For Brisbane indie mainstays Screamfeeder, the ending goes forever
When Brisbane’s alternative music scene began to bloom in the 1990s, one of the first acts out of the gate was Screamfeeder, whose 30-plus-year career has been captured in a documentary.
When Brisbane’s alternative music scene began to bloom in the 1990s, one of the first acts out of the gate was Screamfeeder, which found a national audience alongside Queensland peers Powderfinger, Regurgitator and Custard.
With its blend of pop songwriting smarts, noisy indie rock and shared male-female vocals between Tim Steward and Kellie Lloyd, the group – which formed as a trio – had a sound that was entirely its own.
Now its 30-plus-year career has been captured on film in a documentary, The Ending Goes Forever, whose title cannily reflects Screamfeeder’s long history, which includes eight albums and scores of tours here and abroad.
Directed by Jacob Schiotz, the 80-minute film is rooted in recording sessions for its eighth album, titled Five Rooms, released in 2022.
However, the narrative also explores how guitarist Steward and bassist Lloyd – the band’s two creative mainstays – converged on the Queensland capital and its burgeoning music scene, having grown up in Townsville and Toowoomba, respectively.
“As much as we’ve been around the block so many times, and we’ve been in a band together for so long, music does still hold a lot of magic for me and Kel,” Steward told The Australian.
“In a way, playing with Kel makes me feel like I’m still a kid; I’m still just exploring, making mistakes and not falling into predictability,” he said.
“Having that musical relationship is something that is super unique, and it’s a gift. Without that, I might be in a very different band – or a very boring band.”
Among the interviewees featured in the film are members of Powderfinger, Regurgitator, You Am I and Magic Dirt, who each speak glowingly of Screamfeeder’s impact and legacy.
Of hearing his peers’ praise, Steward said: “It really warms my heart, for sure. It’s funny seeing that people hold it in a different light, because we’ve been around so long; it’s always been me and Kellie’s little band.”
The Ending Goes Forever will screen exclusively at cinemas in Brisbane and Melbourne on Saturday, as well as in Sydney next Thursday (February 8) – a fitting trio of locales, given the hundreds of high-energy shows the band has played in those cities across the decades.
In the film, Steward and Lloyd are shown sitting close together on a couch inside Brisbane music venue The Tivoli. At one point, Steward said: “The ambition was to record and release albums fast, and go on tour all the time – which is what we were already doing.”
With a smile and a nod, his friend and bandmate Lloyd concurred: “It was to play music – that was the ambition,” she said.
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