The month in gigs

We’re already a week into December but if you thought you’d missed all the action, you were very, very wrong. With the festive season almost upon us, what better excuse to go out and sink a few while watching some of the best local, national and international talent?

We’ve already had Six ft Hick come to town, Streetlight played a packed-out launch night at Amplifier and Rise Against hit Club Capitol. And what else do we have lined up? Lots.

For all you punk and hardcore fans, G-Fest takes place tonight (December 7) at McCallum Park in Vic Park, where Aiden, Gyroscope, Kisschasy and more will play as part of this year’s Gravity Games. There are also free gigs as part of the games, with The Reserves and Calerway on Friday, The Yeah Nahs, Gigantic and Sugar Army on Saturday and Antistatic on Sunday.

Also tonight, The Mess Hall start their WA tour at Mojo’s before heading to the Bakery on Friday night, with support for both shows coming from The Silents. The tour wraps up on Saturday night at the 3 Bears in Dunsborough when the Sydney duo play with The Fuzz.

South Australian band The Pharoahs will be joined by the Dead Frenchmen for the WA leg of their Medicines tour at Amplifier (Saturday) and the Norfolk Basement (Sunday). Perth’s own The Wednesday Society complete the bill at both shows.

Two big names are coming to Perth from overseas on Monday December 11 and they couldn’t be more different. God-haters Deicide bring their most recent lineup to Heat Nightclub, but if you like your dancers tiny and your brick roads yellow, the Burswood Dome is the only place to be as Elton John returns for the first time in a decade.

Sonic Assault will take place at the Hydey on Saturdays throughout December, with The Preytells, Love You Not, Gigantic and Good Little Fox playing on the 9th, Faith in Plastics and The Dirty Secrets on the 16th, The Homicides on the 23rd and the Breadmakers on the 30th.

American indie stalwarts Tapes ‘n Tapes head to Perth for the first time this month, with just one show on Thursday the 14th. They’ll be playing at Amplifier Bar with support from local favourites Snowman. Tickets are still available through Heatseeker.

Announced just two weeks prior to the show, tickets to Noel Gallagher’s acoustic performance at the Perth Concert Hall on the 16th reportedly sold out in just three minutes. If you’re lucky enough to have a ticket, you’ll get to see him play Oasis classics plus some rare treasures in a rare intimate setting. If you missed out, well, better luck next time.

If you missed out on Noel, or if you find the Oasis barmy army as nauseating as that of the English cricket team, you might want to head elsewhere on the 16th. The Drones bring tracks from new album Gala Mill over to WA for the first time since supporting You Am I in June, and will play at Amplifier. Their tour also includes shows at the 3 Bears (15th) and Mojo’s (17th).

Another band making the trek west is Dappled Cities Fly, who haven’t been to Perth for quite some time. They play Mojo’s on the 16th and the Rosemount on the 17th.

Xavier Rudd is bringing Carus and Lior on tour that same weekend. The trio will no doubt please the crowds as they head to Belvoir Amphitheatre on the 15th and then Xanadu Winery on the 16th. Tickets are available through Heatseeker.

As we hit the Christmas long weekend there’s plenty of action around town, starting with A Not So Silent Night at the Rosemount (23rd). Red Jezebel headline the all-star bill and are joined by Schvdendes, Streetlight, Eleventh He Reaches London and more. At Amplifier the same night, The Volcanics have their single launch at Amplifier Bar. Capital City, the M16s and Sure-Fire Midnights join the party.

Everyone in Perth seems to head to Mandurah every time there’s a long weekend but this time it might just be worth braving the traffic. The Rollercoaster festival hits the western foreshore on Boxing Day and features the likes of Grinspoon, Frenzal Rhomb, The Butterfly Effect and more. Tickets are available through Heatseeker.

As we move towards the end of the year the gigs are coming thick and fast. The Cat Empire tour WA again and play Belvoir on the 29th and Xanadu on the 30th.

Belvoir comes to life again on the 31st when prodical sons Pendulum come back to their hometown for a New Year’s Eve gig. Tickets are very sold out, so bad luck if you don’t have one.

But there are plenty of other things to do over the 06-07 changeover. Faker, End of Fashion and Thirsty Merc play at Gloucester Park’s NYE shindig, while The Panda Band, The Bank Holidays and New Rules for Boats welcome 2007 at the Rosemount. Over at the Amplifier, $20+bf will get you Snowman, The Silents, Bob Evans plus a heap more bands – buy your tickets early so you don’t miss out.

And just when you thought you’d never get over that hangover, there’s the Perth Cup to pick you right back up again. Side Track’d takes place at the New Year’s races and brings the likes of Evermore, Something for Kate, The Grates and The Living End to Perth. Full details are at www.mellenevents.com