Pre-tempest pics of a view earned via an especially fraught drive north, threading the needle between flooded roads for a long-deferred stay booked pre-pandemic. We're deeply grateful yet despite the apparent serenity the chaos never ends.

By the time I (hopefully) arrive home to the poor benighted Hawkesbury said house will have been without power for a week. Ausgrid texted this morning offering to drop a small generator by boat, then proceeded to tell us when we called that they will not allow my neighbour to be an advocate in my absence and receive it on my behalf. A pre-surgery school-holiday stay we've anticipated since April will thus likely be without heat or perhaps even water (as it's pump-powered rainwater only).
None of this is a patch on what low-lying river rats have just copped for the third time in a year. It's unimaginable. I truly hope you are ok wherever you are reading this. May you stay safe and stay strong.


Thursday July the 7th ~

Should you happen to be miraculously available this week, here are a few sheltered, free and healing scenarios for you to enjoy music and hospitality. To begin with, Palmer & Co, between 5 and 7PM.


Friday July the 8th ~

Thence to the cultural and engineering marvel that is Hawke's Beer and Leisure Centre in Marrickville, a signal set of local fare from 8.30 til 11.30PM.


Saturday July the 9th ~

On Saturday Jack Off welcomes diabolical Sydney sax and drums duo Party Dozen, who will perform live in the FBi studio between 3 and 5.

Afterwards I'll be setting up decks atop the grand piano at Dean and Nancy on 22, spinning suite sounds for drinkers and diners from 9PM til 12.30AM.

Remnants of a lost paradise endure amongst us.

If you recognise any of the queeroes above or their storied abode the Dirty Habit - or perhaps you are a fan of the artist Liz Ham and her fabled photographic practice - then you might wish to vote for the audience award aspect of the National Portrait Prize. We'll be down in Canberra on this icy Friday evening to witness the work of all of the other finalists. See their astounding images here.


Wednesday June the 29th ~

It's a busy mid-week in the meantime, with the advent of Wynside Out bringing speakers, games, food and live music to Wynyard Park both Wednesday and Thursday. The full program is here.

I'll be spinning between 2 and 4PM each day and despite the claims of this Broadsheet reporter you can be safely assured that I will not be 'dropping' any 'commercial house'. It's a free event so if yr in the city swing by and hear something real.
By evening Swingin' at the Speakeasy will be underway once more a block or so down the way at Palmer & Co. Gratis swing dancing to live music from 7 then anything goes for my set between 10 and 2.


Thursday June the 30th ~

Day two of Wynside Out is a dead-ringer for day one in terms of the line-up and times but, as ever, you'll not cop a single song repeated under my auspices, so by all means come again.


Saturday July the 2nd ~

After an in-depth chat with Darren Hanlon about his recent travails last week on Jack Off I didn't expect to be welcoming any guests this weekend but our producer Hugh is working with the Sunnyboys and keen to drag them in, so you never know, I might not be Alone With You between 3 and 5 after all.

Regardless of the outcome there later that night you can be assured that I will once again be ensconced in the utmost luxury and convivial hospitality at the peerless Dean and Nancy on 22. Key founders are gallivanting around Italy toasting being named in the top 100 bar people worldwide as we speak, yet even in their absence the place shines. I count my lucky stars to work in such vibrant settings with truly good people. Join us for free from 9 til 12.30.

Yr welcome to gather freely at any of the below...


Wednesday June the 22nd ~

Swingin' at the Speakeasy between 10PM and 2AM.


Friday June the 24th ~

Sin City Soireé part two from 9 til 2 in Hollywood.


Saturday June the 25th ~

Jack Off from 3 til 5. Hear Adalita last week here.

Dean and Nancy on 22 between 9PM & 12.30AM. Cheers!

No time at all to scrawl. Just the facts ma'am.


Wednesday June the 15th ~

Swingin' at the Speakeasy 10PM til 2AM. Free.


Friday June the 17th ~

Maybe Sammy 9PM til 1AM. Free and easy.


Saturday June the 18th ~

Jack Off with Adalita. 3 til 5PM. Free Broadcast Inc
Bob Hawke Beer and Leisure Centre 8.30 til 11.30PM. Free dove not free beer. Best of the Inner West.

As winter winds bite I invite you to warmer realms.


Thursday June the 9th ~

I'm skipping my usual Swingin' Wednesday scene at Palmer & Co this week for footy and the Film Fest opening. You'll find me there instead the next evening at the same time, from 10 til around 2.

Entry is free and food is served throughout so it's a perfect subterranean sanctuary to descend to after any cinematic excursions in the CBD.


Friday June the 10th ~

Come Friday I'll reprise last week's appearance at the stunning Bob Hawke Beer and Leisure Centre in sunny Marrickville, putting meat on the bones of an Australian-based musical foundation apt to the era.

The Chinese tucker available there is so good (the best prawn toast I've ever had) - book early to access the full menu before 9. I spin between half 8 and half 11 and entry is also always free.


Saturday June the 11th ~

By Saturday Jack Off will circle back on FBi Radio (94.5FM on yr dial or streaming live and on-demand online) from 3 til 5PM, as ever.

Afterwards I'll have the pleasure of playing a set of swish and surprising sounds for the frankly spoilt patrons of Dean and Nancy on 22. With Vivid crowds across the city I strongly suggest reserving yr place, whether for dining or the cocktail bar. Entry is free, the vista spectacular, the room warm.

Well I hope you've landed somewhere slightly safer after all of the upheaval of late. I'm settling in to my remote new abode, making the most of the winter sun and anticipating the busy weeks of Vivid and the Film Festival ahead. If yr out and about there are a few pit-stops I can suggest below.


Wednesday June the 1st ~

Swingin' at the Speakeasy is an utterly exhilarating instance of convivial mid-week mayhem in secret city subterranean bar Palmer & Co. There are three sets of live music (this time from Queenie and The Cavaliers) between 7 and 10PM, then I play a swathe of strong and strange old songs til close around 2AM. Entry is free via the door in Abercrombie Lane.


Friday June the 3rd ~

As the weekend begins I'll be back in the heart of Sydney for my first set at the Hotel CBD. If you fancy joining me there for a drink and some fab free music pop in between 5 and 8PM. It's also free.

I'm still scheduled to spin a gratis local/indie bracket at the Bob Hawke Beer and Leisure Centre directly after (from half 8 til 11.30) however you'd best advised to check in with me prior if tailored selections are yr main reason for heading along, as we are still awaiting the final fine-tune of the PA in the brand-new premises before proceeding.


Saturday June the 4th ~

Jack Off will never leave you hanging on a Saturday arvo, reliably broadcasting between 3 and 5 on FBi for over two decades now. Tune in for an immaculate balance of sound that strays beyond scale.

Transformation. A new dawn at the end of time.


Wednesday May the 25th ~

Thanks to all who braved the elements to dance in the street for our fourth triannual Good Rid-Dance on Saturday. What a relief and delight to have results like that unfolding, all whilst largely being spared the worst of the rain. What a miracle!

If, like me, you can barely believe that hope and justice are again afoot you likely wanna put yr best one forward. It's the busiest I've been for years so I have a plethora of quality options for you.

Begin from 7 at Palmer & Co with Swingin' at the Speakeasy and dance the night away, first to The Aston Martinis live (with Pia on decks between sets), then to my morass of mirthful music from 10 til at least 2. Entry is always free!


Thursday May the 26th ~

Come Thursday I've an engagement of rare form, a Thursday evening event of grand standing that originated here and is run globally from Sydney.

Semi Permanent is happening over three days and nights at Carriageworks and I'm fortunate to have been invited to do an extended set with my talented partner Liz Ham (whom I first encountered at the location pictured above three years ago).
This will be our first collaboration together as Sham DJs. If yr heading to the festival join us to lap up an even broader palette of strange and sumptuous sonics, we'll be on from 5.30 til 9PM.


Friday May the 27th ~

Friday sees the debut outing of my long-awaited return to the Hollywood Hotel as resident. You'll be able to find me there between 9PM and 3AM on the last Friday of every month for Sin City Soireé.

Experience the din of iniquity for free in the heart of Slurry Hills. Dress freaky, fab, flash or fucked!


Saturday May the 28th ~

By Saturday arvo I'll be transmitting a guestless Jack Off from FBi, allowing ourselves a bit of a breath after an overwhelming week or two. Tune in.
Later that evening it will be my pleasure to ascend again to the fêted crown of luxury Sydney bar life, Dean and Nancy on 22, spinning vibrant and life-affirming sound for drinkers, diners and carousers alike. No charge but best book ahead. 9 til 12.30.

Huge day and week, personally and politically. Happy to have settled in here. Paddled to a waterfall today and caught a mud crab on the full moon last night. Gotta dash to town in a tick so here goes...


Wednesday May the 18th ~

Swingin' at the Speakeasy hosts The Roslyn's live tonight before I sidle in to the DJ desk and assume the mantle from Pia Andersen at 10. Free tunes roll all the way til 2. It's worth a row to the CBD.


Friday May the 20th ~

After a couple of technical issues failed to prevent a collective dance uprising on the occasion of my debut DJ set at Hawke's Beer and Leisure Centre we've had selectors on hold until sound could be boosted further. That done I am stoked to announce that I'll return on election eve with a rousing set of sordid and stirring Australiana for free from half 8 til half 11. Make haste from yr rarefied idyll to the 'Ville for drinkin' dinin' and dancin'!


Saturday May the 21st ~

As voters head to the polls Jack Off will host Tassie/Melbourne mob Quivers, who - after countless COVID-related postponements - are at last in Sydney to launch their album at The Vanguard. I'm very fond of these folks and their music is world-class. Tuning in between 3 and 5PM oughtta keep the anxiety at bay until you can hit the streets for...

Good Rid Dance! Our third tri-annual exorcism of the evil that underpins so much of the political/media axis under the corrosive auspices of climate-denying capitalism in it's death-throes. We dance despite any prospective disappointment (this event's blurb is identical to last time, we know from bitter experience how justice can be snatched from hope).
We dance in defiance and solidarity with our fellow humans, with our ancestors, our descendants, all the living and dead of every form on this startling planet of paradoxical beauty and pain.

So we're doing it again. I delayed surgery to make this happen. Rain is forecast. Knowing these times another tempest will descend. Even so we will attempt to proceed.

These past three years have been precisely as appalling as I forecasted the day after the last party here but the recent concomitant chain-reactions that have radically accelerated our sense of imminent apocalyptic doom also underline why we must move fiercely, listen acutely and love with passion while we can. Meet outside The Hub at 7.

Keep election night free. Good Rid Dance returns for our tri-annual Stompin' Ground outside The Hub. Keeping the bastards dead. More detail next week.


Wednesday May the 11th ~

Swingin' at the Speakeasy sees The Roslyns and Pia Andersen on deck for three hours til 10 then my bad self til around 2. Gratis underground dance of yore.


Thursday May the 12th ~

Nascent lifeforms already institutionalised via NIDA and AFTRS fail to escape further acronyms during NAS NEO, a free incarceration of emerging and past art generated by current students of the form.

Experience musical variety and performance from the former and films from the latter in the Cell Block Theatre, downstairs from where I used to earn bollocks from getting nude in drafty rooms.

I top and tail the whole sordid affair, spinning sidelines in the courtyard outside from 5.30 til 8, before incinerating everything inside with an apt explosion of apocalyptic audio between 8.45 and 10.


Saturday May the 14th ~

Another weird week comes to a head this Saturday arvo as Jack Off reaches out from every auspicious orifice of FBi Radio. Following on from the wild tales of one-balled members and broke-back air guitar misadventures (courtesy of both Petes from Peter Bibby here) last week, we again restore the majesty of live music and genuine interactions to the airwaves with Mess Esque.

Mick Turner (Dirty Three, Venom P. Stinger et al) is an old mate but Helen Franzmann (McKisko) I have never met. That said neither had Mick, even after they made an album remotely during the pandemic. The end of lockdowns have at last changed that and we get to enjoy their company (and tunes) in real time between 3 and 5 before their Great Club set tonight.
Sadly I'll miss that due to my third week running at Dean and Nancy on 22, so I will just have to console myself with delicious food, stunning views, vibrant mystical musics and the finest cocktails in Australasia. If you also need consoling join me there. I play from 9 til 12.30. It's free!

Surely only seconds remain on the doomsday clock, yet we blithely continue as if life will continue to proceed normally. Here is further evidence...


Wednesday May the 4th ~

Stop yr stoopid stoopin' and cut a rug before we all get obliterated once and for all: Swingin' at the Speakeasy has always has the tone of a ball at the end of everything. Free - from 10PM til 2AM, maybe.


Saturday May the 7th ~

Jack Off welcomes only our third live guest in years, as WA's Peter Bibby joins us with tales of perilous pandemic travels across the endless plains. Catch it in real time between 3 and 5PM on FBi.
Afterwards I'll again be spinning sounds from atop the A by Adina building at Dean and Nancy on 22 - a perfect location from which to witness any incoming apocalypse. I play from 9 til 12.30. No charge.