The Valley's declaration as a SFA will come as a blow to the Valley Music Association's plans to overturn live music restictions. But the bans have worked in one band's favour as Rich Porkie reports.

Silence is golden

Up and coming Valley band, Finger Regurgitated Custard Powder, were appalled when the Valley's severe live performance restrictions first came into place.
Under the Licensing Law crackdown which followed residents' complaints, regular gigs at the Empire (pictured below) and then The Zoo dried up overnight for the top five-piece outfit.
"It's just fucking crazy, man," extrovert lead singer Zorko told The Bug, "the way we've got to talk to youse street papers to make it look as if we're really fucking cool and out there.
"I've got two university degrees for heaven's sake, so do you mind if I just talk normally from now on."
After The Bug said, sure no probs, Zorko took off his Vikings helmet, trenchcoat and pink uggboots, and for the first time appeared to relax as he sipped his latte at Fat Boys.
"By the way, my name's Charles," he said, offering his hand. "Thanks for talking to us. Sorry, but I've only got an hour. I've got to pick up the kids from preschool just after three."
Also lead guitarist for Finger Regurgitated Custard Powder, Charles paused briefly when The Bug asked how the band got its unusual moniker.
"Well, we were really keen on Pop Properly, but that was already taken," he said finally.
Charles said the band had felt it was just starting to make progress when the bans hit.
"Our particular style of post-retro, techno grunge rap with hip-hop undertow and ganster goth hintings was just starting to get the crowds in, " Bruce lamented.
"And we were on the verge of getting a few gigs down at Byron Bay."
They say that necessity is the mother of invention, so when the music died in the Valley, the boys in Finger Regurgitated Custard Powder decided to reinvent themselves.
"The venues told us that under the new restrictions, we were still welcome to play there, as long as we didn't plug in our instruments, hit our drum kits or sing out loud.
"So we talked about it for quite a few hours about whether we could still do this and not impinge on our musical integrity; of what we had always wanted to do with our craft," Charles said.
"But mainly because we still got the same money and wouldn't have to fork out $300 for a PA, we said: 'yes, let's go for it'."
Charles said the band members were rather apprehensive when they played their first gig at The Zoo after the sound restrictions came in.
"Our first set looked like being an absolute disaster," Charles said. "Because we didn't have to be near our instruments, we just sat over by the bar enjoying a few beers during our first set.
"When it became obvious that no one was taking our new musical direction seriously, we wandered on stage and picked up our guitars.
"Not being able to play them or sing, we just stood there holding our gear and looking out at the audience. It ended up being a fairly long set and we were pretty exhausted at the end.
"We had a gut feeling our regular fans had digged what we were trying to do, but it was difficult to gauge their reaction because Joc and C had asked the crowd not to applaud for fear of waking local residents up.
"We took a longer break than we had first planned to, but then when we came back on the second time the crowd was just fantastic. They swarmed back up to the stage and danced away silently for the next 40 minutes."
It was clear from that first night that after decades of trashy and noisy popular music, the modern Australian audience was more than receptive to the seductive sounds of silence.
Charles said the band members had coined their new music direction post industrial, deaf-X non-rock.
Whatever the tag given to this exciting new musical genre, their brave new sound looks like taking off, big time!
Their debut album, Finger Regurgitated Custard Powder Unplugged and Unsung, is already receiving quite strong rotational non-play on Triple J.
Store and gig sales are already strong for the eight-song album, which includes a bonus track.
"All of the songs are originals, and were written collectively by all band members," Charles said.
"Because a live audience sees us pick up our instruments and they know we're about to perform, we've had to insert this barely audible hum in between tracks on the CD so that listeners know when our new songs start and finish."
Work had already begun on a follow-up album, tentatively called Silent Nights.
Charles said working on the new album had not been easy.
"We know we've got to give our fans more of what they want, yet we've got to develop professionally as an outfit too.
"It's a bit of a tightrope marrying our creative needs with fans' expectations.
"We just hope our fans like what they won't be hearing."
The Bug sat in on some of the recording sessions for the new CD and can report that Brisbane's newest band sensation has nothing to worry about.
But don't just take our word for it. The vibe on the street is that Finger Regurgitated Custard Powder are on their way to well-earned national prominence.
Their rapid ascendancy over coming months will confirm once again Fortitude Valley as the nation's number one nursery for popular music.

Finger Regurgitated Custard Powder don't play at Ric's next Friday and Saturday nights.