Music of Melbourne

Melbourne band Skyhooks, seen here performing in 1978, originated from the city's eastern suburbs. They related the social issues of Melburnians in a tongue-in-cheek manner.

Melbourne is the capital city of Victoria, Australia, the second largest city in the country, with a population of 4 million. The city has one of the most highly regarded live music scenes in the world, in terms of the quality, support structure (venues, labels, radio, press) and health of its independent/DIY/experimental scene. It hosts extensive commercial, traditional and independent music industries. As with many cities around the world, its independent music scene is growing rapidly as commercial record labels find it increasingly difficult to market and sell music as a product, an increasing number of people are choosing to recognise and appreciate music as a form of art rather than a product.

Although not as popular as contemporary music, traditional forms of music still thrive in the city, from traditional orchestral performances and opera to Indigenous Australian music and niche scenes of 20th century styles, such as jazz and punk. The city is supported by a structure of labels, venues, publications, press, radio, participants, contributors and patrons of a size disproportionate to its population and in spite of its location, somewhat disconnected from other centres of contemporary music in the world today.

As with many large cultural centres around the world, the city's cultural, art, performing art, musical theatre, politics and social issues are closely entwined with its music, particularly in the independent/DIY/experimental scene, where contributors and patrons frequently exchange and share roles. The largest music-related political rally in Australia's history, the 2010 Melbourne live music rally, was held in the city in February 2010.

History

Main article: History of Music in Melbourne

See also: Indigenous Australian music and Culture of Australia#Classical music

Indigenous music

The first form of music present in the area now occupied by Greater Melbourne included various forms of informal and ceremonial traditional Indigenous Australian music, written, performed and enjoyed by the Wurundjeri people of the Woiwurrung language group, from an estimated 40,000 years ago until the arrival of European settlers in the early 19th century.

19th century

Melbourne's post-European music history is characterised by informal localised music in communities of free settlers and other immigrants who used music informally as a form of entertainment. Popular music was characterised by an affection and attachment to European music popular at the time and it took several decades for unique stylistic forms to develop. One of the earliest widely famous Melbournian was 20th century soprano Dame Nellie Melba, who took her name from her native city, who in turn had a suburb in Australia's capital city Canberra named after it (see Melba, Australian Capital Territory).

Early 20th century

The Esplanade Hotel, built in 1878, one of the earliest, largest and most prominent 19th century resort hotels in Victoria, has served as a venue for various styles through the 20th century. Between 1920 and 1925, the "Eastern Tent Ballroom" constructed to the rear of the site became an important jazz venue and dance venue in St Kilda, one of the main entertainment districts in Melbourne at the time. In the 1970s, the Hotel's Gershwin Room, a grand dining room, was turned into a disco, complete with flashing Saturday Night Fever-style dance floor. Since the 1970s, it has hosted primarily rock-related acts and is currently the longest continuously running live music venue in Australia.^[1]

The "Little band scene"

Further information: Little band scene

The "Little band scene" is the name given to a period of abundant contemporary music created in Melbourne during the late 1970s and 1980s, approximately correlating with the punk and post-punk genres/movements.

Poker Machines

Through the late 20th century, venues and local pubs that featured live music performance began installing poker machines. This had a large impact on the type and frequency of live music performed at venues with poker machines, leading many venues to cease music performance altogether, some well-known and iconic venues closed and reopened as pubs or restaurants with poker machines and betting agencies.

Poker machines had a much larger affect on live music in Sydney than they did in Melbourne. Many live music venues in Sydney either ceased music performance altogether or began hosting variety performance and cover bands. In Melbourne, many local pubs which only occasionally featured live music performance, were affected, and today these local pubs host betting agencies, sports bars and designated poker machine areas.

Sound restrictions

Sound emanating from venues in Melbourne has been a point of contention for a very small minority of surrounding residents since the 1970s, increasingly during the late 1990s and early first decade of the 21st century and is still an issue facing music in Melbourne today. Laws and regulations in regards to sound can be triggered when a single nearby resident deems sound emanating from a venue as being of an unacceptable audible level in a habitable room. The laws currently allow complaints from a single resident, warranted or unwarranted, to cause the cessation of live music performance at a given venue, and as such remain a contentious issue.^{[citation needed]}

Several venues around Melbourne have ongoing issues with complaints from a single nearby resident. Some of the most recent and notable include: The Birmingham in Fitzroy and the Wesley Anne in Northcote. Supporters of live music venues point to increased gentrification and influxes of new residents to areas occupied by live music venues and argue that residents moving into these areas should be aware of the venues and the sounds prior to deciding whether or not to move to the area, as many venues have been operating longer than most residents have lived in the same areas. Of course it is also true that a number of these areas are longtime residential areas, and as is often the case with gentrification, new live music venues open in place of traditional non noise-emitting businesses that are not suitable as live music venues.

The overwhelming majority of complaints about sound from music venues come from one or a very small number of residents per venue; many of these residents are new to the areas in question.^{[citation needed]}

Liqour licensing laws

Further information: The Tote Hotel

In 2007, new liquor licensing laws were introduced as a measure to alleviate alcohol-related violence in the city. Restrictions were subsequently placed on small music venues, classifying them as high risk and requiring them to have abundant security. These restrictions caused the cessation of live music performance in some venues, forced the closure of the iconic Tote Hotel, and threatened the closure of several other small live music venues such as The Vineyard, St Kilda.

Upon the closure of The Tote Hotel in January 2010, several social networking groups were created in opposition to the closure of the venue, one such group reached 20,000 members, and within 2 days a rally was organised. On 17 January, a crowd of between 2,000 and 5,000 rallied outside the venue, closing traffic to two major roads in Collingwood, an inner city suburb of Melbourne.

The Tote rally sparked moderate public and political debate about the effect these laws were having on small music venues and quickly grew to encompass other venues which host musical performance and lack of government investment and support of live music in general. The rally also forced the State government to open discussions between the state government and local music industry representatives in fear of losing marginal inner city seats at the 2010 Victorian State election, though no action was taken on amending the laws to remove restrictions on small live music venues.

A new body Music Victoria was established and several community groups began organising a much larger rally to encompass the wider spectrum that the issue now covered. Subsequently, the 2010 Melbourne live music rally was held 23 February 2010 with a crowd of 20,000 to 50,000 in attendance.

Simultaneously, on the other side of the city, further social networking groups formed to save their local music venues. The Keep The Vineyard Live body, supported by Australian music giants like Mental As Anything's Greedy Smith, Ian Molly Meldrum, Triple M Radio's star Mieke Buchan and Underbelly actor Damian Walshe-Howling, who together with SLAM, packed the St Kilda Town Hall chamber for an emotional council meeting on the matter. The rally attracted the attention of the state government whom, on 28 June 2010 at the 11th hour, sent an express letter to councillors indicating its support for the continuation of the St Kilda live music venue, and thus swayed the council's decision to retain The Vineyard Bar as a live music venue.^[2]

The fierce public outcry was later hailed as a victory for the people and for live music in St Kilda. Yet, to date, the threatening liquor licensing laws have not been rolled back.

Commercial industry

The Countdown logo, a weekly music television show broadcast from Melbourne Australia-wide by the ABC from 1974-1987

Melbourne's popular, commercial music scene has fostered many internationally renowned artists and musicians. The 1960s gave rise to many performers including Olivia Newton-John, John Farnham, Graeme Bell, and folk group The Seekers. The 1970s and 1980s saw many acts getting their first big breaks on Melbourne's Countdown, including Nick Cave the Little River Band and Crowded House who later wrote a song about the city of Melbourne called Four Seasons In One Day. Successful Melbourne artists include Hunters & Collectors, Nick Cave, Flea (of the Red Hot Chili Peppers), Angus Andrew (of the Liars), Weddings Parties Anything, TISM, Dead Can Dance, Snog, Jet and Something for Kate. Melbourne is also the home of rock "guru" journalist and music commentator Ian "Molly" Meldrum.

More recent notable Melbourne acts include Jet, Rogue Traders, Taxiride, Missy Higgins, Madison Avenue, Anthony Callea, The Living End and The Temper Trap. Melbourne-based television shows Young Talent Time and Neighbours gave many singers a launching pad to international success. Local talents to come from these shows include Kylie Minogue, Dannii Minogue, Tina Arena, Jamie Redfern and Jason Donovan. Another Music TV show that began in Melbourne was Turn It Up!. It was first shown on Melbourne's Channel 31 and then relayed via satellite and rebroadcast terrestrially to major TV networks in over 22 countries. The show had the second largest viewing audience around the world, beaten only by the audience of American Bandstand. In one episode, the show presented Melbourne's annual festival Moomba to a world audience.

Independent scene

Nick Cave, vocalist for several independent Melbourne bands, performing in Belgium in 1986

See also: Australian indie rock

Melbourne has one of the most extensive and successful alternative, DIY, avant-garde, experimental, independent music scenes in the world. A variety of factors including a relative abundance of venues, independent record labels, street press, and strong support from local community radio (such as PBS, 3RRR, 3CR, 3SYN), have enabled the city to enjoy a depth, diversity and longevity of independent music not seen in other Australian cities. Melbourne's independent music industry has been the subject of two documentary films, Sticky Carpet in 2006 and the DIY film Super8 Diaries Project in 2008. Some of the most important and influential alternative artists emerged from Melbourne in the late 1970s and early 1980s, Post-punk band The Birthday Party are one of "the darkest and most challenging post-punk groups to emerge in the early '80s." One act from Melbourne, Dead Can Dance, a Gothic rock duo, mixed Dark Wave with classical music, thus founding the genre Neoclassical Dark Wave.

Many independent artists from Melbourne have become internationally notable and have toured internationally, including: Cut Copy, Architecture in Helsinki, The Drones, Augie March, New Buffalo, The Cat Empire, Muscles, Ned Collette, The Crayon Fields, My Disco, Love of Diagrams, Midnight Juggernauts, Beaches, Gotye, Miami Horror and The Avalanches.

Venues and performance spaces

See also: List of music venues in Melbourne

There are several hundred conventional venues throughout Greater Melbourne that host live music. Generally, live music can be seen Wednesday to Sunday, while some venues host live music every night of the week, others specialise in weekends or off peak nights. There are also a number of large venues, stadiums, theatres, etc, that regularly host large performances, as well as a vast array of unconventional performances spaces and venues, shop fronts and warehouses.

Stadiums, Theatres, Halls

The interior of Hamer Hall, a 2,661 seat concert hall, opened in 1982

• MCG - 100,000
• Docklands Stadium - 50,000
• Sidney Myer Music Bowl - 30,000
• Rod Laver Arena - 15,000
• Victorian Arts Centre (inc Hamer Hall and others)
• Palais Theatre
• Festival Hall
• Forum Theatre
• Thornbury Theatre

Hotels, Bars, Pubs, Venues

The Esplanade Hotel, St Kilda, built in 1878, is Australia's longest continuously running live music venue, serving as host to jazz, disco, punk and other genres throughout the 20th century.

• Esplanade Hotel (The Espy) - St. Kilda
• The Corner - Richmond
• The Tote - Collingwood
• Prince of Wales - St Kilda
• The Vineyard - St Kilda
• Hi Fi Bar - City
• Northcote Social Club - Northcote
• The Arthouse - Melbourne
• The Old Bar - Fitzroy
• Bar Open - Fitzroy
• Wesley Anne - Northcote
• The Empress - Fitzroy North
• Brown Alley - City
• Pony - City
• Evelyn Hotel - Fitzroy

DIY spaces, Warehouses, Shop fronts

• Loophole - Thornbury
• El Joyero - Thornbury
• Irene's Warehouse - Brunswick
• Abbotsford Convent - Abbotsford
• Forepaw
• Catfood Press

Festivals

The Big Day Out music festival, held annually in Melbourne since 1993

Festivals held in the Greater Melbourne area include:

• Melbourne International Fringe Festival
• What is music festival
• Electundra - audio/visual music festival
• Big Day Out
• Laneway Festival
• St Kilda Festival
• Sydney Road Festival
• Melbourne Jazz Festival
• Melbourne Jazz Fringe Festival

Publications and press

Publications, street press and magazines published in the Greater Melbourne area include:

• Beat - street press
• Inpress - street press
• Mess+Noise - magazine
• Fasterlouder - magazine
• 3000 - online

Literature

• Inner City Sound, edited by Clinton Walker - (1976–1981)

Bands, artists, musicians, acts

Main article: List of musical groups in Melbourne

Record labels

Main article: List of record labels in Melbourne

Local community radio

• 3PBS, Progressive Broadcasting Service - progressive arts & music
• 3RRR, Triple R - local independent music
• 3CR - local community, activism & music
• 3KND, Kool N' Deadly - Indigenous Australian radio
• SYN FM, Student Youth Network - student & youth
• 3ZZZ - multicultural community
• 3JOY - gay & lesbian
• 3MBS - classical & jazz

Music Stores/Record Stores

• Thornbury Records
• Missing Link
• Polyester Records
• Collectors Corner
• Metropolis
• Dixons - second hand
• Various small local record stores
• JB Hi Fi
• Various other large music chains

Instrument Manufacturers

Wertheim casting logo

• Cole Clark - guitars, since 200?
• Maton Guitars - guitars, since 1946
• Wertheim Pianos - pianos, from 1908 to 1935
• Various local digeridoo and indigenous instruments makers
• Various percussion manufacturers
• Various local musical instrument manufacturers
• Various luthiers

In Media

Popular Songs

Main article: List of songs about Melbourne

Many musical acts have written music with their origins, suburbs or Melbourne in general as their subject matter. Singer Paul Kelly wrote several well-known songs about aspects of the city close to the heart of many Melburnians, notably "Leaps And Bounds" and "From St Kilda To King's Cross", while bands like Australian Crawl and Skyhooks wrote some more tongue-in-cheek songs about Melbourne; "Balwyn Calling", "Carlton (Lygon Street Limbo)" and "Toorak Cowboy" are examples. The Living End wrote a song entitled "West End Riot" about differences between eastern and western suburbs in Melbourne's inner city.

Film

The Rage logo, all-night 'new music' video program broadcast since 1987

• Pure Shit (1970s)
• Dogs in Space (1986) - portraying 1978
• Sticky Carpet (2006) - documenting the early first decade of the 21st century
• Super8 Diaries Project (2008) - documenting 2004-08
• The Tote Documentary (2010)

Television

• Countdown - live music and music videos, filmed in Melbourne and broadcast Australia-wide 1974-1987.
• Rage - all-night 'new music' video program, broadcast Australian-wide since 1987
• RocKwiz - an SBS music quiz show, filmed in Melbourne and broadcast Australia-wide since 2005
• Spicks and Specks - an ABC music quiz show, filmed in Melbourne and broadcast Australia-wide since 2005

See also

Australia portal

• List of songs about Melbourne
• List of music venues in Melbourne
• Music of Australia
• Culture of Australia
• Culture of Melbourne

References

1. ^ Cashmere, Paul (21 October 2008). "The Espy Turns 130". http://www.undercover.net.au/News-Story.aspx?id=6601. Retrieved 28 October 2008. 
2. ^ Template:Http://www.theage.com.au/victoria/business-as-usual-at-st-kildas-vineyard-20100628-zff8.html

External links

• Australian Music Office - Australian Government organisation aimed at promoting export initiatives for Australian artists and music companies
• Bluescrawler Blues & Blues Music Search Engine
• Live Music Venues Melbourne - A source of all live music venues in Melbourne, Australia