Every town’s music scene needs people like Nicole Raine. People who live at the local punk house, go to gigs, work the door, take photos, dance, and offer a friendly and supportive smile to bands, bookers and punters.Luckily for Adelaide, Nicole calls Grid City home and in the city’s tight knit punk, indie rock and experimental scene she is a constant presence. Raine has just put together Grid City Itch, a compilation tape featuring 12 tracks from her current favourite Adelaide acts that mix up the art punk of Young Professionals, the gino genius of Men With Chips, the synth sweat of Meat Market and the dark punk of Rule of Thirds (pictured).The tape is a celebration of her town, her routine and her obsession that includes friends and their bands. Most of the material is non-released/preview tracks from forthcoming releases.The tape launch is this Friday along with a photography exhibition and a gig featuring Young Professionals, Laiika, Meat Market, LHOOQ and Men With Chips.Noisey: What does Grid City Itch mean?
Nicole Raine: It refers to that feeling that most young Adelaideans feel about this town at some point. That need and want to get the fuck out. So many creative hearts leave each year and very few ever return, but I just want everyone to know that we make ‘em good here. This tape is as much a love song to the city as it is a documentation of who I believe to be some of the best underground bands and acts of Adelaide in 2014.There seems to be a resurgence in Adelaide in 2014. Venues are supporting shows and new bands are springing up.
Support from venues such as the Metro and Ancient World have helped make local music great in Adelaide this year. They definitely embrace the more experimental and eccentric. However I think it’s the enthusiastic and really bloody talented kids that are new to the scene that have made 2014 something special. Adelaide’s music scene is very collaborative and transient in nature. This is why new bands are forming but it’s also likely the same reason so much of it is short-lived. It's often the case with Adelaide that this city’s best bands will only ever play a few shows and rarely have an official release. This year I decided that it was something I wanted to do, to document the scene that means so much to me. The tape veers more to the punk and experimental. Is this big in Adelaide right now?
There are a lot more bands doing this type of music at the moment. It’s the sort of music I love and so it’s really exciting for me that I can go out each weekend and see locals perform it live. There are a few really dedicated people in Adelaide who organise special events which give opportunities to the punk, Goth and experimental. The Square Cult events at Animal House have been some of the best shows of the year with nearly every band on the tape playing at least once. And Freya Adele (Botox, Kash Konverters) manages through her monthly electronic/experimental nights to discover the most bizarre and beautiful acts this town has to offer.
Ha! That is a funny thought. They are one of the few bands on the compilation more than a year old. They are definitely my favourite Adelaide band and undeniably one of the best in the country when it comes to their genre but they did exist in isolation in this city for a long time. Now there are a lot more acts that fit nicely in a bill along side them, acts such as Meat Market, Botox and Young Professionals, all who have tracks on the comp.
They’ve only been playing since June but are improving with every show. I just asked Darcy from the band, who I live with, how he’d describe their live show and he said,”Long set up times and technical difficulties”. I obviously don’t think I notice these things because all I know is that when they are good they are really great and no matter what, you will find me at the front dancing every time.
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Nicole Raine: It refers to that feeling that most young Adelaideans feel about this town at some point. That need and want to get the fuck out. So many creative hearts leave each year and very few ever return, but I just want everyone to know that we make ‘em good here. This tape is as much a love song to the city as it is a documentation of who I believe to be some of the best underground bands and acts of Adelaide in 2014.There seems to be a resurgence in Adelaide in 2014. Venues are supporting shows and new bands are springing up.
Support from venues such as the Metro and Ancient World have helped make local music great in Adelaide this year. They definitely embrace the more experimental and eccentric. However I think it’s the enthusiastic and really bloody talented kids that are new to the scene that have made 2014 something special. Adelaide’s music scene is very collaborative and transient in nature. This is why new bands are forming but it’s also likely the same reason so much of it is short-lived. It's often the case with Adelaide that this city’s best bands will only ever play a few shows and rarely have an official release. This year I decided that it was something I wanted to do, to document the scene that means so much to me. The tape veers more to the punk and experimental. Is this big in Adelaide right now?
There are a lot more bands doing this type of music at the moment. It’s the sort of music I love and so it’s really exciting for me that I can go out each weekend and see locals perform it live. There are a few really dedicated people in Adelaide who organise special events which give opportunities to the punk, Goth and experimental. The Square Cult events at Animal House have been some of the best shows of the year with nearly every band on the tape playing at least once. And Freya Adele (Botox, Kash Konverters) manages through her monthly electronic/experimental nights to discover the most bizarre and beautiful acts this town has to offer.
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It feels funny to say that Rule of Thirds are one of the more established bands on the tape.
Ha! That is a funny thought. They are one of the few bands on the compilation more than a year old. They are definitely my favourite Adelaide band and undeniably one of the best in the country when it comes to their genre but they did exist in isolation in this city for a long time. Now there are a lot more acts that fit nicely in a bill along side them, acts such as Meat Market, Botox and Young Professionals, all who have tracks on the comp.
I’ve heard good things about Young Professionals. What are they like live?
They’ve only been playing since June but are improving with every show. I just asked Darcy from the band, who I live with, how he’d describe their live show and he said,”Long set up times and technical difficulties”. I obviously don’t think I notice these things because all I know is that when they are good they are really great and no matter what, you will find me at the front dancing every time.
"Grid City Itch" launches this Friday in Adelaide at Hello, Yes. More info here.