante thrillers always are. But thanks to Caine's compelling, utterly sympathetic performance, Harry's moral outrage is elegiac rather than filled with cheap Clint Eastwood-style bravado. Harry's anger springs from his essential decency, and it's suffused with frailty and regret.

By Mel Campbell

What:
Madman Arthouse Films

Where:
Good video stores, or buy online here

How much:
$34.95 to own

Contact:
www.madman.com.au

Documentaries are great. I could watch a documentary about a bar of soap. Seriously, how the hell do they make soap? I wanna know! And y'know who can show me? Documentarians.

I'm not trying to say that Madman's Arthouse Films series is as boring as a bar of soap - far from it! They feature some of the most cutting edge, interesting, and awesome artists, architects, filmmakers, publishers, and more.

What I'm saying is that documentaries can make ordinary, every day subjects super interesting - because life is. And they can also show how really amazing people are still Average Joes - because they are.

Retirees Herb and Dorothy built a seminal art collection on meager salaries. Aaron Rose threw art parties with his shitbag, skate rat friends who became world-renowned Beautiful Losers. Julian Cole first modeled for, and then spent 18 years filming, With Gilbert and George. Barney Rosset published modern classic prose and poetry that was initially condemned as Obscene.

Up to number 23, the ongoing series' next release is sure to bring more weirdo madness, with Bjork's bubba Matthew Barney: No Restraint. Ripe for the renting or owning.

By Wilfred Brandt

What:
From Scratch Patisserie

Where:
Adelaide Farmers Market, Adelaide Showground, Leader St, Goodwood

When:
Every Sunday 9am - 1pm

Contact:
fromscratchpatisserie.com.au

View map

There are some days when a cupcake won't cut it. When you have misplaced your taste for the common fruit tart and ice creams have lost their flavour. So where do you go to pander to the needs of your sweet tooth while it demands for more than just a frivolous trip down to the misleading promise of a supermarket's candy rack?

From Scratch Patisserie is the brainchild of Eddy Peoples and Jonny Pisanelli, two Adelaide chefs with a scorching desire to produce divine interventions involving a delightful pastiche of pastries. From neon green apple-pie flavoured macarons, beautiful bounties of banana bread and sinful, crunchy (!) chocolate soufflés, these saccharine sweet delights are treats worth waking up for on hungover Sunday mornings.

So while most of us will be nursing last night's debauchery within the margins of our slumber, the better few will bow headily towards Adelaide Farmers Market to indulge in flavourful Italian and French influenced delicacies. While these desserts are usually doable at home, let's be frank about the whole ‘baking' situation. Leave it to these experts. It is a serious sensory upgrade that your palate will furiously thank you for.

By Annisah Ibrahim

What:
Barr Smith sleeping sessions

Where:
Barr Smith Library, University of Adelaide, City

When:
Mon-Thurs 8am-10pm, Fri 8am-6pm, Sat & Sun 10am-5pm

How Much:
Free

View map

It's Monday afternoon. You're tired as, the weekend still ever omnipresent on your haggard face. You've just finished a tute/meeting/lunch and have to hang around to gain that 10% attendance score/client/digestion. Your brain is failing you, your feet are heavy, and what you really need is a good snooze - but where?

Allow me to make you all privy to the Babylon of city bound snoozing locations: the common area on the first floor of The Barr Smith library. It's safe, and is also a hot spot for sleeping foreign exchange students. I don't know why, but there's always something about the presence of cute Japanese girls that is like having dolphins in shark-infested waters. Plus they keep the area warm with their basal body heat. So how do you get to this haven?

Step 1: Walk down through Adelaide Uni, down the red brick steps, and enter the Barr Smith library.

Step 2: Go through the electronic gate (to stop your petty book thievery) and turn right.

Step 3: Continue on and you will come across a glass walled area that has beanbags. If there are no vacant beanbags left, set up impromptu bedding with university books and tote bag.

Step 4: Curl up and sleep. Clutch valuables with spare hand, set phone alarm, cover face with jumper to hide your REM-sleep drool (optional).

By Randy

What:
Psychetronica

Where:
Format, 15 Peel St, City

When:
Thurs May 20, 7pm

How Much:
Free

Experimental sounds, live art, VJ action, the launch of Psychetronica is set to be a multi-faceted blissed out experience. Experimental sounds from The Yak, MilTRON, Salamano, The New Lepers Ensemble, Falling Through Walls, and Rick Moreira. Live wall mural by Steve O'Connor, VJ Luke Toop doing his thing, Back 2 Back experimental DJing. All in the name of a free atmosphere and friendly good times, streamed live to the internet. You can haz famous on the internets. LOL. You might meet someone new too!

What:
Love, Lust & Lies

Where:
Palace Nova, Rundle St, City

When:
Screenings begin Thurs May 20, click here for session times

How Much:
$17/$13.50

Did you catch that British series '7-up'? You know that documentary series that followed some children from the '60s and caught up with them every 7 years. Created to witness the mobility of class from differing socio-economic backgrounds it is (still ongoing) an enthralling and expansive documentary work. Imagine working on something that lasts a lifetime? No quick thrills here. Similar to '7-up' is the distinctly Australian 'Love, Lust & Lies', following three Australian girls from the age of 14 in the '70s til today. It is essentially a celebration of the beauty in the 'normal'.

What:
Naboo (The Mighty Boosh) DJ Set

Where:
Adelaide Unibar, University of Adelaide, City

When:
Thurs May 27, 8pm

How Much:
Sold out

Win:
We have 3 dbls to giveaway, email win@fivethousand.com.au with subject title 'Let that be a lesson to you'

Anyone who so expertly segues from being high to practising the occult is my hero. Who is the enigmatic shaman that has mastered this skill? Who has the dexterity to freelance as both Camden mystic and International DJ? Naboo, that's who. With musical talents reached only through centuries of negotiating the sonic tundras of the universe, Naboo knows how to work a crowd with his fusion of indie, electro and hardcore black magic. FiveThousand is proud to present Mike Fielding's Naboo (The Mighty Boosh) DJ Tour. Dope. - JP

‘Function over fashion' has long been the defending slogan for tourists with bum-bags and kids with flap-hats. Now function and fashion can coexist, have you noticed how many hipsters are flinging around fanny packs these days? Then there's Crumpler - never once claming to be fashionable, yet their bags are helping bridge the great divide one functional padded bag at a time. Once the go-to bag for bike couriers and style challenged students, Crumpler is changing, and if the number of stores popping up around the place is anything to go by, they're catering to more than just couriers and people who listen to Ben Folds Five.
 

We think it could have something to do with the clean design and it's added protection for your beloved zoom lens and lappy - but what really seals the deal are the creative names: our favourite is Old Banger.

Lucky for you scoliosis suffering calico tote carriers, we have an Old Banger to give away. Valued at $135, Old Banger and the rest of his family can be found at one of the many Crumpler stores and outlets around town or online here. To enter, just answer the following question.

This week's question:
Old Banger is for people who

a) are Rockin' the suburbs

b) are suffering calico tote shoulder burn

c) deliver DHL

d) fling the fanny-pack

To be in the running send your answer, preferred style (black or brown) AND postal address to win@fivethousand.com.au, winners will be notified by email. Subscriber only entry. Not a subscriber? It's free you willies! Sign up here.