Pig City: From The Saints to Savage Garden

by Andrew Stafford

From cult heroes the Saints and the Go-Betweens to national icons Powderfinger and international stars Savage Garden, Brisbane has produced more than its share of great bands. But behind the music lay a ghost city of malice and corruption.Pressed under the thumb of the Bjelke-Petersen government and its toughest enforcers - the police - Brisbane's musicians, radio announcers and political activists braved ignorance, harassment and often violence to be heard."Pig City" maps the shifts in musical, political and cultural consciousness that have shaped the city's history and identity. This is Brisbane's story - the story of how a city finally grew up.

Genres: Music, Nonfiction, History, Australia, Biography

392 pages, Paperback

First published October 1, 2004

About the author

Andrew Stafford is a freelance journalist and the author of Pig City (UQP, 2004; third edition 2014), a book about Brisbane, and Something To Believe In (UQP, 2019), a music memoir.

Reviews

[zed · Rating 5 out of 5]

Being there helps to enjoy books like this. A top read for those that like a good local music read.

Update: Ed Kuepper previously of The Saints and noted Brisbane musician released a compilation album called This is The Magic Mile in 2005. The sign on the album cover had been there, as far as I can recall, from at least the middle of the 1970's. Ed used this iconic pic for the album cover.



Sadly the building burnt down just after Christmas and with it the sign! Even a local politician understood the significance of the signs loss via comment on social media.



Pig Cities loss!!

[Jodi Cleghorn · Rating 4 out of 5]

History may repeat itself, but music can always be relied upon to reinvent itself in entirely new and wonderful ways.

Stafford easily blends politics, history, music and culture in a compelling and totally readable narrative of a city, it's corrupt politicians, talented musicians and social justice advocates.

[Andrew McMillen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I first read 'Pig City' seven or eight years ago, before a career in journalism had revealed itself as a path of interest. In hindsight, perhaps reading this book was one of the beacons that pointed me in that direction, as Andrew Stafford's command of language and storytelling abilities are both enviable and inspiring. His task here is an ambitious one: to chart three decades of Brisbane's musical and cultural history in the context of its political machinations. Stylistically, it's written as a narrative with occasional passages of oral history, where Stafford blocks out key quotes from artists and individuals. This is an intelligent editorial decision and it helps to drive the reader's interest and engagement: rather than relying on the narrator's reconstruction of events, we're instead shown history through the eyes of those who were there.

This is the tenth anniversary edition of the book, published earlier this year, and Stafford's new author note in the opening pages makes for eerie reading in light of Queensland's recent political history. "'Pig City' was also meant as a triumphant, culture-driven coming-of-age story – we weren't supposed to be back here," Stafford writes. Certainly, reading accounts of the state's quasi-fascist regime under Joh Bjelke-Petersen's conservative government decades ago draws modern political decisions into sharp focus. History is not kind to Joh, and I don't think that Queenslanders will look back fondly on the current conservative reign, either. The genius of 'Pig City', however, is that by giving equal airtime to music and politics, Stafford is able to educate readers in two fields that don't often overlap. The book is a true classic; a must-read for anyone who calls Queensland home, or has designs on doing so.

[Hinge Head · Rating 4 out of 5]

I grew up around the same time as the author - but not in Queensland - I read this 5 years after I moved to the tropics and as much as I loved reading about the music I really appreciated the socio-political history interwoven through this book. Bjelke-Petersen was just a joke to Double Jay loving Sydney-siders - he was far from it if you lived under his rule.

[The Hanged Man · Rating 5 out of 5]

Name a bridge Too Much Acid Lord Mayor of Brisbane ya cultural loser.

[Stuart Robinson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I wish I could give it more stars! I bought this for the good lady some two years back, she being a music lover and also someone through whom I've come to know and get to love a different Brisbane to that I'd previously known.

It's a meticulously woven retell of Brisbane's musical, political and social parallels from around the late 60s/ early 70s to mid-noughties. Just brilliant.

[Oscar · Rating 4 out of 5]

An essential stepping stone for getting into the fascinating history of this fine city

[Avis Black · Rating 2 out of 5]

I understand the impulse to write about a local scene, but I disagree with the notion. It all really comes down to the individual. If you've got a person with talent on the scene, then something brilliant will happen; and if you don't, it won't. Chris Bailey and Ed Kuepper of the Saints both came from immigrant families. If their parents had happened to settle elsewhere, then Bailey and Kuepper would have simply created what they did elsewhere with other people. 'The Scene' is of small importance, and I don't think it really deserves a book, frankly. Stafford would have been better off if he'd written an Australian-wide music tome instead of restricting himself to Brisbane. His writing about radio stations and period politics, from the perspective of someone living in another era and place, makes Brisbane's story sound rather small-time and parochial. I'm sure all the events felt like a big deal at the time, but it looks like a molehill in retrospect.

The other problem with this book is that the author has a love of bland, overproduced pop I do not share. The Saints were a great band in their original incarnation, but some of the bands that Stafford writes about did not do anything artistically remarkable and do not deserve the ink the author gives them.

[K.M. Steele · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pig City charts the weird, the wonderful and the downright shonky political dealings in Queensland during the Bjelke-Petersen years via the music scene. It certainly is a walk down memory lane for anyone who was in Queensland before and during the Fitzgerald Inquiry, and it reminds Australians about the wealth of talent lost to the country due to heavy-handed government control. A fascinating read with plenty of little-known factual gems. Well worth reading.

[Joshua Donellan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely essential reading for anyone interested in Australian musical history. Particularly relevant in regards to its analysis of the Bjelke-Peterson era now that we have Canbull Newman on the iron throne...

[Celeste Goh · Rating 2 out of 5]

I bought this book when I was still studying in Brisbane, which was like, some seven years ago, during the Brisbane Writers’ Festival that year. Everyone was talking about it, being one of the few good books out there about the music scene in Australia, especially the music scene in Brisbane. It wasn’t until recently that I decided to pick up the book, the pages already gone brown and spotty, and give it a go. Maybe it was the sudden muse I had awhile back on writing a chronicle of sorts of the Malaysian music scene, and Pig City would be a great, and possibly the only, reference I can get inspired with.

Pig City chronicles the growth of the music scene in Brisbane, Australia, from the birth of punk – be it bands or medium – in Brisbane in the 70s, following the outbreak all the way across the globe in the United Kingdom, to the many musicians’ great exodus out of Brisbane to greener pastures in the thriving Sydney in the 80s, to the homegrown bands finally getting a break internationally in the 90s. Most of this all happened during what past political candidate for the Queensland Greens would call “a dark passage in the state’s history”, referring mainly to the premiership of one Sir Joh Bjelke-Petersen, the longest serving Premier of Queensland, who held office with a conservative iron fist from 1968 till 1987.

And that’s the collective theme of the book: music history that walks hand in hand with political history. How in the 70s, despite being in what could easily be deemed as a “police city”, pioneers like The Saints and The Go-Betweens were formed, as well as the then Guerrilla radio station 4ZZZ, then in the secure bosom of University of Queensland, and under the watchful eyes of Big Brother Joh and his preferential law and order against street protests and anything that’s not “in the books”. How in the 80s, inspired by the first generation of Brisbane punk, many bands were formed but then quickly fell apart, and rookie bands were faced with the choice of going to Sydney for more exposure, which for some, did not work out, as the ever indie 4ZZZ reeked of trouble when their finances ran low against the rising acid trend. How in the 90s, after Joh’s reign has ended, as Brisbane scrambled to find herself in between the more developed Melbourne and Sydney cities, Brisbane-based bands finally turned international heads with the becoming of Powderfinger and Savage Garden.

To be honest, I have never given Brisbane too much credit, compared to the more likeable Melbourne, for me anyway. I thought the city to be rather – dirtily sterile, if that oxymoron even makes sense. Maybe it’s just me, but the city seems to lack life. (You should have seen my surprise when I sauntered into the city district on a weekend to find it empty). Perhaps that would explain why I never felt the urge to stay back after I graduated. But people who know me better know that is not really the main reason. Hence, I never really took time to explore which are the Brisbane bands, and how they have shaped this pig city.

I suppose, compared to more flourished cities like Sydney and Melbourne, Brisbane has always been a tad behind, even back then, during the story timeline for Pig City, which judging from the book, it has everything to do with Bjelke-Petersen’s conservative premiership back then. After reading Pig City, it did open my eyes to a side of Brisbane I don’t really know. And I could have possibly missed what I would consider as Brisbane’s “most exciting times” by a breath, or at least the tail end of it, only heading there for tertiary education in 2006. By the time I got there, things were already fine and dandy, nothing too wild that I couldn’t handle. (In fact, the “wildest” thing I experienced was seeing a stark naked man running across the street in the middle of the night). As Stafford has put it at the end of his novel: “Now you could go to a gallery, go to a restaurant, go see a band, play in one yourself. No one was about to stop you trying.”

Fortunately, there is Pig City to look back on. Stafford pieced together the novel with such meticulous research, aligning everything that happened in the music world and the political world with such precision you would think it just happened yesterday. Stafford’s fluent narrative combined with interviews quotes from scattered band members gave readers a closer look at a band’s rise and fall, what happened before, during and after, everything that made and broke the band, as if they are your close friends, and you are getting personal narrations from them.

To give an example, I suppose, I would not have known what Savage Garden have gone through as they dwindled off the radar to oblivion. Who knew that despite the instant musical chemistry between Darren Hayes and Daniel Jones, things did not pan out for the long run simply because Daniel can’t be arsed with all the promotions and travelling. (That would explain why he was always at the back of music videos, or just not there at all). And the fact that their last chart topper ‘I Knew I Loved You’ is not as romantic as it sounds, and was practically churned out in seconds under managerial request for the next ‘Truly, Madly, Deeply’ to reign the Billboard charts. Who would have thought, eh?

I would say it’s a good book to read. I can’t imagine if Pig City has any specific occasion for it to be picked up and read by someone who is only interested in the tune and not the history, or by someone who generally doesn’t read, period. Unless Brisbane somehow has a place in your life, or a fan of music history. Like how you wouldn’t pick up Scar Tissue by Anthony Kiedis or go through the trouble of reading The Rolling Stones’ 50 year anniversary Views from the Inside, Views from the Outside – Part 1 ebook, unless you are even an inkling of a fan. I mean, it did take me seven years to read Pig City! But if you do have the time, don’t mind if you do to read it, because being accurate alone is enough to read Stafford’s articulately breezy work.

That being said, I could not help comparing Joh Bjelke-Petersen’s political resume to my country’s current Prime Minister, especially at such testing times nowadays. I wouldn’t say the reflection is uncanny, but you can’t help noticing that the consideration is there:

“His uncompromising conservatism, his political longevity, and his leadership of a government that, in its later years, was revealed to be institutionally corrupt, made him one of the best-known and most controversial political figures of 20th century Australia. Bjelke-Petersen’s Country (later National) Party controlled Queensland despite consistently receiving the smallest number of votes out of the state’s leading three parties, achieving the result through a notorious system of electoral malapportionment, or gerrymander, that gave rural votes a greater value than those cast in city electorates… Bjelke-Petersen was a divisive premier and earned himself a reputation as a ‘law and order’ politician with his repeated use of police force against street demonstrators, and strongarm tactics with trade unions, leading to frequent descriptions of Queensland under his leadership as a Nazi police state.”
- Wikipedia.org

Whilst the recounts of these street protests in Australia back then were more violent and worse than what the protesters have gone through during the Bersih 2.0 rally in 2011. Whilst their federal elections were more transparent, compared to our latest general election.

Perhaps Stafford is talking about some current Australian politician I do not know of, but his author’s note did end with this: “If liberty’s price really is eternal vigilance, our collective amnesia will ensure we see Bjelke-Petersen’s like again.”

Perhaps. This is it?

You can’t help but wonder, you know.

And who knows? Perhaps amidst all these political chaos happening, there would spring up from snow like daisies local indie bands worth talking about, and writing about decades from now. I guess I’d never know until I really get down on it, and start working on the book, eh?

[LibraryKath · Rating 5 out of 5]

A bloody fantastic read. Firstly, this is my era in Brisbane. I'm Gen X, and the years spanned in this book cover my childhood through to my 30's. It was a delight to read about the music I loved as a kid, the gigs I went to, the scene I was part of. I particularly loved the detailed, almost full chapter about the events of Cybernana at Musgrave Park in West End on the 23rd of March, 1996. I was there at the event for quite a bit of the day, though we left early precisely because it was starting to feel like it was going to turn ugly. We only lived a few blocks away so we went home. The girls all left first, and the boys turned up at the house about an hour later, just as the storm was rolling in from the south-east, full of tales about how ugly it was turning. I remember hearing that friends had been caught up in the melee and reading all about it in the paper the following day.

All that aside, Andrew Stafford is just a cracking writer. This book is so easy to read, it doesn't get bogged down by the amount of detail it gives at any point. I read the new anniversary edition and it doesn't feel dated or irrelevant at all. A top read.

[Elso · Rating 5 out of 5]

Pig City outstanding and a real insight into the background of music and musicians getting a voice in Brisbane.
Looking in depth how the government of the day suppressed all forms of music from entering Queensland.
Brisbane was held to ransom by the government of the day. Author Stafford has put together an account of how through a constant momentum of political activism, radio announcers and musicians were able to resist often through violence to shape Brisbane to become the diverse music city it needed to be.

[Nellie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and was prompted to read it after a mention on the ever inspiring and informative ‘Bang On’ podcast hosted by Myf Warhurst and Zan Rowe. This book has expanded my knowledge of not only the Brisbane music scene but the social and political context of the city in the 70s/80s/90s and 2000s. I am down so many rabbit holes at the moment following completion and feel this book will forever change how I see and feel about Brisvegas.

[Jayden · Rating 5 out of 5]

20 odd years late, but this has easily made its way as one of my favourite books of all time. It’s such a thorough and vivid account of Brisbane as a whole, its music, culture and arts. It’s both surprising, learning the history of the scene, but also incredible inspiring. Makes me want to throw myself full force into Brisbane forever and always. Well-rounded hard hitting journalism which keeps you hooked.

[Jeff Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful journey through the music and politics of Brisvegas through the 70's onwards.. Saints, Go-Betweens, Riptides, Custard, Regurgitator, Powderfinger, Savage Garden, 4ZZZ, Rocking Horse Records, Musgrave Park.. essential for anyone that lived through it all or has a soft spot for any of the above

[Clint · Rating 5 out of 5]

Possibly one of the best books I've read on a local music scene, right up there with Matthew Bannister's Positively George Street. This goes further than your average music bio, comprehensively describing the cultural and political context that shaped the Brisbane music scene. An utterly engrossing read.

[Ric Hayman · Rating 5 out of 5]

A slice of history written in song lyrics and live gigs, against a background of political corruption and suppression … one person's journey through Brisbane at a seminal time for both he and the city, and both appear to be better for the experience.

[dumbbinch420 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Brisbane greatest city on earth

[Dan Wombat · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great history of the music and politics Brisbane in the last 30 years of the 20th century.

[Bella Gillett · Rating 4 out of 5]

Taught me things I didn’t know about my own home. Triple Z lives on in 2025 🫶

[Pollyana · Rating 4 out of 5]

An extremely interesting look at the city's local history. Tip: Listen to the music of the bands the book mentions as you read, it really adds to the atmosphere.

[Meredith Walker · Rating 3 out of 5]

“Pig City: From The Saints to Savage Garden” is Andrew Stafford’s story of Brisbane music alongside the city that gave rise to it… the trailblazing Triple Z and iconic music venues. It is an interesting and engaging read and while to those unfamiliar, the draconian legislations of our Sir Joh era police state of censorship and corruption may seem unbelievable and it is easy to appreciate how the city’s identity has been shaped by its history, both political and cultural. Stories of how The Saints got their start, the Go Betweens found their sound and Tex Perkins took our music to another place again are all interesting in and of themselves but also in their contributing to the larger narrative of the repressive political climate, before that Four Corners ep and resulting inquiry to the immediate musical aftermath of my UQ days listening to Custard et al. Ultimately though, this is a story about music, with ultimate message as to the importance of timing in relation to everything.

[Donald Dansereau · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a newcomer to Brisbane I found this to be a fascinating view into its recent cultural history.

It's also interesting as a chronicling of bands dealing with success, which often came on an international scale rather than locally. It seems there should be useful parallels to be drawn to Brisbane's currently burgeoning high-tech startup scene, despite the differing era and ethos.

Finally, the political history is deeply compelling. It's a story of freedoms hard-won, a battle against corruption and intolerance. An earlier edition bears a cautionary note that vigilance is the price of liberty; the more recent edition scathingly underlines some unfortunate recent developments.

[Sarah Jackson · Rating 4 out of 5]

A comprehensive examination of the development of the Brisbane (Australia) music scene through the 70s, 80s, and early 90s - a period of censorship, political turmoil, and police corruption. I was a teen during the mid-80s and remember some of the bands and events described. I was particularly interested to read about the activities during the 70s, when I, as a young child, was unaware of the reality of cultural life. The book brings back many memories of good and bad times. It is well researched and works hard to present a fact-based view of the activities of the time.

[Murray Bennett · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great read about our Qld music & political history.

[Lynne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bloody brilliant. But then, I lived through a lot of this.

[Aaron · Rating 4 out of 5]

Brisbane, centre of the rock world. Alas no more.