There’s A Renaissance Of Grunge Music Stirring In Newcastle, And Local Teenagers PIT Are Leading The Charge

Newcastle announced itself as an unlikely contributor to the amassing grunge scene of the late 1980s when Silverchair released their maiden LP Frogstomp in 1995. 

Although there was an already established alternative music scene rumbling away in the Newcastle Freak Scene, the members that made up Silverchair screeched their beginnings.

Having evidently been influenced by both the local scene and the overdrive guitar heavy choruses synonymous with grunge music, it was the youth in the band that meant they were destined to carry music in Australia forward.  

Frogstomp, sent Australian youth into a frenzy – an authentic take on what could be classed as a rite of passage from Daniel Johns, Ben Gillies, and Chris Joannou. And now 30 years later, the Newcastle music scene, having been heavily influenced by the richness in its unique history, is as vibrant as ever. 

But what remains most prominent to come out of Newcastle in this era is the re-emergence of grunge music.

Some of the bands that are amplifying this resurgence of grunge is young outfit Pulse and other notable outfits in Talkhouse, Phantom and Deadshowws. All adding their own layer of authenticity to the longstanding musical genre. However, it is the band PIT, that at their ages of 17 are fronting the revitalisation of grunge music. 

One doesn’t need to look too far to see that the trio – comprising Bailey Parker, Korby Essex, and Hamish Sanders – are heavily influenced by their forebears. A simple scan of their triple j Unearthed page sees PIT namechecking the likes of hometown icons Silverchair, alongside Lismore veterans Grinspoon and US heavyweights Helmet.

PIT have already released two singles, including Use Me in 2023 and Don’t Come Running Back in early 2024. Now, their latest track – entitled Needed You – is set to be released on Friday, October 24th. 

The band will celebrate the single release with a launch party at local longstanding haunt The Barracks in Islington. Joining them for the launch will be their grunge-oriented counterparts Fist heaving the night away ahead of PIT’s forthcoming, inaugural EP.

“The Newy scene is unreal," explains PIT's Parker. "It’s all about the people you meet. There’s always something happening and it feels like everyone’s part of it. I don’t think we’ve ever played a gig at Newcastle without having some sort of story to laugh at after.”

There must be something about the collision of alternative creative culture with the industrial history of Newcastle that fosters grunge as a form of self-expression. Music legend and founding CEO of MGM records Sebastian Chase nails down this consistency to the sense of community identity that informs self-expression. 

“There's places that go through spouts of their own invention and the music and the creativity,” claims Chase. “Whether it be all forms of art, they tend to be at the front of that particular location's sort of self-expression of community identity. 

“Newcastle has had to endure suffering through being labelled as an industrial town, with connotations assigned that it’s a negative place or it's dirty. Usually that could diminish a community's self-image. 

“But Newcastle has become a highly creative place in lots and lots of ways, and the people there are really proud of that,” he adds.

“Newcastle is a funny place, you cop a lot of shit but you also get a lot of support from people and stuff which is why we do it,” adds Parker. “Playing gigs to people is the best part of being in a band and getting to express yourself through your music feels super honest.

“It’s like this is us, if you like our music, come to a show, if you don’t then don’t listen to us.”

And this is evident in a saturated manner. PIT have harnessed the sounds of early day grunge and reworked it to allow for the incorporation of their own story – in its surmised intensity what resounds is an authentic form of self-expression that for a three-piece of young men seems to be emblematic of a rite of passage.

For PIT their emergent foray as a grunge band acts as an example of this, as a bold statement to say that we’re here, this is us and we’re proud. Chase, who recently played a role in PIT being signed to MGM, saw this in the band, as he saw in his own experiences of coming into oneself. 

“Well, each one's got their instrument,” proclaims Chase. “And they want to put it together in a way that makes sense to them, as a means of expressing who they are, where they live, and what they believe. It's incredibly powerful.

“The music they engage with, either through input or output becomes their soundtrack. There’s no longer ambiguity about ‘Who am I?’ or, ‘Is this a bit my parents? Is it a bit my older brother, my older sister?’ It becomes the fact that ‘This is mine.’ 

“This is a necessary part of cultural evolution and it’s great to see that these boys are taking pride in how they express that.”

And put simply, when you strip away the searing talent that PIT have as a band and as individual musicians, it’s the pride in their story and the conviction that they carry to feel compelled to share it that renders them as influential shapers in the future of music, not only in Newcastle, but also in Australia and potentially around the world.

“With 40 years of heritage in Newcastle as an original rock artist, I've seen and been a part of the growth of original music making its way to the world,” echoes Ian Sandercoe, PIT’s manager and producer.

“Newy's a hardworking town, full of so many talented artists, so It's exciting being involved in the resurgence of authentic sounds coming out of Newcastle again.”

“So many people in Newy are musos,” Parker offers. “If you live around here you either surf or play in a band. It's just what happens so there’s so many good bands around to watch and play with.

“It’s good to see that heavy music is making a comeback too. We’ve been noticing it stir for a couple years and now we’re right in the middle of it so it’s hectic as.”

Chase likens this to cultural tradition that has come before, as if to respect the story of old so much that evolution is recognised as inevitable and in turn adding to it to ensure it can continue on.

“PIT as a band, as well as other Newcastle outfits are making a statement to say ‘we're the future’ and we want to furnish the way music can soundtrack generations to come.’

“It’s fascinating as to how history has run its course in music, young people come along and they reinvent and add to what’s already been. There seems to be something about grunge music in Newcastle that speaks to the relationship between culture and music in a way that is so exciting.”

It’s nothing short of exciting to think where a band like PIT can take the tradition of grunge music moving forward. They’ve an opportunity to truly claim the resurgence of the genre in a way that shares their story all the while honouring the community in Newcastle. 

Newcastle grunge music demands a spotlight that is not to be looked past, and with PIT signing to MGM the next year looks to be an exciting one of hyperlocal happenings, with whispers suggesting a debut EP release at some point in the foreseeable future.

I concluded my conversation with Chase, a man who has given Australian music so much, with his offering of commendation for the impact PIT are starting to have. 

“They're actually carrying the community spirit forward,” he claims. “And in that there is a powerful element of what culture and art formation is all about.” 

PIT’s new single, Needed You, is scheduled for release on October 24th. Visit their social media for further updates on new music and live dates.

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