A thesis submitted in total fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy School of Social Sciences University of Western Sydney March 2007 ii CONTENTS LIST OF TABLES........................................................................................ VIII LIST OF FIGURES ...................................................................................... VIII LIST OF PHOTOGRAPHS ............................................................................ IX ACKNOWLEDGMENTS................................................................................. X STATEMENT OF AUTHORSHIP .................................................................. XI PRESENTATION OF RESEARCH............................................................... XII SUMMARY ..................................................................................................XIV CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCING MUSIC FESTIVALS AS POSTMODERN SITES OF CONSUMPTION.............................................................................1 1.1 The Aim of the Research ................................................................................................................. 6 1.2 Consumer Society............................................................................................................................. 8 1.3 Consuming ‘Youth’........................................................................................................................ 10 1.4 Defining Youth ............................................................................................................................... 12 1.5 Postmodern Space and Consumer Culture.................................................................................. 13 1.6 Indie Music Festivals as Postmodern Sites of Consumption ...................................................... 17 1.7 Thesis Outline................................................................................................................................. 21 CHAPTER 2 CASE STUDY: AUSTRALIAN INDIE MUSIC FESTIVALS .....25 2.1 A Brief History of Indie Music Festival Culture in Australia .................................................... 26 2.1.1 The Hippy Styled Festivals (1969-1974)................................................................................ 26 2.1.2 Touring and One Day festivals............................................................................................... 30 2.1.2.1 Livid (1989-2003)........................................................................................................... 31 iii 2.1.2.2 Big Day Out (1992 to present)........................................................................................ 34 2.1.2.3 Homebake (1996 to present): An All Aussie Affair ....................................................... 35 2.1.3 Return of the Camping Festivals ............................................................................................ 37 2.1.3.1 Rock above the Falls Festival (1993 to present) ............................................................. 37 2.1.3.2 Splendour in the Grass (2001 to present)........................................................................ 39 2.2 The Selling Out of Indie Music ..................................................................................................... 42 2.2.1 Defining Independent/ Alternative Music .............................................................................. 42 2.2.2 Indie as a Genre: What’s the Difference?............................................................................... 47 2.2.3 What is Indie-guitar Culture? ................................................................................................. 49 2.2.4 Sell Out or Burn Out............................................................................................................... 52 2.3 Chapter Summary.......................................................................................................................... 56 CHAPTER 3 FROM THE INSIDE LOOKING OUT: AN ETHNOGRAPHIC APPROACH TO RESEARCHING INDIE MUSIC FESTIVALS IN AUSTRALIA ..................................................................................................58 3.1 Postmodern Ethnography.............................................................................................................. 59 3.2 Researching Youth culture and Popular Music........................................................................... 67 3.3 Constructing the Festivals: The Fieldwork.................................................................................. 73 3.3.1 Stage One: Participant Observations ...................................................................................... 74 3.3.1.1 The Research Sample ..................................................................................................... 74 3.3.1.2 In the Field...................................................................................................................... 76 3.3.2 Stage Two: The Interviews and Focus Groups....................................................................... 81 3.3.2.1 The Research Sample and Recruitment Process............................................................. 81 3.3.2.2 The Festivalgoers............................................................................................................ 83 3.3.2.3 The Focus Groups........................................................................................................... 88 3.3.2.4 The Questions................................................................................................................. 92 3.4 Data Analysis .................................................................................................................................. 93 iv 3.5 Chapter summary .......................................................................................................................... 94 CHAPTER 4 THE THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK: THE DEATH OF YOUTH SUBCULTURE AND A TRIBAL NEW BEGINNING? ...................................95 4.1 Neo-tribalism .................................................................................................................................. 96 4.2 Subcultural Theory ...................................................................................................................... 101 4.2.1 Critiques of British Subcultural Theory ............................................................................... 103 4.3 Post-Subcultural Theory.............................................................................................................. 105 4.3.1 Criticisms of Neo-tribal theory............................................................................................. 110 4.4 Music Scenes................................................................................................................................. 113 4.4.1 Scenes and Neo-tribes .......................................................................................................... 115 4.5 Festivals, Consumption and the Carnivalesque......................................................................... 119 4.5.1 Music Carnivals.................................................................................................................... 124 4.6 Chapter Summary: Subcultures, Neo-tribes, Scenes and the Carnivalesque ......................... 126 CHAPTER 5 OBSERVATIONS FROM THE FIELD: CONSUMING STYLE AND T-SHIRTS............................................................................................128 5.1 Indie Music Festivals as Anchoring Places ................................................................................ 128 5.2 Eclecticism .................................................................................................................................... 130 5.3 You’re Wearin’ a Mask! Which Mask are You?....................................................................... 132 5.4 Ritual Clothing: T-shirts ............................................................................................................. 135 5.4.1 The ‘Merch’ tent................................................................................................................... 135 5.4.2 Vintage t-shirts ..................................................................................................................... 136 5.4.3 Show Your Stripes! Neo-tribal consumption of t-shirts ....................................................... 138 5.4.4 Spectacular stylists?.............................................................................................................. 140 5.4.5 DiY T-Shirts (a paradox?).................................................................................................... 143 v 5.4.6 Identification through Dressing Up ...................................................................................... 154 5.5 Chapter Summary........................................................................................................................ 161 CHAPTER 6 FESTIVAL PARTICIPATION AND SOCIALITY.....................163 6.1 Ritual Dance: Moshing ................................................................................................................ 163 6.1.1 To Mosh or Not to Mosh? .................................................................................................... 165 6.1.2 Get a Kick in the Head ........................................................................................................