Pig City

Book excerpt: A 10th anniversary edition of this cult classic with a new introduction. From cult heroes the Saints and the Go - Betweens to national icons Powderfinger and international stars Savage Garden, Brisbane has produced more than its share of great bands. But behind the music lay a ghost city of malice and corruption. Pressed under the thumb of the Bjelke - Petersen government and its toughest enforcers - the police - Brisbane's musicians, radio announcers and political activists braved ignorance, harassment and often violence to be heard. Pig City's reputation has grown in the decade since its first publication. In 2007, Queensland Music Festival staged the book as an all - day music event, headlined by the first performance in nearly 30 years by the original line - up of the Saints. This updated 10th anniversary edition features a scathing new introduction by the author, assessing the changing shape of Brisbane, its music, and troubling developments since the return of the state of Queensland to conservative governance.