In 2001 I graduated from the Music Industry Skills course at Leederville Central TAFE Music Campus which launched me into producing independent alternative events.
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Future Shock was a monthly event I ran at the legendary Grosvenor Hotel Back Room showcasing live local electronic music producers and DJ's performing industrial, experimental and electro influenced genres plus VJ's with early video projection gear.
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Boris Otterdam's VOID showcased the harder stuff by Grindcore and Noise influenced electronic music producers. Unrecognised the by industry, we teamed up and applied to represent the scene at the WAM (West Australian Music) Festival in 2002. We were invisible amongst the swarm of indie bands, but despite our challenges that evening the event prompted WAM to acknowledge the emerging electronic music scene which ultimately thrived enough to eventually feature independently at the annual RTRFM In the Pines outdoor live music day, and on a larger scale, the introduction of The Boiler Room at The Big Day Out.
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A local amature graphic designer at the time Paul Ikin designed the poster artwork
allowing him a creative license to experiment while familiarising himself with early Photoshop software. I met the Ikin brothers when they ran Damn Toys the first retro collectables toy shop located in the city. Local VJ's also came on board to cut their teeth projecting and mixing visuals. Central Station Records only stocked electronic music and were a cool record store and great supporters of our events. The bright red poster below was accidentally printed off as an A0 which I was given free of charge which I proudly displayed it in their main window.
A memorable show fell on the weekend of 911 in 2001 and featured a Canadian noise artist Nagasaki Fondu who lived in Perth for a brief time. The headliner programmed his effects pedals to start a deep droning soundscape catching everyone's attention towards the stage. He entered the room from behind the audience striding past them six foot high, dressed in black sporting stilettos breathing through a vinyl gas mask with a torn fishnet tank top and a shiny black vinyl mini skirt. On stage he emitted levels of increasingly loud soundscapes as he introduced a grinder to a piece of sheet metal hanging from the truss spitting sparks then hitting it with a log. Behind him projected a montage of powerful images including footage of the twin towers collapsing.
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Another show featured a futuristic fashion parade organised by my fashion designer girlfriend at the time featuring models and fire jugglers on a catwalk attached to the stage.
One of the flaming staff twirlers were on stage when it went flying out of his hands and landed right in front of a girl with long braided hair sitting on the floor. Fortunately no harm done but I never hired fire jugglers again.
The last Future Shock was held at the newly established Bakery Artrage Complex, a multipurpose alternative arts venue in Northbridge 2002. A few days before my launch, a festival staff member uttered the words RAVE PARTY to the council causing them to panic. They insisted on turning up to the venue with sound monitoring devices in case "things got out of control". False alarm.
Sadly the Grosvenor Backroom closed down many years ago when the new management took over and replaced live music with sport, food and TAB. It's just a shitty store room now. Bless it.