These women have already experienced more than their fair share of dystopian future in Putin’s Russia. So they know what they’re talking about when they warn us against a #maga fascist regime in the USA.

Trigger Warning: this video contains scenes of systemic state violence against women.

On a brighter note, you’ll love their video for “Straight Outta Vagina” (feat. Desi Mo & Leikeli47). Funny, sexy and political all in one go. Thanks Pussy Riot.

Feast on their other artworks over at youtubes.

Don’t miss this one if you’re at Rainbow Serpent this year. Real Hot Bitches and Rockerobics doing more than an hour of lycra power.

3:00-5:30pm on the Saturday, Playground Stage (28 January).

Very excited to be selected for this performance.. you’d better be ready to rock.

Here’s the facey event with more details: Real Hot Bitches and Rockerobics at Rainbow.

Down at the Village (at Falls) i also saw Lisa-Skye in action, “Your favourite muppet dominatrix”. Her story about the Berlin Sex Club Punch was out of this world hilarious.. but you won’t see that in this video. You’ll have to get lucky, see her live show and hope that story gets selected in the game show format. Yes.

An extraordinary festival within another festival, The Village couldn’t be further from Falls, and yet it’s right next door, behind the main stage.

What a pleasure to be involved here, performing with The Real Hot Bitches, and also as a guest of Gherkin Khan’s Amusement Alkazar. Great crew, funny funky times and the best musicians in the whole wild world. Anyone who has had the pleasure of dancing to Tek Tek under the moonlight will know exactly what i’m talking about.

Most fun to be had? Watching all the different band line-ups and working out how many bands all these superstars were across. Carrie Webster, Steph Brett, Paul Dornau, David Bramble, Esther Henderson, Kat Karvess, Thomas Mitchell, Ros Jones, Ania Reynolds – all somehow featured in 3 or more of the supergroups on stage.

Most hilarious moment? David Bramble getting a buzz cut during The Haircuts’ song “Buzz Cut”. Or perhaps when Flaps Salad of the Real Hot Bitches strutted their Mulletty Hotness across the grounds during The Haircuts’ rendition of “Disco Mullet”!!

Most touching moment? Meeting Charlie, a 21 y.o. dude from Frankston who was out-of-sight blown away by the whole Village experience. “Forget the Falls Festival,” he told me, “this place is blowing my mind.. i never knew stuff like this existed.. i just want to find out how to get involved!”

New discoveries? Lisa Skye is a very funny human!!

Out there in the crazy world of the Falls Festival, we also saw some delightful music, eg Client Liaison, London Grammar, Childish Gambino, and the very wonderful Gretta Ray on her first big festival stage. Oh and The Avalanches live on stage for special NYE fun – they were so good!!

Some of the bands i can remember seeing at The Village at Falls:

• Tek Tek
• Sugar Fed Leopards
• Papa Chango
• Los Cojones
• Owl Egg Omelet
• The Haircuts
• Afrobics
• Deep Vein Trombosis
• Lord Apocalypso and his Komodo Kittens
• DJ Wolf Nipples
• DJ Uncle Barnie
• Steph Brett solo

Seriously wish i was at Cygnet Folk Festival this year, if only to see the magical Jarron Freeman-Fox and his Opposite of Everything.

I saw them for the 4th time the other night at Bar Open, and they are an extremely delightful treat as always. This time around, they’ve added a woman who plays accordion, flute and some kind of jazzy keys as well. Yep, she brings the wild storm, just like the others do.

Let me urge you to put this magic into your earholes now. Go and buy their album on the bandcamps. Much satisfaction will be your reward.

Just discovered Belinda Totino and her To Do List. Here’s one to watch if you’re getting strung up by your New Year’s Resolutions. Belinda is funny!!

“It’s not a resolution, it’s a revolution!”

Radiolab again. This episode is very moving. What happens when people have to ration medical care in extreme situations?

The story focuses first on Sheri Fink’s reporting of “Five Days at Memorial“, then on a public forum in Baltimore, and finally on an person who needed oxygen during a disaster in Haiti.

After Hurricane Katrina hit and the levees broke, at Memorial Hospital in New Orleans there were 5 days of serious trauma because of limited resources. At several points, people had to make difficult choices about whose needs would be given priority. Then discussion started to creep further toward other difficult choices that might have to be made…

How long have we been waiting for this?

(Answer: A Long Time, or since August 2014.) 

The exquisite voices of Kelly Day and Jane Hendry come together once more in a delightfully dreamy single release. Hopefully we’ll find out there’s a new album in the works as well (“Vacancy”, early 2017).

• 12 November at The Toff in Town.

• Soundcloud
• Bandcamp
• Book of Faces

If you’re feeling panicky about the US election, given that nation’s ability to mess things up for the rest of us… tune into Nate Silver’s 538 pollster predictions. Nate tends to get it right where other pollsters falter.

Drumpf currently running at 14% likely to win, which is still more than i like. That’s like a grand final where Geelong is only 6 goals behind with 14 minutes to go *.

Every time this happens i get mildly obsessed with the race, and this year it’s more of a circus than ever before.

PS don’t tell me how much you hate Hillary #SoBoredWithThat #omgSheAModerate #HellToTheCentrists #CrookedMyArse

* please excuse sporting reference (AFL = Australian Football League, aka Victorian Rules).

** Like i said: Geelong can kick 6 goals in 14 minutes if it’s a Grand Final.

*** Farewell USA, i weep for your soul. I’m now feeling a bit like when a crazy driver has been tailgating you for ages, and they finally pull ahead of you, screeching tyres into the distance. You know there’s a strong chance they’re about to die.. you just hope they don’t take anyone else with them.

Thanks Virginia Bott for reminding me of this beautiful album that Emma Tonkin made with First Chorus Band of Singers.

I’d been a big fan of Emma’s work for years, so it was inspiring to be a part of the recording ..and what an experience that was, learning the complex rhythms and harmonies Virginia and Emma created to accompany Emma’s deeply moving songs. If you’ve never listened to it, here’s your chance. (Listen below on this page, or over at bandcamp.)

• emmatonkin.bandcamp.com
• Plus the CD comes with stunning artwork by Jessie Tucker.
• First Chorus is also on soundcloud at firstchorusbandofsingers