“Okay, let’s set the record straight. No matter how many bands speak or sing about Adelaide being boring, it ain’t strictly true.”
West Thebarton Brothel Party are the new heroes of southern garage rock. In fact, because of bands like them and Bad//Dreems, that should officially become a new genre. Southern Garage Rock, meaning blistering garage rock with a distinct Aussie drawl, metallic punk bass and fuzz-twang guitars. If you haven’t heard of them yet, you’re missing out. Check out their new video for Red and White to get the drift and thank us later.
It seems that Adelaide provides the prefect environment for the creation of ball-kicking, teeth-clenching, hair-ripping rock ‘n’ roll, and we want to get to the bottom of why that is. Boredom seems to be the answer, and it’s a theme that seems to spurt from Adeliade bands like these. But we wanto to know more, so we asked WTBP what they do to break the monotony of Adelaide living. What gives them inspiration. And to be honest, Adelaide sounds pretty bliss to us.
Footy, The Black Champagne and rock music – breaking the boredom of Adelaide living with West Thebarton Brothel Party.
A word from the band:
“I like to think it just makes a good underdog story if the scene is set amongst the abandoned factories of Bowden or catching trains on the Port Adelaide/Grange line. It definitely sets a good scene to portray messages of love, hate, protest and/or anxiety. Be that as it may, here’s a cutla past times that have shaped my oh-so-fond love for the capital of the driest state on the driest continent on Earth.”
1. Grab a pint or three at the Exeter Hotel – Rundle St
Not only is it my favorite pub in Adelaide, it’s the closest pub to my workplace. Coincidence? I’ll let you make up your mind about that one.
The band’s affinity for The Exeter also runs deep. We played our very first show here and we’ve played our favourite gigs out in the beer garden. If I have my way, one day, we’ll host the band’s wake here. Along with this, everyone knows the bartenders are the friendliest in Australia, and probably have the best mullets too.
(Photo Courtesy of Stephen Mitchell)
2. Go down to Alberton Oval to watch the Port Adelaide Magpies play
Local footy, heard of it? Collingwood may have been able to stop Port Adelaide from wearing the prison bars in the AFL, but come down to an SANFL home game and you’ll see the most enjoyable four quarters of tough-as-nails football. Now ‘enjoyable’ doesn’t strictly mean ‘the best’. We’ve had our highs, we’ve had our lows and can they get pretty shit, but at least you’ll be 2 metres away from the action when there is a bit of biff in the Bowls Club pocket. Going to games here even turned my girlfriend into a believer.
Worst case scenario – Port lose, but at least you can pick up a homemade vegan pasty for only $2 (to go with the 37 premierships) while stocks last. Bargain.
(Photo Courtesy of PAFC)
3. Drinking Coopers Best Extra Stout
I haven’t seen the brother to the Pale and Sparkling ales anywhere outside of Adelaide yet, but I don’t really know if I want to. Let me put it this way, Coopers Stout is the older, cooler brother that introduced you to Tame Impala in ’08, but couldn’t give a shit these days because he’s into collecting Untzz records.
‘The Black Champagne’, as we call it, is not for everyone. Yet, the pleasure I get from seeing the ‘$5 Coopers Stout’ special at every decent pub in town during winter definitely makes me enjoy the cold a little more.
4. Tell campfire stories about a mate, who’s got a mate, who knows someone kind of famous.
I don’t know about the East Coast, but we don’t really have too many ‘famous’ people that come from Adelaide. That’s why it’s fucking exciting when someone tells you a yarn about one. A story about my mate’s mum’s best mate going out with Paul Kelly in high school comes to mind. Just writing that makes me wonder why I like the story so much, but I do.
Every now and then someone has a story about seeing one of the Hilltop Hoods at a servo or some dickhead from Nova at the Nike store. I’ll hear that story from the first nine people I grab a beer with and see a ‘witty’ Facebook status about it.
Maybe it’s not so much the content of these stories but moreso, it brings out the little school children in Adelaideans everywhere. Who knows, maybe Bad//Dreems will make it and I’ll be able to point out the coffee shop where I grab coffees with Camo.
5. Go out and actually embrace how good the live music scene in Adelaide is.
Sometimes Adelaide seems to become the forgotten relative of the Australian music scene. I think there must be some ‘in-joke’ of an Australian map with the chunk of South Australia cut out. Just like Tassie has been dealt so many times.
I mean, let’s get past the whole ‘Australian Tour – but only playing Brisbane/Sydney/Melbourne’ thing and actually sit back to think of how many fucking good bands come out of this arid state. Can’t? Let me help – The Hard Aches, Bad//Dreems, Sincerely Grizzly, Grenadiers, Hydromedusa, Wireheads, St. Morris Sinners, Hummingbird. That’s just who you might of heard of. The list really fucking goes right on.
I think I’d go insane if I couldn’t look forward to enjoying our music scene, be that at the Exeter, the Metro, Ancient World, Jive, wherever really. I think that this is truly one of the things that makes me see through the outer monotony of living in the Great Southern State.
Maybe it’s part of me making the best of a bad situation, or maybe we just like to romanticise the loneliness of Adelaide’s portside town. Whatever it is, there are plenty, and I mean plenty, of pastimes to keep me an excitable Adelaidean.
Love,
Ray
You can catch WTBP at the following dates left on their tour:
Sydney, NSW – Saturday May 14 – Botany View Hotel
Adelaide, SA – Saturday May 21 – A Day of Clarity Festival
