Australian hardcore

Australian hardcore punk bands tend to have local fan bases, although a number have toured Australia and internationally. Recorded material by these bands is often hard to find, as many focus on the live shows (which are the mainstay of the scene). Prominent bands from the scene that have been recognised by the mainstream have included Toe to Toe, Massappeal and Mindsnare, while many relative newcomers (such as Ill Brigade, Anxiety Attack, Miles Away, Break Even and 50 Lions to name a few examples) have enjoyed some commercial success due to the recent popularity of the genre. Many of these bands are currently very popular and are bringing some mainstream attention to the label "hardcore", Australian hardcore is played on the national Triple J network in the short.fast.loud program^[1] and on a number of local stations.

Early history (1980s)

Massappeal of Sydney were one of the first hardcore acts to perform in Sydney playing their first gig in 1985^[2] and releasing an 12" album (Nobody Likes A Thinker) in 1986.^[3] As well as the Hard-Ons at the same time. Another early band in the hardcore punk scene was Adelaide's Where's the Pope?, which formed around 1985 and released their first LP, Straight Edge Holocaust, in 1987.^[4] Also forming in the 1980s was the Perth band Rupture.^[5] But the real home, from the early 1980s, of Punk Rock in Australia was Melbourne. The Seaview Ballroom, The Duke of Edinborough and The Prince of Wales were the places where legends were made, with a scene that grew and grew. Some of the legends were: Depression, Gash, Arm The Insane, Death Sentence, The Rejected, Death Mission, World War XXIV, Psychotic Maniacs, Vicious Circle, End Result, Ribcage Wrestlers, Permanent Damage, C.H.A.O.S, Progression Cult, Sick Things, Perdition, Positive Hatred, Suicide Squad, Box of Fish, Feedtime, Examplehead, Toys Went Beserk, Crucified Truth, I Spit On Your Gravy, Public Execution, Lethal Overdose and Civil Dissident. All of these bands had vinyl releases in the 1980s.^[6] But there were also lots of bands that went straight to CD or were never recorded. Bands like S.I.C, Festers Fanatics, Public Nuisance, Bastard Squad, Forcefed, Damage Case, S.T.E (Scum of the Earth) The Dorks, Rotten Tomatoes, Murder Murder Suicide and The Cosmic Psychos.

Culture

Ideology

Winston McCall of Parkway Drive commented in an interview about straight edge and veganism:

Veganism and straightedge beliefs are becoming more prominent in the hardcore scene, and in Adelaide in particular, according to McCall. "I'd say Adelaide has probably got the biggest straightedge/vegan scene in Australia. In Byron there's about five straightedge kids and I think maybe two kids that are vegan and that's about it," McCall laughs. "I'm vegetarian myself and there's a couple of us that are straightedge, but we just wanna have fun and play music. We do believe in trying to make a difference in some way, but as a whole we don't really champion any beliefs. We're just a hardcore band!"^[7]

Radio shows

The ABC Triple J network has a weekly program, short.fast.loud, which showcases some punk and hardcore music released both locally and elsewhere. The show focuses on a ranges of music, from radio-friendly acts such as Go It Alone, Stolen Youth and Miles Away, to smaller more obscure act such as Hospital The Musical, Bad Day Down, Robotosaurus, This City Sunrise and R.A.D.

Australian record labels releasing hardcore

• Common Bond Records
• Resist Records
• Missing Link Records
• International Trash Records
• Disconnect Records (Tasmania)
• Trial & Error Records
• Building Records (Defunct)
• Australiapunk
• Washedup Records
• New Justice Records
• El Shaddai Records
• Dead Souls Records (Melbourne)
• Midnight Funeral Music(Melbourne)
• Aniseed Records (Melbourne/Perth)
• Tenspeed Music (Adelaide)
• Shock Entertainment
• MONOLITH (Brisbane)

See also

• Punk rock in Australia
• List of hardcore punk bands
• Category:Australian metalcore musical groups

References