Australian indie rock
Encyclopedia
Australian indie rock is part of the overall flow of Australian rock
history but has a distinct history somewhat separate from mainstream rock in Australia, largely from the end of the punk rock
era onwards.
in Australia got started in the late 1950s and 1960s, influenced by the sounds coming from the USA and UK
. Early on, the surf rock sound dominated, though in the mid-1960s, the beat genre from the UK had become established. Numerous garage bands formed in the cities and suburbs, and a vibrant musical culture began.
Isolated from the diversity of genres in the northern hemisphere, Australian mainstream record labels tried to replicate the success of trends imported from overseas and produce radio friendly singles by successful artists such as John Farnham and The Easybeats. In the meantime, Russell Morris enjoyed a surprise hit with singles such as "The Real Thing" http://www.poparchives.com.au/963/russell-morris/the-real-thing,. Produced by music legend Ian Molly Meldrum, and written by singing star Johnny Young, the single encompassed high production values and a psychedelic approach in its use of instruments such as a sitar, sampling of a children's choir, and its 6-minute running time (unusually long for the time). While released by EMI, this domestic production inspired a generation of bands, singers and songwriters that home-grown Aussie talent could produce world-beating music. The single charted well in New York, Houston and Chicago http://www.howlspace.com.au/en/morrisrussell/morrisrussell.htm.
movement began in the mid-1970s, and resulted in an explosion of musical activity. Numerous bands formed, as did many independent record label
s, often run out of bedrooms. An early band who gained a following in Australia were, The Saints
, who grew out of Queensland and who recorded one of the first punk singles, releasing a single on vinyl before the Sex Pistols. Another important band who came out of Brisbane were the post-punk
group, The Go-Betweens, who relocated to Britain in the early 1980s and were one of the most acclaimed bands of the decade.
were heavily inspired by acts such as the MC5
and The Stooges
, and the band defined the sound of the punk and post-punk movement in Sydney. The sound of both Midnight Oil
and INXS
were influenced by Radio Birdman, especially in their early albums. In 1970s Sydney, the Australian Federal Government's "youth station" Double J
operated outside the mainstream radio stations and began playing various independent music from around the world. Double J (an AM station) eventually turned into Triple J (an FM station) in the early 1980s and began broadcasting nationally in 1989.
By the early 1980s Sydney had begun to eclipse the post-punk explosion of gloomy drug-addled Melbourne with its beach culture and summery pub music scene. Phantom Records, a label which grew out of a popular import record store, began to record and distribute breakthrough indie acts such as The Hoodoo Gurus, The Sunnyboys and The Cockroaches. Phantom's success would inspire others to follow, with important indie champions, such as Died Pretty
signed to the fledgling Citadel Label. Other labels, such as Waterfront Records, Hot Records and Rooart soon followed expanding opportunities for bands to record and release domestically. The number of venues exploded, and fueled by the expansion of FM radio and a prosperous economy, Sydney begun to prove that independent bands could make a healthy living on the amazing pub music circuit at home, without having to first strike out to tour overseas and release internationally acclaimed albums. Other legendary live indie bands from the 80's era include The Hard-Ons, Celibate Rifles, New Christs, Ganggajang and The Rockmelons.
, and the legendary Kim Salmon
, who formed the Scientists
, an influence on bands such as Mudhoney and The Jesus Lizard. Kim Salmon claims to have been the first person to use the term grunge
to describe music. Kim Salmon and James Baker later once again collaborated in the underground rock supergroup Beasts of Bourbon
, also featuring Tex Perkins
and Spencer P. Jones.
's band, the Boys Next Door (later to become the Birthday Party) was the most notable and influential.
Soon the raw energy of punk evolved into post punk, which combined the DIY ethos of punk with rule-breaking, genre-defying artistic experimentation. The profusion of small, defiantly non-commercial and often unhesitatingly experimental bands became known as the "little band scene
". Throughout the 1980s, it flourished in most Australian major cities, evolving around venues (such as Melbourne
's Seaview Ballroom) and community radio
stations such as 3RRR
. A few bands, like Models
, crossed over to the mainstream; others, like The Birthday Party
went on to achieve critical acclaim abroad.
This era can be said to have ended in the 1990s, when in the wake of the explosion of grunge
, alternative music became mainstream. Major labels signed three-chord grunge/punk-style rock bands, commercial radio played them and the 'alternative' sound soon became ubiquitous, ultimately culminating in manufactured pop groups, styled to sound raucously 'alternative' and appearing on television commercials for mobile phones. In this way, this process of mainstreaming echoes what happened in the USA and UK.
in Australia, though did signal a shift in its focus. The form of 'alternative' music that the major labels and commercial radio stations were interested in was predominantly three-chord rock informed by punk rock
and Seattle-style grunge; loud, rebellious, and easily marketable to a generation of teenagers. Bands who did not fit this manifest were largely left behind by this process, and did attract smaller audiences (predominantly in their 20s and based in bohemian inner urban areas). In inner Melbourne, a considerable post rock scene flourished, with bands like Art of Fighting
, Laura
, Silver Ray and Gersey
playing more subdued music using the traditional guitar/bass/drums structure; bands in this scene often played at inner-city venues such as the Punters Club
and the Empress Hotel
. Other bands, such as The Paradise Motel
explored the more cinematic scope of string sections combined with guitar/bass/drums, especially on debut recordings such as Left Over Life To Kill
. Meanwhile, others explored alternative instrumentation, including accordions, strings and chromatic percussion. In the early 2000s, a notable alternative and experimental music scene began out of Sydney, including acts such as The Captain's Package, Rica Tetas, Slimey Things and Darth Vegas.
Several indie labels
of note have operated in Australia around this time. Chapter Music
, established by Guy Blackman in Perth
but later relocated to Melbourne, released recordings on both vinyl
and CD by a wide range of artists, including Panel Of Judges
and Sleepy Township
, as well as a compilation of Australian 1970s/1980s post punk titled Can't Stop It. Sydney's Half A Cow
, run by Nic Dalton
, released albums by bands like Dalton's own Sneeze
, Spdfgh
, and Sydney shoegazers Swirl
. Fitzroy
-based Trifekta
, run by Tom Larnach-Jones (and distributed by major label Festival Mushroom Records) also released recordings by various more established Melbourne bands, including Ninetynine
. Minimum Chips
, Gersey
and Architecture in Helsinki
, as well as local releases of international bands like Life Without Buildings
. More recently, Tasmanian-cum-Melbourne label Unstable Ape Records
have been releasing many recordings by independent local bands such as Love of Diagrams
, Sir and the Bird Blobs
.
Australian rock
Australian rock, sometimes called OZ Rock is used to describe the various rock and many pop bands and solo artists from Australia. Australia has a rich history of rock music and an appreciation of the roots of various rock genres, usually originating in the United States but also Britain, Ireland,...
history but has a distinct history somewhat separate from mainstream rock in Australia, largely from the end of the punk rock
Punk rock
Punk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...
era onwards.
Beginnings
Rock and rollRock and roll
Rock and roll is a genre of popular music that originated and evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s, primarily from a combination of African American blues, country, jazz, and gospel music...
in Australia got started in the late 1950s and 1960s, influenced by the sounds coming from the USA and UK
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
. Early on, the surf rock sound dominated, though in the mid-1960s, the beat genre from the UK had become established. Numerous garage bands formed in the cities and suburbs, and a vibrant musical culture began.
Isolated from the diversity of genres in the northern hemisphere, Australian mainstream record labels tried to replicate the success of trends imported from overseas and produce radio friendly singles by successful artists such as John Farnham and The Easybeats. In the meantime, Russell Morris enjoyed a surprise hit with singles such as "The Real Thing" http://www.poparchives.com.au/963/russell-morris/the-real-thing,. Produced by music legend Ian Molly Meldrum, and written by singing star Johnny Young, the single encompassed high production values and a psychedelic approach in its use of instruments such as a sitar, sampling of a children's choir, and its 6-minute running time (unusually long for the time). While released by EMI, this domestic production inspired a generation of bands, singers and songwriters that home-grown Aussie talent could produce world-beating music. The single charted well in New York, Houston and Chicago http://www.howlspace.com.au/en/morrisrussell/morrisrussell.htm.
Brisbane
The punkPunk rock
Punk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...
movement began in the mid-1970s, and resulted in an explosion of musical activity. Numerous bands formed, as did many independent record label
Independent record label
An independent record label is a record label operating without the funding of or outside the organizations of the major record labels. A great number of bands and musical acts begin on independent labels.-Overview:...
s, often run out of bedrooms. An early band who gained a following in Australia were, The Saints
The Saints (band)
The Saints are an Australian rock band, which formed in Brisbane in 1974 as punk rockers. Founders were Chris Bailey , Ivor Hay , and Ed Kuepper . Alongside mainstay Bailey, the group has had numerous line-ups...
, who grew out of Queensland and who recorded one of the first punk singles, releasing a single on vinyl before the Sex Pistols. Another important band who came out of Brisbane were the post-punk
Post-punk
Post-punk is a rock music movement with its roots in the late 1970s, following on the heels of the initial punk rock explosion of the mid-1970s. The genre retains its roots in the punk movement but is more introverted, complex and experimental...
group, The Go-Betweens, who relocated to Britain in the early 1980s and were one of the most acclaimed bands of the decade.
Sydney
Sydney's Radio BirdmanRadio Birdman
Radio Birdman was one of the first punk bands in Australia along with The Saints. Deniz Tek and Rob Younger formed the group in Sydney, Australia in 1974...
were heavily inspired by acts such as the MC5
MC5
The MC5 is an American rock band formed in Lincoln Park, Michigan and originally active from 1964 to 1972. The original band line-up consisted of vocalist Rob Tyner, guitarists Wayne Kramer and Fred "Sonic" Smith, bassist Michael Davis, and drummer Dennis Thompson...
and The Stooges
The Stooges
The Stooges are an American rock band from Ann Arbor, Michigan first active from 1967 to 1974, and later reformed in 2003...
, and the band defined the sound of the punk and post-punk movement in Sydney. The sound of both Midnight Oil
Midnight Oil
Midnight Oil , were an Australian rock band from Sydney originally performing as Farm from 1972 with drummer Rob Hirst, bass guitarist Andrew James and keyboard player/lead guitarist Jim Moginie...
and INXS
INXS
INXS are an Australian rock band, formed as The Farriss Brothers in 1977 in Sydney, New South Wales. Mainstays are Garry Gary Beers on bass guitar, Andrew Farriss on guitar/keyboards, Jon Farriss on drums, Tim Farriss on lead guitar and Kirk Pengilly on guitar/sax...
were influenced by Radio Birdman, especially in their early albums. In 1970s Sydney, the Australian Federal Government's "youth station" Double J
Triple J
triple j is a nationally networked Australian radio station intended to appeal to listeners between the ages of 18 and 30. The government-funded station is a division of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation...
operated outside the mainstream radio stations and began playing various independent music from around the world. Double J (an AM station) eventually turned into Triple J (an FM station) in the early 1980s and began broadcasting nationally in 1989.
By the early 1980s Sydney had begun to eclipse the post-punk explosion of gloomy drug-addled Melbourne with its beach culture and summery pub music scene. Phantom Records, a label which grew out of a popular import record store, began to record and distribute breakthrough indie acts such as The Hoodoo Gurus, The Sunnyboys and The Cockroaches. Phantom's success would inspire others to follow, with important indie champions, such as Died Pretty
Died Pretty
Died Pretty, sometimes The Died Pretty, were an Australian alternative rock band founded by mainstays, Ron Peno as lead singer and Brett Myers as lead guitarist and backing vocalist, in Sydney in 1983 – briefly as Final Solution. Their music started from a base of early electric Bob Dylan with...
signed to the fledgling Citadel Label. Other labels, such as Waterfront Records, Hot Records and Rooart soon followed expanding opportunities for bands to record and release domestically. The number of venues exploded, and fueled by the expansion of FM radio and a prosperous economy, Sydney begun to prove that independent bands could make a healthy living on the amazing pub music circuit at home, without having to first strike out to tour overseas and release internationally acclaimed albums. Other legendary live indie bands from the 80's era include The Hard-Ons, Celibate Rifles, New Christs, Ganggajang and The Rockmelons.
Perth
A vibrant and interesting punk and post-punk scene also developed in Perth, Western Australia. Bands such as The Victims and Cheap Nasties, spawned icons of the Australian music scene such as Dave Faulkner and James Baker, who formed one of the most popular Australian bands of the 1980s, the power-pop band Hoodoo GurusHoodoo Gurus
Hoodoo Gurus are an Australian rock band, formed in Sydney in 1981, by the mainstay Dave Faulkner and later joined by Richard Grossman , Mark Kingsmill , and Brad Shepherd...
, and the legendary Kim Salmon
Kim Salmon
Kim Leith Salmon is an Australian indie rock musician and songwriter, who attained fame in June 2004, when he was inducted into the West Australian Music Industry Association Hall of Fame....
, who formed the Scientists
The Scientists
The Scientists are an influential post-punk band from Perth, Australia, led by Kim Salmon, initially known as Exterminators and then Invaders. The band had two primary incarnations: the Perth-based punk band of the late 1970s and the Sydney/London-based swamp rock band of the 1980s...
, an influence on bands such as Mudhoney and The Jesus Lizard. Kim Salmon claims to have been the first person to use the term grunge
Grunge
Grunge is a subgenre of alternative rock that emerged during the mid-1980s in the American state of Washington, particularly in the Seattle area. Inspired by hardcore punk, heavy metal, and indie rock, grunge is generally characterized by heavily distorted electric guitars, contrasting song...
to describe music. Kim Salmon and James Baker later once again collaborated in the underground rock supergroup Beasts of Bourbon
Beasts of Bourbon
Beasts of Bourbon was an Australian alternative rock band formed in 1983, with a line-up that has changed as the band splintered and reformed several times - Beginnings :...
, also featuring Tex Perkins
Tex Perkins
Tex Perkins is an Australian singer-songwriter, who is widely known for fronting the popular Australian rock-band The Cruel Sea, but has also performed with the Beasts of Bourbon, Thug, James Baker Experience, The Butcher Shop, Salamander Jim, and Tex, Don and Charlie. He has also released many...
and Spencer P. Jones.
Melbourne
Melbourne's post-punk scene was much more experimental than any of the other capital cities. The city spawned a lot of experimental and gothic rock, of which Nick CaveNick Cave
Nicholas Edward "Nick" Cave is an Australian musician, songwriter, author, screenwriter, and occasional film actor.He is best known for his work as a frontman of the critically acclaimed rock band Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, established in 1984, a group known for its eclectic influences and...
's band, the Boys Next Door (later to become the Birthday Party) was the most notable and influential.
Soon the raw energy of punk evolved into post punk, which combined the DIY ethos of punk with rule-breaking, genre-defying artistic experimentation. The profusion of small, defiantly non-commercial and often unhesitatingly experimental bands became known as the "little band scene
Little band scene
The Little Band scene is the name given to an experimental post-punk scene which flourished in Melbourne from 1978 until early 1981. This scene was concentrated around the inner suburbs of Fitzroy and St Kilda, and was characterised by large numbers of small bands, more concerned with artistic...
". Throughout the 1980s, it flourished in most Australian major cities, evolving around venues (such as Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
's Seaview Ballroom) and community radio
Community radio
Community radio is a type of radio service, that offers a third model of radio broadcasting beyond commercial broadcasting and public broadcasting. Community stations can serve geographic communities and communities of interest...
stations such as 3RRR
3RRR
3RRR is a popular Australian community radio station, based in Melbourne. It is the largest per capita subscribed radio station in the world....
. A few bands, like Models
Models (band)
Models were an alternative rock group formed in Melbourne, Australia, in August 1978 and went into hiatus in 1988. They are often incorrectly referred to as The Models. They re-formed in 2000, 2006 and 2008 to perform reunion concerts. "Out of Mind, Out of Sight", their only No. 1 hit,...
, crossed over to the mainstream; others, like The Birthday Party
The Birthday Party (band)
The Birthday Party were an Australian rock band, active from 1973 to 1983.Despite being championed by John Peel, The Birthday Party found little commercial success during their career...
went on to achieve critical acclaim abroad.
This era can be said to have ended in the 1990s, when in the wake of the explosion of grunge
Grunge
Grunge is a subgenre of alternative rock that emerged during the mid-1980s in the American state of Washington, particularly in the Seattle area. Inspired by hardcore punk, heavy metal, and indie rock, grunge is generally characterized by heavily distorted electric guitars, contrasting song...
, alternative music became mainstream. Major labels signed three-chord grunge/punk-style rock bands, commercial radio played them and the 'alternative' sound soon became ubiquitous, ultimately culminating in manufactured pop groups, styled to sound raucously 'alternative' and appearing on television commercials for mobile phones. In this way, this process of mainstreaming echoes what happened in the USA and UK.
1990s to the present
The mainstreaming of alternative music did not kill indie rockIndie rock
Indie rock is a genre of alternative rock that originated in the United Kingdom and the United States in the 1980s. Indie rock is extremely diverse, with sub-genres that include lo-fi, post-rock, math rock, indie pop, dream pop, noise rock, space rock, sadcore, riot grrrl and emo, among others...
in Australia, though did signal a shift in its focus. The form of 'alternative' music that the major labels and commercial radio stations were interested in was predominantly three-chord rock informed by punk rock
Punk rock
Punk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...
and Seattle-style grunge; loud, rebellious, and easily marketable to a generation of teenagers. Bands who did not fit this manifest were largely left behind by this process, and did attract smaller audiences (predominantly in their 20s and based in bohemian inner urban areas). In inner Melbourne, a considerable post rock scene flourished, with bands like Art of Fighting
Art Of Fighting (band)
-History:The band formed in 1995 as a duo, with Ollie Browne playing guitar and Peggy Frew on bass, with both taking turns on vocals. The couple were also in a romantic relationship at this time, though they were to split amicably later....
, Laura
Laura (band)
Laura is a post-rock band from Melbourne, Australia.-History:Laura formed in 2001 and released their debut EP - Photographs... in 2002. Although it received positive reviews on the whole, it failed to gain the band a significant following...
, Silver Ray and Gersey
Gersey
Gersey is an Australian rock band based in Melbourne, which formed in 1997. The band is composed of Craig Jackson , Daryl Bradie , Matt Davis , Danny Tulen and Drew Pearse ....
playing more subdued music using the traditional guitar/bass/drums structure; bands in this scene often played at inner-city venues such as the Punters Club
Punters Club
The Punters Club was a pub and live music venue located on Brunswick Street, Fitzroy, in inner Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.It developed a reputation as one of the city's premier live music venues, drawing comparisons to the likes of New York's CBGB...
and the Empress Hotel
Empress Hotel (Melbourne)
The Empress Hotel is a pub and live music venue located at 714 Nicholson Street, in the inner Melbourne suburb of Fitzroy North.-History:...
. Other bands, such as The Paradise Motel
The Paradise Motel
The Paradise Motel are a critically and commercially successful independent Australian band from Hobart, Tasmania, first active from 1995–2000, who reformed in 2008.-Formation and early releases 1994–1998:...
explored the more cinematic scope of string sections combined with guitar/bass/drums, especially on debut recordings such as Left Over Life To Kill
Left Over Life to Kill
Left Over Life To Kill is both an EP and an album released by the Australian band The Paradise Motel, released in 1996 and 1997 respectively...
. Meanwhile, others explored alternative instrumentation, including accordions, strings and chromatic percussion. In the early 2000s, a notable alternative and experimental music scene began out of Sydney, including acts such as The Captain's Package, Rica Tetas, Slimey Things and Darth Vegas.
Several indie labels
Independent record label
An independent record label is a record label operating without the funding of or outside the organizations of the major record labels. A great number of bands and musical acts begin on independent labels.-Overview:...
of note have operated in Australia around this time. Chapter Music
Chapter Music
Chapter Music is one of Australia's longest-running independent record labels. It was founded by Guy Blackman in Perth in June 1992, after a few issues of a Syd Barrett inspired fanzine called Chapter 24, that Blackman started in October 1990, when he was seventeen...
, established by Guy Blackman in Perth
Perth, Western Australia
Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia and the fourth most populous city in Australia. The Perth metropolitan area has an estimated population of almost 1,700,000....
but later relocated to Melbourne, released recordings on both vinyl
Gramophone record
A gramophone record, commonly known as a phonograph record , vinyl record , or colloquially, a record, is an analog sound storage medium consisting of a flat disc with an inscribed, modulated spiral groove...
and CD by a wide range of artists, including Panel Of Judges
Panel of Judges
Panel of Judges is an indie rock band from Melbourne, Australia. Dion Nania began the group in 1997 as a solo project, then added Alison Bolger, Michael Nichols and Paul Williams soon afterwards....
and Sleepy Township
Sleepy Township
Sleepy Township was an indie pop band which was formed in Perth in 1994 as a side project by Guy Blackman , Mia Schoen , and Paul Williams . The band moved the following year to Melbourne, Australia, with Gorman replacing Williams. Alison Bolger joined the group on bass in 1998...
, as well as a compilation of Australian 1970s/1980s post punk titled Can't Stop It. Sydney's Half A Cow
Half A Cow
Half a Cow is an independent record label from Australia, established in 1990 by Sydney musician and music identity Nic Dalton.- History :In 1987 - 1989 Dalton ran a bookshop in the Sydney suburb of Glebe called Dalton's Books...
, run by Nic Dalton
Nic Dalton
Nic Dalton is an Australian musician, best known as the bass guitarist for American band The Lemonheads at the height of their popularity...
, released albums by bands like Dalton's own Sneeze
Sneeze
A sneeze is a semi-autonomous, convulsive expulsion of air from the lungs through the nose and mouth, usually caused by foreign particles irritating the nasal mucosa...
, Spdfgh
Spdfgh
Spdfgh were an all-female rock band from Sydney, Australia in the 1990s. The founding members were* Kim Bowers * Liz Payne...
, and Sydney shoegazers Swirl
Swirl (band)
Swirl were a Sydney, Australia-based indie rock band, forming around 1990 and breaking up in 2002. They released three albums and a number of EP's, mostly through independent Sydney label Half A Cow.-History:...
. Fitzroy
Fitzroy, Victoria
Fitzroy is an inner city suburb of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 2 km north-east from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the City of Yarra. Its borders are Alexandra Parade , Victoria Parade , Smith Street and Nicholson Street. Fitzroy is Melbourne's...
-based Trifekta
Trifekta
Trifekta is the name of an Australia based independent record label, based in Fitzroy, Victoria. It was started in 1997 by Tom Larnach-Jones , Tim Everest and Paul 'Presser' Towner ....
, run by Tom Larnach-Jones (and distributed by major label Festival Mushroom Records) also released recordings by various more established Melbourne bands, including Ninetynine
Ninetynine
Ninetynine is an indie band based in Melbourne, Australia. The band was founded by Laura Macfarlane, who played drums in Sleater-Kinney, in 1996 as a solo project. The first album, 99, was recorded with her playing all the instruments. Not long after she assembled a band with Cameron Potts and...
. Minimum Chips
Minimum Chips
Minimum Chips are an Australian band formed in Brisbane in the mid-1990s. During their Brisbane years they supported many international acts including Stereolab, Bikini Kill and Pavement...
, Gersey
Gersey
Gersey is an Australian rock band based in Melbourne, which formed in 1997. The band is composed of Craig Jackson , Daryl Bradie , Matt Davis , Danny Tulen and Drew Pearse ....
and Architecture in Helsinki
Architecture in Helsinki
Architecture in Helsinki is an Australian indie pop band which consists of Cameron Bird, Gus Franklin, Jamie Mildren, Sam Perry, and Kellie Sutherland...
, as well as local releases of international bands like Life Without Buildings
Life Without Buildings
Life Without Buildings were a Glasgow, Scotland based indie rock band. The band, mostly ex-students of the Glasgow School of Art, formed during the summer of 1999. The band initially consisted of Will Bradley , Chris Evans and Robert Johnston . Painter Sue Tompkins joined later that year...
. More recently, Tasmanian-cum-Melbourne label Unstable Ape Records
Unstable Ape Records
Unstable Ape Records is an Australian independent record label. Founded in Tasmania, it is now based in Melbourne. Unstable Ape's focus tends primarily towards indie rock and roll, but also expands its interest to contemporary folk , jazz and world music...
have been releasing many recordings by independent local bands such as Love of Diagrams
Love Of Diagrams
Love of Diagrams is an indie rock band from Melbourne, Australia, formed in 2001. Their sound is characterized by a mix of energetic drumming, angular guitar and bass riffs, and call-and-response vocals.- History :...
, Sir and the Bird Blobs
Bird Blobs
Bird Blobs were a garage rock/post punk musical group from Melbourne, Australia. They formed in 2000 with Tim Evans and Ian Wadley as the core and only continuous members of the group. The first self-titled recording was performed with Evans on drums, with Wadley and Evans overdubbing the other...
.