Geelong Is Still a Hotbed for Loud and Raw Underground Rock

Geelong, for those who haven't had the pleasure of experiencing it first hand, is a port city about one hour outside Melbourne. Victoria's second largest city, known for a once robust auto industry and parochial football base, has a long history of being a pillar in Australian pub rock, birthing the likes of GOD, Magic Dirt and Bored! and housing once legendary venues such as the National 'Nash' Hotel.

Like many cities of similar size, Geelong is constantly in a state of cultural identity crisis. Too big to have tight-knit, small town values, yet too small to sustain any long-lasting or varied cultural scene, the music and art of Geelong has always lurked slightly below the surface. The lack of anything to do means that, for those of a certain predisposition, there is nothing much getting in the way of making art (or loud rock) all day.

It is out of this small but healthy scene of musicians, artists and weirdos that some of the greatest Australian music of the last decade has emerged. A big part of this can be attributed to Anti Fade Records, the bedroom label which has spawned game changing records from the likes of Ausmuteants, Hierophants, Living Eyes and Orb.

Now into it's third year, Jerkfest has become an annual showcase of some of the best bands from Geelong, Melbourne and further afar. Organised by Anti Fade's Billy Gardener, the fest has become an important date on the Australian rock calendar and on March 25 a bunch of bands including Nun, Terrible Truths, Drug Sweat and Tim & The Boys will head down the M1 to join up with a stack of killer Geelong acts.

To celebrate Jerkfest here's a look at the current state of the Geelong rock'n'roll underground.

Fronted by Anti Fade big daddy Billy Gardner and featuring members that would go on to form half of the other bands in Geelong, The Living Eyes are about as close to a Geelong City House Band as you're likely to find. These guys have been spitting their hook-laden garage rock for ages now and hold a place right in the nucleus of the contemporary underground. Their latest LP "Living Large", a split release between Geelong's Anti Fade Records and Agitated Records out of the UK, is their finest moment yet, hitting that sweet spot between being poppy enough to keep the tracks stuck in your head and filthy enough to keep it sounding too formulaic. They're an altogether more wild beast on stage, taking the songs and pushing them right up snug against their breaking point. In their own words, we can expect "some power chords, some drum fills and maybe if we're lucky Mitch might crack some jokes."

When taking a breather from his usual spot fronting Sabbath worshippers Orb and as a member of "Official Best Band in Australia" Hierophants, Traffic Island Sound is the solo(ish) alias of Zak Olsen. From what we can tell, Traffic Island seems to be a pretty malleable project; sometimes it's just Zak and a guitar, sometimes he's got a Moog, and sometimes he's even got some buddies to back him up. Traffic Island Sound has released two cassettes through the essential Moontownlabel; his latest, Maximal Electronics, was one of the best things to come out of last year. Much of the tape feels like an aural sketchpad, a collection of melodies and palpably playful experiments that bring to mind early electronic records and library albums of the 60s and 70s (an influence Zak himself has given a nod in the release's liner notes). Zak says that we "can expect a set of electrified older songs that I haven't played live yet with a very young and handsome rhythm section. Just some simple little ditties." If you're anything like me, that sounds like something to look forward to.

With members from both Geelong and coastal town Ocean Grove, Baked Beans lean hard into the garage surf and do it pretty damn well. Primarily the output of Murlocks drummer Matt Blach, the band also features members of fellow Jerkfest performers Gonzo. Riding high after an enthusiastic response from last year's Gizzfest at the Coburg Velodrome, word on the street is that we'll see a release from these guys some time in 2017. In the words of the band; "it is what it is, but expect a few new arrangements and toe tappers as the beans bring you some fresh sauces. We are stoked to be amongst a bunch of awesome other local friends and bands."

The brothers Gardner team up alongside some of Geelong's most loveable for frantic punk rock'n'roll. A testament to the incestuous tendencies of the small but beautiful Geelong underground scene, Cereal Killer features members of Orb, Hierophants, Wet Blankets, Vertigo and the aforementioned Living Eyes. Frontman Zane Gardner (also of Wet Blankets and Vertigo), is solely on vocal duty, finally freeing him up to expel some of that teenage energy. Comparable to the Midwest American squawk of Lumpy & The Dumpers, Cereal Killer play hardcore that's light on the core. Zane was once introduced to me as a "punk who hates punks", which gives you a pretty good primer for what to expect. The band have told us to expect "not much" from their Jerkfest performance, but I've been to plenty of Cereal Killer shows and I can tell you – you're in for a treat.

Gonzo are one of those bands that get better every single time I see them. Starting life as a sweet little garage outfit they keep getting a little bit weirder, taking sidesteps in their evolution instead of the obvious ones. They've been recording heaps with Billy Gardner and seem to be amassing a collection of recordings that will be well work checking out once they find their way out into the wild. As a live outfit, they've told me "you can expect four clean strong boys, and a full body workout that you won't believe."

Vintage Crop list UV Race and Eddy Current Suppression Ring as two major influences on their sound. Those are two bloody good points of reference, so I was pleased to hear them pulling off the sound very well, all the while putting that Geelong spin on it. They've been recording lately and word on the street is that the new songs rule. I haven't had a chance to check them out live yet, but the band tell me we can expect "songs from our new album played faster than they should be, a few awkward jokes, and to find us hanging round the bar all afternoon." Sounds like a plan.

Jerkfest III - Barwon Club, March 25

NUN
TERRIBLE TRUTHS
DRUG SWEAT
CONTSTANT MONGREL
TIM AND THE BOYS
LIVING EYES
SCHOOL DAMAGE
TRAFFIC ISLAND SOUND
ELA STILES
CEREAL KILLER
BAKED BEANS
GONZO
PARSNIP
DUMB PUNTS
CREPES
DAG
ENVIRONMENTS
RHYSICS
VINTAGE CROP
DJ MIKEY YOUNG

Tickets available from Oztix.

Sam Eckhardt is a Melbourne writer. Follow him @sjeckhardt

Lead image: Jake Ollett