Sydney creatives revitalise underground music scene via online radio

Fernando Benavides, a Sydney-based artist and musician, is launching Centre Point Radio, an online station dedicated to nurturing the city's underground music scene, with a particular focus on Western Sydney. Benavides, who grew up in the city's west, felt a significant lack of accessible cultural spaces, forcing many creatives to move closer to the city center.

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You don't have that access, whether it's transport, or music venues or bars … you're isolated. We lack the kind of spaces where people can just go hang out and enjoy culture, enjoy music, enjoy company, enjoy connection.

"You don't have that access, whether it's transport, or music venues or bars … you're isolated," Benavides said. "We lack the kind of spaces where people can just go hang out and enjoy culture, enjoy music, enjoy company, enjoy connection." Centre Point Radio aims to fill this void. While initially broadcasting from a studio in Marrickville, the long-term goal is to establish a presence in Parramatta by early next year, complete with events, fundraisers, and mutual aid initiatives.

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Because from there, ideally, more [music] venues pop up, or more record stores pop up.

Benavides envisions the station as a catalyst for local change, hoping it will lead to the emergence of more music venues and record stores. "Because from there, ideally, more [music] venues pop up, or more record stores pop up," he stated. This initiative taps into a growing trend of online platforms supporting local arts and culture, offering a more DIY approach compared to traditional terrestrial radio.

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We have a very broad and inclusive understanding of what underground music or culture is. It's a range of music, from punk to electronic music, to deconstructed club and EDM … there's also a rigorous ethos for non-commercial music.

Meanwhile, in Canberra, Aakanksha Sidhu and Jordan Harrison co-founded Trust.FM, another online station operating from a not-for-profit cafe and club space. Trust.FM broadcasts 24 hours a day, aiming to unite the city's diverse underground music scene, encompassing genres from punk to electronic music. Sidhu emphasized the station's broad and inclusive understanding of underground culture and its commitment to non-commercial music. "In a world of streaming and the ability to consume essentially any kind of music that you ever want, I think people need a space to go and feel like they can meet other human beings who are creative with them," she explained.

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In a world of streaming and the ability to consume essentially any kind of music that you ever want, I think people need a space to go and feel like they can meet other human beings who are creative with them.