TOP FIVE: SHIT DAYTIME TV SHOWS

1. ‘Airwolf’. This TV show is easily my favourite — it features a nuclear stealth helicopter that sounds like a panther, a renegade military pilot that had his personality and acting ability removed at birth, and for no reason at all Ernest Borgnine (ed: McHale’s Army, voice of Mermaid Man — passed away in July) as a side kick. I never understood one thing that happened and the terrible sped up footage of the shittiest helicopter ever was mindbendingly bad.

2. ‘MacGyver’. This would be most people’s ultimate bad daytime TV and I fully intend to call my next cat Richard Dean Anderson, but it just seems a bit to legit. I can't work out whether I like it because it’s good or because it’s bad. Sometimes the stories make some kind of lucid sense. My butt might have been clenched when he was trying to move the bomb without disturbing the mercury. Seriously though, if he just picked up a gun shit would be a lot easier. But then it wouldn't be MacGyver, it would just be normal army dude. Who cares anyway.

3. ‘Quantum Leap’. This TV show is so shit. I don't even have words. It’s like listening to that ‘80s metal album and only hearing the cocaine and beaten up strippers getting rammed, but without any of that credibility and some jerk travelling through time in other people’s bodies. Don't even get me started about his side kick; that guy should be serving apple strudel and living in a box. Terrible.

4. ‘Magnum P.I.’. I just want to be a good looking dude with a beast of a moustache, cruising around Hawaii in a Ferrari, pretending to solve crimes as a thinly veiled guise for banging hot girls. Simple.

5. ‘Press Gang’. This isn't on anymore, but that’s ok because my friend was dumb enough to buy the boxset. It’s like Degrassi but really, really good and they have a paper or something. The best episode was the one where they get robbed by guys dressed as clowns. It was so unbelievable that I actually got stupider watching it.

Yacht Club DJs support Call The Cops and DZ Deathrays at The Rev Thursday December 13.

Last night, the State’s finest artists were honoured at the second annual Queensland Music Awards.

Held at Brisbane’s Old Museum, the night belonged to new kids on the block Cub Scouts who picked up two awards including Song Of The Year and the Pop Award for their song ‘Do You Hear’.

Ben Salter collected the Album of The Year Award for his debut solo effort, ‘The Cat’, while Jeremy Neale picked up the Rock Award for ‘Winter Was The Time’.

The Urban Award went to Rainman for ‘The Valley’. Kate Miller-Heidke once again picked up the Courier-Mail Most Popular Female Award – voted for by the public – with Pete Murray collecting the Courier-Mail Most Popular Male Award, while The Grates were voted Most Popular Group.

DZ Deathrays picked up the Export Achievement Award and the legendary Ed Kuepper was recognized for his contribution to the industry, honoured with the Grant McLennan Lifetime Achievement Award.

Rising country music star Harmony James took out the country award, while Marialy Pacheco, who recently took out the prestigious solo pianist award at the Montreux Jazz Festival, received the Jazz Award.

The event also saw the announcement of the Arts Queensland’s $10,000 Billy Thorpe Scholarship, which this year went to newcomers Astrid and The Asteroids.

The finalists are in for this year’s Queensland Music Awards.

Busby Marou, Kate Miller-Heidke, DZ Deathrays, Kingfisha, Dubmarine, Rainman, The Medics, Impossible Odds, Seven, Texas Tea, Pigeon and Cub Scouts lead the way, with nearly 50 judges across the state selecting the finalists.

Album of the Year honours will be contested between Ben Salter (‘The Cat’), DZ Deathrays (‘Bloodstreams’), Kellie Lloyd (‘Magnetic North’) and The Grates (‘Secret Rituals’).

Winners across 20 categories will be announced at The Old Museum on August 14, with live performances from Ed Kuepper, Ball Park Music, The Art of Sleeping, Gentle Ben and His Sensitive Side, Rainman and Velociraptor.

For a full list of nominations, click here.

It was a remarkable effort by the organisers to get the entire festival under cover – however, as to be expected, there were a few ‘hiccups’ along the way.

Click here for photos.

One very big one was having headliners M83 hit the stage 50 minutes late to play a shortened set thanks to ‘technical difficulties’ and a noise curfew. But to their credit, when the band did finally emerge apologetically, they put on a crisp, high-energy performance that proved worth the wait. If playing breakout hit ‘Midnight City’ early on in the set was a peace offering, it was lapped up fully by the crowd who had all (fairly) patiently waited around.

Earlier in the day, things also didn’t start too well with sound problems inflicting Yuck’s performance at the EYOE & Young Turks stage. While the band aim for a washed-out vibe, unfortunately the UK band’s sound was just too muddy to fully enjoy their ‘90s revivalist indie rock offerings. Tracks like ‘Get Away’ which should have rang out clean instead sounded like it was coming from the house next door. However, they did enough to warrant seeing them at their own show.

The surprise packet for the day, Canadian band Austra, showed you can mix serious music with fun. Dressed in costumes that evoked Aladdin and his lamp, the genie up their sleeve was the remarkable voice of frontwoman Katie Stelmanis. Like many bands of their ilk, they owe a debt of gratitude to Kate Bush, but have managed to carve out their own style of dark electro pop.

One of the heavier acts on the bill, Brisbane duo DZ Deathrays had a simple mission – to play their tracks loud and fast. Their ‘thrash pop’ live assault was a distinct counterpoint to the sunshine-soaked pop sounds of many of the other acts on the day.

Who would have thought to blend together choral-trained vocals, harp accompaniment and a laptop? With Active Child, the mix works remarkably well. While a more intimate setting might suit their atmospheric music better, there were no complaints from the crowd when single ‘Hanging On’ was played.

While his debut album ‘Forget’ was a study in subtle changes and shadings of light and dark, at Laneway Florida-based George Lewis Jnr and his band were happy to play rock starts. Unfortunately he was scheduled against Feist, meaning a lot of people missed out on what was a hands down highlight of the festival. Announcing the imminent arrival of a new record by playing a few new tracks, it was the older songs that shone, and ‘Castles In The Snow’ was nothing short of epic.
Colleen Edwards

In the weeks leading to St Jerome’s Laneway Festival, promoters pledged more undercover areas and shade to combat the ‘Brisvegas heat’ that plagued last year’s event. But as the poncho procession made their way down Alexandra St last Saturday, it was clear that scorching summer heat would be the least of everyone’s problems.

Click here for photos.

One of few Australian acts to take to The Windish Agency Stage, or any stage for that matter, were Perth darlings The Panics. Opening with ‘One Way Street’, frontman Jae Laffer proudly announced: “This is my first time playing electric guitar on stage”. It would seem Laffer was determined to make up for lost time; playing the Gretsch electric exclusively until retiring to the keys for ‘Don’t Fight It’.

England’s Laura Marling treated loyal fans, and a number of wet weather stragglers, to a regretfully short, but unmistakably sweet eight-song set. ‘Ghosts’ was always going to be a crowd favourite, but ‘Sophia’ and ‘Rambling Man’ also stood up in a live setting.

Leslie Feist took it upon herself to educate her audience (repeatedly) as to what year it was: “It’s 2012. Check your calendars!” Why, thank you Feist. Maybe all the audio feedback finally got to her head… New album ‘Metals’ was well represented throughout the set, with highlights including ‘How Come You Never Go There’, ‘The Bad In Each Other’ and ‘Comfort Me’. The set closed with a rock-ready, and mildly disturbing, rendition of ‘I Feel It All’, which included a gospel-style rant, laced with arbitrary expletives.

From Feist to The Horrors, ‘sound issues’ continued well into the night, but perhaps the hardest hit was M-L8-3 (sorry, M83). Yes, there were ridiculous delays (50 minutes, to be exact). Yes, the set was cut short. But all things considered, Anthony Gonzalez and co. put on one hell of a show.
Jodie Grinsted

Backstage

It's time for reflection on the mighty year that has been for Brisbane music. The ballot is now open to vote for your favourites in the 4ZZZ Hot 100.

Cannon - ‘Girls’. Somebody get me the lyrics for this cos I keep having to mumble the second half of the chorus when I sing-along, but it’s genius garage pop at its finest. 

Keep On Dancin’s - ‘There Goes Your Guy’. I rep this song every chance I get, it’s one of the most legitimately great songs to come out of Brisbane and I am yet to figure out why it hasn't yet garnered massive nationwide attention.

Ben Salter - ‘The Coward’. Sure 'Opportunities' is also an amazing Ben Salter song, but before the album was released this was the only teaser I had and I listened to it constantly for weeks.

Dune Rats - ‘Rat Bags’. This song is bitchin' good. Reminds me of a lo-fi Tokyo Police Club in some ways, however, I'm probably the only one who feels this way. Accessible and often brutal pop. Victory.

Edward Guglielmino & The Show - ‘In The Morning’. Ed G and The Show changed the game forever with this next level track. It's truly an epic from one of Brisbane's best songwriters.

Tape/Off - ‘Backseat’. This song somehow manages to be chilled and violent at the same time. Referencing the ‘90s indie heyday, but also crafting it into their own this is a power pop wonder not to be messed with.

Nova Scotia - ‘The World Is Not Enough’. Bond referencing and pure awesomeness. My description will not be enough, have a listen already.

DZ Deathrays - ‘Gebbie St’. Riff city to the ‘maxtreme’. If you haven't heard the track think an organic two-piece Justice meets Chewbacca in full 'roid rage mode.

Tiny Spiders - ‘Shadows’. Two-piece music is clearly the future. Drums, guitar and two talented sets of lungs have produced a whole bunch of great songs under this moniker, but this one also has a film clip. Win.

D-Wizz - ‘Chocoblock Freak’. It's a lyrical wonder, and although my favorite D-Wizz song will always be his version of 'Happy Birthday' it's about time we saw this track hit the top 10 to say thanks for all the good times and hard work.

Voting closes December 25, with the countdown broadcast on January 1. 4zzzfm.org.au/hot100