KING DUDE [USA] is celebrating his death through rebirth… with his Australian wife + daughter in Brisbane. After moving to the East Coast, this prolific artist may seem to have slowed down on the music front. But that couldn’t be further from the truth.

Since releasing the ‘final’ full-length for this project, DEATH, back in 2022, there have been four albums in tow. Mostly focussing on collabs + sentimental covers, he has reinvested his creative energy into new projects, including the instrumental Italo disco horror stylings of RUNE JAIL.

HEARTS OF DARKNESS’s own JESS KILL chats to TJ Cowgill ahead of their Boorloo//Perth debut this weekend — playing with RUNE JAIL on June 21 + KING DUDE on June 22…

KAARST [[YUGAMBEH / GOLD COAST, QLD]] is Sam Haven; an artist + a storyteller of mixed mediums. From a slew of harrowing musical releases, a 2021 book ‘The Art Of Leaving’ – containing excerpts, inner monologues, imagery, poetry + prose – to oil painting, his dark creative endeavours are truly boundless. He also lends his skills to session work, touring managing + live mixing.

The KAARST moniker delves into their inner melancholy through the juxtaposition of infectious goth, electronica, wave, + ambient ties with visual spectacles, also bringing their vision to life.

HEARTS OF DARKNESS’s own JESS KILL chats this jack-of-all-trades ahead of their Boorloo debut on the winter solstice, June 21…

SUNNY FLOWERS are pounding energy.

Growling bass + distortion influenced by glitchcore // alt hip hop that will hit you in your very core. W/ live percussion for this show, SUNNY FLOWERS will help you release your inner demons.

ALT’s own JESS WILLOUGHBY chatted to Maya (aka SUNNY FLOWERS) before the support DELI GIRLS [NYC] this Thursday…

DIS FIG’s sound is total provocation.

Taking all the risk, their music is harrowing and mesmerising – all at once. With textural cues from industrial // noise // experimental // trip-hop // techno // more +++, their focus has always been on sonic experiences that alter.

ALT’s own JESS WILLOUGHBY chatted with Berlin-based producer + DJ Felicia Chen (aka Dis Fig) ahead of their performance. Emotional exorcisms live TONIGHT at Badlands Bar [[long weekend]]…

BUZZ KULL [Eora // Sydney] is a formidable force in darkwave, dark electro + underground electronic music. The solo project from Marc Dwyer, who just finished their most ambitious European tour to date, including sets at Cold Hearted Festival (DE), Wavefest IX (NL), Ombra Festival (SP), Katzenklub Festival (DE) amongst the likes of Lebanon Hanover, The KVB, Xeno & Oaklander + so many more.

Their recently released third LP, Fascination [Avant! Records] carries forward a club body music direction — think elements of EBM à la Front 242 and Front Line Assembly mixed with aspects of Belgian new beat and notes of British synthpop. Perfect for both the darkroom dancefloor and drowning out reality.

JESS WILLOUGHBY chatted to Dwyer ahead of their first-ever Boorloo // Perth live appearance at Badlands Bar on Saturday, December 10.

Four-piece post-metal outfit BOLT GUN moved mountains with their acclaimed 2020 release, Begotten. This second full-length from the band delves deeper into a cinematic realm, taking inspiration from composers such as Hans Zimmer and Jóhann Jóhannsson, and smacking it up against heavy passages of droning noise.

Always a long time between live experiences, ALT//FEST will signal their rebirth with new line-up additions. We chatted with guitarist/synth/orchestral arranger Jon Vayla ahead of their return to the stage tomorrow.

Only performing for the first time in July, SOOKS are already making local waves. With first wave punk at their core, this four-piece spits venom and already has a hefty demo under their belts. Featuring members of Asbestos Fence, Nervous, Lounge Tourist, Montana Wildhack and Wound honey.

We chatted to the band ahead of their ALT//FEST slot at Badlands Bar this Saturday.

LAUREN + THE GOODFIGHTS is a Boorloo-based queer-punk band creating heady political works. They are a trans + gender-diverse presenting group promoting safe spaces in the scene. Their live set is a mix of loud, powerful tunes, comedic commentary + celebration of queer community.

We chatted with the band ahead of their slot at Badlands Bar for ALT//FEST this Saturday, November 12.

SOW DISCORD is the solo work of electronic artist David Coen [Whitehorse // Hemlock Ladder]. A cavernous, bass-heavy unrelenting sonic animal – this Naarm-based project has extracted the urgency, dissonance + brutality of extreme music + seamlessly blended it with his interest in hip hop, sampling + noisey composition.

We chatted to them ahead of their return to Boorloo//Perth for ALT//FEST at Badlands Bar on November 12.

EXTORTION are returning for their first Perth shows in years + launching their new self-released record Seething. Recorded in 2019 by Sam Johnson at Holes + Corners, + mixed/mastered by Arthur Rizk (Power Trip, Mammoth Grinder, Eternal Champion) – Seething is the band's first new release in a decade. Fast, abrasive + over very quickly – standard Extortion.

ALT // FEST punters will be the very first to hear their latest in the flesh at Badlands Bar on November 12. We chatted to vocalist, artist + founder Rohan Harrison ahead of the show.

FLESH PRISON is a utilitarian grindcore machine. Featuring members of Population Control, HEXX + every other local heavy band, this project is a purpose-built three-piece focused on speed, live aggression + oppressive sonic terror.

Bridging the gap between hyper-speed grind, fastcore + death metal, the atmosphere is relentless, lunging between psychosis + despair. Definitely for fans of Insect Warfare, Magrudergrind + Suffocation. We chatted with Mike and Luke ahead of their ALT//FEST slot on Saturday, November 12 at Badlands Bar.

Doom-pop purveyors SUPERNAKED hail from Walyalup // Fremantle. Their self-titled EP (2021) is a cathartic mix of soaring rhythms, reverb-soaked guitars, haunting vocals + surging electronics.

Initially formed in 2016 as a duo – with Jordan Shakespeare [Cuss // Tunafish Recording Studio] and Beth Commons [Pool Boy // Gia Como] – their line-up has now filled out to a five-piece. Beth chatted with us ahead of their ALT//FEST slot at Badlands on November 12.

ERASERS (Rebecca Orchard, Rupert Thomas) create hypnotic compositions of synth, guitar and voice, evoking the vast expanse of their native landscape and the shrouded emotions beneath the senses.

Gliding down the line between psychedelic minimalism and defined pop structures, Orchard and Thomas have created an immersive, alternate reality whose latest incarnation, their third album Constant Connection, was released earlier this year on Fire Talk (USA/ROW) and Night School (UK/EU). We chatted with the pair ahead of their ALT//FEST performance at Badlands Bar on November 12.

Perth post-punk quartet NEW TALK have unleashed their second album, Time & Memory. Truly expanding and exploring these two key concepts through their signature overwhelming sound and experimenting with new textures and form, Time & Memory came after a period of dramatic live growth for the band.

This included playing a string of festivals – Falls Festival, SOTA, Baybeats (Singapore) and Concrete & Grass (China) – and shows with Stiff Little Fingers, Future Of The Left, Amyl & The Sniffers, WAAX, Jen Cloher and Ecca Vandal, to name a few. We chatted to the band ahead of their ALT//FEST performance at Badlands Bar on November 12.

Electronic cold wave duo CHURCH GROUP were formed in 2020, the year that wasn't. Trapped in a dark world of perpetual pessimism and despair, they utilise minimal beats, dual vocals, weaving rhythmic synths and haunting subject matters to create grim tunes for a grim world.

Featuring members of Nerve Quakes, DiE, Shivved, Gaffer and more, we chatted to the pair ahead of their appearance at ALT//FEST on November 12.

DROWNING HORSE has been rarely seen on a stage since releasing their second full-length album Sheltering Sky in 2015. But their live shows have become the stuff of legend. Every beat is permeated with weight. Every moment is brimming with either anticipation or catharsis. Now they’re back with their first full-length in seven years, Meghalayan.

In an ALT//FEST exclusive, samples of Meghalayan will be played amongst their whole catalogue as the band makes their live return at Badlands Bar on November 12. We chatted to vocalist Kim McConchie and guitarist Brendan James ahead of this performance.

QUELL is a producer and sound artist that uses hardware electronics and found sounds to transverse industrial clatter, synthetic ambience and angular repetition of EBM rhythms. Last year saw the release of their sophomore Endless EP via Dero Arcade (Gadigal Country/Sydney).

ALT’s very own JESS WILLOUGHBY chatted with QUELL ahead of their Perth debut with V on July 15 at Lucy’s Love Shack…