The Perth music scene has a special place in the hearts of the residents who actively involve themselves in the music community, especially for those who love the heavier brand of music known as metal. Rock & metal has always been a staple of the sandgropers entertainment diet over the years and many of them look for ways to improve and support the scene in order for it to remain viable. In recent years the old issue of Perth being skipped on major international tours has reared it’s ugly head once again, an issue that has been a hot topic of discussion among rock and metal fans for many years now. Some back and forth has creeped in among punters, promoters and all involved in the music industry on some level and so the questions remains, what can we do about it? What are the real issues?
Many tour promoters and booking agents are seemingly throwing in the towel due to frustrations with poor ticket sales and less than enticing financial costs that the more viable east coast carries the burden on while others are desperately trying to make it work while fans in Perth are pondering other issues such as promotions and marketing, and the quality and types of bands that factor in whether it’s worth their time and money on. We decided to talk to two people heavily involved in the music business and who just happen to be based in Perth – Dysie and Cabba, names that are familiar to many locals in the metal scene by way of their work in folk metal band Claim The Throne and Dysie’s involvement with Soundworks Touring, one of the many tour companies in Australia who bring over big name metal acts. Their most recent venture comes in the form of a monthly metal club called Hornography, an idea that in part hopes to spark some renewed excitement in the local metal scene again and in turn filter onto keeping Perth on the international touring circuit. We find out more on that plus hopefully show some insight into the inner workings of touring bands in Australia.
How did the idea for Hornography come about and what sparked the idea to do it?
Dysie – It’s something I had been thinking about doing for a couple of years. Melbourne & Sydney both have great metal clubs that I have been in contact with on my work with Soundworks Touring. We do some cross promotions with them, ticket giveaways etc. Both are run well & have been doing awesome things for each local scene. So wanted create something in Perth along the same lines.
Cabba – Have always enjoyed putting on unique events for our own bands (cruises, quizzes etc) and those sorts of things pull good crowds with fun vibes. We’ve got so many ideas for themed gigs so this will be an outlet to turn the ideas into reality.
The first event in August sold out, were you surprised by the strong response? What expectations did you have in mind going into it?
Dysie – I wasn’t surprised so much by the initial response. I think Perth has been needing something like this for a long time & I was confident we’d get 200+ through the door. I was surprised by the final number though, nearly 300! That did blow me away, but of course I was chuffed with the final outcome!
Cabba – I had a good feeling we were on to a winner, so was a massive relief to see it go so well and stoked about the enthusiasm and support from the local punters!
There has been much debate over the Perth music scene and how inconsistent ticket sales can be for both local and international gigs, what do you think needs to change in order for the scene to grow or remain viable on the national tour circuit?
Dysie – This club we called HORNOGRAPHY! Personally I thought the local scene had been getting a little stale over the past couple of years, so I wanted to inject something new & with a different set up to a normal gig. Try & encourage new people to come along, hang out, make new buddies & provide a cheap night out with cheap entry, cheap beer specials & loads of giveaways. Give people great value for their money. So far, so good. I have seen a lot of new faces at the first 2 events & the vibe has been huge! So we hope this continues & newcomers to local shows will continue to come and support them.
Cabba – I feel like the Perth scene has always been pretty great but maybe just lacks a few things and it’s not always easy for people to find the time & money to support all the shows they’d like to. Hopefully a specific night like this will help bring the scene together, where everyone can come to hang out and have a good time, meet other metalheads, and have consistently good turnouts for local metal acts.
As someone who runs tours and who performs in a band, from your perspective what is the biggest misconception about the touring side of promotions that music fans may not be aware of? Do you think if people knew about that it would change the way people look at events and tours that are being put on?
Dysie – The amount of works that goes into putting these on & the amount of money it takes to do it. A lot of people don’t understand this is our job & yes, we need to make money. Sorry we can’t bring a band to your door step, but it is a business, not a charity. Make some sacrifices, jump on a plane & quit your self entitled bitching.
Cabba – People seem to think the bands and promoters are making big money without knowing just how much work and expenses goes into making events happen. The local metal gig goers are becoming more knowledgable these days about the realities of things, so it’s great to see people making an effort to get out to a gig and still be able to buy a bit of merch or spread the word about their fav local acts.
How has the Perth metal scene in particular changed over the years? Has there ever been a “golden age” where even local shows would do extremely well and why do you think that has dropped off over the years?
Dysie – I have been going to local shows for 27 years now, fuck, maybe I am getting old. Haha. The ‘golden’ years for me were the early nineties when a band called Allegiance were king. They could constantly pull 600 payers to a show & they played almost monthly. Other local shows with bands like Infected, Downer, SFD, Rawkus etc could also quite easily pull 200+. In the late 90’s these bands disappeared & so did a lot of fans. There are a lot of reasons I think, people get older & life responsibilities take over, things have become a lot more expensive, there is now the internet, games, so many options for people to entertain themselves with. But also, the Perth scene has always still been quite strong & steady since 2000 onwards & I think is still healthy nowadays.
Cabba – I was born roughly 300 years after Dysie, but my idea of a ‘golden age’ in Perth was when I was a teenager. There were tons of all ages gigs, always healthy turnouts, mixed lineups of different genres, no streaming so everyone bought CDs, the whole vibe was just really cool and is what inspired me to start a band and put on gigs. I guess the main thing that changed would be regulations for venues making it harder and more expensive to put on killer gigs. It can be bloody expensive for people to have a drunken night out at a gig these days, and might be less appealing because stuff is so freely available online to keep entertained from home.
How does Perth differ to the east coast as far as fan participation, ticket sales, attendances etc? And even on the promotional side, do music fans in Perth receive their information and news differently from other cities?
Dysie – To be honest I don’t think there is any real difference. Although the Perth scene as a whole is probably a more well knit community than some of the other cities. Fans & bands are all very supportive of each other & there really isn’t any genre elitism here which can happen in other places.
Cabba – From my experience it’s pretty similar nation wide. Something cool in Perth is the local promoters all working together to prevent gig clashes by communicating in private FB groups.
We have seen a few events being tried as a regular event in Perth over the years, The Castle in Northbridge and Extreme Aggression at the Rocket Room are examples that have come and gone. How will Hornography differ and can it become a long running event?
I certainly hope it is here to stay. Even though it is a regular night, we want each event to be different & keep people interested. We have a lot of fun ideas & we want the local metal community to be involved in any capacity. We are open to ideas too. Giveaways, competitions, DJ’s, MC’s, guest, bands, birthday parties, exhibitions, whatever! We don’t want any event just to be your run of the mill gig. We are trying to create a night out, where you can hang with your metal buddies, listen to great & popular music, have a cheap beer & a laugh. Giving it a more of a party vibe.
Cabba – It’s on a Saturday night, it’s centrally located, it’s come at the right time, it stays open late, good balance of bands and chill time, cheap entry, cheap drinks… as long as the fun times keep rolling we’ll keep making the shows happen.
There are many factors that come into play for Perth shows to be successful, based on the ones that have worked including the first Hornography event, what is the biggest factor in getting people to come to shows?
Dysie – Creating a reason for people to come out & giving them value for money. A theme, a gimmick, a launch of something, a spectacle of some sort. Not just 3 or 4 bands playing for the sake of it.
Cabba – Listen to what the punters want and make it happen for them. People will pick and choose which gigs they will go to, so give them a reason to choose yours by doing things like Dysie mentioned above.
Was Hornography modelled after other events elsewhere and if so, have they been successful as well?
Dysie – I wouldn’t say it was modelled on anything. Myself & Cabba are full of sick ideas! But I was certainly inspired by Raganarok in Melbourne & Aftershock in Sydney. They both have been going for at least a couple of years & created a ‘club’ type vibe & offering a metal night out with a difference.
Cabba – We’ve seen lots of great local gigs around the world, and we’ve seen lots of massive flops too. Have tried to pluck out all the good stuff and put it all together in one place.
What does Perth offer that other places do not? Does the city need to change their music habits or is it simply a case of trying to cater to this audience?
Dysie – More expensive beers, haha. This is why we worked with the venue to get drink specials & make it a cheaper night out for everyone. Like I said before, you need to give people a reason to get off their butts & come out. People want to be entertained & get bang for their buck & that’s exactly what we want to provide.
Cabba – Perth has a friendly metal community where you can go to a gig knowing no one and then walk out with a bunch of new mates. There’s a huge variety of bands and plenty of positive energy.
What is the long term future for Hornography?
Dysie – A regular monthly metal club night with a difference that will continue to attract 200+ payers each time & introduce new people to the local scene with a regular place to hangout with like minded people & see some great local metal bands. But also give a place for regulars to get their metal on, meet up & have a great time. A full club is a happy club!
Cabba – Leading by example to put on great local metal events and testing out crazy ideas to see what works to get more people supporting local metal bands. We want the entire Perth music scene to be a better place because of this.
Catch the next Hornography event this Halloween October 27th at The Boston from 8pm. $6 entry, cheap drinks and featuring All This Filth, Depravity and Tempest Rising plus giveaways, Psycroptic listening party and more!
HORNOGRAPHY & HOWL’O’SCREAM PRESENTS…
PERTH’S MONTHLY METAL MEET UP AND METAL CLUB NIGHT HALLOWEEN SPECIAL
SATURDAY 27TH OCTOBER – 8PM TIL 2AM
THE BOSTON, 205 JAMES ST NORTHBRIDGE
6 GIVEAWAYS / 6 HOURS OF METAL / 6 BUCK BEERS
$10 ENTRY
WWW.FACEBOOK.COM/HORNOGRAPHYMETALCLUB
WWW.HORNOGRAPHY-PERTH.COM
