Music

Review

Australian Music Vault hosts ‘fandom’ talk

We joined a panel of guest speakers at the AMV event at Arts Centre Melbourne

Arts Centre Melbourne has been hosting a series of public talks which delve deep into the past, present and future of Australian music. 

Hosted as part of the Australian Music Vault exhibition, the talks address a multitude of topics including gender imbalance in the music industry, Melbourne as a music city and music fans.

We headed down to the ‘Can I have your autograph?’ talk last week, for a lively discussion about the role of fans and fan communities.

Panel facilitator and music writer Jenny Valentish led the discussions, joined by four special guests to discuss all things ‘fandom’.

The panel:

Peter Green: Having spent 38 years working with Split Enz and Crowded House, Peter offered a chance to look behind the magic curtain of the much-adored artists.

Owen Lambourn: Co-founder of the Kylie Krew, Owen brought the fan perspective to the discussion with amazing insight on fan clubs and the family feeling upheld in those communities.

Holly Pereira: Holly is a well-known name in the Victorian music industry, now working as a freelance music journalist for publications such as Beat magazine, The Sydney Morning Herald, The Big Issue and STACK Magazine.

Lynne Trute: Lynne is a hero to music collectors everywhere. Having accumulated one of the largest collections of Nick Cave memorabilia (over 17,000 pieces!) with her husband, the pair have dedicated themselves to all things Nick Cave, from collecting every album to witnessing tours all over the world.

The discussion: 

The hour flew by with too many questions and anecdotes to mention. We discovered how the panelists have each came to love their favourite artists or discovered fandom for the first time. Peter Green and Owen Lambourn both started out as fan club founders after years of admiring the artists, whereas Lynne Trute originally hated Nick Cave before being converted by Cave’s song Tupelo.

Also an assistant event booker at Brunswick bar, Howler, Holly Pereira recalled her first brush with fandom thanks to a growing obsession with a former Australian Idol contestant. It all resulted in her enthusing over 80s and 90s alt rockers like the Manic Street Preachers, which we can totally get behind.

Throughout the event Holly also discussed the devastating feeling fans can experience when an artist issues a political statement they don’t agree with. For many, it can feel worse than when your favourite artist dies, she said.

Speaking of artist deaths, Lynne advised that when someone she admires passes, it should be a celebration of their art. While Owen went on to talk about the importance of fans in a community, expressing that support doesn’t just occur when something bad happens to the artist you love, but fans also support each other through their own hard times in the community.

For the younger audience members, the tactics used by ‘vintage’ fan clubs was particularly captivating. The panel discussed old letters written to musicians, as well as home videos recorded to VHS.

The Australian Music Vault exhibition continues at Arts Centre Melbourne, including more panel events. Find more information at artscentremelbourne.com.au.