Violent Soho Credits Triple J For Aussie Alt-Rock Revival

Violent Soho frontman Luke Boerdam says Australia is in the midst of an alt-rock revival, and it’s all thanks to youth broadcaster triple J.

Mansfield’s finest have shot to success on the back of constant support from the station, who’ve also been plugging fellow punk/stoner/garage types like The Bennies, The Smith Street Band, DZ Deathrays and Dune Rats of late.

But it wasn’t always the way. Boerdam admits there was a time when he thought that guitar-driven music had been left for dead in favour of all things electro.

“I honestly thought that there was a time where people thought this whole genre was really going to die out and we’ll all just be listening to electronic music,” he told Mixdown in a recent interview.

But, thankfully, the j’s decided alt-rock was cool again and started adding bands like Soho to rotation, nek minnit the lads are playing every bloody festival in the country and selling the crap out of venues on tour.

“Triple J really opened up the playing field for alternative bands,” he said.

“…I think basically with whoever’s been involved in the past year, bands like DZ [Deathrays], [The] Smith Street [Band] or us are on a whole new level. Venues are starting to fill up and it’s kind of proving that there’s something here.”

He added: “And it’s not just these bands; there is a fuckload of them. Even on the hardcore side of things like Parkway Drive, they’re basically selling-out venues that are so much larger than some of the artists that get played way more just because it might have a radio-friendly sound. It doesn’t really seem right.”

“For a station to really neglect a genre when they’re pulling people into venues, I don’t think that’s right.”

However, critics would counter this by arguing that the j’s do regularly neglect certain genres that are “pulling people into venues”.

Cherry Bar owner James Young, for instance, penned a passionate opinion piece last year lambasting triple j’s lack of support for the new generation of young Melbourne rock’n’roll bands who regularly pack out venues like his.

According to the Cherry man, bands like MASSIVEDead City Ruins or Bellusira – who are, in many cases, doing huge things overseas – have no avenue for national exposure in their own country because triple j simply won’t play their style of music.

“As a local act, to get on major music festivals or score an international support or to be able to tour interstate and have people turn up; you must be played on Triple J. Without Triple J support most bands will struggle to survive. And this is exactly why it is imperative that Triple J supports ALL types of LOCAL talent,” he said at the time.

It’s important to note that nobody’s denying the fact that triple j does a bang-up job in furthering the careers and successes of the talented local artists that it chooses to promote.

But what about the equally talented local artists that it doesn’t choose to promote? In genres like heavy melodic rock (see: These Four Walls) , pop-punk (see: With Confidence) grunge (see: The Dead Love) pop-rock (see: Little Sea), metal (see: Rick Dangerous & The Silkie Bantams) and more?

Will we see revivals in these genres any time soon? Or will many of the incredible local bands making music in these less on-trend styles decide to pack it in or else fuck off overseas before that happens, due to lack of support in their own country?

Might Violent Soho have done the same, had triple j not decided to back the aforementioned alt-rock revolution?

Let the great playlist debate rage on.

Watch: Violent Soho – Like Soda

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