Phil Hadfield , bassist for NZ's Cut Off Your Hands continues to report from the road as the power-pop band circumnavigate the Australian seaboard.

Newcastle:
There weren't many people in the huge room but those who came were singing along to every word. Drove back to Sydney that night. Along the way we stopped for gas, this old guy pulled up at the petrol station who looked like he was gonna die... he was about 200 years old and had driven down from Brisbane. We helped him for a bit then took off home. Good samaritans on the road!

Phil Hadfield , bassist for NZ's Cut Off Your Hands reports from the road as the power-pop band circumnavigate the Australian seaboard with Sydney-siders teenagersintokyo.



Arriving:
We got into Sydney exhausted from a 5am start at Auckland airport to catch a crazy flight through Brisbane, connecting to Sydney. Most of us had stayed up the night before spending last moments with girlfriends (see photo of the three of us on the phone to them simulotaneously!), as after this we're off to UK for the rest of the year!

After meeting the teenagersintokyo girls and boy we got on the road to Canberra with newly established first impressions, and school camp style group separations. We soon broke down awkward barriers and were hanging out like old chums. We got to Transit Bar to find the sound system was down, and had to use their vocal PA which was a pain, but we're pretty used to playing crappy sound systems so we got on with it. It was the first time
we'd seen teenagersintokyo and we weren't quite sure what to expect , but we were all very impressed- in particular by their huge Siouxie and the Banshees style tribal tom-tom drum break downs!

Far out. Years after madcap drummer Jon Bonham took the Stairway To Heaven, blues-rock turned heavy metal legends Led Zeppelin look set to stumble into the light of 2007 together again, albeit a tad Dazed And Confused, to relive the Good Times (&) Bad Times. Founding members Plant and Page may have had a bit of a Communication Breakdown over their hiatus period, but let¹s hope as they return to Ramble On, with a Whole Lotta Love, that The Song Remains The Same. The reunion show is tipped for Autumn at London¹s O2 Arena.

And you thought Tiger Woods' dad pushed him into golf early. The Trachtenburg Family Slideshow Players are certainly on the same get your kid in early bandwagon. Comprised of father Jason on guitar and keyboards, mother Tina on slide projector, and their 12-year-old daughter Rachel on the drums, you gotta love this New york based indie-vaudeville-conceptual-art-rock band.
Avid collectors of vintage slide collections found in flea markets and thrift stores, their kooky shows revolve around setting pop-rock musical exposes to the projected lives of anonymous strangers. They've sung about everything from enjoying fondue in Switzerland to training employees to work at Wendys. Imagine the possibilities, they're endless!

It's a grey Monday in Melbourne
and I've just discovered that, sadly, another music legend has passed
onto history's page. Tony Wilson, the co-founder of Factory Records has
died of a heart attack aged just 57.
As the Factory Records boss, Wilson was responsible for signing legendary bands like Joy Division and New Order and set the benchmark for indie labels throughout the UK and beyond with his fervour and innovation. He also played a massive role in the ŒMadchester scene of the late 1980s and early 1990s with nut-job bands like The Happy Mondays and The Stone Roses. Blue Monday indeed.

Fare thee well.

Born in Wellington a couple of years back, community art collective
Craftwerk has knitted itself a merry wee trail across the Land of the Long
White Cloud, spreading up and down the nation like a patch work plague
(bad meaning good!)
Throwing a host of crazy-sexy-cool craft-parties these canny
enthusiasts just love their crafts- baking, mixtapes, live bands and zines
(and a little tipple too) and are jubilantly poised to bring their DIY ethos
to a town near you. Touring nationally this month, 5 cities, North and
South, 10 vendors and 4 bands, they¹ll converge on Auckland to create a
super gigantic September 13th happening in St Kevins Arcade. Get involved
people, geek-chic is now!

Beaming out of Melbourne, Alice Euphemia opened their second store in the
former Craft Victoria building on Gertrude Street in Fitzroy last Thursday
night in a flurry of independent style. Owner Karen Reischieck celebrated
Alice Euphemia's first decade with 300 plus guests attending a mock wedding
which starred label Romance Was Born's forthcoming collection and designer
Luke as MC. Alpha 60, LIFEwithBIRD, Romance Was Born, TV, Schwipe, Mjolk,
Maus Cat Berlin and Iggy & LouLou were a few of the local designers and crafts
people present whom Reischieck has mentored over her 10 years in business.
Romance Was Born dressed waiters in lab coats and glasses as they distributed
cup cakes and drinks, while elbows went out from the ladies for the throwing of the bouquet! The overflowing community of people present reflected the impact Alice Euphemia has had on Melbourne's design scene.