November is Ausmusic Month, and with Ausmusic T-shirt Day – Thursday 28th – just around the corner, Support Act is raising money for this country’s abundant creative talent and giving back to the precarious sector with our help. ABC have announced a packed programme of television and radio events in support of the cause and Brisbane entertainment service Nightlife is working to get more Aussie music played in public spaces. So are we!
In these times of celebration, it seems that the most recognised artists are those of the pop and rock variety. Of course, these styles of music are more accessible than others and widely represented across decades, which explains their prevalence in modern mediums. But what about the bold minorities that are breaking new ground, like our notable exports in the folk, hip hop and metal spaces?
The local heavy scene is undeniably alive and well, consistently delivering some of the best that the world has to offer. Whether by dropping award-winning bangers, bringing the biggest names to our shores, or with relentless international touring, Australia is leading the charge for the next generation of metalheads. So, how did we get to such a pivotal point in our musical landscape where many consider these homegrown heroes their own?
Every movement starts with an idea and a passionate, supportive community to drive it. This is what the scene was built on some 20 years ago and why it is still going strong today. Byron Bay legends Parkway Drive are trailblazers of Australian hardcore. They recently completed a monumental seven-date national tour across five cities with US giants I Prevail and The Ghost Inside, as well as Melbourne favourites Void of Vision. The scale of the production was nothing short of incredible and cemented them as one of the country’s best live acts.
Just two weeks after bringing their huge homerun to a close, they announced a whopping 25-date European tour with none other than our very own Thy Art is Murder and The Amity Affliction. We’re talking about a humble bunch of reckless surfers who started out playing packed shows in cramped regional youth centres before going on to headline the esteemed Wacken Open Air in 2019 – not to mention Good Things in 2019, Knight and Day in 2021, and supporting Slipknot at the inaugural Knotfest Australia in 2023.
Let that sink in for a second…
Gympie post-hardcore globetrotters The Amity Affliction formed around the same time and remain one of the country’s most loved heavy acts. They have released eight studio albums, three EPs, and performed at iconic festivals including Reading and Leeds, Wacken, Download, Vans Warped Tour, and Rock am Ring. As well as landing countless supports for huge names and selling out most of their own national tours, Amity have also been nominated for six ARIA awards, two APRA awards, and won five QMA awards.
And they’re not the only ones who have reached the masses. Sydney metalcore outfit Northlane won the prestigious ARIA award for Best Hard Rock or Heavy Metal Album for three consecutive records with Node (2015), Mesmer (2017), and Alien (2019). Even Perth deathcore underdogs Make Them Suffer have seen newfound success after supporting the legendary Bring Me the Horizon on their sold-out Australia tour last April and releasing their self-titled masterwork last Friday with a lineup change.
We’ve also had the early signs of a promising industry change with Byron Bay environmentalists In Hearts Wake producing the completely carbon-offset album Kaliyuga in 2020. They are the first known band to become a Carbon Neutral Organisation, planting trees with fans, printing merch on 100% organic cotton and recycled materials, and manufacturing media without plastic packaging. A documentary about the passionate but arduous process, Green is the New Black (2022), had a successful indie cinema run and will hopefully serve as a guidebook for others.
The great thing about genre artists who manage to stay relevant long enough for younger fans to discover them is that they appreciate and learn from those who came before them. These legacy bands have evolved over the years and in some cases drifted from their brutal roots, but each have nurtured the next generation of talent who follow in their footsteps. It’s exciting to see their emerging successors getting opportunities of a lifetime early in their careers because they are endorsed by their influences.
It’s safe to say that Sydney metalcore giants Polaris are carrying the torch for this generation, having each album nominated for ARIA awards and embarking on impressive national and international tours far and wide. The band has played 70 shows this year and is already booked in for six festivals in 2025, including Knotfest Australia and Rock am Ring. When guitarist Ryan Siew sadly passed away amidst a European tour in 2023, it made news worldwide and the entire scene mourned the loss of such incredible talent.
But perhaps the best representative right now is Alpha Wolf, who catapulted from little old Tasmania to foreign mainstages. Going on to collaborate with Ice-T and be nominated for a Grammy this year, the band even launched their own heavy music festival CVLTFEST in 2022. Frontman Lochie Keogh became a voice for bands everywhere after fiercely defending musicians’ rights by calling out live venues for taking merch cuts in 2022. He found himself in the news again recently after an altercation with a security guard for not catching a crowdsurfing fan at a show in San Francisco. You do NOT want to fail them or their fans.
If Polaris were welcome to join the party, Alpha Wolf kicked the door down. This gave way to innovative bands like alt-rockers Thornhill, metalcore sweethearts Bloom, and hardcore juggernauts Speed. Since forming in 2019, Speed have gone from strength to strength and their debut album Only One Mode is nominated for Best Group, Best Hard Rock or Heavy Metal Album, and Best Video at this year’s ARIA awards. It’s undeniable that these are some of the hardest working bands in the country – and it shows.
But it’s not just the artists who are making waves. Local labels UNFD, Resist Records and Greyscale Records are currently home to many of these bands, as well as Japanese favourites Crossfaith (UNFD), American hardcore icons Terror (Resist), and Welsh rockers Casey (Greyscale). Destroy All Lines have become one of Australia’s largest independent promoters, hosting events for the likes of Deftones, The Offspring, All Time Low, A Day to Remember, and Trivium, as well as Good Things festival and Knotfest Australia. Not to mention the online alternative music publication Wall of Sound, which permeated the physical market by launching its own sold-out magazine last year.
After a year of anniversary tours and award nominations, it’s clear that Australia is bringing some of the best and most unique creative forces to the worldwide heavy scene. The Parkways and Amitys crawled so that the Blooms and Speeds could run. Ausmusic Month is a reminder to be thankful for this amazing community and, as we all learned from the pandemic, not to take it for granted.
Donate to a participant or team through the Ausmusic T-shirt Day website, or donate directly to Support Act if you want to contribute. You can also show your support by copping some official merch, going to a live show, or buying physical media from your local record store.
Not made of money? That’s okay! Just look for the Australian Played logo when selecting songs in the free jukebox app crowdDJ around town and your picks will be paid for the play. So, jump on the bandwagon and share your photos reppin’ your favourite Aussie artists using the tags #ausmusicmonth and #ausmusictshirtday. Blegh!
This piece was created as part of The Music Writer’s Lab 2024 Commissioning Fund.
Headline Photo: Parkway Drive at Knotfest 2023 – Pic by Pete Dovgan
