As a newcomer to the Brisbane music scene, what I can say about it is that it is currently an interesting time for the scene, with bands starting up each and every day, and the youth scene being propelled around through various promoters, creating an underground scene, due to a lack of venues.
This is the epitome of punk. Creating your own thing and not giving a fuck what people say. Radio Birdman and The Saints in the 70s did the same, setting up gigs in community halls and backyards, and now a more youth centred scene has sprouted up.
Usually an underground scene starts when music lovers want live music, but can't due to a lack of venues and public promotion. With The Zoo closing down recently, and many gigs being 18+, this has divided the scene into two discernable sub-scenes. With the pub and bar scene crumbling due to the current economic crisis instigated by the government, while the youth scene has its own "popular acts" like Ixaras, Piss Off, Pimp, Findaway, Shock Value and the Chimpletons.
The youth scene does not need to be dependent on people getting drunk, and that's a good thing. It's really kaput, being kids playing for kids, and just doing so because it's fun for both parties.
This is really the purest music scene there is, and I really do hope a teenage riot can form in Brisbane, and that more people can enjoy the fun that is live music.
Not many people know about how there's a scene right where they live. Most people in my school are dumbfounded by it, and would rather listen to mainstream pumped out stuff, instead of supporting local bands, when really all hands started as small and local. I'll unashamedly mention:
TV Girl, Tyler, the Creator, Drake, Taylor Swift, Billie Eillish, Rex Orange County, SZA, Post Malone,
Sorry, I'm not sorry. These are the types of artists youth are listening to, and by the time they find the scene, they are already 15ish to 18, by which time they abandon it altogether and go see some stadium acts with their hipster friends or go to some nightclub. Even when they are "alternative", I usually see that these people do it only for the TikTok aesthetic, and maybe if you're lucky, they'll listen to Nirvana, Stone Temple Pilots or Hole.
Nobody will know about the scene if you don't spread the word. Repost about it, tell your friends about it. Can't go to gigs? Whine and be a pain in the ass to whoever's making the bad decision for you, and start your own gigs, and your own band.
Document, distribute, demonstrate!
[origin of zine motto]
From the archive. Manifesto · 13 May 2024 · phone notes carried verbatim.