Brisbane Rocks!

Brisbane's music scene is hot. And the reason? Government intervention, of course!

This article is full of dissonant strains. When I visited the place, it seemed that local government initiatives removing building height restrictions in the Fortitude Valley neighborhood might have the inadvertent effect of killing off the music scene there (because apartment dwellers hate noise at night).

Be that as it may, the city seems quite vibrant!:

MUSIC capital of Australia? Once maligned as a hick country town, Brisbane is now challenging Melbourne for the title of Australian rock's centre.

US industry bible Billboard magazine has crowned Brisbane one of its five international music hot spots spawning exciting new sounds for this year, alongside Beijing, Birmingham, Berlin and Marseille.

... This assessment is bolstered by Brisbane's long legacy of hugely successful acts.

There's been the singing Gibb brothers the Bee Gees in the 60s and infectious pop duo Savage Garden in the 90s, who have globally sold more than 180 million and 40 million records, respectively.

Brisbane's more recent successes have included rockers Powderfinger, solo sensation Pete Murray and pop princesses The Veronicas - who clinched a $2 million record deal with US label Sire Records.

Billboard name drops singer-songwriters Andrew Morris, Kate Miller-Heidke and Kate Bradley as upcoming artists to watch this year, alongside continuing success for Butterfingers and The Butterfly Effect.

... The magazine also credits Brisbane's booming live music scene, based around the city's pulsating Fortitude Valley nightclub precinct, as a key factor behind the wave of talent.

... But perhaps the foundations for this distinctive music culture were truly laid under former premier Sir Joh Bjelke-Petersen's divisive two-decade reign.

Queensland Democrats Senator Andrew Bartlett says some of the city's best music products evolved amid a "political sub culture" developed in the 1970s-80s.

"We don't have that really heavy intimidation from the police that you used to have, and the music scene was a lot smaller and insular," says Senator Bartlett - a major music fan who grew up gigging around Brisbane and helping out long-running community radio station 4ZZZ.

"As far as continuity, impact and attitude goes, you can't go past the Go-Betweens (nor) Ed Kuepper (of the Saints) as an individual performer."

Senator Bartlett says since the 1980s Brisbane has "opened up" musically, resulting in a diverse spectrum of different acts flourishing.

... Other Brisbands include Custard, Spiderbait, Regurgitator, George and Powderfinger, which has gone on to be the biggest band nationally of the new millennium.

"We're no longer just walking out of pubs with bad hearing and smoke in our hair - Brisbane's a dynamic place with a lot of variety," Senator Bartlett says.

He says Brisbane's melting pot of music has emerged because the city, basically, isn't one big music snob.