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Fed up neighbours band together to boot out squatters

<p>A group of resourceful residents living in a cul-de-sac on the New South Wales Central Coast have banded together to kick out a mob of squatters who had been wreaking havoc on and in the vacated home of a disabled man.</p> <p>Walls had been destroyed, a car had been set alight – and the community had finally said they'd had enough.</p> <p>"For the last several months we've had squatters living in our cul-de-sac running a 24-hour a day, drive-through drug den," local resident Christy told A Current Affair.</p> <p>Christy claimed squatters and drug users have been a problem next door for years.</p> <p>"Lots of fighting, brawling, threats to kill each other, to shoot each other," she said.</p> <p>"(They say), 'Bitch better have my money', you know, constantly."</p> <p>Christy then told the programme that things had ramped up recently, and it all culminated in the lighting of a dangerous car fire.</p> <p>"The flames were like two storeys tall. My whole house reeks of burned tyres and we've all had enough. We all have little girls ... and we can't let our kids out," Christy said.</p> <p>"My partner woke me up in the morning (and said), 'Oh my god, there's a car fire' so we ran out and looked out the window and yeah, that was too far," another neighbour, Dean Rainback, said.</p> <p>Rainback said the fire was the final straw for him and his young family.</p> <p>"There's trees over there where the car is and that house right next door could have caught fire," he said.</p> <p>"I'm from Texas, we don't put up with this kind of crap," Christy said. "So we decided we would take things into our own hands and get them out ourselves."</p> <p>Christy said she gave her unwanted neighbours "a verbal warning" to let them know the "jig is up, we've had enough".</p> <p>"I also shouted it in the house - 'Tomorrow's the day. It's over'," Christy said.</p> <p>True to her word, Christy and the other neighbours confronted the squatters and kicked them out!</p> <p>The group of frustrated neighbours then surveyed the damage and were shocked by what they saw.</p> <p>After removing all the junk, they boarded up the house, so no one could get back inside.</p> <p>The unit belongs to a disabled man named Terry who is now living with his mother after disability support workers who were paid to care for him failed to do so.</p> <p>"I think that is a disgrace, that it has been left to neighbours to do this," she said.</p> <p>The neighbours have now organised a council pick-up to get rid of the squatters' mess.</p> <p><em>Images: A Current Affair</em></p>

Travel Trouble

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Am I ever gonna see your face again? Nuanced and thoughtful, Kickin’ Down the Door puts The Angels back in the spotlight

<p>When I was a kid, my dad Max took me to basketball games at Melbourne’s Entertainment Centre. I’d wait in my plastic bucket chair as the cheerleaders shook their pom poms and the teams did lay ups. The music was loud, and around the time everyone had found their seats, one song would often come on. </p> <p>It opened with a wailing, single note guitar, followed by a chunky, palm muted riff, driving along until bursting into the chorus when the vocals would demand “Am I ever gonna see your face again?” And as I licked my lemonade icy pole I’d delight as the whole stadium would <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/music/australia-culture-blog/2014/apr/15/australian-anthems-the-angels-am-i-ever-gonna-see-your-face-again">chant back</a> “No way, get fucked, fuck off.”</p> <p>I had no idea the band was called The Angels. I didn’t know they were supposed to be the next AC/DC but didn’t quite “make it”. The intense relationships at their core were lost on me. I was just delighted by how wild it felt, this song the audience owned, breaking rules, answering back. </p> <p>A new documentary, Kickin’ Down the Door chronicles Australian band The Angels across four decades, from suburban Adelaide to the gloss of <a href="https://themusic.com.au/news/iconic-alberts-music-studios-to-be-torn-down-to-make-way-for-luxury-apartments/wSnS1dTX1tk/08-10-15">Albert Studios</a>and beyond.</p> <p>The classic Oz rock vibe is omnipresent: dudes, riffs, volume. </p> <p>But this story’s star quality is how hard it works to showcase the band from both front of house and backstage, offering something far more nuanced than the well-thumbed tale of these national music icons.</p> <h2>Finding intensity</h2> <p>The documentary centres on the songwriting team of the Brewster brothers, vocalist Bernard “Doc” Neeson, and a revolving cast of drummers, bass players and producers. </p> <p>The themes are what you might like in a documentary about Australian rock ‘n’ roll: journeys to adulthood, mateship, resistance, lashings of hope, dollops of luck. Interviews from the band and their nearest and dearest sidle up against archival footage with cute animations bridging scenes. </p> <p>There’s the ubiquitous drop-in from a couple of international names to provide cred – thankfully a Bono-free endeavour. There’s a slither of pre-hat Molly Meldrum. The eye candy of 70s and 80s Aussie life abounds.</p> <p>The songs are central to Kickin’ Down the Door, but rock ‘n’ roll has always been about theatre, and front man Doc Neeson’s lead in creating an unsettling intensity at live shows lifted The Angels beyond the meat and potatoes of standard Oz rock.</p> <p>In one scene, the lighting guy talks about how Doc used silence and darkness as a tool of intensity – the antithesis of rock show bombast.</p> <h2>A complex portrait</h2> <p>Like The Angels did with rock ‘n’ roll, Kickin’ Down the Door offers a key change in the way it positions the people behind the scenes. Director Madeleine Parry has brought together a complex web of relationships pivoting on creative jubilation, obligation, devotion and estrangement.</p> <p>At an early gig, the Brewsters’ mother is recalled as dancing on a table in a “sea of blokes”. These were her boys, who could do no wrong.</p> <p>Mothers, girlfriends, wives and children are elevated close to the story’s centre, anchored within the nostalgic rhythm of white suburban Australian life to contrast with the band’s sprint – then marathon – to rock ‘n’ roll stardom. Beyond the band bubble, everyone’s sacrifice is apparent.</p> <p>“We all supplied the stability while they chased the dream,” says Neeson’s then partner. </p> <p>In bringing women to the front, Parry frames the main players as multi-dimensional, emotional and expressive. The intensity of volume, riffage and flamboyance sits in dialogue with each band members’ reflections to present the way that “performance” seamlessly slides across gender and genre.</p> <p>This deep thoughtfulness shines through the dizzying foray of complex legal and financial arrangements bands can be thrown into, setting them up with lifelong debt. </p> <p>This is the persistent myth of “luck” in rock ‘n’ roll. This myth grinds against the power imbalance inherent in an incredibly competitive, brutal and sometimes hedonistic global business culture. For decades, rock ‘n’ roll has relied on the exploitation of artists who sacrifice family, health, economic security and friendships to have sustainable careers.</p> <p>This documentary skilfully weaves the devastation that comes when these pressures evaporate years of work for bands and their teams. </p> <p>It isn’t so much a story about the big bad music industry swallowing up another Australian wanna be. Rather, it is a well-crafted assemblage of the pervasive way rock ‘n’ roll’s mystique works behind the scenes, prioritising profits over health and wellbeing, and the sustainability of artists and their families.</p> <h2>The sonic legacy</h2> <p>Undoubtedly the biggest names now in Australian guitar driven music – Amyl and the Sniffers, Courtney Barnett, King Gizzard &amp; the Lizard Wizard, Tame Impala – are part of the sonic legacy of bands like The Angels. </p> <p>But they also show a marked shift in how they do business when courting international markets, maintaining elements of independence and control that The Angels had no blueprint for.</p> <p>This current crop of bands also show we are on the road to far better gender representation of what contemporary rock music looks and sounds like. And in other genres, artists like Baker Boy, Genesis Owusu, Barkaa and Jaguar Jonze continue to contest and take ownership of “the sound” of Australian music. </p> <p>Incidentally, I never went on to play basketball. I picked up an electric guitar instead.</p> <p><em>Image credits: Getty Images</em></p> <p><em>This article originally appeared on <a href="https://theconversation.com/am-i-ever-gonna-see-your-face-again-nuanced-and-thoughtful-kickin-down-the-door-puts-the-angels-back-in-the-spotlight-194057" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Conversation</a>.</em></p>

Music

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If you want your child to be more resilient, get them to join a choir, orchestra or band

<p>One of the most important qualities for a young person to develop is resilience. This involves their ability to overcome adversity. </p> <p>Resilience is perhaps more important now than ever. Today’s young people have been <a href="https://www.aihw.gov.au/reports/children-youth/australias-youth-in-brief/contents/summary">facing adversity on a mass-scale</a>, thanks to COVID and all the disruptions to their education and social, home and working lives. </p> <p>The good news is, resilience is not just something you are born with. It <a href="https://www.oecd-ilibrary.org/sites/ca34a20a-en/index.html?itemId=/content/component/ca34a20a-en#chapter-d1e10348">can be learned</a> from our experiences and interactions with others. </p> <p>Parents may not be aware that one way to develop resilience is through group music making, such as in a school or community choir, orchestra or band.</p> <h2>Our research</h2> <p>We wanted to investigate how group music making can develop skills beyond just learning to play an instrument or sing. </p> <p>Our <a href="https://www.utas.edu.au/research/projects/music-resilience-project">study</a> is based on the Tasmanian Youth Orchestras, which include accomplished musicians aged from 14 to 25. This includes the state youth orchestra as well as two other orchestras, specialist ensembles and two choirs.</p> <p>For our project, we collected comments from players, managers and conductors/teachers on a closed Facebook site and then did eight follow-up interviews. </p> <p>Our findings show how qualities like teamwork, empathy and grit – all components of resilience – can be developed through group music making.</p> <h2>Teamwork</h2> <p>In order for a group of players to make a piece of music work, they have to work together. </p> <p>People have to listen to each other, understand what is happening around them, and be prepared to change how they play something (slow or fast, loud or soft) depending on how the group is performing. You need to be able to value the contributions of other people, not just your own. </p> <p>So, <a href="https://www.utas.edu.au/research/projects/music-resilience-project/teamwork">we found</a> if you are playing in a band, you are learning team work skills. As David*, a conductor told us: "After a while, players realised that they were ultimately responsible to the other players not to the conductor."</p> <h2>Empathy</h2> <p>Players also need to be able to understand others in a group and share their feelings. </p> <p>In a choir or orchestra, the music making is a shared creative experience – that involves the whole body. And this is where <a href="https://www.utas.edu.au/research/projects/music-resilience-project/empathy">empathy</a> comes in. </p> <p>Empathy, like teamwork, can be cumulative, growing over time through rehearsals and performances, as players and teachers support one another. As brass player Tom said, "I have to understand that I am not always going to be the main focus of a piece."</p> <p>Another player, Simon, told us about his realisation that other people were also having to work hard (and it wasn’t just about him). </p> <p>"You certainly aren’t the only person having to practise your doubles [playing two notes at once] for that piece."</p> <h2>Grit</h2> <p>It is important for young people to develop a “<a href="https://www.mindsetworks.com/science/">growth mindset</a>”, where they understand effort makes them stronger and learning is a long-term commitment.</p> <p>This is where <a href="https://www.utas.edu.au/research/projects/music-resilience-project/grit">grit</a> also comes in: pursing a goal and sticking with it even if it takes a lot of work or gets difficult.</p> <p>It can take many months to learn a piece of music up to performance standard. And learning an instrument requires practice every day. So commitment is a key part of learning music. </p> <p>Lawrence, a player, told us about participating in his school musical, "There were many points throughout the year which I felt like giving up […] but it was something I had committed to […]. I kept working on playing the music to the best of my ability, even if it felt like I couldn’t do it."</p> <p>Tory, a choir conductor, described performance as both “safe and unsafe”. Young people in a choir learn to deal with the unexpected as part of performance. And this takes a kind a bravery. </p> <p>"You’ve got safety in numbers, to some extent, but you are still stepping into the unknown every time you walk on stage to do a thing. You can rely on each other, because you’ve rehearsed, but stuff does go pear shaped. Stuff happens […] It’s an incredibly useful life skill to be able to go, ‘well, that sucked’ […] and go, all right ‘let’s [go again]’."</p> <h2>Why music?</h2> <p>But what is so special about music in fostering resilience? Young people also work in sporting teams or academic assignments. They can also work together while playing games. </p> <p>Playing music provokes activity in many different parts of the brain at the same time. Listening to music that we like triggers the pleasure/reward centre of the brain. Dopamine and serotonin are released, resulting in that “feel good” sensation, and <a href="https://www.booktopia.com.au/this-is-your-brain-on-music-daniel-levitin/book/9780241987353.html?source=pla&amp;gclid=Cj0KCQjw48OaBhDWARIsAMd966B_bnNSq0206FOdSKqjfAEbrRWPkyKsh1tlY4v7eD1JGqZMB5qYGmoaAgmKEALw_wcB">providing an incentive</a> to keep engaging with music.</p> <p>Learning a musical instrument also <a href="https://www.jneurosci.org/content/early/2021/01/14/JNEUROSCI.1985-20.2020/tab-article-info?versioned=true">strengthens connections</a> in the brain, linking the auditory cortex to parts of the brain involved in the processing of complex information. This link has <a href="https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2015.02023/full">been shown</a> to improve memory, motor functions and learning in other subject areas. </p> <p>Making music with others also <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1364661313000491">affects levels</a> of the bonding hormone oxytocin, supporting a sense of togetherness, while reducing levels of the stress hormone cortisol, and boosting immune function.</p> <p>For young people, music can provide valuable respite from study and daily life, and <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/1049732320944142">help</a> manage and express their emotions. </p> <p>So, if you want your child to be a team player who is empathetic and shows grit, our research suggests that joining a music group could be the answer.</p> <p><em>*names have been changed</em></p> <p><em>Image credits: Getty Images</em></p> <p><em>This article originally appeared on <a href="https://theconversation.com/if-you-want-your-child-to-be-more-resilient-get-them-to-join-a-choir-orchestra-or-band-190657" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Conversation</a>.</em></p>

Music

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Fleetwood Mac member loses his battle to cancer

<p>Famed Musician Brett Tuggle has lost his battle with cancer, aged 70.</p> <p>He was best known for being the keyboardist for Fleetwood Mac and a founding member of the David Lee Roth Band.</p> <p>Brett is survived by daughter Michelle and son Matt, who confirmed that their father died from complications related to cancer.</p> <p>"He was loved by his family so much," Matt shared. "His family was with him throughout the entire time of his illness. He was a lovely father. He gave me music in my life."</p> <p>Fellow musician and good friend Rick Springfield was one of the first to pay tribute on Twitter.</p> <p>*embed tweet</p> <p>Tuggle was a founding member of the David Lee Roth Band in the 1980s before he joined Fleetwood Mac in the '90s. He was with the band for two decades, after officially taking over Christine McVie's keyboard duties when she left in 1998.</p> <p>He later worked with Fleetwood Mac stars Stevie Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham on their solo ventures, which caused conflict among the group and reportedly led to his exit.</p> <p>"I care about them all," he said. "They're all a big part of my life."</p> <p><em>Image: Getty</em></p>

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Revealed: Australia’s most trusted brands for 2022

<p>Celebrating its 100th year as a global brand, Reader’s Digest has announced the Most Trusted Brands in Australia in its annual survey – and the results even include ANOTHER brand celebrating 100 years!</p> <p>In 2022, Cadbury, certainly one of Australia’s iconic brands, also marks its 100th year – and as winner of the Most Trusted Confectionary Brand for 16 of the past 17 years in the <a href="https://www.trustedbrands.com.au/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Reader’s Digest Trusted Brand</a> survey, Australians clearly believe its chocolates consistently taste amazing. </p> <p>The award-winning brands that appear in the Reader’s Digest 23rd annual survey have stood out among their competitors during the most challenging of times throughout the pandemic, and have continued to build their customers’ trust. </p> <p>“Trust in consumer brands takes years of careful planning, execution and nurturing,” says Reader’s Digest editor-in-chief, Louise Waterson. “But during challenging times, and the past year has been one of the most difficult on record, we’ve seen quality brands live up to their promises to their customers. These brands have been able to win and retain the trust of their customers.” </p> <p>The Trusted Brands survey covers a comprehensive range of products and services across 75 categories, including the new Residential Aged Care category, spanning the separate NSW, QLD, SA, VIC and WA markets.</p> <p>Brands included in the list to be rated were generated by asking local Australian consumers for their most trusted brands. This question was unprompted to ensure the rating of top brands in each category, as selected by Australians.</p> <p>Each respondent was asked score each brand out of ten, as well as providing comments on their most trusted brand within each category – providing key drivers of trust for consumers.  </p> <p>Each category contains one Winner, and two Highly Commended brands. These brands scored higher in their respective categories than the other brands polled. </p> <p>The top 20 winners – that scored higher in their respective categories than the other brands polled – are as follows:</p> <p><strong>Top 20 Trusted Brands of all brands surveyed</strong></p> <ul> <li>1 Dettol<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span></li> <li>2 Band-Aid<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span></li> <li>3 Bunnings Warehouse<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span></li> <li>4 Cadbury <span style="white-space: pre;"> </span></li> <li>5 Woolworths<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span></li> <li>6 Dulux<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span></li> <li>7 Dyson<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span></li> <li>8 Royal Flying Doctor Service of Australia<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span></li> <li>9 Cancer Council<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span></li> <li>10 Panadol<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span></li> <li>11 Glen 20</li> <li>12 Twinings</li> <li>13 Bega Cheese</li> <li>14 Dairy Farmers</li> <li>15 Toyota</li> <li>16 Westinghouse</li> <li>17 Bridgestone</li> <li>18 Finish</li> <li>19 Vicks</li> <li>20 Weber</li> </ul> <p>Under each category one winner and two highly commended placings were awarded. To find out who you can officially trust, see the full results of all 75 categories in the May edition of Reader’s Digest or visit <a href="https://www.trustedbrands.com.au/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">www.trustedbrands.com.au</a></p>

Money & Banking

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‘A gentleman with the mad soul of an Irish convict poet’: remembering Chris Bailey, and the blazing comet that was The Saints

<p>Inala in the early 70s was bleak. A Brisbane suburb of wide dusty streets, treeless and bland. A planned community, meant to grow over time. Austerity, accented by the cheap houses – weatherboard, red brick, concrete – stifled the suburb like a blanket on a hot February night. </p> <p>It was boring. Beyond boring. The only concession to communal childhood joy was the pool, and the crazy concrete skate rink. But if you wanted a creative outlet, you needed to search elsewhere. </p> <p>Ivor Hay, (future Saints drummer), was heading to the picture theatre in Sherwood one Saturday night in early 1971, "and I saw Jeffrey [Wegener – another Saints drummer] with these two longhairs, Chris [Bailey] and Ed [Kuepper]. They were off to a birthday party in Corinda and asked me along. That was our first night."</p> <p>Bailey was raised by his mum, Bridget, in a house alive with siblings – mostly girls, who looked after the kid. He got away with a lot. </p> <p>“None of us had a lot of money,” Hay tells me. "Both Chris and I were raised by single mums in reasonably sized families. Chris’ mum was pretty feisty, with this Belfast accent which was just fantastic. They all looked after ‘Christopher’, he could do all sorts of things and they would accommodate him. His mum would have a go at him about the noise, but we’d just go to his bedroom and rehearse and bugger everybody else in the house!"</p> <p>Kuepper taught Hay to play the guitar: Stones and Beatles and Hendrix. Hay passed the knowledge down to Bailey, who was keen to learn. Neither Kuepper nor Bailey learned to drive, so Hay became the driver in those wide suburbs where driving and cars were everything. </p> <p>There was politics in Bailey’s house – his sister Margaret chained herself to the school gates to protest uniform policy – but this pervaded the town. The conservative government had no time for the young, and the police force did their best to make life difficult. </p> <p>But there was a sense that these young men were making something new. As Hay says, "We used to sing <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Internationale">The Internationale</a> at parties. I don’t know if we were revolutionaries, but we had that sense that something was happening. [With the band] we were doing something that we thought was going to change something. Chris was particularly good at pushing things, at being anti-everything."</p> <h2>Out of Inala</h2> <p>To escape the suburb was to head north to the railway line. It was the lifeline to the centre of Brisbane – record stores, bookshops and other forms of life. </p> <p>Kuepper remembers going into the city with Bailey. "We had intended to steal a record, and we went into Myers […] both wearing army disposal overcoats […] these two long haired guys walking into the record department with these overcoats […] surprisingly enough, we were successful!"</p> <p>Like the railway line, Ipswich Road joins Brisbane to the old coal town of Ipswich. It slices through these western suburbs, carrying hoons in muscle cars and streams of commuters, the occasional screaming cop car or ambulance.</p> <p>On Thursday nights, the boys used to sit at the Oxley Hotel, overlooking Ipswich Road, “just sit up there having beers, we wouldn’t have been much more than 17 or 18 at that time. Chatting about all sorts of stuff,” says Hay.</p> <p>"Chris and Ed were comic collectors and Stan Lee was the hero […] there were political discussions, philosophical discussions. Those guys could talk underwater."</p> <p>They talked and played and sang. <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X5YP_tsPzmg&amp;t=905s">And Bailey had the voice</a>. It was a force, not just loud and tuneful, but full of snarl and spit. </p> <p>Soon they had songs, and in 1976 scraped the money together to record and release their first single on their own Fatal Records label. <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MpMwMDqOprc">(I’m) Stranded</a> took Bailey out of Inala, out of Brisbane and into the world. </p> <p>He never looked back.</p> <h2>A changed city</h2> <p>The Saints released three albums in as many years – (I’m) Stranded, Eternally Yours and Prehistoric Sounds – before Kuepper and Hay returned from the UK to Australia, leaving Bailey to his own devices. </p> <p>Bailey remained in Europe, releasing a cluster of solo albums and many Saints records over the next 40 years. He wrote some achingly beautiful songs. It is a testament to his talents as a songwriter that Bruce Springsteen <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hJ4a_tgJp4I">recorded a version</a>of Bailey’s Just Like Fire Would in 2014.</p> <p>There’s no doubt that Bailey and The Saints changed Brisbane forever. People around the world who love music know Brisbane exists because of The Saints, The Go-Betweens and bands like them.</p> <p>Peter Milton Walsh (The Apartments) was one of many who benefited from The Saints legacy, "They blazed through our young lives like comets. Showed so many what was possible – that you could write your way out of town."</p> <p>“Without The Saints,” Mark Callaghan of The Riptides/Gang Gajang told me, “we probably wouldn’t have started. ” </p> <p>"They just made it all seem doable. It was like, ‘Well, they’re from Brisbane!’ So we started our first band, and at our first gig we covered (I’m) Stranded! We even took a photo of the abandoned house in Petrie Terrace with (I’m) Stranded painted on the wall. But it never crossed our minds to stand in front of this. It would be sacrilege, you know? And we were trying to work out a way that we could get it off the wall intact, because we recognised it was a historical document."</p> <p>Chris Bailey isn’t the first of our creative children to leave this life behind and move on into memory. With their passing, like the returning comet, the past is freshly illuminated, allowing us to look back at our young lives. Back when the future was broad in front of us, urged on by voices like Bailey’s to open our eyes and see the world.</p> <p>And Bailey’s was a unique voice. Kenny Gormley (The Cruel Sea) remembers him singing <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yYA5WdP47Y0">Ghost Ships,</a> "But ah, I’ll never ever forget seeing Chris pick that shanty, alone at sea in a crowded room, holding us sway, wet face drunk and shining, quiet and stilled in storm, cracked voiced with closed eye and open heart. And that was Bailey, a gentleman with the mad soul of an Irish convict poet.“</p> <p><em>Image credits: Getty Images</em></p> <p><em>This article originally appeared in <a href="https://theconversation.com/a-gentleman-with-the-mad-soul-of-an-irish-convict-poet-remembering-chris-bailey-and-the-blazing-comet-that-was-the-saints-181059" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Conversation</a>. </em></p>

Music

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Legendary band hits back after PM’s ukulele session

<p>New Zealand band Dragon have hit back at Prime Minister Scott Morrison after his "cynical" cover of their cult classic song on a special interview with <em>60 Minutes</em>. </p><p>In the sit-down interview with Karl Stefanovic, the PM is filmed with his family, strumming a ukulele while singing the band's smash hit <em>April Sun in Cuba</em>. </p><p>In a response to the serenade, Dragon has accused Scott Morrison of using their song to "humanise" himself in the face of the Australian public ahead of the upcoming federal election.</p><p>In a statement released by the band, they accused the PM of dragging the band into the headline for "all the wrong reasons" in what they believe was a "cynical" act of electioneering in order to strike a cord with Australians. </p><p>The band also used their statement to resurface damning criticism of the PM for taking a family holiday to Hawaii during the 2019-2020 bushfire crisis, which saw 34 people lose their lives and nearly 3,000 homes destroyed. </p><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Statement from the band Dragon after the Prime Minister of <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Australia?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Australia</a> appeared on television singing one of their songs. They said it was “a cynical move by a politician to co-opt music in an attempt to humanise themselves come election time”. <a href="https://t.co/85RVXFtF2S">pic.twitter.com/85RVXFtF2S</a></p>— Stephen McDonell (@StephenMcDonell) <a href="https://twitter.com/StephenMcDonell/status/1493057963753418754?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 14, 2022</a></blockquote><p>"It is a cynical move for a politician to co-opt music in an attempt to humanise themselves come election time," the band's statement said.</p><p>"Maybe if his trip to Hawaii had not been cut short, he could have learnt the lyrics to the rest of the chorus."</p><p>In the now-viral video of Scott Morrison performing the tracks he repeats one line twice  ("Take me to the April sun in Cuba, oh oh oh"), rather than progress the song along with the original lyrics.</p><p>The song was originally penned in 1977 by two New Zealanders who were living in Australia, and became a smash hit in Australia and New Zealand after placing in the top 10 in both country's music charts. </p><p>When the video of Scott Morrison playing the ukulele first surfaced in a preview for the <em>60 Minutes</em> interview, it was instantly branded as "extremely cringe" by viewers. </p><p>Sally McManus, Secretary of the Australian Council of Trade Unions, suggested the performance was a cynical ploy to improve Mr Morrison’s image ahead of the federal election.</p><p>“We need to brace ourselves for how far he will go the more desperate they get,” she wrote on Twitter.</p><p><em>Image credits: Nine - 60 Minutes / Twitter</em></p>

News

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"So embarrassed": Bono's startling confessions

<p><em>Image: Getty</em></p> <p>They've been one of the world's biggest rock bands for over 40 years – but U2 frontman Bono is still a tough critic about the group's output.</p> <p>In a surprising new interview with The Hollywood Reporter's Awards Chatter podcast, Bono admits he's often "embarrassed" by the band's early music and he still doesn't like their band name.</p> <p>Fellow band member ‘The Edge’ revealed he wasn't a fan of the band's name at first. Bono then responded, "I still don't. I really don't. I was late into some kind of dyslexia – I didn't realise that The Beatles was a bad pun either."</p> <p>"In our head, it was like the spy plane, it was … a U-boat, it was futuristic. But then, as it turned out to imply this kind of acquiescence, no, I don't like that name. I still don't really like the name," he said.</p> <p>To this day he has shared that he struggles to listen to U2's earlier albums, such as their 1980 debut Boy. While the band sound "incredible" on the record, Bono said his voice in U2's early years was "very strained" and "not macho".</p> <p>"I've been in a car when one of our songs has come on the radio and I've been the colour of … scarlet. I'm just so embarrassed. I do think U2 pushes out the boat on embarrassment quite a lot," he said.</p> <p>It turns out Bono wasn't the only one who had that same critique of his own voice. He recounted an anecdote in which late Addicted To Love singer Robert Palmer had a quiet word with U2 bassist Adam Clayton in the 1980s.</p> <p>According to Bono, the crooner said, "God, would you ever tell your singer to just take down the keys a little bit? He'd do himself a favour, his voice a favour, and he'd do us all a favour who have to listen to him."</p> <p>The Irish rock legend said that he feels like he "only became a singer recently" and that "maybe it hasn't happened yet for some people's ears".</p> <p>Perhaps, but with 175 million records sold worldwide, clearly a lot of their listeners do not agree!</p>

Music

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‘The Beatles: Get Back’ glosses over the band’s acrimonious end

<p>In the new film “<a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt9735318/">The Beatles: Get Back</a>,” “Lord of the Rings” director <a href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001392/">Peter Jackson</a> tries to dispel the myth of the the Beatles’ breakup.</p> <p>In 1970, Michael Lindsay-Hogg released “<a href="https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-features/original-let-it-be-movie-michael-lindsay-hogg-peter-jackson-get-back-1250561/">Let It Be</a>,” a film documenting the band’s recording sessions for their eponymous album. The movie depicted George Harrison arguing with Paul McCartney – and it hit theaters shortly after news of the band’s breakup emerged. Many filmgoers at the time assumed this depicted the days and weeks during which everything fell apart.</p> <p>By the time it hit theaters, nearly 16 months after filming, this rehearsal footage got mistaken for a completely different time frame.</p> <p>In 2016, Jackson gained access to Lindsay-Hogg’s original footage. Over the course of four years, he edited it into an eight-hour, three-part series, thanks to a streaming deal with Disney+.</p> <p>In their press rounds, both Jackson and McCartney have been eager to recast the legacy of this period.</p> <p>“I kept waiting for all the nasty stuff to start happening, waiting for the arguments and the rows and the fights, but I never saw that,” <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2021/nov/20/i-just-cant-believe-it-exists-peter-jackson-takes-us-into-the-beatles-vault-locked-up-for-52-years">Jackson told The Guardian</a> and others. “It was the opposite. It was really funny.”</p> <p>“I’ll tell you what is really fabulous about it, it shows the four of us having a ball,” <a href="https://www.nme.com/news/music/paul-mccartney-says-the-beatles-get-back-documentary-changed-his-perception-of-their-split-3095528">McCartney told The Sunday Times</a> after seeing the film. “It was so reaffirming for me.”</p> <p>It seems to be working: <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/11/11/arts/music/beatles-get-back-peter-jackson.html">A recent New York Times headline proclaimed</a>, “Know How the Beatles Ended? Peter Jackson May Change Your Mind.”</p> <p>A lot of these sessions contain the irrepressible gags that made the Beatles famous. (Lennon and McCartney singing “Two of Us” in grandiose Scottish brogue almost steals Part Three.) But in their interviews, Jackson and McCartney accentuate the positive as if to paper over the acrimonious <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/pop-culture/pop-culture-news/paul-mccartney-says-he-sued-beatles-save-band-s-music-n1235898">history of lawsuits</a>, <a href="https://www.billboard.com/music/rock/beatles-catalog-paul-mccartney-brief-history-ownership-7662519/">the loss of the Lennon-McCartney publishing catalog</a> and the lurching solo careers that followed.</p> <h2>A muddled chronology</h2> <p>The timing of the theater release of the “Let It Be” sessions seeded confusion over how the group unraveled.</p> <p>“Let it Be” was shot in January 1969, just weeks after the “<a href="https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/review-the-beatles-white-album-186863/">White Album</a>” hit stores.</p> <p>The band then put these tapes aside to work on the larger project they intuited from this material, “<a href="https://theconversation.com/the-beatles-revolutionary-use-of-recording-technology-in-abbey-road-124070">Abbey Road</a>,” which they completed seven months later.</p> <p>The split actually came at a September 1969 meeting, when <a href="https://theconversation.com/inside-the-beatles-messy-breakup-50-years-ago-130980">Lennon told the others</a> he wanted a “divorce.” They persuaded him to keep his departure quiet until the band completed some contract negotiations. Then, in March 1970, <a href="https://theconversation.com/inside-the-beatles-messy-breakup-50-years-ago-130980">McCartney publicly proclaimed</a> he was “leaving the Beatles” to release his first solo album.</p> <p>An epic descent into suits, <a href="https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/the-courtroom-hit-parade-the-beatles-top-ten-lawsuits-414216.html">countersuits</a> and press squabbles ensued. Harrison even wrote a song called “<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xzdw2WcSmb0">Sue Me Sue You Blues</a>.”</p> <p>Only in May 1970 did the “Let It Be” album and film come out, with the band’s messy divorce as the backdrop.</p> <p>After the initial theater run, “Let it Be” fell from view. For decades, the only way you could get a glance of it was through a black market copy. The Andy Warhol-esque, <a href="https://www.artforum.com/print/196704/the-value-of-didactic-art-36733">so-real-it’s-boring verité style</a> – the non-narrative approach then in vogue – flummoxed even 1970 audiences.</p> <p>But because the “Let It Be” album and film came out after “Abbey Road” – which was released in September 1969 – it quickly got mistaken for telegraphing their breakup, <a href="https://www.nme.com/news/music/paul-mccartney-says-the-beatles-get-back-documentary-changed-his-perception-of-their-split-3095528">a belief that the Beatles themselves seemed to internalize</a>.</p> <p>The Beatles’ own traumatic memories of this period kept the raw footage from this project in the vaults for over 50 years. In the meantime, bootleggers published nearly all of its audio.</p> <h2>Conflict brewing</h2> <p>Now at significant remove, the remaining Beatles – McCartney and Ringo Starr – <a href="https://variety.com/video/peter-jackson-get-back-beatles-secrets/">seem to have hired Jackson</a> for a rescue operation, disingenuously dubbing the film a “documentary” when they, in fact, served as executive producers alongside their Apple Records directors, Jeff Jones and Ken Kamins.</p> <p>In response to Jackson’s three-part series, which coincided with the release of <a href="https://variety.com/2021/music/reviews/get-back-book-review-beatles-let-it-be-transcripts-1235087090/">a book of transcripts from the “Let it Be” sessions</a> and McCartney’s songwriting memoir, “<a href="https://theconversation.com/what-paul-mccartneys-the-lyrics-can-teach-us-about-harnessing-our-creativity-170987">Lyrics</a>,” <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/11/11/arts/music/beatles-get-back-peter-jackson.html">media outlets</a> <a href="https://www.onlymelbourne.com.au/the-beatles-get-back">around the world</a> appear to have embraced this new version of history: that these sessions actually scanned as lighthearted, that – poof! – the scars had vanished.</p> <p>But the strange and beguiling thing about Jackson’s edit rises from how it displays an unstable mixture of groove and conflict.</p> <p><iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Auta2lagtw4?wmode=transparent&amp;start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe> <span class="caption">The trailer for ‘The Beatles: Get Back.’</span></p> <p>Despite the walkout from Harrison and continuous disagreements about what the project was – first a TV show, then a feature film and album, which needed a rooftop concert for a “payoff” – the band ultimately rallied to write the now-classic tracks “Something,” “Oh! Darling,” “Octopus’s Garden,” “She Came in Through the Bathroom Window,” and “Maxwell’s Silver Hammer,” along with Lennon’s “Polythene Pam” and “I Want You.”</p> <p>So Jackson’s “Get Back” clarifies the Beatles’ resolve to resume work and put their extra-musical squabbles aside. The music pulls them inexorably forward, and they trust these early song fragments enough to carry them. They have had bust-ups and walkouts and uncertainties and failures, and always found their way through. For Lindsay-Hogg and 1970 audiences, this all seemed bewildering and tense – the band kept a tight lid on internal rows. To the Beatles themselves, and to anyone who’s ever worked to keep a band together, it felt about par.</p> <p>Telling the average person to watch eight hours of freighted doubt and raw, undeveloped material is a big ask. <a href="https://www.theonion.com/new-beatles-doc-gives-man-greater-appreciation-for-how-1848132216">As The Onion joked</a>, “New Beatles Doc Gives Man Greater Appreciation For How Long 8 Hours Feels.”</p> <p>But there is a moment in Part Two of Jackson’s series – the first day on the set when Harrison doesn’t show up – when the rest of the band sits around talking about the situation. McCartney suddenly goes quiet. The camera lingers on him, and you can see him drift into a thousand-yard stare as he contemplates the looming uncertainties. He doesn’t quite tear up, but he does look as unguarded as he ever does, and markedly tentative.</p> <p>The moment catches hold because it’s so out of character – McCartney rarely displays himself unveiled, without pretense. The shot lingers and takes the measure of the man and the project, how much they have to overcome and how precarious everything suddenly feels.</p> <p>[<em>Over 140,000 readers rely on The Conversation’s newsletters to understand the world.</em> <a href="https://memberservices.theconversation.com/newsletters/?source=inline-140ksignup">Sign up today</a>.]</p> <p>In retrospect, the miracle is not that they finished “Let It Be,” but how these sessions served as the warmup for their final lap, “Abbey Road.” After upending expectations with the contrasting breakthroughs of “Sgt. Pepper” and the “White Album,” figuring out what to do next would have confounded lesser souls.</p> <p>That five-decade gap where fans waited for a refurbished “Let It Be” tells you a lot about how fraught January 1969 seemed to its four principals – and how deep those scars went.<!-- Below is The Conversation's page counter tag. Please DO NOT REMOVE. --><img style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important; text-shadow: none !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/169914/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /><!-- End of code. If you don't see any code above, please get new code from the Advanced tab after you click the republish button. The page counter does not collect any personal data. More info: https://theconversation.com/republishing-guidelines --></p> <p><span><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/tim-riley-440673">Tim Riley</a>, Associate Professor and Graduate Program Director for Journalism, <em><a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/emerson-college-3140">Emerson College</a></em></span></p> <p>This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/the-beatles-get-back-glosses-over-the-bands-acrimonious-end-169914">original article</a>.</p> <p><em>Image: Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images</em></p>

Movies

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The now grown up baby from Nirvana's album cover is suing the band

<p>The baby who appeared on the famous Nirvana album cover in 1991 is now suing the band.</p> <p>Spencer Elden, who is now 30 years old, is suing surviving Nirvana band members Dave Grohl and Krist Novoselic, as well as Kurt Cobain's estate for allegedly <span>violating federal child pornography statutes and child sexual exploitation.</span></p> <p><span>The </span>lawsuit also names the photographer who snapped the image, Kirk Weddlem and the labels behind the release fo the album.</p> <p><span>Spencer was photographed naked as a child for the band's most </span>iconic album cover, and is now claiming <span>his legal guardians never signed a release “authorising the use of any images of Spencer or of his likeness, and certainly not of commercial child pornography depicting him.”</span></p> <p>Spencer claims he has <span>suffered “lifelong damages” and is also suing for distribution of private sexually explicit materials and negligence. </span></p> <p><span>The famous album cover was snapped by chance, as Spencer's father Rick was a good friend of the photographer.</span></p> <p><span>Nick spoke to NPR in 2008 and said, “[Weddle] calls us up and was like, ‘Hey Rick, wanna make 200 bucks and throw your kid in the drink.”</span></p> <p><span>The image, which shows a baby Spencer in the pool diving after a $1 note, quickly became an iconic image and Spencer has recreated the album cover several times to celebrate </span>anniversaries of the release. </p> <p>The lawsuit filed by Spencer states, <span>“The permanent harm he has proximately suffered includes but is not limited to extreme and permanent emotional distress with physical manifestations, interference with his normal development and educational progress, lifelong loss of income earning capacity, loss of past and future wages, past and future expenses for medical and psychological treatment, loss of enjoyment of life, and other losses to be described and proven at trial of this matter.”</span></p> <p><em>Image credits: Shutterstock</em></p>

Legal

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Why Princess Beatrice’s wedding band is so special

<p>Princess Beatrice added her own personal touch to the royal wedding tradition as she married Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi on Friday morning.</p> <p>Being the first royal to wed at Windsor’s Royal Chapel of All Saints, Beatrice was forced to keep a guest list of 20 people due to COVID-19 guidelines.</p> <p>And while everyone is focusing on the stunning wedding dress she borrowed from her grandmother the Queen, they forgot to focus on one accessory that’s different from many royal brides before her.</p> <p>Her wedding band.</p> <p>Beatrice’s wedding band was designed by jeweller Shaun Leane, who also created her Art Deco-meets-Victorian engagement ring.</p> <p>According to Hello, the platinum and diamond band was made to fit around the engagement ring and was crafted in consultation with the couple.</p> <p>"I am thrilled for the happy couple, it warms my heart to see two wonderful people unite in love as much as Edoardo and Beatrice do," the British jeweller said in a statement.</p> <p>Over the last 100 years, most royal brides have chosen gold wedding bands, which is why Beatrice’s ring is different from the rest.</p> <p>Many royal wedding rings have been created from a single lump of gold taken from the Clogau St David mine in Wales since 1923. These include the bands belonging to Queen Elizabeth, Prince Charles and Princess Diana.</p> <p>Old family tradition or not, it was clear Beatrice had her own vision for her wedding ring.</p>

Beauty & Style

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Survey reveals the brands Aussies trust the most

<p><span>The coronavirus pandemic is forcing change, and that includes the trust that people have in brands.</span></p> <p><span>In the 21st annual list of <em>Australia’s Most Trusted Brands</em>, the list identifies the brands that we have faith in and the innovative ways brands are responding to new issues.</span></p> <p><span>The independently conducted survey has polled a cross-section of more than 3,000 people, to name the most-trusted brands across more than 70 leading consumer categories. Not only were the <em>Most Trusted Brands</em> polled, Our most-trusted professions have also been polled, and the results appear exclusively in the latest issue of <em>Australian Reader's Digest</em>.</span></p> <p><span>The key findings shown by an independent poll concluded:</span></p> <ul> <li><span>Band-Aid is Australia’s overall most trusted brand</span></li> <li><span>Vegemite is Australia’s ‘Most Iconic’ brand</span></li> <li>Guide Dogs is Australia’s most trusted charity</li> <li>Healthcare workers (Doctors, nurses, paramedics) top ‘Most Trusted Professions’</li> </ul> <p><em>Reader’s Digest</em> editor-in-chief Louise Waterson said: “While COVID-19 has certainly changed the marketplace, and the way we go about being consumers, other things remain the same when it comes to our relationships with brands.</p> <p>“For the brands themselves, trust matters when it comes to weathering a crisis, and ultimately trust is built on the traditional foundations of quality, consistency, honesty and delivering on your promise.</p> <p>“In terms of this current situation, with this pandemic, that also means getting proactive and reaching out to your customers like never before. It’s very much about maintaining a relationship with that particular individual.”</p> <p><strong>How a brand is likely to be voted as a <em>Trusted Brand</em></strong></p> <p>There are many things a brand can do in order to be voted as a <em>Trusted Brand</em>, but the main message is to be reassuring, reliable, consistent, and offer value for money as these are the common traits shared by brands that Australians trust.</p> <p>Another beneficial tip is to respond well in a crisis, which has been shown by many brands in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.</p> <p>We’re seeing brands that are on the frontline supporting customers with their concerns, advising how to get help, and reassuring them in a very personal way.</p> <p>With Dettol (3) upping its communications on how to kill germs in our homes, Qantas (7) flying in our stranded family members home from overseas and Toyota (19) keeping their service centres open to make sure that Australians still have reliable vehicles, brands are expected to support customers with their concerns and offer reassurance during this crisis.</p> <p>Other brands are striving for consistency and innovation, which helps brands remain in the top spot. Winner of this year’s<span> </span><em>Iconic Brand</em>, Vegemite (16) has a range of fun and delicious recipes to help with the boredom of being at home during a pandemic on their website.</p> <p>This year, <em>Trusted Brands Australia</em> has also included the '<em>Most Trusted Professions'</em>, which saw doctors take out the top spot, with nurses and paramedics quickly following behind in second and third place.</p> <p>Unlike amateur experts or celebrities motivated to increasing their own popularity, doctors stick to the observable facts, they avoid controversy and are the calm protectors we all turn to when we and our families are feeling most vulnerable.</p> <p>Together with paramedics and nurses, who came in 2<sup>nd</sup> and 3<sup>rd</sup>, these professions are the real deal.</p> <p><strong>Australia’s top 20 most trusted brands – across all categories are:</strong></p> <ol start="1" type="1"> <li>Band-Aid</li> <li>Energizer</li> <li>Dettol</li> <li>Colgate</li> <li>Dyson</li> <li>Cadbury</li> <li>Qantas</li> <li>Dulux</li> <li>Finish</li> <li>Sanitarium Weet-Bix</li> <li>Weber</li> <li>Panadol</li> <li>Cancer Council Sunscreen</li> <li>Bega Cheese</li> <li>Bridgestone</li> <li>Vegemite</li> <li>Aerogard</li> <li>Bunnings</li> <li>Toyota</li> <li>Victa</li> </ol> <p><em>Check out the full results at <a id="LPlnk469183" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://www.trustedbrands.com.au/" target="_blank">www.trustedbrands.com.au</a></em></p>

Money & Banking

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10cc announce new Aussie tour

<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Iconic British rock band 10cc are back and ready to perform 10 shows across Australia for their excited fans.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">10cc have sold more than 30 million albums around the world and the band’s longevity is a testament to their timeless songs, including hits such as </span><span style="font-weight: 400;">Rubber Bullets, I’m Not In Love </span><span style="font-weight: 400;">and </span><span style="font-weight: 400;">Dreadlock Holiday</span><span style="font-weight: 400;">, which is a favourite of co-founder’s Graham Gouldman to perform.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Gouldman attribute’s the bands long-lasting appeal to the quality and individuality of the band’s songs. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“They don’t seem to date; they are original, we never followed any trend we simple wrote for our own pleasure. The fact that the songs are being played as often on the radio today as they ever were shows how true that is,” he says.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">And as for why </span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">Dreadlock Holiday</span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;"> is his favourite to perform?</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“Everyone joins in and people just love it.”</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">With four decades of song-writing excellence under his belt as well as fantastic musicians behind him, Gouldman confidently promises audiences they will be thrilled with the performances.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“This is as near as you’re ever going to get to hearing the perfect 10cc.  Hit after hit after hit. It’s relentless. We show no mercy.”</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The live band features Graham Gouldman (vocals, bass and guitar); Rick Fenn (lead guitar, vocals); Paul Burgess (drums, percussion); Iain Hornal (vocals, percussion, guitar, keyboards) and Keith Hayman (keyboards, guitar, bass vocals).  Paul has worked with 10cc from the beginning and Rick joined the live band in the mid-‘70s. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The 10 shows are set to be a hit and tickets are currently on sale now. </span></p> <p><strong>Friday 21st February 2020 at the Zoo Twilights, Melbourne</strong></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Tickets available from:</span></p> <p><a href="http://www.zootwilights.org.au/artist/10cc"><span style="font-weight: 400;">www.zootwilights.org.au/artist/10cc</span></a></p> <p><strong>*** with special guest Russell Morris ***</strong></p> <p><strong>Saturday 22nd February 2020 at the Southern Cross Club, Canberra</strong></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Tickets available from: </span><a href="https://premier.ticketek.com.au/shows/show.aspx?sh=TENCC20&amp;v=SCU"><span style="font-weight: 400;">https://premier.ticketek.com.au/shows/show.aspx?sh=TENCC20&amp;v=SCU</span></a></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Ph:  132 849</span></p> <p><strong>Sunday 23rd February 2020 at Anitas Theatre, Wollongong</strong></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Tickets available from: </span><a href="https://www.ticketmaster.com.au/10cc-the-things-we-do-for-love-2020-tour-thirroul-23-02-2020/event/13005738907F3E8C"><span style="font-weight: 400;">https://www.ticketmaster.com.au/10cc-the-things-we-do-for-love-2020-tour-thirroul-23-02-2020/event/13005738907F3E8C</span></a></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Ph:  136 100</span></p> <p><strong>Tuesday 25th February, 2020 at the Astor Theatre, Perth</strong></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Tickets available from: </span><a href="https://premier.ticketek.com.au/shows/show.aspx?sh=10CCAST20&amp;v=AST"><span style="font-weight: 400;">https://premier.ticketek.com.au/shows/show.aspx?sh=10CCAST20&amp;v=AST</span></a></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Ph:  132 849 </span></p> <p><strong>Thursday 27th February, 2020 at the Enmore Theatre, Sydney</strong></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Tickets available from: </span><a href="https://premier.ticketek.com.au/shows/show.aspx?sh=10CC20&amp;v=NMO"><span style="font-weight: 400;">https://premier.ticketek.com.au/shows/show.aspx?sh=10CC20&amp;v=NMO</span></a></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Ph:  132 849</span></p> <p><strong>*** with special guest Russell Morris ***</strong></p> <p><strong>Friday 28th February 2020 at the Twin Towns, Gold Coast</strong></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Tickets available from: </span><a href="https://www.twintowns.com.au/events/10cc/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">https://www.twintowns.com.au/events/10cc/</span></a></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Ph: 1800 014 014</span></p> <p><strong>Saturday 29th February 2020 at the Events Centre, Caloundra</strong></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Tickets available from: </span><a href="https://theeventscentre.com.au/product/10cc-the-things-we-do-for-love-2020-tour/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">https://theeventscentre.com.au/product/10cc-the-things-we-do-for-love-2020-tour/</span></a></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Ph: (07) 5491 4240</span></p> <p><strong>Monday 2nd March 2020 at the Civic Theatre, Townsville</strong></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Tickets available from: </span><a href="mailto:ticketshop@townsville.qld.gov.au"><span style="font-weight: 400;">ticketshop@townsville.qld.gov.au</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">  </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Ph: (07) 4727 9797</span></p> <p><strong>Tuesday 3rd March 2020 at the Performing Arts Centre, Cairns</strong></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Tickets available from: </span><a href="https://www.ticketlink.com.au/ticketlinkEvents/popular-music/10cc-the-things-we-do-for-love-tour"><span style="font-weight: 400;">https://www.ticketlink.com.au/ticketlinkEvents/popular-music/10cc-the-things-we-do-for-love-tour</span></a></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Ph: (07) 4050 7770</span></p> <p><strong>Wednesday 4th March 2020 at the Civic Centre, Darwin</strong></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Tickets available from: </span><a href="https://www.yourcentre.com.au/#!/event_book_now/-Lqn6CErJKBmwNhKQV0H/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">https://www.yourcentre.com.au/#!/event_book_now/-Lqn6CErJKBmwNhKQV0H/</span></a></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Ph: (08) 8980 3333</span></p>

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KISS surprise fans and cancel Australian tour days before it was meant to begin

<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Rock legends KISS have cancelled their planned farewell tour of Australia just days before it was meant to begin.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">KISS fans have been through a whirlwind, as the group rescheduled the first date of the tour three days before announcing the cancellation.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">This is due to the founding member and guitarist Paul Stanley’s ill health, and the new start date of the tour would have been the 19</span><span style="font-weight: 400;">th</span><span style="font-weight: 400;"> of November in Adelaide.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">However, the band decided to pull the plug on the entire tour.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“TEG Live and One World Entertainment, the promoters of KISS, regrets to advise the November/December tour has been cancelled,” a </span><a href="https://premier.ticketek.com.au/shows/show.aspx?sh=KISS19"><span style="font-weight: 400;">statement released</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> reads.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“Earlier this week it was announced that U.S doctors had advised Paul Stanley to rest due to a bad case of influenza, prompting the rescheduling of the tour’s first show in Perth to the end of the run and the cancellation of New Zealand. It was hoped the extra few days rest would allow Stanley the chance for a complete recovery so the tour could proceed as planned.”</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“However unfortunately this has not occurred. Stanley has an additional infection in his throat requiring complete vocal rest and medication for at least two weeks and possibly longer.”</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The news has devastated the loyal fanbase, as the tour has been billed as the last-ever Australian tour for KISS.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“Words cannot begin to convey our massive disappointment in having to cancel our </span><span style="font-weight: 400;">End Of The Road</span><span style="font-weight: 400;"> tour of your incredible country. Our connection to you is unparalleled and decades deep,” Stanley said in a statement.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“We waited as long as we could and held out hope to the last minute that my situation would clear up and we would be able to march forward. Doctor’s orders ultimately have taken precedence and finally we now find ourselves with no choice but to surrender. With heavy hearts, KISS.”</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Information on refunds for the KISS tour can be found </span><a href="https://premier.ticketek.com.au/shows/show.aspx?sh=KISS19"><span style="font-weight: 400;">here</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, and those who purchased tickets via card can expect full refunds in their accounts within 14 days. </span></p>

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Fan favourites Dave Matthews Band announce 2020 Australian tour

<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Fans of the Dave Matthews Band would be thrilled with the announcement that the band are coming back to Australia.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">It’s been six years since they’ve been on Australian shores as they’re heading down for Bluesfest.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Bluesfest is a festival in Byron Bay that starts on April 9</span><span style="font-weight: 400;">th</span><span style="font-weight: 400;"> and finishes on the 14</span><span style="font-weight: 400;">th</span><span style="font-weight: 400;"> of April 2020.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The lineup includes iconic bands such as Crowded House, John Butler, Lenny Kravitz and the Cat Empire. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The festival started back in 1990 and initially had 6,000 attendees. The festival now attracts over 100,000 music fans and is a family-friendly event.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Dave Matthews Band are also performing two shows on top of Bluesfest, with one in Sydney on the 15</span><span style="font-weight: 400;">th</span><span style="font-weight: 400;"> of April and one in Melbourne on the 17</span><span style="font-weight: 400;">th</span><span style="font-weight: 400;"> of April in 2020.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">They made the announcement on their Instagram page.</span></p> <blockquote style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/B32k8rrgN4p/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="12"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"></div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"></div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"></div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <p style="margin: 8px 0 0 0; padding: 0 4px;"><a style="color: #000; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none; word-wrap: break-word;" rel="noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/B32k8rrgN4p/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank">is announcing two long-awaited headline shows for their loyal Aussie fans. Returning to Australia for the first time since 2014, @davematthewsband will play at @FirstStateSuperTheatre in Sydney, on April 15th and at @mcourtarena, Melbourne on April 17th. DMB is also playing on April 13th at the @bluesfestbyronbay. An online presale for the Sydney and Melbourne shows is available for Warehouse members beginning Tuesday, October 22ndat 2PM (local venue time). Visit http://https://warehouse.davematthewsband.com/ to join the Warehouse. A @livenation presale begins Wednesday, October 23rd at 3PM (local venue time). For complete tour, ticket and VIP Experience information, visit: http://livenation.com.au. Tickets for both shows go on sale to the public Friday, October 25th at 1PM (local venue time) at http://livenation.com.au. With every ticket purchase to the Australian shows you will receive a free download of “Come Tomorrow”. #SeeYouOnTheRoad</a></p> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;">A post shared by <a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px;" rel="noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/davematthewsband/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank"> Dave Matthews Band</a> (@davematthewsband) on Oct 20, 2019 at 1:04pm PDT</p> </div> </blockquote> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">However, the iconic seven-piece band are reeling from their Rock &amp; Roll Hall Of Fame Induction for 2020. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Fans are now able to vote for your favourite Rock &amp; Roll Hall of Fame Class of 2020 nominees to help them reach the top 5 of the official fan ballots. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">You simply Google your favourite band who are in the list, and are able to select up to 5 nominees daily.  Voting ends January 10</span><span style="font-weight: 400;">th</span><span style="font-weight: 400;">, 2020.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">They spoke to </span><a href="https://www.apnews.com/8a8a595f7e4c4d36930f3873fa3edcc3"><span style="font-weight: 400;">AP News</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> about the announcement.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“It’s a real honour,” Matthews told The Associated Press on Wednesday. “Even if they stick us in a holding pen for a few years, that’s OK. Just to get on that list. I can’t believe I’m on a list with Whitney Houston, Motorhead and T. Rex. That’s pretty awesome.”</span></p> <blockquote style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/B3425znn_Q8/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="12"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"></div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"></div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"></div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <p style="margin: 8px 0 0 0; padding: 0 4px;"><a style="color: #000; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none; word-wrap: break-word;" rel="noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/B3425znn_Q8/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank">You can vote DAILY on @google through January 10th! Vote NOW for @davematthewsband to be inducted into the @rockhall’s Official Class of 2020: http://goo.gle/RHFanVote #LinkInBio #RockHall2020</a></p> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;">A post shared by <a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px;" rel="noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/davematthewsband/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank"> Dave Matthews Band</a> (@davematthewsband) on Oct 21, 2019 at 10:20am PDT</p> </div> </blockquote> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Tickets for </span><a href="https://www.bluesfest.com.au/tickets/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Bluesfest</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> and the Dave Matthews Band </span><a href="http://livenation.com.au/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">additional shows</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> are on sale now.</span></p>

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How KISS are preparing to make their mark in Australia

<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Rocker band KISS are known for delighting their fans and when they head to Australia, it’s looking to be no exception.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">They’re performing for a new audience in November: Great White sharks.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The band will be performing underwater to the sharks and eight lucky fans as they travel off the southern coast of Australia.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">According to </span><a href="https://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/kiss-australia-great-white-sharks"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Fox News</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, the band will stay above board on one vessel and the fans will be lowered beneath the surface of the water from a second boat into the viewing sub.</span></p> <div class="embed-responsive embed-responsive-16by9"><iframe class="embed-responsive-item" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/v=XeepkIfg_r0"></iframe></div> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The area that they’ll be lowered into is well known for shark activity, and the band will begin to play using underwater speakers.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The result? Sharks and submerged fans rocking out to KISS.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“Research has indicated that low-frequency and pulsed sounds can be attractive to some shark species. Interestingly, different animals (even within the same species) appear to respond to sounds differently,” said Dr Blake Chapman, of Australia Geographic.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“Sharks are among the world’s most misunderstood animals. It’s important for people to learn that sharks are worthy of respect and protection.”</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The event will be taking place in the Indian Ocean off Port Lincoln in South Australia costs $50 and proceeds will be going to charity.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Not ones to disappoint, KISS will be in full makeup and costumes for the performance, which will be at least four songs.</span></p>

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The band Queen are now richer than Queen Elizabeth due to Bohemian Rhapsody success

<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The rock band known as Queen are very happy with the worldwide success of the film </span><span style="font-weight: 400;">Bohemian Rhapsody</span><span style="font-weight: 400;">, despite the film being panned by critics when it was released last year.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The remaining members of the group, Brian May, Roger Taylor and John Deacon are now worth a combined $815 million (AUD).</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">This means that when combined they have a higher net worth than the Queen, who is believed to be valued at $678 million.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Despite the film seeing Rami Malek winning a Best Actor Oscar and a BAFTA for his portrayal as Freddie Mercury as well as the film winning best film at the Golden Globes, critics weren’t a fan of the film.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Many reviewers left comments saying, “Freddie Mercury biopic bites the dust” and, “This karaoke-style paean is all style and no soul”.</span></p> <blockquote style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/BtQh4ZBH4_W/" data-instgrm-version="12"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"></div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"></div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"></div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <p style="margin: 8px 0 0 0; padding: 0 4px;"><a style="color: #000; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none; word-wrap: break-word;" rel="noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BtQh4ZBH4_W/" target="_blank">Freddie &amp; Rami side-by-side for the Live Aid scene in #BohemianRhapsody ✨</a></p> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;">A post shared by <a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px;" rel="noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/officialqueenmusic/" target="_blank"> Queen</a> (@officialqueenmusic) on Jan 30, 2019 at 4:13am PST</p> </div> </blockquote> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The remaining members of the band didn’t seem to mind as the film has made almost $1.5 billion at the box office worldwide despite costing $73 million to make.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">A film insider revealed to </span><a href="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-6994685/Queen-band-richer-Queen-success-Bohemian-Rhapsody-film.html"><span style="font-weight: 400;">The Daily Mail</span></a> <span style="font-weight: 400;">that the band will be very well off due to the success of the film.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“They will be massively in profit. Because Queen Films made the film, they are quite high up the waterfall of money that cascades down from the film.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“This film was created and managed by Queen, which means they can protect their share. I would expect the studio to get around 50 per cent and the rest to go to the surviving Queen members and the Freddie Mercury estate.”</span></p>

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5 things you didn’t know about the Red Hot Chili Peppers

<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The Red Hot Chili Peppers (RHCP) have been around for 36 years and have created some amazing music in their time, including songs like </span><span style="font-weight: 400;">Otherside</span><span style="font-weight: 400;"> and </span><span style="font-weight: 400;">Under The Bridge</span><span style="font-weight: 400;">. However, with a band that’s been around for so long, there’s bound to be some interesting facts. Here are the top five.</span></p> <p><strong>1. Their first album, <em>Blood Sugar Sex Magik</em> was recorded in Harry Houdini’s old haunted mansion</strong></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">This was detailed in the documentary </span><span style="font-weight: 400;">Funky Monks</span><span style="font-weight: 400;">, where producer Rick Rubin explained that members of the band had found it to be creepy. Rubin has since made the mansion into his home studio, but this is where the RHCP made their first album. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Anthony Kiedis, Flea and John Frusciante stayed in the house while recording, whereas drummer Chad Smith found it too creepy.</span></p> <blockquote style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/BuPfvTFHq0L/" data-instgrm-version="12"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"></div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"></div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"></div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <p style="margin: 8px 0 0 0; padding: 0 4px;"><a style="color: #000; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none; word-wrap: break-word;" rel="noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BuPfvTFHq0L/" target="_blank">let me stand next to your 🔥</a></p> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;">A post shared by <a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px;" rel="noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/chilipeppers/" target="_blank"> Red Hot Chili Peppers</a> (@chilipeppers) on Feb 23, 2019 at 3:06pm PST</p> </div> </blockquote> <p><strong>2. They’ve had seven guitarists during the band’s existence</strong></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The guitarists in the RHCP changed like the weather. The list of guitarists is as follows:</span></p> <ul> <ul> <li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Hillel Slovak: 1983, 1984 – 1988</span></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Jack Sherman: 1983 – 1984</span></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Arik Marshall: 1992 – 1993</span></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Dave Navarro: 1993 – 1998</span></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Jesse Tobias: 1993</span></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">John Frusciante: 1988 – 1992, 1998 – 2009</span></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Josh Klinghoffer: 2009 – present</span></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Jesse Tobias: 1993<br /></span></li> </ul> </ul> <p><strong>3. Seven out of the RHCP’s eleven albums are certified platinum.</strong></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">For an album to go platinum, this means that they have to have sold at least one million copies. Out of the seven that are platinum, six are certified multi-platinum.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The awards don’t stop there. The RHCP have also won six Grammy awards with a further sixteen nominations.</span></p> <p><strong>4. Flea, the band’s bassist, has a surprisingly normal name</strong></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Flea’s real name is Michael Balzary, and he was born in Australia. He met Hillel Slovak and Jack Irons in Fairfax High School in Los Angeles, which is where the band was born.</span></p> <p><strong>5. There are only two original members left in the RHCP</strong></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Hillel Slovak died of a heroin overdose in 1988 and was found in his Hollywood home. Their drummer, Jack Irons, left soon after because he “didn’t want to be a part of something where my friends are dying.”</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The only two members of the RHCP that have been with the band since the beginning are Anthony Kiedis, on vocals, and Michael “Flea” Balzary, who’s the bassist. </span></p>

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Beach Boys' Mike Love reveals Dennis and Carl Wilson bought heroin before infamous 1978 Aussie show

<p>The Beach Boys singer Mike Love has revealed the reason behind one of the band’s most infamous blunders, four decades after it took place.</p> <p>During an interview with <em>Sunday Night</em>, the 77-year-old American star opened up about the poor performance they delivered during their 1978 Australian tour, where fans demanded their money back.</p> <p>The band were forced to apologise after the show, with Carl Wilson stating that he had consumed two Mai Tais before the concert.</p> <p>“What happened was I did not feel well yesterday,” he said at the time. “I had a Valium and I had two Mai Tais without having a meal.”</p> <p>However, Mike has revealed that the terrible performance had a much more scandalous cause.</p> <p>“Dennis [Wilson] and Carl [Wilson] bought heroin. Having those guys buy heroin while we're on tour in Australia, it wasn't my cup of tea honestly, so I was mortified by that,” Mike said. </p> <p style="text-align: center;"><img width="498" height="245" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7819205/12_498x245.jpg" alt="12"/></p> <p>“I think that was not a great thing for The Beach Boys to be involved with. I think our music and our way of life and what we always promoted is positivity and harmony. It didn't fit,” he said.</p> <p>Dennis died in 1983 following a battle with drug and alcohol addiction, and Carl passed away from lung cancer in 1998.</p> <p>In the interview, band-member Brian Wilson revealed that he still grieves over the loss of his brothers.</p> <p>“It was very difficult, very very difficult. I still to this day mourn their death.”</p> <p>Now, the band is promoting their new album which sees 16 of their hits reimagined by The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra.</p> <p>“I always knew the vocal arrangements I did back in the 1960s would lend themselves perfectly for a symphony,” Brian said in a statement.</p> <p>“I am both proud and humbled by what they have created using our songs.”</p> <p>The new album will include reimagined tracks of 1963’s Fun, Fun, Fun and 1988’s Kokomo. </p>

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Band pulls out of Sunrise appearance over race row

<p>A major international band is set to snub breakfast morning TV show <em>Sunrise</em>, as part of the continued backlash <a href="http://www.oversixty.com.au/entertainment/tv/2018/03/sunrise-shame-breakfast-show-faces-backlash-after-racist-segment/" target="_blank"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>to the segment where host Samantha Armytage</strong></span></a> talked about taking Aboriginal children out of abusive family environments.</p> <p>Grammy-award winners, Portugal. The Man, who are known for smash hit <em>Feel It Still</em>, where scheduled to perform on the Channel 7 show this morning.</p> <p>But the band released a statement on Instagram, referring explicitly to the controversial segement that was aired back in March.</p> <p>“We do not want to be part of that show at this time,” the band wrote.</p> <p>“We come from rural Alaska and hold very close to our hearts the Indigenous people of our home.</p> <p>“While we are by no means experts in your countries [sic] history we know there are problems that, like ours, are yet to be resolved and only being amplified by the recent statements on Sunrise.”</p> <blockquote style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 658px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" class="instagram-media"> <div style="padding: 8px;"> <div style="background: #F8F8F8; line-height: 0; margin-top: 40px; padding: 41.424272818455364% 0; text-align: center; width: 100%;"> <div style="background: url(data:image/png; base64,ivborw0kggoaaaansuheugaaacwaaaascamaaaapwqozaaaabgdbtueaalgpc/xhbqaaaafzukdcak7ohokaaaamuexurczmzpf399fx1+bm5mzy9amaaadisurbvdjlvzxbesmgces5/p8/t9furvcrmu73jwlzosgsiizurcjo/ad+eqjjb4hv8bft+idpqocx1wjosbfhh2xssxeiyn3uli/6mnree07uiwjev8ueowds88ly97kqytlijkktuybbruayvh5wohixmpi5we58ek028czwyuqdlkpg1bkb4nnm+veanfhqn1k4+gpt6ugqcvu2h2ovuif/gwufyy8owepdyzsa3avcqpvovvzzz2vtnn2wu8qzvjddeto90gsy9mvlqtgysy231mxry6i2ggqjrty0l8fxcxfcbbhwrsyyaaaaaelftksuqmcc); display: block; height: 44px; margin: 0 auto -44px; position: relative; top: -22px; width: 44px;"></div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BiOe-3BHLE3/" target="_blank">A post shared by TheLordsOfPortland (@portugaltheman)</a> on May 1, 2018 at 12:23am PDT</p> </div> </blockquote> <p>This decision comes in the wake of months of protests against the morning program that was accused of racism for airing a segment where a panel discussed white families adopting indigenous children from abusive homes.</p> <p>What are your thoughts?</p>

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