A Guide to the Scene

The Brisbane underground music scene is a loose community of bands and fans who stage all-ages, DIY gigs—usually centred on alternative rock. Its roots stretch back to the 1970s, when The Saints, one of the first punk bands, were pushed out of conventional venues by both conservative bookers and the authoritarian Bjelke-Petersen government. Forced to rent community halls and play house shows, they created an all-ages, DIY culture that still defines Brisbane’s underground.

Fast-forward to the late 2010s and you’ll find Kaleb Collings reviving the original spirit of the 1970s scene by founding Casualty Records in 2019. His work inspired George Roberts (Project Punk) and Ixara Dorizac (Antidismal) to launch their own gigs. All three of these record labels have ceased organising all ages gigs, though the spirit started by Kaleb still persists through Braxton Hunt-Nissen’s Deadtrigger Records, established in 2022, and Worldrot, a long-running hardcore punk promoter. Ask around and you’ll hear many definitions of what the scene is depending on what it means to a specific person, but most people would agree that the scene is the crowd that got inspired by Kaleb’s work and therefore the 70s scene, with some overlap with the hardcore scene through its members and similar all ages, DIY methodology.

Are you under 18? The majority of attendees and organisers are teens playing for or watching other teens, and once you’re past 18 it would simply be weird for you to attend a gig in the underground scene. To quote Arran McKenzie, the frontman of Piss Off, a very big band in the scene: ‘we play for the all-ages, for the ones who can’t get into proper venues’. If you’re in high school, you’re exactly the audience the scene is meant for.

Start by following Deadtrigger Records and Worldrot on social media. Their shows are friendly to newcomers and offer a sampler of the bands and genres you’ll encounter in the scene. Once you form connections, you’ll naturally find out about house gigs, record store sets, or community hall gigs held by individual bands or groups of bands. Deadtrigger Records’ gigs remain the most accessible and drama-free as they are held with proper security and management and have good amenities. The staff are also very friendly speaking from experience and will gladly help you if anything comes up.

Absolutely—Paddington Skatepark. With many community halls banning gigs due to the illegal and delinquent behaviour of a small group of attendees, Paddington Skatepark remains the only ‘OG’ gig venue, with a history stretching all the way back to the 1990s. It has always been a place for energetic metal/hardcore-focused shows. Every single gig I’ve attended there has been phenomenal. Gigs held at Paddo always epitomise the spirit of the scene through its large crowds, hardcore-approved moshpits, and strong community spirit.

Findaway, PIMP, Heatstroke, BRAX, Piss Off, Shock Value, and Phantasm Street. These seasoned acts deliver tight sets with songs that have history and deep personal meaning behind them. They treat their fans like friends and whenever you find them on a bill, you can place a bet that you’re going to have a good time.

Gigs revolve around tight-knit cliques, and breaking straight into one is difficult. A better strategy is being active in the crowd by letting yourself get lost in the music and contributing back in some way, whether that’s through taking photos and posting them, writing a magazine, or starting a band. Just because you have people talking to you doesn’t mean you can trust them though; there are a bunch of things you should keep in mind when socialising with people in the scene which I will go over later. Playing the social game in the scene is like international diplomacy; sides switch quickly and you should always watch your back as your allies can quickly become adversaries. You should never share any personal details about yourself to people you’ve just met. Keep the conversation to things about music and gigs, and when you have determined that they are at gigs for the music, act with a desire to genuinely connect and have similar interests and are of a similar age, build that connection gradually through chats and hangouts.

Three crowd styles dominate. The pushpit is exactly what it sounds like: people shove shoulders and backs—never faces or private areas—while staying making sure to lift anyone who falls and respecting those who want out. Variations include the circle pit, where everyone runs laps until a breakdown collapses the formation, and the wall of death, in which two halves of the crowd charge at each other at the drop. The hardcore-dance pit is an open pocket where dancers throw moves like the two-step or windmill; it stays relaxed at ‘alternative’ shows but is very chaotic at hardcore gigs. Mellow sets by less energetic or well-known bands usually produce a gentle sway zone, which is little more than rocking back and forth.

4ZZZ is a good radio station that specialises in airing non-mainstream music, though they aren’t specifically dedicated to the underground scene. They hold sporadic all ages gigs, usually in their carpark. Rockinghorse Records is a good record shop where you can buy records and buy local magazines including my magazine to enrich your knowledge about the scene and support a local business. The Brisbane Music Spew, much like my magazine, is also another magazine specialising in the Brisbane underground music scene and was what inspired me to start this magazine. You should definitely check my magazine out at @breakbonemagazine on Instagram or by going into Rockinghorse Records though. I put a lot of effort into what I do and a lot of people say I’m among the few people in the scene who understand the spirit and history of it and are carrying it forward to new people.

Not really. The scene becomes easy to navigate with this basic knowledge. Keep your expectations where they should be. The scene won’t magically fix your life, however, it can give you a sense of purpose and community, which is really rare yet important in our modern world. The scene accepts people rejected by society or on the fringes of society and thus as long as you aren’t a delinquent, have this knowledge in mind, and interact with people with an intent to genuinely connect, and don’t have any ulterior motive or hate, you should be fine. Unfortunately, you aren’t going to just find good friends or a community on the first go and you have to just attend as many gigs as possible, stay active in the crowd, and possibly find a way to contribute back to the scene to build a name for yourself.