We chat to local emerging bands about the evolution of the genre.
This November, British post-punk group Gang of Four are coming to Australia to celebrate the anniversary of their debut album Entertainment!. When the album was released in 1979, it was quickly heralded as being ahead of its time, thanks to its innovative blend of punk with characteristics from funk and disco. The result is a blast of wiry guitars matched by stark, erratic grooves, and tied together by the band’s sharp intellect, that always feels clever without becoming overwhelming or alienating.
Forty years on and their influence is hard to deny – whether it’s alternative rockstars heralding the band during the ‘80s and ‘90s, or the indie rock of the 2000s leaning heavily on their sound. This impact has also hit Melbourne in a big way, with a new wave of bands drawing from Go4’s legacy, whether they recognise the influence or not. And while Melbourne’s been serving up its own version of frenetic punk for a good while now – with bands like Total Control, Ausmuteants and Cable Ties – the last couple of years has seen it exploding out of bandrooms more than ever.
To learn a little more about the sound taking over the city, we spoke to a few of the emerging frontrunners on the local scene.
Vintage Crop have been crafting their own slapdash garage-punk since 2017, and while the band thank Parquet Courts for introducing them to the sound, Jack Cherry shares, “It seemed so much more interesting to try to find the right note to give us the perfectly wrong sound we were looking for”.
Jordan Oakley from Pinch Points echoes this sentiment, suggesting the off-kilter backbone helps his band embrace getting weird while subverting genre tropes. “I think these sorts of [wiry-guitar] sounds are really refreshing when you first hear them. It’s a great moment when you realise that punk can be weird, fun, female/GNC-fronted, have major chords, clean guitars – there’s a whole world of elements to play with.”
Another characteristic of the style is the sarcastic lyrics and sardonic delivery, which almost takes the chaotic energy of traditional punk, but redirects the frustration ambiguously. Cherry elaborates, “It feels like there’s a heap more freedom to express a wider range of emotions and opinions when you write in character. Besides, making fun of other people kind of works really well for the style of music too. Petulant music by petulant people.”
The question is whether or not any of this is actually specific to Melbourne. While Cherry tells us “it’s happening everywhere at the moment”, Isobel Buckley from Gutter Girls disagrees. “We are so lucky to have such a welcoming community where varied styles and genres are accepted. Maybe because there are so many local bands killing it, it’s inspiring for others to start their own bands and follow the same genre. Melbourne is the best place in the world for music. THERE, I SAID IT.”
