Sleepy township: Perth indie rock in the 1990s

Abstract

Indie rock came of age in the 1990s, transitioning from its status as an industrial classification, a set of stylistic markers and a form of sub-cultural identification to a recognisable branding tool for major labels and mass media. In Perth, Western Australia, this process was framed through specific geographical and socio-cultural circumstances including the city's isolation and the existence of a strong middle class, which gave rise to a regionalized articulation of specific identity politics. Utilizing interviews with artists, promoters, managers and industry personnel who occupied key roles in the Perth music industry in the 1990s, this article discusses the various factors that contributed to the popularity of indie rock in Perth throughout the decade and explains the prominent role that the city played in articulating and influencing Australia's national music culture during this time.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.

Notes

^1. Whilst debates around Perth's cultural status have been many and varied, the most notorious was the cover of the West Australian from 16 November 2000, which boldly labelled the city ‘Dullsville’

^2. Triple J's support of Australian music is arguably in part facilitated by its requirement to adhere to the Broadcasting Services Act, which requires broadcasters to air particular quotas of Australian-produced content and music.

Additional information

Funding

Funding for the research for this article came from the ARC Discovery grant for ‘A Cultural History of West Australian Popular Music, 1945-2011’ [DP120102678] with Jon Stratton as chief investigator.

Notes on contributors

Adam Trainer

Adam Trainer is a writer and researcher from Perth, Western Australia. He obtained his PhD in communication studies from Murdoch University, and has taught film studies, popular music studies and cultural studies at Murdoch University, Edith Cowan University and Curtin University. He has worked in community broadcasting and the music industry, and has contributed research to a Curtin University project investigating the history of popular music in Western Australia, as well as contributing to the development of a Western Australian new music archive at the State Library of Western Australia.