Unplugged in St Kilda

In the last episode of this season, Neil Wedd, booking agent for the Prince of Wales Hotel in the 90s, has given us a wonderful summary of how the music scene in St Kilda took off, and how it changed over time. From politics to poker machines to musical trends, Neil outlines what external factors influenced this rockin’ suburb.

When Genevieve McGuckin moved here from Brisbane as a young woman, she quickly immersed herself in St Kilda's musical and creative culture. Meeting lifelong friends to collaborate with, she started the post-punk band These Immortal Souls, along with her musical and life partner, Rowland S Howard and has also contributed to many other bands and artists' work. Now a long-term resident, Genevieve hasn't stopped doing what we all love doing here - looking up at St Kilda's buildings and wondering about their stories. It was lovely to have Gen in the studio to share her St Kilda moments with us!

Phill Calvert, drummer from The Boys Next Door/The Birthday Party was the special guest for our interactive Q&A session, held at the St Kilda Army & Navy Club. The audience asked Phill questions about what it was like to live in St Kilda as a young musician. Quoted as being the best drummer in Melbourne, it was fantastic to hear first-hand from one of the pioneers of the Australian post-punk scene.

Paulie Stewart OAM visited the studio and had a heart-to-heart with us about one of his favourite things - St Kilda. Having grown up here, Paulie has a true appreciation of all things related to the area, especially music. Along with sharing lots of stories from his many (continuing) years as lead singer-songwriter of the Painters & Dockers band, Paulie also reflected on having such deep family connections to the suburb and how the special place it holds in his heart led him to win the Essence of St Kilda essay prize.

Matt Doll Thomas from The Mavis's had a chat with us about what drew him to St Kilda once he had moved from Ballarat and called Melbourne home - from the 24-hour party vibe through to the opportunity to meet other creatives and write with them. Matt also reflected on playing at the beautiful Palais Theatre when The Mavis’s toured with Kylie Minogue.

We had a great interview with musical couple Dave Graney and Clare Moore. They’ve been playing in bands together since 1978 and they moved to St Kilda shortly after they met, and loved how everything they needed was close by, such as places to rehearse and play. We hear about the buildings they lived in and how they connected with other St Kilda musicians when they lived in London later on.

With a musical career that spans 40 years and six ARIA awards, Tex Perkins is an Australian icon. Apart from the fantastic stories he shares about The Beasts of Bourbon, The Cruel Sea and various other music projects he has been a part of, he speaks about his love of Melbourne culture and history, and the important role he played in saving one of St Kilda’s most historic buildings.

Local musician Alan West brings a new genre to the Unplugged series. Giving us an overview of the long-term history of jazz in the area, Al also talks about his role in running the jazz venue, The Life Cafe, at the St Kilda Bowling Club during the 1990s. Having lived in St Kilda for many years, Al tells us how it has changed over time and why he is here to stay.

Nick Barker grew up visiting his grandparents in St Kilda and fate brought him to live here as a young adult. He tells us about a life-changing experience he had while seeing The Cure at The Palais in St Kilda as a 16-year-old. Known as one of the area's musical icons, Nick played in numerous bands throughout the 1980s including the Wreckery. He formed his own in 1988 – Nick Barker and the Reptiles, and followed this up with a solo career in the late 1990s. He's still making great music today.