Pinch Points don’t care if they’re cool, they just want to make music
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15.11.2019

Pinch Points don’t care if they’re cool, they just want to make music

Words by Fergus Neal

Off the back of their stellar Moving Parts LP, Pinch Points have quickly become one of Melbourne’s hottest bands and join the ranks of those who’ve taken part in Young Henrys’ Best Served Loud series.

Young Henrys continue to kick goals with its Best Served Loud series allowing up-and-coming bands to grow in front of larger audiences. Melbourne’s live music scene is vibrant and continues to be supported, ensuring that the next generation of bands have spaces to develop.

Pinch Points’ Jordan Oakley knows the feeling of starting as a fresh band and looking for gigs and now hopes to be a leader in growing Melbourne’s diverse music community.

“There were heaps of opportunities starting,” Oakley says. “We’d been in the scene for basically the whole decade. We met people slowly and by the time we had Pinch Points going we all had slightly different connections in the community. Before we knew it we were getting asked to play too many gigs and we had to wind it down.

“We played on average one gig a week in 2018 and we’ve almost hit that again this year. There are a lot of opportunities – little slots for new bands. It’s a nourishing community that can help when you’re starting and looking for those opportunities.”

Pinch Points have used those early opportunities to catapult themselves into a place they never envisioned this early in their trajectory. Part of that success can be attributed to the entire band being committed to the music first and foremost – alongside the support they received from early listeners. 

“From day one the entire band was into it. We had a few rehearsals, we got some opportunities to play on the mainstage of The Tote and we just sort of kept going from there.

“We posted a few little practice videos online and people seemed to enjoy it. Ever since then we’ve been going for it, running full-steam ahead and I think that’s mainly because of the reception we got early on. It made us realise that this is something that people like.

“None of us had ever reached that point before in a band where it got really exciting. Even getting forms of small international recognition, whether it was being featured on Bandcamp, or releasing the first tape on a French label. We said, ‘This is amazing, if we’re already achieving some of these things which we never even dreamt of in our first six months – if we keep chipping away – what else will come?’”

Pinch Points will play the mainstage at Whole Lotta Love as part of the Best Served Loud series. The young band seems destined for future success but maintain the importance of staying true to their ethos and continuing to give back to the community that lent them a ladder to climb starting out. 

“We enjoy the band existing as a political statement of, ‘Hey, here is this post-punk band that is nervy and fast, the guitars are clean, the lyrics are relatable’. There’s no reverb, we’re a somewhat gender-diverse band, booking lineups that we care about and are diverse – that’s what drives us forward.

“We’ve been following what we think is right and put in a lot of energy and time to making quality music and booking gigs that we’re proud of. The whole idea was to follow it for as long as we could until it didn’t seem right.

“It’s always been quite intuitive. We’re a band that’s always playing gigs, we don’t have a veneer of coolness. Which I think helps.”

Pinch Points will play Whole Lotta Love on Friday November 22 as part of Young Henrys’ Best Served Loud series. It’s all free, find out more via Young Henrys’ Facebook page.