Australian

hardcore punk Hardcore punk (also known as simply hardcore) is a punk rock music genre and subculture that originated in the late 1970s. It is generally faster, harder, and more aggressive than other forms of punk rock. Its roots can be traced to earlier punk ...

bands tend to have local fan bases, although a number have toured

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

and internationally. Prominent bands from the scene that have been recognised by the mainstream have included Toe to Toe,

Massappeal Massappeal were an Australian hardcore punk band founded in early 1985 by mainstays, Brett Curotta (guitar), and Randy Reimann (vocals). Massapeal released four studio albums, ''Nobody Likes a Thinker'' (1986), ''Jazz'' (1989), ''The Mechanic'' ...

and Mindsnare, while many relative newcomers (such as Ill Brigade, Miles Away,

Break Even Break-even (or break even), often abbreviated as B/E in finance, (sometimes called point of equilibrium) is the point of balance making neither a profit nor a loss. Any number below the break-even point constitutes a loss while any number above it ...

50 Lions 50 Lions are an Australian hardcore punk, hardcore band from Byron Bay, New South Wales. The band is named after a video poker machine of the same name. History In 2005, they released their self-titled 7-inch EP, which sold out within 3 months ...

, Relentless and Iron Mind 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 Triple J (stylised in all lowercase) is a government-funded, national Australian Radio in Australia, radio station intended to appeal to listeners of alternative music, which began broadcasting in January 1975. The station also places a greate ...

network in the short.fast.loud program and on a number of local stations.

Early history (Late (1970s - Early 1980s)

Brisbane Brisbane ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the states and territories of Australia, Australian state of Queensland, and the list of cities in Australia by population, third-most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a populati ...

was at the forefront of the hardcore punk scene in the late 70s with bands emerging such as Young Identities, Public Execution, Razar, Mystery Of Sixes and The Leftovers.

Sydney Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...

had a strong following of hardcore punk bands in the early 1980s such as Vigil Anti,

Hard-Ons The Hard-Ons are an Australian punk rock band, which formed in 1982 in Punchbowl, New South Wales. Its founding members were Keish de Silva on lead vocals and drums, Peter "Blackie" Black on guitar and backing vocals, and Ray Ahn on bass guit ...

and Johnny Dole & The Scabs. Depression and

Vicious Circle A vicious circle (or cycle) is a complex chain of events that reinforces itself through a feedback loop, with detrimental results. It is a system with no tendency toward equilibrium (social, economic, ecological, etc.), at least in the short r ...

from

Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...

were two of the most popular hardcore bands in

, which formed in 1982 and 1983, respectively. Depression released 3 LP’s, 3 singles & 1 EP before disbanding in 1989. Where's the Pope? from

Adelaide Adelaide ( ) is the capital city of South Australia, the state's largest city and the fifth-most populous city in Australia. "Adelaide" may refer to either Greater Adelaide (including the Adelaide Hills) or the Adelaide city centre. The dem ...

was another popular hardcore band forming in 1985 and releasing their first LP “Straight Edge Holocaust” in 1987.

was also home to early hardcore punk band The Skunks who formed in 1979 and released their first EP in 1982.

Rupture Rupture may refer to: General * Rupture (engineering), a failure of tough ductile materials loaded in tension Anatomy and medicine * Abdominal hernia, formerly referred to as "a rupture" * Achilles tendon rupture * Rupture of membranes, a "wate ...

from

Perth Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia. It is the fourth most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a population of 2.1 million (80% of the state) living in Greater Perth in 2020. Perth is ...

was another popular band forming in the mid 1980s.

Canberra Canberra ( ) is the capital city of Australia. Founded following the federation of the colonies of Australia as the seat of government for the new nation, it is Australia's largest inland city and the eighth-largest city overall. The ci ...

was home to The Vacant Lot a band who formed in 1978 and played quite a few gigs around the nations capital until they disbanded in August of 1980. The Vacant Lot released one EP in 1980.

Culture

Ideology

Winston McCall of

Parkway Drive Parkway Drive is an Australian metalcore band from Byron Bay, New South Wales, formed in 2003. As of 2018, Parkway Drive have released six studio albums, one EP, two DVDs, a split album and one book, titled ''Ten Years of Parkway Drive''. The b ...

commented in an interview about

straight edge Straight edge (sometimes abbreviated sXe or signified by XXX or X) is a subculture of hardcore punk whose adherents refrain from using alcohol, tobacco, and other recreational drugs, in reaction to the excesses of punk subculture. For some, thi ...

and

veganism Veganism is the practice of abstaining from the use of animal product—particularly in diet—and an associated philosophy that rejects the commodity status of animals. An individual who follows the diet or philosophy is known as a vegan. ...

: :Veganism and straight edge 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 straight edge/vegan scene in Australia. In Byron there's about five straight edge 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 straight edge, 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!"Winston McCall of Parkway Drive interviewed by Maddi West of db magazine interview

Radio shows

The

ABC ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script known as the alphabet. ABC or abc may also refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Broadcasting * American Broadcasting Company, a commercial U.S. TV broadcaster ** Disney–ABC Television ...

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 range 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.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Australian Hardcore Hardcore punk Australian fringe and underground culture

Hardcore Hardcore, hard core or hard-core may refer to: Arts and media Film * ''Hardcore'' (1977 film), a British comedy film * ''Hardcore'' (1979 film), an American crime drama film starring George C Scott * ''Hardcore'' (2001 film), a British documen ...

Early history (Late (1970s - Early 1980s)

Culture

Ideology

Radio shows

See also

References