abc.net.au/news/brisbane-music-scene-go-betweens-powderfinger/102142708Always the underdog and sometimes suppressed, Brisbane's music scene continues to "prove the bastards wrong" with a crop of new talent and a thriving live circuit.
Back in the 70s and 80s the city's punk gigs were infiltrated by undercover officers in safari suits, and bands like The Go-Betweens and The Saints had to go south to get big.The long reign of Joh Bjelke-Petersen's National Party put alternative music and punk rock under threat. Community radio station 4ZZZ and independent record stores like Rocking Horse Records helped keep the scene going.
In 1991, the musical minds of John Collins, Darren Middleton, Ian Haug, John Coghill and Bernard Fanning formed Powderfinger. "I love sharing this rehearsal space with our friends and their bands, like VOIID, Melaleuca, Dog God and Hope D," Bridget Brandolini, the lead guitarist and vocalist, said.Just as in decades past, the Brisbane scene is almost incestuously interconnected.Jane, on guitar, can be seen fronting Melaleuca. Brandolini's old house mate, Kate, is the lead singer of VOIID. And bassist, Mikki Hain, is the singer-guitarist in Perve Endings.