WAM BAM

The 2012 WAMi Festival just keeps getting bigger and better! But before you read on any further, head to wam.asn.au/publicvoting before midday this Friday to vote in the WAMi Awards!

X-Press Magazine is proud to present the Music Industry Reunion Sundowner at the Charles Hotel Front Lounge on Friday, May 25. 2012’s WAM Hall Of Famers will be inducted (we’ll tell you who’s getting inducted next week), and Matt Taylor of Chain, Dom Mariani, Paul McCarthy of The Wishers, and soul diva Annie Neil will hit the stage alongside MC Bob Gordon. It kicks off at 6pm.

X-Press Magazine also brings you The Bird Sundowner Series. Taking place at the Northbridge bar 5.30-6.30pm daily from Monday, May 28, ‘til Friday, June 1, Leah Miche Suite, The Whistling Dogs, Kizzy, Jacob Diamond, Adem K & Kevin Gillam, Death And A Cure, Moustache, Elk Bell, Anton Franc, and Simone & Girlfunkle will be wooing audiences in stripped back mode. A number of other events will also be running on those same days, such as the The Community Beat Canteen taking place from noon-1.30pm at Northbridge Piazza from Marksman, The Empty Cup, Mostark, Diger Rokwell, Rae, Joshua Charles, Wisdom 2th, Andre Fuzz, Naik, Mei Saraswati and YLEM; and the Lunchtime Malls Sessions noon-2pm in the Murray and Hay Street Malls with Julius Lutero, Benny Mayhem, Tomas Ford, Blue Lucy, James Rogers, Tim Gordon, Joel Barker, Jennifer Renee, Cody Sundstrom and maybe a surprise or two as well.

In the lead up to releasing their debut album A History Of Houses, folk rockers The Siren Tower headline the WAMi Festival Wheatbelt Tour. Along with Ryan Webb, they play Merredin’s Commercial Hotel on Friday, May 18, with locals Vanila Pils; Grass Valley Tavern on Saturday, May 19, with Doris; and Ye Olde Quindanning Inne on Sunday, May 20, with Tim Dawes.

BALLS OF STEEL

Hair metal throwbacks Steel Panther are “more infectious than a bad case of herpes” and they’re set to bring the love back to Perth this year. After rocking the main stage of Soundwave back in March, the LA rockers will hit the stage of Metro City on Wednesday, October 10.

RIDE WITH ME

Do you remember what you were doing in 1992? Well, Mark Gardener does: he had just released the masterpiece Going Blank Again with his British alt-rock group Ride. To celebrate that momentous year, Gardener is heading to Australia on an acoustic tour where he will revisit some of that shoegaze classic as well as other hits from across his career.

BAKED SALMON

With his name synonymous with The Scientists, The Surrealists, Beasts Of Bourbon, and oh so many more, Kim Salmon is one of the most influential musicians ever to have cut their teeth Perth. He promises to “guitarfuck” Perth when he drops by The Bakery on Saturday, July 28.

SKY’S THE LIMIT

Combined their talents on full length album Songs Of The Southern Skies, Katie Noonan and Karin Schaupp are now joining forces for an Australian tour. The album features contributions from the likes of artists Iva Davies, Gurrumul, The Living End’s Chris Cheney and heaps more.

GROWING UP

You may have seen them on the Rage couch over the weekend, but you will have to wait until August until you see them again. They are Melbourne rockers Children Collide and they’ve just released their third album Monuments.

SKULL CANDY

Fresh from the announcement that On The Bright Side is taking a year off, we get one more Splendour In The Grass sideshow announcement. UK trio Band Of Skulls are returning to our shores for their Sweetening Up Winter tour and they will step into The Bakery on Monday, July 23,

SMILING POLITELY

It’s official: there is not going to be an On The Bright Side festival in Perth this year, but we can tell you that at least one of the Splendour In The Grass headliners is making their way to Perth in 2012! The Smashing Pumpkins are true survivors of the ‘90s grunge movement.

WAKE ME UP

After pulling the pin on his proposed stop in WA earlier this year due to a stirring bout of pneumonia, George Michael has announced dates to make up for it, including a stop in WA which will go down in history.