Customer Reviews

Pig City: From the Saints to Savage Garden

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This review refers to the hardcover edition. I read this book shortly after "Passion is a Fashion: The Real Story of the Clash" By P. Gilbert. See my review for that item. Both books are at the same excellent high standard - informative, detailed, captivating and well-researched.

This book traces the development of the Brisbane (Australia) music scene from the early 70s to late 90s. Detailed histories and interviews are provided with founders of Triple Zed radio station, Saints, Leftovers, Powderfinger, Regurgitator and Savage Garden. Being a punk fan, it's the review of the punk bands that interest me most.

The Saints' early years are discussed, leading up to their three recorded albums and their successful 1977 UK tour. It is interesting to read how the right-wing Bjelke-Petersen Queensland Government created an environment of fear, suscipicion and paranoia. Indirectly, this gave The Saints a reason for being - they could address political themes in their lyrics - and put them ideologically on a par with contemporary UK acts such as The Pistols and The Clash. The author is able to explain The Saints' music extremely well and clearly link it into the broader social and political context of 1970s Queensland.

We understand (after reading this book) why 1970s southern states bands such as ACDC, Cold Chisel and The Angels wrote about typical rock and roll subjects while Queensland bands such as The Saints and Leftovers took on political issues in the manner of their UK contemporaries. The book helps us to see how this was not just a quirk of fate, but that a different political climate in Queensland led to more politicised music there.

I also enjoyed reading about 70s cult act The Leftovers, clearly at the extreme, lunatic end of the punk spectrum. It appears they were anarchistic punks in the mould of The Pistols. The discussion of the history, life and times of The Leftovers is highly entertaining. History seems to have erased them from the memories of most modern music fans outside Queensland but it's interesting to learn of their history and influence.

Overall the book is extremely well researched. The way the author places paragraphs of quotes (usually 4-8 lines long and indented) from key scene identities in at appropriate places of the text narrative is effective. Generally it addes to rather than disrupts the reading experience. Over 100 people were interviewed for the book (see appendix at back) - a huge feat which clearly shows the effort, planning and dedication that went into the creation of this story.

I strongly recommend this book. And I would love to be able to obtain a CD version of The Leftovers' original recordings (2 A sides and 2 B sides).