Rock – Tulpa Magazine

George Glass Proves the Existence of God

George Glass Proves the Existence of God successfully scratches the itches to life’s biggest questions. Is there a God? Can God hangout later? What’s God’s biggest weakness? Will the Hungry Caterpillar show up? Is there anyone working on an Eyes Wide Shut musical?

Adelaide’s own George Glass brings musicality, absurdity, and plenty of blood in this exceptional one night only performance. Kicking everything off the band (Nic Conway, Pud Hamilton, Chris Nenov, Alister McMichael, and Ruby Gazzola) appropriately introduces themselves in an extremely religious fashion. The Garden of Eden. Eve is a man with balloon breasts of biblical proportions, Adam is a woman in a muscle suit, the forbidden fruit is, of course, an inflatable red costume with matching face paint, and the snake (a morph-suit) slithers its way on stage.

With an intro like that, you know that what you’re about to see is no Sunday service.

George Glass Proves the Existence of God is full of running bits that never grow old. There’s a cleverly instigated checklist at the beginning of the show that provides topics or thematic elements (e.g. baby, cake, pussy cat, tie him up and throw him in the River Torrens), a drummer with a small bladder, and a literal hotline to God. The back and forth tongue and cheek between the band is seamless and never fails to get a laugh, together inhabiting the stage as if it were their home.

George Glass is foremost a rock-comedy showcase. Boasting an array of original songs (that you can listen to yourself on Spotify right now) that are catchy, full of energy, and of course humour. Particular songs such as Detective Andrews, God Is Dead, Christ Likes to Eat Pussy, and Secret Song are the highlights and bring to mind the works of Jack Black and Kyle Glass from Tenacious D. Cohesively the band are multi-talented, switching between instruments throughout the show as each member has their moment centre-stage. However, the first two songs were a little hard to decipher. Whether it be some slightly muddled vocals or technical difficulty, the lyrics weren’t entirely comprehensible, but the band soon found their footing and from there on out it was crystal clear.

George Glass also effortlessly involves the audience in their religious escapades. Members are utilised to form Caterpillars (of the hungry variety), dispose of very incriminating evidence, and to create a crowd surf that more or less turns into a polite yet wholesome carry.

If George Glass Proves the Existence of God resurrects itself for another performance in the future, make sure you see it.

4 1/2 stars

Words by Isaac Freeman

George Glass Proves the Existence of God‘s season has now concluded

For more information about George Glass visit his website

The Clashing Pumpkins

The Clash and The Smashing Pumpkins might seem like an odd double-bill. But it makes sense. The Clash where the ever-evolving British punk rockers of the late 70s to mid-80s and The Smashing Pumpkins were heavy-hitters in the 90s alternative grunge scene but constantly diverged into different rock sub-genres. The two never pigeonholed their sound, a potential factor as to why they remain staples of the periods that defined them.

The Clashing Pumpkins is a worthy ode to these iconic periods in music.

“The Clash”

Local punk outfit Young Offenders kicked the night off. The band consisting of Kyle Landman on vocals, Anthony Kantern on bass, and Leigh Shags on drums (with the addition of Nick Nancarrow from OKO on guitar and Tom Morris from Angels of Gung-Ho on keyboard/synth) dished out one hit after the other. Successfully spanning The Clash‘s discography from their self-titled debut to 1982’s Combat Rock, Young Offenders knew exactly what the crowd wanted.

True standouts from the night where London Calling, Rock the Casbah, Should I Stay or Should I Go, I Fought the Law, Bank Robber, and Safe European Home (prefacing it by saying “this one is about Brexit). Young Offenders had a great punk sensibility with plenty of cheekiness and banter between songs, successfully winning over the older crowd with their passionate intensity. Landman, having an English background himself, has to be praised for his excellent vocal substitute for Joe Strummer’s own. Kantern, Shags, Nancarrow, and Morris worked with great precision in covering the diverse range of instrumentals found across The Clash‘s discography.

Their set was short, fast, loud and succinct like any great punk record.

“The Smashing Pumpkins”

Tork jumped on stage shortly after to celebrate the 25th anniversary of The Smashing Pumpkins seminal double-album, Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness. Another local Adelaide band (but fitting into the indie/grunge genre) comprised of Josh and Michael Morphett, Sam Rogerson, and additional keyboards/synth and guitar from Tom Morris and Jack Cunningham (also a member of Angels of Gung-Ho). Josh Morphett accurately mimics the distinct vocal afflictions of Billy Corgan, proving himself more than capable of handling Corgan’s lyrics. Morris, (or as Josh calls him “The Chicago Symphony Orchestra”) provides a brilliant substitute for Mellon Collie’s more orchestral/ classical sounds. Michael, Rogerson, and Cunningham pound the crowd with grunge-like intensity and further showcase their musical abilities in the quieter and more refined moments.

All the standouts tracks are played (Where Boys Fear to Tread, Tonight, Tonight, 1979, and the ultimate crowd-pleasers: Zero, and Bullet with Butterfly Wings) in addition to deeper cuts, and Siamese Dream’s hits, Today, and Disarm. In addition to these moments, Tork also played Fleetwood Mac‘s Landslide (covered by The Smashing Pumpkins in 2018). While Tork certainly delivers, the more contemplative moments (while technically brilliant) create a slight lull between the anthems. The bands cover of Landslide was great but didn’t feel all that necessary.

Their set was sprawling, raw, and moody much like any great grunge album.

4 1/2 stars

Words and photography by Isaac Freeman

The Clashing Pumpkins season has now ended

Spin Off Festival 2019

We all know Adelaide flies under the radar: we are often defined by the Malls Balls or our filtered water. Although we aren’t considered to be the artistic hub of Australia, little old Adelaide is home to one of the most vibrant art scenes in our country. The proof is in the festival pudding. The most recent example: Spin Off Festival 2019.

For those who are not familiar with this festival, Spin Off states that it brings ‘the cream of the Splendour in the Grass line up to Adelaide, curating a concentrated super dose of sideshow revelry’. It was a concentrated super dose of talent, but not for a second did this festival feel like a sideshow.

We were blessed with a divine day. In the midst of what has been a cool Adelaide winter, the sun showed its face, the air was still, and it was blue skies as far as the eye could see. The space was decked out with food trucks that bordered grassed areas, and a KFC tent was providing free food on the hour. Transmission – who run Adelaide’s regular indie music nights – set up a dance floor that was buzzing well into the evening. Our showground was filled with so many beautiful, energised, and groovy people.

The day kicked off with Kian, our young hip-hop, indie singer who melts hearts left, right and centre. The Australian rapper Kwame, known for his performance energy, was unmatchable on stage. Around lunch time, Ruby Fields brought waves of crazed fans through the gate to see her rock out with her appealing angsty vibe. Mallrat followed – wearing the most fabulous red, frilly two piece– and drew us in with her sweet nature and infectious liveliness. The flow didn’t stop! The surf and garage rock duo Hockey Dad impressed, backed with artistic on-screen visuals, Wolf Alice gave us the music for a solid, high energy dance session, and Ocean Alley, as the modern reggae fusion group they are, did not disappoint their devoted fans. Ball Park Music were next and have established themselves as irreplaceable in the Australian music scene, always pleasing with their honest, upbeat tunes. Catfish and the Bottlemen were the penultimate act and, from what I heard, were a huge influence on the large attendance at this year’s festival. Boy, are these guys loved, and their music is what I like to call ‘boogie friendly’ – it’s awfully hard not to get into it. And then there was Childish Gambino. The big one. What talent. What spectacle. His dramatic display was captivating, and I have very rarely been a part of a crowd so enthralled by a performer. Gambino will be spoken about for generations, and Adelaide was stoked to have him here.

The thing about any festival, is there is a strong sense of community. For however long a festival lasts – a single day or an entire weekend – festival goers get to know the space and all its nooks and crannies: a festival and its set up grows to feel like home in a mere few hours. People bond over a shared experience, and sweaty bodies getting down for a groove creates a unique intimacy. But in our city, I can’t help thinking that these festivals are even more close-knit. You could stand in a single spot in our showgrounds filled with thousands of humans, and bump into half of the people in your life. In the mosh, all you have to do is look both ways and you are guaranteed to lock eyes with a familiar face. It’s nice to think of this city, and the young people who go to these events, as an interlocked community.

Adelaide not only showed up for Spin Off, but we gave the national and international artists before us a bloody good time. Good on us!

Words by Michelle Wakim

Photograph by Stazi Markovich

Nirvana – Nevermind the Singer

The Fringe has brilliantly recaptured the essence of many a great musical era over the years, with cover bands inspiring the new generations and yet fuelling the nostalgia of many seniors who come back to a simpler time temporarily, in the short captivation of a single performance. One talented group, in all its glory, milks the essence of the 90’s precursor of grunge. Nirvana- Never Mind the Singer by Great White Productions became a little something to diversify the Fringes’ entertaining reaches across Adelaide.

Upon entering the well renounced Crown and Anchor venue just a corner away from the action of Rundle Street, the back room had filled to capacity. The crowd formed a hoard of ex-rockers snug up against the stage front and inevitably piled all the way to the peeling band posters at the rear. It wasn’t long before the screeching of distorted guitars arose the morbidity and excitement of Kurt Cobain’s unique style and so, as the pun intends, the band kicked off in chronological order the tracks from Nirvana’s Nevermind album, with the hit song Smells Like Teen Spirit in the lead.

In an unexpected twist, the band featured two females of the five vocalists, which produced an aura of perpetual tone shifts amongst the high octaves and the low octaves in each piece. With some dominating as lead and some supporting as backup, the transition of vocal ranges made for a great show all in all, achieving a wide spectrum of sound that any trained ear can appreciate.

The instrumental efforts were close with the original recordings, and for the fans, that really fulfilled the desire to witness a live act of such a pioneering sound.

Loud and abound, the atmosphere continued to increase, and each song began to peak higher and higher as the voice boxes of the singers began to tear. Personally, the energy from Territorial Pissings blew me away, as the notable song to end in Cobain’s chaotic screams, you could see the exertions upon each face as they screamed in unison.

Unfortunately, the show was a one night only. However, if you have a chance, come as you are to see Nirvana: Nevermind the Singer.

Four stars

Words by Sarah Ingham

‘Pulled Down’ – The Crooked Doctor

The Crooked Doctor, a Melbourne-based band of an eclectic collection of musical styles, released its first single Pulled Down on June 1. Looking at their description of their music with mentions of ‘synthy goodness’, ‘arena rock’, and ‘synth funk’ makes the mind boggle at what one may be about to witness. It’s an interesting bunch of descriptions that is made nearly impossible to define when they add ‘a tinge of Nick Cave’ to the mix.

What the listener gets is a heady blend of tones positively dripping with style and atmosphere which proves the description of their music perfectly correct. Accompanying the darkly moody music is a vocal performance that lives up to the mention of Nick Cave in its near growl and in the nature of the lyrics themselves. It places the song somewhere between the bitter poetry of Nick Cave and the more open, broader elements of arena rock. It never loses sight of either and works well as the middle ground between these two styles.

Pulled Down is an extremely well-produced track that keeps its rugged heart. It seemingly grounded and ethereal. The result oddly fitting, strong track that marks an extremely confident and assured beginning for The Crooked Doctor. It’s the sort of track that arrives on the horizon fully-formed and definitive enough to establish a “sound” for the band.

Tulpa Magazine had the opportunity to put a few questions to Sasha Soibelman, an artist behind The Crooked Doctor and after the atmospheric experience of Pulled Down, we were sure to take the chance to ask about the song and the band’s future plans.

What’s the meaning behind the figure on the pictures?

The artwork was created by Jonty de Klerk ] and to me it represents that small part of all of us that just wants to do sit back, see the whole picture and live life the way we want to. He’s chosen the Crooked way of life and has no regrets about it.

Where to from here? Does the Crooked Doctor already have a next project on the horizon?

The Doctor has a whole EP recorded and ready for release very soon! It delves deeper into more synth-funk elements and has a different vocalist on each track including LA based singer Shelley Segal and Melbourne crooner Lewis Ciavarella. The Doctor likes to branch out!

What is the idea/theme that went to making ‘Pulled Down’?

‘Pulled Down’ is about someone compromising their morals so much that they end up in a place they don’t know how to get out of. They try, and the song has a few tips for them, but ultimately they have to fight their way out of that place. As they say, ‘run fast, aim low’.

Pulled Down can be found on Spotify and other services. The Crooked Doctor can be found on Facebook here.

Words by Liam McNally.

‘The Crooked Doctor’ image by Jonty de Klerk.