A look back at Perth’s golden era of indie sleaze
Picture this: it’s 2009… Or thereabouts.
You’re fresh-faced and (mostly) innocent, with your favourite playlist of Arctic Monkeys, the Libertines, Interpol and the Yeah Yeah Yeahs shuffling on your iPod Nano.
You’ve never even heard of a vape!
You’re getting ready for a night out, deciding whether to wear your floral print tea dress and an elastic headband straight across the middle of your forehead, or squeezing your way into the ultra-skinny Dejour jeans you picked up on your last trip to Melbourne. (You’ve been telling everyone you’re moving there like, super soon… Perth is so boring anyway, barely any laneways, no vibe to speak of.)
You’ve been saving your pennies for a pair of Cheap Monday jeans from Billie & Rose, but your saving was set back by an impulse purchase of a vintage neon shell suit from Spokey Dokes. Jeffrey Campbell Lita booties don’t even exist yet! Your fingers, blessedly, are free of any fake moustache tattoos – the same can’t be said for some of your friends. Maybe you’ll wear a pair of 3D glasses to really up the fashion stakes!
Of course, you’re riding high: last week your graphic tee and long owl necklace got your photo onto Dropstitch, Perth’s pre-eminent street style blog. The week prior? You were snapped by photographer Lloyd Hughes (Perth’s own Cobrasnake?) at Amps in between cigarettes in the courtyard and screaming along to the oft-repeated Clap Your Hands Say Yeah! and TV On The Radio. At this rate, you’re practically a celebrity – you’re practically Alexa Chung for god’s sake!
You have never used an Instagram filter. You have never touched an iPhone. Life is good.
So where are you heading? If it’s a Wednesday night, perhaps you’ll put that shell suit on and head to Seizan Karaoke Bar for Cassette – or catch a baby-faced Nick Allbrook at the Bakery? If you’re extra lucky, it’s Bourgeois Bogan Prom night: practically an institution that began in 2005 and ran until 2015.
Or perhaps you were lucky enough to catch some snaps on your digital camera of the Mighty Boosh-themed night at Villa, complete with a DJ set from Naboo the Enigma (AKA stony-faced actor Michael Fielding).
Want to share your favourite indie sleaze era memories of Perth? Send ’em through to hi@perthisok.com!