G Flip’s Drummer debuts at number one on ARIA Charts

The internationally-renowned artist has claimed victory for the new wave of Aussie rock with their latest album.

Pop rock superstar G Flip has claimed victory for the new wave of Aussie rock with her latest album Drummer debuting at No.1 on the ARIA charts.

The internationally-renowned songwriter and multi-instrumentalist who also plays guitar, bass guitar and keys, hit the top of the charts as they kicked off their sold-out album tour in Queensland last weekend with partner Chrishell Stause beaming with pride as she watched the show.

G Flip’s chart triumph signals the rise of queer, non-binary and female artists making a noise with their unique takes on Australian rock music.

“I can’t believe this is real! Thank you from the bottom of my heart to everyone who has supported me, bought or listened to my album, come to a show, or even liked one of my posts. I am beside myself. I can never thank you enough for making this happen. This is f … ing unbelievable,” the newly minted chart-topper said.

G Flip and Chrishell Stause. Picture: Getty Images

AUSTRALIA’S RISING ROCK STARS REVEALED

Drenched in sweat and buzzing with adrenaline, Sydney singer songwriter MAY-A walked off to stage to be greeted by long queues of amped-up tween and teen girls.

These young women had come to see 5 Seconds of Summer. After witnessing MAY-A’s visceral opening set with her all-female band last December, they had a new idol.

“The 5 Seconds of Summer shows were all-ages and there were so many eight, nine, 10 and 11-year-old girls there that loved a boy band and hadn’t really seen girls playing with instruments before,” MAY-A said.

Australian artist May-A performing before 5SOS at Sydney Opera House in December. Picture: Ruby Boland / Supplied.

“They would come up to us, especially my drummer, and tell us how they wanted to be a musician and the kids who had got the picks we’d thrown into the crowd said how much they wanted to play guitar.”

In the streaming era, rock is the genre underdog. But the beautiful noise made with guitars and drums is staging a takeover at our festivals and clubs. And female-identifying and queer artists and bands are the leaders of this stealthy musical revolution.

The daughters of Generation X may not have experienced the powerful force of Divinyls’ Chrissy Amphlett or Baby Animals’ Suze DeMarchi.

They perhaps heard their parents flog playlists of Australia’s halcyon 90s altrock era featuring The Superjesus’ Sarah McLeod, Magic Dirt’s Adalita, Something For Kate’s Stephanie Ashworth, Spiderbait’s Janet English and Jebediah’s Vanessa Thornton.

Amyl and the Sniffers frontwoman Amy Taylor is a formidable rock singer and performer. Picture: Getty.

The DNA of those pioneers is evident in the skilled musicianship, uncompromising songwriting and punk aesthetic of Courtney Barnett, Camp Cope, Alex Lahey, Amyl, Sniffers frontwoman Amy Taylor and G Flip.

Like many of her rock peers, Lahey picked up the guitar in her teens and taught herself to play via online videos.

The inspiration to express herself through songwriting came from the postmillennial wave of female singer songwriters including Missy Higgins and Sarah Blasko and from overseas, the seminal queer Canadian duo Tegan and Sara.

Self-taught guitarist and acclaimed songwriter Alex Lahey has forged her own lane in Australian rock. Picture: Pooneh Ghana / Supplied.

“I was having this conversation with a friend about this notion that the guitar goes in and out of fashion but it’s not true; the guitar is always around,” she says.

“You think about the 2000s when synth-based bands like MGMT were big, so were the Arctic Monkeys and The Strokes.

“I think one of the cool things about the streaming era, as much as there are problems with the remuneration to artists, is genres can coexist. So I don’t know if the conversation is so much about the presence of the guitar as it is about who’s playing it.”

Rockers Teen Jesus and the Jean Teasers will open for the Foo Fighters in December. Picture: She Is Aphrodite / Supplied.

The historic prejudice against women playing guitars sparked the deliciously ironic title of the debut EP from rising Canberra rockers Teen Jesus and the Jean Teasers.

Songs from the Pretty Good For A Girl Band EP will pepper their set when they open for the Foo Fighters at their Melbourne stadium show in December.

Lead guitarist Scarlett McKahey said they have regularly heard that backhanded compliment over the last eight years since the band first started playing gigs at 14 after watching the cult film School of Rock.

“I’m very lucky to have grown up in an age where I hadn’t even considered the fact that being a girl could stop me from doing this because there was Courtney Love, and the riot girl bands. And Nirvana and Iggy Pop wearing dresses on stage,” she said.

“And luckily, I happened to be best friends with the best bass player, drummer and singer in the world and we all thought it was as easy as forming a band and playing a gig.

“But for the first three or four years, I would say all the gigs we got were because we were not men and promoters needed to show diversity in their line-ups.”

McKahey said while there has been a shift towards the curation of more inclusive and diverse festival and tour line-ups, Teen Jesus and their peers are now booked on their merits as an exciting live band with growing fanbases.

MAY-A drew pictures of her dream all-girl band when she was a kid. Picture: Supplied.

MAY-A and Lahey said there has been a complementary explosion of queer voices in rock music which marries with the rise of the visibility of LGBTQIA+ creatives in film and television.

For MAY-A, whose latest single Lola has been the most played track on Triple J in the past few weeks, rock music has offered a safe haven to sing about queer sexuality.

“I think a lot of queer artists have been drawn to rock music because we want to be taken seriously. And a lot of us have a lot to say,” she said.

“I think a lot of us are angry and sometimes you’ve got to yell to be heard. Queer people have a harder run sometimes so I think that’s why rock music can speak to these people too.”

The Future of Aussie Rock

MAY-A

Must hear: LOLA. Analysis Paralysis out September 1.

Sydney singer songwriter who teamed up with electronic lord Flume for Say Nothing which topped the Hottest 100 this year. Her breakthrough track was the 2020 song Apricots.

Alex Lahey

Must hear: Good Time. Third record The Answer Is Always Yes out now.

The Melbourne alt rock heroine has captivated audiences with her witty and occasionally heart-wrenching narratives about her life. Her biggest hit Every Day’s The Weekend in 2017 is a party-starting banger.

Australian singer songwriter Alex Lahey. Picture: Pooneh Ghana / Supplied.

Teen Jesus and the Jean Teasers

Must hear: I Used To Be Fun.

Debut album I Love You out on October 6.

The Canberra-bred punk love child of The Strokes and Arctic Monkeys have been tearing up stages since they were 15. Their 2022 single Girl Sports should be Australia’s new feminist anthem.

Teen Jesus have become fast festival faves in Australia. Picture: She Is Aphrodite /Supplied.

Amyl and the Sniffers

Must hear: Guided By Angels.

Amy Taylor is the ultimate punk rock force, her uncompromising personality and performances as frontwoman for this formidable Melbourne band has ignited stages from the ARIA Awards to opening for Foo Fighters in Geelong last year.

Teenage Joans

Must hear: Candy Apples.

Debut album The Rot That Grows Inside My Chest out on October 13.

This indie rock duo from Adelaide announced their Next Big Things potential with Three Leaf Clover in 2020 and have blitzed stages as an opening act for Amy Shark and Ball Park Music.

Adelaide indie rock duo Teenage Joans release their debut album in October. Picture: Supplied.

RVG

Must hear: third album Brain Worms released in June.

Romy Vager and her Melbourne bandmates have been on the international radar since the past five years, name checked by tastemakers in the UK and US and touring with Pixies, Kurt Vile and other champions.

Melbourne rock band RVG. Picture: James Morris / Supplied.

The Buoys

Must hear: I Want You

The Sydney southern beaches all-female quartet have owned the alternative music airwaves with a succession of 90s indie rock ear worms including Lie To Me Again and Bad Habit.

The Buoys bring back the 90s with their indie rock ear worms. Picture: Maya Luana / Supplied.

Eliza and the Delusionals

Must hear: Save Me.

Another altrock band whose brilliant future was heralded with the release of their debut record Now and Then last year. The Gold Coast outfit sparked international buzz after touring the US both as headliners and with Silversun Pickups.

Ripple Effect Band

Must hear: Loving and Caring

Australia’s first First Nations all-female rock band sing in five tribal languages from Arnhem Land. The eight-member Ripple Effect Band have already wowed tastemakers with their unique sound which fuses the distinctive saltwater rock of their homeland with reggae, gospel and hip hop.

Originally published as G Flip’s Drummer debuts at number one on ARIA Charts