Songs of Brisbane
September 4, 2018 8:50 PM Subscribe
Music lover, but don't know much about Australian music? Specifically, Brisbane music? Well, this Guardian "Songs of Brisbane" poll will hook you up with some tunes from South East Queensland's surprisingly diverse, and sometimes even excellent, musical history.
Well THE SAINTS it's THE SAINTS hard THE SAINTS to THE SAINTS choose.
posted by fallingbadgers at 10:42 PM on September 4, 2018 [2 favorites]
posted by fallingbadgers at 10:42 PM on September 4, 2018 [2 favorites]
Current polling: the top six are by three bands. Not hard to guess which three. Correlates with the three bands mentioned so far in this thread. I do not disagree with these choices, particularly the leading song by nearly 200 votes. It's lyrics were almost written to win this comp.
Round and round up and down
Through the streets of your town
Everyday I make my way
Through the streets of your town
Don't the sun look good today?
But the rain on its way
Watch the butcher shine his knives
And this town is full of battered wives.
posted by Thella at 12:01 AM on September 5, 2018 [1 favorite]
Round and round up and down
Through the streets of your town
Everyday I make my way
Through the streets of your town
Don't the sun look good today?
But the rain on its way
Watch the butcher shine his knives
And this town is full of battered wives.
posted by Thella at 12:01 AM on September 5, 2018 [1 favorite]
Whoops. I messed up the link for Cattle and Cane. Try this one if you care.
posted by tim_in_oz at 1:32 AM on September 5, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by tim_in_oz at 1:32 AM on September 5, 2018 [1 favorite]
Not Brisbane-based, but one of my favorite Australian bands is The Detonators --- roots rockers out of Melbourne.
posted by bwvol at 5:36 AM on September 5, 2018
posted by bwvol at 5:36 AM on September 5, 2018
Yeah Custard got my vote. The Gurge got a second, illegal vote.
posted by turbid dahlia at 7:11 AM on September 5, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by turbid dahlia at 7:11 AM on September 5, 2018 [1 favorite]
Thank you for posting this!
I look forward to hearing who the winner will be, and then the (jealous demands for!) similar polls in respect of the other State and Territory Capitals, and thereafter polls in respect of non-Capital towns of regional prominence, and then polls in respect of villages and individual suburbs (with all official football club songs excluded therefrom) and, following all of these, a final poll for best song referencing the least well-know community in Australia. Hmm .... may vote #1 Yass, there. But feel free to change my mind!
posted by the quidnunc kid at 9:52 AM on September 5, 2018 [2 favorites]
I look forward to hearing who the winner will be, and then the (jealous demands for!) similar polls in respect of the other State and Territory Capitals, and thereafter polls in respect of non-Capital towns of regional prominence, and then polls in respect of villages and individual suburbs (with all official football club songs excluded therefrom) and, following all of these, a final poll for best song referencing the least well-know community in Australia. Hmm .... may vote #1 Yass, there. But feel free to change my mind!
posted by the quidnunc kid at 9:52 AM on September 5, 2018 [2 favorites]
Lol Jilder there are like fifty Powderfinger songs in there :-P
posted by turbid dahlia at 7:30 PM on September 5, 2018
posted by turbid dahlia at 7:30 PM on September 5, 2018
What? No early Bee Gees?
posted by Bubbles Devere at 10:32 PM on September 5, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by Bubbles Devere at 10:32 PM on September 5, 2018 [1 favorite]
I'd just like to recommend Andrew Stafford's excellent 'Pig City' on this very subject - from it I learned that I used to go past the house in Petrie Terrace where the Saints wrote "I'm Stranded" almost every day for a year.
posted by MarchHare at 11:55 PM on September 5, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by MarchHare at 11:55 PM on September 5, 2018 [1 favorite]
The contribution from the Sydney push is a song tangentially about Brisbane, not really of Brisbane. Shoudn't be allowed. If standards slip that far, where will it end? TISM?
posted by flabdablet at 7:55 AM on September 6, 2018
posted by flabdablet at 7:55 AM on September 6, 2018
I think you mean TISM!
In a completely different vein, I love this sweet confection by Brisbane artist, Hatchie.
posted by h00py at 6:45 PM on September 6, 2018
In a completely different vein, I love this sweet confection by Brisbane artist, Hatchie.
posted by h00py at 6:45 PM on September 6, 2018
I think you mean TISM!
I know what I meant. You might want to watch the clip I linked all the way to the end :-)
posted by flabdablet at 9:57 PM on September 6, 2018 [1 favorite]
I know what I meant. You might want to watch the clip I linked all the way to the end :-)
posted by flabdablet at 9:57 PM on September 6, 2018 [1 favorite]
The obvious choice is Smoko by The Chats (a shed rock band) ay.
posted by Thella at 11:24 PM on September 6, 2018 [3 favorites]
posted by Thella at 11:24 PM on September 6, 2018 [3 favorites]
all i want
all i need
all i crave is
a good pub feed
posted by flabdablet at 5:52 AM on September 7, 2018
all i need
all i crave is
a good pub feed
posted by flabdablet at 5:52 AM on September 7, 2018
Mea culpa, flabdablet, I shoulda known that you knew what you were doing. Still, any excuse to put up a TISM song, right?
posted by h00py at 7:23 AM on September 7, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by h00py at 7:23 AM on September 7, 2018 [1 favorite]
Still, any excuse to put up a TISM song, right?
Youse my people.
posted by Thella at 1:49 PM on September 7, 2018
Youse my people.
posted by Thella at 1:49 PM on September 7, 2018
... Smoko by The Chats
Until recently I worked in an aged care home and my job as an activity co-ordinator was chiefly to amuse people. Last Australia Day I played that clip for the elderly residents, among other culturally relevant items. They were amused.
posted by valetta at 5:14 AM on September 8, 2018 [4 favorites]
Until recently I worked in an aged care home and my job as an activity co-ordinator was chiefly to amuse people. Last Australia Day I played that clip for the elderly residents, among other culturally relevant items. They were amused.
posted by valetta at 5:14 AM on September 8, 2018 [4 favorites]
Voted for Kong Foo Sing, so quit ya mopin' and crack one open.
But that shortlist would make a great playlist. I might have to sneak in another vote for The Grates or Screamfeeder. I definitely need to get hold of some of these albums too.
posted by harriet vane at 5:36 AM on September 8, 2018
But that shortlist would make a great playlist. I might have to sneak in another vote for The Grates or Screamfeeder. I definitely need to get hold of some of these albums too.
posted by harriet vane at 5:36 AM on September 8, 2018
Youse my people.
We know what we are.
(barges into Brisbane music thread with couch, esky and TV, skulls a VB, thumps turbid dahlia, throws up)
posted by flabdablet at 6:24 AM on September 8, 2018 [2 favorites]
We know what we are.
(barges into Brisbane music thread with couch, esky and TV, skulls a VB, thumps turbid dahlia, throws up)
posted by flabdablet at 6:24 AM on September 8, 2018 [2 favorites]
We know what we are.
Hold on, was there a shift in the time-space continuum? How come I have never seen this video before? How do I get this earworm out of my head "you're a wanker, you're a wanker" while at work today?
posted by Thella at 2:25 PM on September 10, 2018
Hold on, was there a shift in the time-space continuum? How come I have never seen this video before? How do I get this earworm out of my head "you're a wanker, you're a wanker" while at work today?
posted by Thella at 2:25 PM on September 10, 2018
Beer.
posted by flabdablet at 5:03 PM on September 10, 2018
posted by flabdablet at 5:03 PM on September 10, 2018
The drummer from Powderfinger would like you all to know how wrong you all are for not voting for them.
🙄
posted by pompomtom at 5:49 PM on September 13, 2018 [2 favorites]
🙄
posted by pompomtom at 5:49 PM on September 13, 2018 [2 favorites]
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2. Cattle and Cane
3. Know Your Product
... the rest
I'm a long way from Brisneyland, but my ex wife and most of her friends grew up there in the 70s and 80s. Brisbane has come a long way since then, but back in the day is was Australia's equivalent of the deep South of the US. Blatant racism, breathtaking corruption, and a genuine sense of isolation from the rest of the country. In some ways, that it produced the rambunctious energy of The Saints is no surprise, but the more whimsical introspection of the Go Betweens would have been hard to imagine coming out of those foetid summers. The impressionistic Cattle and Cane - all jangly guitars and cryptic drumming - remains one of the most evocative homages to Australia you'll ever hear.
There's a lot of great music on that list, but those 70s and 80s artists really had to fight against a lot of cultural suck to make it onto anyone's radar, let alone a Guardian poll.
posted by tim_in_oz at 9:32 PM on September 4, 2018 [3 favorites]