Metalise – Is 2020 Over yet?


Blergh. How much fatigue can one planet take over the course of this redefinition of “annus horriblis” which, for our younger readers, is not Latin for “horrible anus”, although that translation that wouldn’t be particularly unfair.

It’s practically biblical. Fires! Hail! Plague!

Yet you know readers, I feel a change in the air and its not just Spring sunshine interspersed with lots of welcome rain that is getting me out to the mow the lawn more.

With Melbourne on the up, Sydney’s music venues getting more and more active and The Basement and the Canberra Theatre punching out show after show, we might just come out of the other side of this thing with a music scene.

There is yet work left to do though, sisters and brothers!

For a start most of you are stinging for some travel. Well, you can have a great staycation and fly all at the same time on Friday, 16 October at The Basement as Pilots of Baalbek finally get to take flight with their excellent space rockin, shufflin, psychedelic debut album Uncontrolled Airspace with Newcastle rockers Mucho Sonar and Canberra’s own Local Horror.

Check their sick film clip for the track Off The Planet:

To the south, despite the oppression, King Parrot managed to squeeze some new material out in the form of Holed Up In The Lair and a tune with Phil H Anselmo is available to peruse here:

Youngy from the Parrot is never one to rest; he’s also done a new band with Dave and Joe Haley of Psycroptic and Brett Bamberger of Revocation by the name of Crisis Act and here’s a taste to whet your appetites:

Up the Hume, Crowbar have been at the forefront of the NSW venues taking the issue of live music all the way to state parliament with proprietor Tyla Dombrovski addressing the house of representatives to extol the parliament into action on behalf of a billion dollar industry whose grass roots are withering under the conditions imposed by C-19.

That said, it hasn’t stopped them selling out two nights for Canberra’s Witchskull and Lucifungus on the 9th and 10th of October with Sydney’s Sworn Sober, albeit with smaller capacities.

Tickets for the two-day doom fest Resurrection on the 16th and 17th of October similarly sold out quickly and opened the following weekend, the 23rd and 24th for a second run of the festival that see’s the second night headlined by Sumeru featuring Canberra’s Jake Willoughby up front. Friday, 23 October is Yanomamo playing tracks of their great new EP with Hypergiant, Master Leonard, Celestial Oath and Amammoth. Saturday 24th is Sumeru, Astrodeath, Burden Man, Dust Devil and Mourners. Tickets for all available here

In Canberra on Saturday, 24 October at The Basement is the Metal United Down Under show featuring Flaming Wreckage, Clarity of Chaos, Livewire and more to be announced. You should keep abreast of the developments on the Facebook event page

Gotta admire the optimism of The Exploited, DRI, Hirax, Abbath, Nashville Pussy, Venom Inc, Sacred Reich, Vio-lence and Exciter to move their bookings to next year too. This is the sort of can-do attitude we need.

It’d be great if you guys could come over and let me know what your band is doing in these dark times – especially local bands – on my Facebook page and start a conversation. I want to know how your writing, plotting and shows are developing and I would love to know what sort of web streamed gigs you would like to see or are planning.

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