25 Bands. 2 stages. 10 hours of Happyyess mad good times. Pikelet and Clue To Kalo up from Melbourne (ooh classy), The Sleeveheads from GOVE (ooh exotic) and a massive Darwin lineup including Horse Trank, Aborted Jesus Milkshake and Leah Flanagan (ooooooh yeeeeeah)! Maybe this could be the best fifth birthday party anyone has ever had? And the best part is Happyyess is inviting 300 of their best friends to come too! That’s us! We are invited!

And you know I’m so excited because Happyyess is just about the best friend you can have in Darwin. They’ve been looking after all the young talent in town for five years, taking chances and making dreams. They’ve been pumping out the sweetest beats and harshest chords every week. Making us laugh, making us think, making us feel, making us DANCE. They help us when we are down and lift us up to new heights. And the relentless staff, members and board do all this on a shoestring budget, keeping the place stuck together with blood, sweat, tears, spit, noise, gaffer, grit, shit and love! So lets all go and congratulate Happyyess by bringing a present (say the $25 entry fee) and our wonderful selves.

There will be cake.

DETAILS – Happy Yess 5th Birthday Fundraiser
ALL Ages, ID Required for Bar.
Saturday 28th May, 3pm-1am
at Happy Yess/Browns Mart
12 Smith St, Darwin City
$25 entry

To pre-book a ticket go to http://www.easyserve.com.ay/home.php?cat+328 or to find out more and see the full lineup check out www.happyyess.com!

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Coming soon: Interview with Kris Keogh, founding member of Happy Yess, and organiser of the 5th birthday celebrations.

Don't Do It Johnny

Exit Pursuit rock. But I’ll get to that later. You see, on this particular night out on the town I was in search of something far greater and more cosmic than simple rocking good times. I was in pursuit of Happyyess. Not looking for building. No. I was in pursuit of that feeling you attain only so rarely in Darwin when you are entirely content to be exactly where you are and wouldn’t wish to change places with any other southerner or foreigner for all the soy lattes in Melbourne. That elusive emotion that is found so often at Happyyess it is for me synonymous, but by no means guaranteed with entry. It requires a lot of elements and never quite the same mix. A big, beardy face behind the bar is a good start. Chris the brand new barman serves me up a smile and I’m on my way. I turn my self to the stage and I’m greeted by another brand new Happyyess fixture Don’t Do It Johnny. A talented group of larrikins whose lyrics speak of mudcrabs and V8s and whose repertoire is littered with laughs and damn good tunes. I can feel it all coming together.

Room 105

Room 105 , formerly Jambulance, formerly The Nobodies, step up to the stage with a confused introduction, but there is nothing confusing about their musical abilities. These guys have me dancing when I’m sober and that is a rare talent indeed, shared only by pretty girls and highschool gym classes. I share a look with Kris on lights and sound as he demands an encore so he can watch us dance some more and I know I’m almost there. Now I need something to raise me up to the next level. Something a little bit different. My wish is granted by the debut of a talented trio by the name of Exit Pursuit.

Before even having heard a note of their insane instrumental rock/grunge/metal/blues fantasyland noisefest I could tell I was going to enjoy the work of these jam-carnies, just from their outfits. Liam Parry-Mills on guitar dressed like a 60s self help swami guru whose colours had run in the wash, Olive Hasan-Fourcard on bass looking like he was auditioning for a Nirvana cover band, and fill-in drummer Jack Reedy appearing as though he was an audience member who had wandered incoherently on stage as part of a dare from his drunken roommates. But my eyes don’t get a chance to dig into this visual feast before they are blasted back into your skull to help my ears with the extra sensory input that comes abruptly from a band that doesn’t need any introductions, even from themselves.

Exit Pursuit

Liam opens up with a delicious smooth blues-tongued lick and then it’s playtime on the merry-go-round of paranormal jingles. Just like the players themselves the songs have no given names and each one viciously slides in and out of each other with what could be excessively good improvisation or well disguised manically rehearsed organisation. I lean towards the former, not because these guys seem disorganised, but just insanely talented. Exit Pursuit have me on my way to Happyyess when …

Disaster. Alas, after being camped next to the speaker for barely 5 minutes of these fuzzy metallic beats I am dragged outside by the people who were formally my ‘friends’, now my adversaries, in the pursuit of Happyyess. But fear not. I’m saved, because Exit Pursuit has a range not just in musical taste and ability, but also in the most tangible of ways. Even from outside they still manage to drown out every moment of my assailants boring conversation with sweet incandescent tunes. Here lies the crux of why Exit Pursuit defiantly rock, no matter where you stand. They are never boring. Whether you love a barrage of mixed sounds and chronic improvisation or not you would never dare call Exit Pursuit boring. Alright, maybe you can’t dance to them as easily as Don’t Do It Johnny or Room 105 (aka. Jambulance, aka. The Nobodies). But heck, I can’t dance to anything that well, so don’t pretend to care like you some Fred Astaire.

Exit Pursuit

I’m there. Happyyess. Good bands. Good people. The brand new sound of Exit Pursuit still thrumming in my mind. And yet, it doesn’t feel quite right. It seems there is something missing. I sit outside on the pavement staring at the ruins of the old town hall pondering what it was I forgot to add to the evening to make it to Happyyess. And then Caiti brings out the bins and asks me if the shoelace she found was mine. Though I am clearly wearing thongs I claim it as my own. And I’m there.

MJ*

*This has been in no way edited by Liam Parry-Mills, Exit Pursuit guitarist and GRIND facilitator

Sex & Candy

New music from Darwin dreamboats Sietta

Sietta are one talented and sexy duo who play what can possibly be described best as madcap soulful electronic pop and hip-hop genius. James mixes the beats and Caiti does the most tantalizing robot dance you’ve ever witnessed.  She also sings. And how. The latest offering from these guys will keep you sated while they are working on their debut full-length studio album. This collection of new songs includes an amazing cover of Sex & Candy by Marcy’s Playground and is perfect for chilling with “a pack of cards, glass of wine and good friendship”.

To find the music contact Sietta here or look out for their smiling and sensuous faces around Darwin town. 

 ♥ ♥ ♥

Kris Keogh - Processed Harp Works, Volume 1

Harps & Noise

Latest album from Kris Keogh

Processed Harp Works, Volume 1 is the newest album from living legend and all round human of the year Kris Keogh. Like Kris himself, it’s weird, but it is so darn beautiful. Consisting of Kris’s harp playing mixed on computer the songs are purely instrumental and an awesome way to stir up some epiphanies if you are ever looking for a little cosmic inspiration. To be honest I wouldn’t readily recommend this as the album to play on a romantic evening at home with your new sweetheart. But if you do play it and she smiles at you and asks “Kris Keogh?” you might have found the one.

You can download this album online here, from a site called bandcamp. The album uses the Radiohead “pay what you want” method, so you can download it for free if you got no dough. He also has a cool Tumblr – kriskeogh.tumblr.com

“Like holding your breath so long you hear the tinkling of the angels wings”

MJ

♥ ♥ ♥

This weekend, on the unfortunate date of September 11, Top End Terror’s Terrorfest III will be kicking off for a six hour assault on your eardrums. The two stages make a triumphant return, and with less bands playing you can see everyone play now instead of having to choose between two bands.

And there are some awesome bands playing! There are the regular local bands like Hate for Fate and Sweet Amber, along with the interstate band LORD. The complete line up is Hate for Fate, Vicious Apathy, Cain’s Plague, Calabria’s Fall, Seed, FEMA, Sweet Amber, Aborted Jesus Milkshake and LORD.

It’s an All Ages Gig and there is heaps of Merch on sale so this September 11, head down to Happy Yess and bang that head!

Join the Facebook Event Page HERE

Check Out Top End Terror HERE



And has found its way into Brownsmart. To every single person who enjoys listening to quality music by Darwin artists, this is big news.

The Happy Yess has been one of the few not for profit venues dedicated to the music scene.  Karaoke, choreographed gigs and everything in between have been hosted at the old venue – a grungy, dilapadated structure. The way everything was held together by a combination of ingenuity, improvisation and bits of old twine and duct tape will be sorely missed by many.

But that is in the past! The future for Happy Yess is its new home, Brownsmart. Brownsmart theatre, one of the oldest buildings in Darwin, has survived cyclones, bombing, looting and even temporary use as a brothel! It has been the site for many an event, from renowned plays to Darwin City Council’s very own BIG GIG. And now, Happy Yess has been given permission to move in.

The crew, led by the venerable Kris Keogh, consists of a variety of musicians, local tradespeople and locals willing to lend a hand, as well as the somewhat useless author of this article. Over the course of a few weeks, the new space has been painted and fitted by the crew, and the old Yess has been pulled apart. Now, as the move heads towards completion, there is plenty to like about what has been accomplished thus far.

The whole area has been painted in Yess colours. A whole new, carperted, stage has been constructed, almost entirely out of milk crates! The entrance booth has been crafted from former workstations out of an office. The bar itself has been sculpted anew from pine and ply, with the workmanship of Darwin’s best. And the seating, with a nod towards the ancient couches, has been renewed with bus seats, milk crate couches and a whole new arrangement for the booths.

So with much ado, next time you hear about a gig or similar local music event to be held at Happy Yess, head on over and see for yourself the wonderful new venue while enjoying the beats of local Darwin music.