Presented by Sydney Festival & Modular
From 1979 to 1985, parish halls, abandoned warehouses and run down apartments rumbled and screeched with new sounds during one of the most creative periods in Australia’s music history.
Avant garde, post-punk, new wave and early electronic styles of music cultivated a thriving underground scene, heard on Sydney-based labels M Squared and Volition. It was a period when ‘little bands’, such as Pel Mel, SPK, Voigt/465 and Laughing Clowns were more concerned with artistic expression and experimentation than commercial success.
Circa 1979: Signal to Noise is a celebration of this unique and influential period.
Signal to Noise Sessions
A day of free talks exploring early experimentation in music, film and video and the cultural influences surrounding one of the most creative periods in Australia’s music history.
Key panelists including Tom Ellard (Severed Heads), Andrew Penhallow (Volition Records), Stephen Mallinder (Cabaret Voltaire) and Roger Grierson (Thought Criminals) share their works, insights and experiences from the underground of Australian music.
Session 1: World Domination - The Australian Post Punk Movement
Everest Theatre, Seymour Centre
January 16 at 12pm, 1 hour including Q&A
FREE
Australia’s Post Punk movement sought to 'steal' music back from the experts and promote artistic expression with little concern for mainstream success. It was an era of tribalism, collaboration and experimentation challenging the foundation of the Australian music industry. This first Signal to Noise Session will compare the Post Punk era to today’s creative community and question why the music received international praise while it was relatively overlooked at home.
Moderator: Thomas Jeppe
Presenter: Julian Knowles
Panelists: Michael Tee, Jaimie Leonarder, Andrew Penhallow, Clinton Walker
Session 2: Postmodern vs. Modern debate on Remixing and Recycling
Everest Theatre, Seymour Centre
January 16 at 1.30pm, 1 hour including Q&A
FREE
For the past two decades we have been consumed by the culture of remixing, sampling and recycling but what do we have to show for it? Does remixing offer an avenue for artists to explore new ideas or has it desensitized our appreciation for originality? This Signal to Noise session will challenge the ideals of musicians, film makers and academics involved in the Post-Punk era and try to answer the question: what would Roland Barthes do?
Moderator: Thomas Jeppe
Presenter: Tom Ellard
Panelists: Stephen Mallinder, Julian Knowles, Phil Turnbull, Ross Harley
Session 3: Experimental Film & Video
Everest Theatre, Seymour Centre
January 16 at 3pm, 1 hour 30 mins including Q&A
FREE
Although music was the headliner the Post Punk era also saw a surge in experimental film & video. The final Signal to Noise session will feature presentations of rare and previously unseen footage showcasing the groundbreaking ideas and DIY methodology that has come all to close to being forgotten.
Host: Jaimie Leonarder
Presenters: Jaimie Leonarder, Ross Hartley, Stephen Jones
Signal to Noise at the Sound Lounge
Sound Lounge, Seymour Centre
January 16,17 and 23,24 2pm-10pm, January 19-22 5pm-10pm
FREE
An exhibition of fanzines, photography and album artwork will revive and recreate the Sydney underground music scene of 1979-1985. Coupled with unreleased music and a previously unseen video archive, this exhibition is the first of its kind.
Also appearing as part of Circa 1979: Signal to Noise are John Cale (Concert) John Cale (Keynote) and Severed Heads at Beck's Festival Bar
To download a free program for the exhibition, click here.
Check out Modular's Circa 1979: Signal to Noise mini-site here.
To view the Inner West 2010 Minisite, click here.
Photographer: Peter Nelson (Band: Voigt/465. Location: Construction site of the Western Distributor at Darling Harbour)
