for my first blog entry I'd like to review a show I went to a few weeks back which I feel was a fine example of the indie subculture, which I have focused my study on for the course. I chose this subculture as it is where my musical interests lie, and I feel I have had the most exposure to, and therefore it is one where I am able to incorporate personal experiences, and involved ethnographic observations into my work.
so, to get things rollings here were the details at a glance of the show I mentioned:
I Heart Hiroshima (Brisbane) Saturday 19 May @ The Metro - Fortitude Valley
w/ Further (Sydney)
Scul Hazzards (Brisbane)
Quiet Steps (Brisbane)
I will discuss I Heart Hiroshima (IHH) and Scul Hazzards, as I was there to see them and ended up only seeing them, but first a little significance of the venue and organiser. the show was put on by Monster Joe's, an alternative dance club held at the Metro monthly which has a fairly strong indie attendance. it is run by James Straker who has had a massive involvement and connection to the indie scene in Brisbane, previously involved in the now defunct Depot (Common People now??) another indie dance club.
so I arrived at the Metro as Quiet Steps finished their set and had a look around the venue to get a feel for the crowd. outside was a familiar site, groups of people sitting around smoking/talking, which was a staple of indie shows of this nature even before the new smoking laws came into effect. inside the crowd is very cliquey, gathering together in groups rather than the mass of people everywhere you'd see at larger events. generally all very familiar faces you have the impression the majority of people know each other or at least recognise each other. this was made obvious to me when a friend asked "who's that?" almost surprised they hadn't seen this other person around before. the bar was almost empty, despite a reasonable size crowd.
Scul Hazzards take to the stage, so I move up towards the psuedo-stage to watch this 3 piece. the music is very loud, droning distorted guitar/bass, heavy drumming, more noise making than of a melodic nature, definitely nothing you would hear on any mainstream radio station. of note they have a female member, the bass player, which is almost commonplace amongst indie bands, particularly in the Brisbane scene. they are very stereotypically indie rock looking - tight jeans, no labels/logos to be seen on any clothing, generally fairly plain clothes at first glance, the clothes you would expect to see at an op shop rather than any major fashion retail chain. this is all very calculated however so as to subscribe to the indie image of authenticity as opposed to the 'fake,' 'contrived,' 'fashion obsessed,' etc mainstream/other subcultures.
taking a quick look at
their myspace I noted influences Sonic Youth, and The Birthday Party. I made note of this for a few reasons, firstly being a big SY fan, and having had enjoyed the 3 or so Scul Hazzards shows I've been to in the past I made a point of seeing if this influence translated into a similarity between the two bands, which I concluded was definitely apparent (early SY moreso). but more importantly I recalled an article 'Subcultural Identity in Alternative Music Culture' by Holly Kruse, in which Kruse discusses what role influences play in identity. she points out that bands often identify themselves and claim membership to a subculture by reporting certain influences which hold a cultural capital to other members. Furthermore she points out that within a subculture this list is often short and repetitive. I found this to be spot on, further navigating from their myspace to similar local bands they have in their top 8, without looking too far you start to see the same bands repeated again again. Often the bands are broken up, and would probably not be recognised by mainstream/other subcultures - Television, The Smiths, Sex Pistols, Fugazi to name a few. Scul Hazzards finish up and the band the Organ is being played over the PA, I note the DJ's selection and my recognition as a level of cultural capital - amongst an audience of any other subculture this music would generally go unrecognised.
the crowd which had been standing mostly motionless during the performance dispursed back into its several or so groups. this audience behaviour is something identifiable in the indie subculture. dancing or moshing, which is found at many other live music events of other subcultures is generally always void at an indie rock show. here i move back outside where i spend the next bands performance - being on the outskirts of the Fortitude Valley there aren't any other people around aside from those attending the event, which I get the impression suits everyone just fine. identifying themselves as 'other,' to clubbers for example, the fact that the venue is seperate also from the dance club hub of Ann/Wickham/Brunswick st's seems to fit into the indie attitude and rules of behaviour.
back inside IHH start their set- this band is starkly different in music style from Scul Hazzards, being much more melodic and pop sounding.
their myspace page however is sure to add other adjectives to this pop label - big beat, grunge. these two seemingly very different bands playing the same show is of note in demonstrating the various music genres which exist within the Brisbane indie scene. indeed it is not really the music so much as aesthetics, values, and social behaviours that define this subculture. for the musicians their choice of gear for example plays an important role. IHH I note are playing Fender guitars, which have long been associated to indie bands, they are playing through small vintage styled tube amps - this all lends to a minimalist and authentic image. this minimalist image, a long time indie ethos, is accentuated by the lack of bass in the band (fools!). the band members are seen in the crowd when not playing- their partcipation is not just as a performer but as an audience member, and equal to that of the average subcultural member.
so concludes my observations from this show, but for good measure here's some shots of IHH:
for this post I want to take a look at The Grates debut album released last year, Gravity Won't Get You High. I chose this for a few reasons- firstly, they're a Brisbane band, and one I've seen develop quickly from playing support slots and shows at small venues such as Rics to now having gained a recording deal, international touring and subsequent commercial success. They're also of interest to me as they are regarded as an indie band but in many regards have crossed over into the mainstream, so I want to address the issue of what it means to be indie. lastly this 3 piece is mostly female, the guitarist being the only male, which I feel is a current theme of indie bands, that of girls having an ever growing presence in the music making side of things.