
Issue No 64		28 July 2000

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Review

Espionage a Trois

By Peter Lewis

The Whitlams' brass section his teamed with some of the hippest cats in Sydney to make the sort of music you'll want to shoot baddies to.

Under the guise of 'Astro Tabasco', the seven-piece instrumental outfit has just completed an album that puts the OP back into sophistication.

While they insist that 'this is not lounge music' - their polished sound fuses jazz and swing with just the slight hint of kitsch of the martini sound.

But it goes way beyond a sixties spy film soundtrack - breaking into some seriously contemporary beats when you would be expecting more cheese.

The overall experience is a bit like watching a re-run of James Bond movie - the sounds are sixties but the context is so now. It's the shift in time that gives it the resonance, the ironic self-distance that makes it work.

Highlights of the album include such evocatively titled tracks as: The Streets of San Souci, Sanatana Lives in Surry Hills and Gringo Starr.

The band is no stranger to the union movement, having played earlier this year at the Radio free East Timor gig. They've supported us, so give them a listen.

'Espionage a Tois' is to be launched at The Metro on Saturday July 30.

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  Issue 64 contents

Interview: Greg Sword Unsheathed
The NUW national secretary is set to be endorsed as ALP Federal president next week. He talks about the relationship between the two wings of the labour movement.

Unions: Phone Rage, Headaches and Stress
A comprehensive survey of the call centre industry conducted by the ASU has revealed an industry workplace culture dominated by excessive monitoring and stress.

Economics: And the Winner Is .... Sydney?
Austrade chief economist Tim Harcourt looks at the export impact of the Sydney Olympics and asks if we'll win gold.

International: Western Sahara: Referendum Or War?
A June UN referendum in Western Sahara could have provided the people of Western Sahara a chance to exercise their right to self-determination and independence. It didn't.

History: The Union's Roots in Song
We look at some of the songs that kept working people going through their darkest hours.

Media: Unchaining the ABC
The ALP needs to rethink our public institutions to determine how they might better deliver the ends for which they were originally established.

Environment: Motorways Fail the Pollie Test
Our daily grind of congested roads, polluted air, and frustrated motorists is putting all and sundry to the test, and not least Liberal and Labor politicians.

Satire: Murdoch Launches Bid for Under-9s Netball Team
Sydney's lucrative junior league netball broadcasting market has been shaken by a bid by one of the world's most predatory entrepreneurs, Rupert Murdoch, to secure ownership of the most successful team in the league.

Review: Espionage a Trois
The Whitlams' brass section his teamed with some of the hippest cats in Sydney to make the sort of music you'll want to shoot baddies to.

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