Spy V Spy drummer Cliff Grigg on art and the late, great Mike Weiley | Soundbites

"I'm the only original member of Spy V Spy these days, but with my mates from our Newcastle band Voodoo Express we are paying tribute to Mike at the Wicko on March 2. He was the one-of-a-kind guitar sound of Spy V Spy," Grigg said.

"My former bandmates both went to school in Nelsons Bay. We played many shows at the workers club in Newcastle and my most memorable show was when we were the opening act at the earthquake benefit in 1990. I reunited with Mike early last June to play a sold-out show with Radiators at Warners Bay Hotel. It was a blast from the past - I hadn't played some of the old tunes for about 30 years."

Grigg designed the cover art for Spy V Spy's Harry's Reasons album and an image for each song which was used on band merchandise and posters.

"For years I've been working as a lighting tech and follow-spot operator on big events like Fleetwood Mac and Rolling Stones, and working as a stagehand. I think I've developed my vision of night-time landscapes after years of staring at bright lights."

Last year Colin Lawson from Art Systems Wickham invited Grigg to be part of a group show called Between and now his work is being featured in an upcoming exhibition at the gallery, In Parallel. It opens on March 8.

"In Parallel is my first solo painting show at Art Systems Wickham. The paintings feature electricity in the landscape and the colours of the city at night. All the paintings in this show were made as impressions and illusions and somehow reflect the out of balance feelings from the unseen energies in our everyday reality. The night-time landscape is the thing that ties a lot of it together."

The Hunter Record Fair returns to Kotara High School on Saturday, March 2, 9am to 4pm. Stallholders will be selling both new and second-hand vinyl records and CDs. Entry is via Lexington Parade, Adamstown, and costs $3.

Comedian Kevin ‘Bloody’ Wilson is politically incorrect, direct and doesn’t rely on subtlety to get his point across. It is apt, then, that his 2019 Australian tour is a nod to that - the tongue-in-cheek titled F.U.P.C Tour. 

There are no taboo subjects at his comedy shows. Anything and anyone is fair game.

“Political and correctness – those two words don’t fit together," Wilson told Soundbites. "You’ve only got to read what’s going on in Canberra at the moment. If it’s political, it's probably not correct. Why should we let people with no sense of humour dictate to those of us with a sense of humour what’s funny or not?”

Catch Wilson at Hexham Bowling Club on February 27 and Doyalson-Wyee RSL on February 28. Tickets are on sale now. 

AHA Rockin’ The Puburbs winner Spruced Moose are playing three Hunter gigs as part of their NSW tour package prize. You can catch the Sydney alt-rockers at Newcastle Hotel (March 21), Shoal Bay Country Club (March 23) and The Cambridge (March 24). 

The first CD this teenage music-lover spent her hard-earned pocket money on in the post-cassette world was Blood Sugar Sex Magik (1991) by Red Hot Chili Peppers. From memory it was released the same day as Nirvana's Nevermind, which was purchased the following week. Pearl Jam's Ten was also riding high on the charts. The Peppers' fifth album was ground-breaking in more ways than one - a combination of funky bass, rock, alt-rock and monotone baritone vocals that didn't gel with the grunge explosion happening at the time, but nevertheless won mainstream approval. Their earlier albums were rapidly purchased and rightly revered. The Peppers lost their way in the mid-noughties onwards however their strength as a live band should outweigh this. Have fun at Hope on Saturday, boys and girls, and stay safe in the pit. 

Ozzy Osbourne has pulled out of next month's Download Festival Australia due to illness. The Prince of Darkness has unfortunately been battling pneumonia. Airbourne have joined the line-up.

In a complete change of pace, Puttin' On The Ritz is bringing all the glitz and glamour of Hollywood's glory days to Newcastle's Civic Theatre on June 2. Six vocalists and 10 dancers from London’s West End will bring timeless classics by George Gershwin, Irving Berlin and Cole Porter to life. Tickets are on sale Monday, February 25, through Ticketek. 

Hugh Jackman is making a "special announcement" at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Sydney next Tuesday, February 26. A new musical, perhaps? 

NIMA Underground at Newcastle's Grand Hotel is all about supporting contemporary jazz and improvised music artists, encouraging them to experiment with diverse musical styles on stage.

Rambo is performing there next Tuesday, February 26, a band that draws inspiration from the early jazz/funk greats of the '70s but, as is the nature of an improvised music event, anything can and probably will happen. Doors open at 8pm.