Melbourne/Naarm’s bustling music scene is celebrated with spaces dedicated to mobilising crowds.
Music profoundly brings people together. Listeners form bonds as they witness it live, being overcome with emotion.
Typically, the record label doesn’t facilitate such; the industry’s heavy hitters often manufacture the next big thing. However, DIY music’s selfless power inspires independent labels to tap into that ethos of forming community.
These are a few Melbourne imprints doing that: Not just releasing music, but building relationships with creatives through unmissable live events.
Stay up to date with what’s happening in and around Melbourne here.
Sore Horse
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With a sound inspired by ‘90s slacker rock like Duster, Modest Mouse and Built to Spill, Sore Horse embodies DIY music. Founded in 2021 by Ben Luke, a member of local indie rock band Garage Sale, it emerged in response to COVID lockdowns closing arts spaces.
“I was desperate to connect creatively with like-minded people and to rebuild community,” Ben says. “It was a necessity for me, and I thought a wider group of people would share that feeling.”
Ben’s always championed passionate guitar music. “The ‘90s influence comes from everyone’s shared love of lo-fi bands and songwriters from that era, and a common distaste for the corporate music industry,” he explains.
Sore Horse’s goal is to alleviate the pressure of global looming hatred and oppression, cultivating a space where people from all walks of life are appreciated through music.
Last year, Sore Horse began its annual festival exhibiting this notion at the Tote, selling it out with headline performances from Mouseatouille, Twine and freezer. Exceeding expectations, it was a dream come true.
“There was an atmosphere that was genuinely caring and safe, which I think everyone was really proud of,” Ben reflects.
The festival is returning later this year with more DIY talent. In the meantime, Garage Sale are opening for the legendary Perth slowcore band Bluetile Lounge at Brunswick Ballroom on 2 April, their first live performance in over 20 years. This is history not to be missed.
Absorb
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Established by Kavil Patel in 2020, Absorb focuses on experimental, boundary-pushing music and how electronic and acoustic sounds intersect. It’s notable for its ABSORBED festival, which took that overlap to its fullest potential.
“The label’s first event took place during the pre-COVID halcyon days at Crazy Arms, a now-closed DIY venue in Fitzroy,” Kavil recalls. “I was invited to organise an event by their booker, Sasha Logan.”
Sasha is one of Miscellania’s founders, Melbourne’s primo venue for transformative artistry. Kavil describes the spot as ABSORBED’s “spiritual home,” their team encouraging the label’s “risk-taking and expansion.”
“We’re platforming what is around us and capturing our attention,” Kavil explains. “That’s in conversation with a wider network of experimental music in Australia that the label and venue belong to.”
The range of festival performances seems boundless. A Georgian polyphonic choir, self-playing acoustic installations, contemporary dance performers, plus appearances by Boredoms’ Yamatanka Eye and turntablist DJ Marcelle, are some previous offerings barely scratching the surface.
“ABSORBED has always been as much about being together in a space as it has about the music, and experiencing it collectively, without distractions,” Kavil says.
The label’s fifth and final festival was its most immersive and playful, with over 100 artists spanning generations and international borders, including james K, Lucas Abela and Noise In My Head.
Moving forward, Absorb will continue as a label and platform, and potentially return in another festival form one day.
Dinosaur City
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Home to cult alternative local artists like Wet Kiss, Solo Career and e4444e, Jordanne Chant’s Dinosaur City label champions music outside the mainstream. Started with friends in 2016, Jordanne first stepped in as their “in-house designer” and now steers the ship solo.
The camaraderie is what makes this musical endeavour worth it. “It’s far more meaningful and rewarding to invest my time and energy into relationships with sincere, interesting artists who excite me and share similar values and goals,” Jordanne says.
Providing ongoing support to the roster, the artists themselves also give each other a leg-up as they land bigger gigs.
“There are many overlapping friendships, collaborations, and shared projects,” Jordanne offers. “For example, last year Wet Kiss played Golden Plains with Punko on backing vocals, then curated a Dark Mofo house party alongside bodies of divine infinite and eternal spirit and Tongue Dissolver, a band made up of members from both acts.”
She adds: “There’s a strong sense the artists genuinely invest in each other’s work, which makes the label feel more like a community than just a roster.”
Indeed, catching any of the Dinosaur City crew live is more like joining in a gathering of friends.
Garage Sale of Sore Horse are opening for Bluetile Lounge at Brunswick Ballroom on 2 April. Tickets here. For more on Melbourne’s underground record labels, head here.
