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Shoeb Ahmad's guide to the Canberra Underground

10 November 2017 | 3:56 pm | Emma Jones

After the release of the confessional song 'mask-ed', that came in the vulnerable wake of a hotel room robbery, SHOEB AHMAD returned to our ears again recently with the release of 'romance', and the announcement of her forthcoming LP, quiver, set for release on 2018.

A personal, heartfelt song that serves as an ode to her wife, Ahmad opens up on 'romance' to share her unashamed love and devotion. There's a certain power in the intimacy of the track, and the complete embracing of the feelings you get when you truly love someone. Featuring kraut-pop influences and melodic guitars, it's an intricately crafted gem that paints an exciting picture of what is still to come from quiver.

To get to know a bit more about her, we got Shoeb Ahmad to take us through her hometown of Canberra, giving us a guide to what she calls "South of The Lake." She'll be launching her new single with an intimate tour this weekend, and you can catch her at the dates below.

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I didn’t grow up in Canberra’s south – my youth was spent mainly in Belconnen (known as Belcompton, obviously) and only after starting a family, did I move around the bend and “south of the lake” to a belt of Canberra I like to call “south central.” Once here, I realised that I had many misconceptions about anything south of Civic and have spent the last few years discovering what’s amazing about what is now my neck of the woods. Here’s my tips of what to check out away from the more obvious parts of Canberra:

1. Asian Provisions

This place is grocery shopping heaven! They’ve got the best south-east Asian imports at hand and have got a selection of home cooks who supply them with traditional Malaysian and Indonesian lunches. Also, you can get a can of Malaysia’s #1 isotonic drink 100 Plus to accompany yr meal as well.

2. Bharat International

Pretty brand new – less than a month old – but apart from being a subcontinental supermarket, they have a kitchen that’s open from 10:30am so the perfect place for an amazing breakfast. The Cholay Bhature’s are especially worth the trip alone, my children also rate the Mango Lassis too.

3. Casuarina Sands

I don’t spruik inland beaches too often but this place is great in the summer and not too far a drive from my house. It’s on the bands of the Murrumbidgee River, the water is awesome and the spot is also very child friendly. Another good southside “beach” spot is at Kambah Sands (there’s also a nudist area there if that’s yr thing!).

4. Material Pleasures

I wouldn’t say I’m super into vintage or recycled clothing but Material Pleasures is a treat. I’ve picked up some of my favourite dresses and skirts from here and all of them have been on a whim because the prices tend to be pretty reasonable too. I also found a great pair of awesome heels which are a challenge making sure I don’t roll my ankle in the middle of a guitar noise meltdown!

5. Uriarra Crossing

Another one of Canberra’s great swimming spots on the Murrumbidgee but also a bit more isolated than the ones I mentioned before. It’s a pretty nice spot to have a BBQ and relax after winter but also, it’s a crossing you take if you want to take a back road route to Yass and the Hume Highway, heading over the mountain and only 3km of gravel road to worry about before winding yr way through some beautiful valleys.

6. Amirtham Tasty Food

This Sri Lankan place is an enigma but wow, the food has never let me down. I saw a tiny sign for this place outside its door when heading to Canberra’s only guitar shop for some leads. You wouldn’t even know that there’s a business in the shop but when you head in, there’s an “aunty” who seems to always be prepping ingredients for cooking – though the shop is always empty! She does a mean Biryani but the Kottu Roti is where it’s at, couldn’t get a better effort on this if you tried.

Shoeb Ahmad will kick off her "romance" tour tonight. Full tour dates below:

"romance"

Single Tour

RSVP (Tour Event)

Fri 10 Nov | Mulgara, Canberra ACT

w/ Kellie Lloyd, Video Breezy + Sleeping Dogs

$10 DOOR | FB EVENT

Sat 11 Nov | Beatdisc Records, Parramatta NSW

w/ Jess Locke, Kellie Lloyd + Sports Bra

$10 DOOR | FB EVENT

Sun 12 Nov | Monster Mouse Studios, Sydney NSW

w/ Kellie Lloyd, Cat Heaven + Naif

$10 DOOR | FB EVENT

Sat 18 Nov | Aeso Studio, Melbourne VIC

w/ Tilman Robinson, Make More + KAIA

$10 DOOR | FB EVENT

Intro by Emma Jones

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