Another Typical Day in this Typical Town: place as inspiration for music creation and creative expression

ABSTRACT

Geographically isolated within its own State as well as from the rest of the country, and with the highest percentage of metropolitan primacy of all Australian States, Perth is a city somewhat uncomfortable with its creative and cultural identity. The city is physically peripheral to networks in the arts and creative industries that operate at the national level. And, symbolically, many in Perth’s cultural sector feel a sense of isolation. Yet, in certain cultural sectors, such as music, Perth demonstrably punches above its weight, consistently generating high-quality cultural exports. This paper unpicks this curious juxtaposition. It examines the influence of Perth—as a geographical location and a site of creative inspiration—on the music created and disseminated by local contemporary musicians who write and perform their own indie pop/rock music. I discuss the nuanced relationship between creative clustering and place, drawing on theories regarding the relationship between music and place, the notion of the music scenes and creativity and creative practices. I explore how living in Perth, a geographically isolated city, with a highly concentrated population and associated music sector, influences creative expressions, desires and inspirations, for a select group of local indie pop/rock musicians who achieved national and international notoriety with their music in the late 1990s and 2000s. Navigating isolation but nevertheless energised by strong social connections and scene participation, Perth musicians catalysed creativity in ways that contribute to evolving debates on the links between place, creativity and music.

KEYWORDS:

• Perth
• music and place
• creativity
• creative practice
• isolation
• peripheral