THE CELEBRATED PULSE 'ZINE RETURNS WITH ISSUE #2
The PULSE 'zine made its powerful entrance last March, celebrating non-males in the Australian heavy music community. Spearheaded by Melbourne/Naarm-based creative Allison Watters, the DIY independent 'zine makes a comeback this year for PULSE: Issue 2, featuring another ten conversations with women currently dominating in their field. Both issues of PULSE are available now to purchase here!
The second instalment of PULSE was unveiled last week and includes interviews with musicians Alex Reade of Make Them Suffer, Amy McIntosh and Lizi Blanco of Vilify/The Beautiful Monument, Emma Boster of Dying Wish and Nikki Brumen of Blood Command. Photographers Brittney McCarthy of BM Images and Jess Drews, who also doubles up as booking and touring co-ordinator at Destroy All Lines, are also celebrated alongside Marianne Te Haara of Marz Merch Management, Tash Adamou of Neptura Art and Tanya Gleeson from Northcote Theatre.
In addition to the interviews, PULSE: Issue 2 introduces readers to up and coming local bands Slowburn, Identity Error, Stressed and Pest Control, explores 'Riffs & Reps: How To Lift Heavy and Shred Hard' with advice from guests and local strong-women and shares a film gallery from beastmode's hugely successful hardcore festival 'Back on the Map Vol.2'.
The initial idea for PULSE sparked in 2022 and came to fruition in March of the next year. PULSE: Issue 1 set out to act as a resource for booking non-males in the music industry, while also creating a platform for positive exposure and conversation. Bec Thorwesten of Terminal Sleep, Emilly Beekmans of Volatile Ways, Emily Linehan of Destroy All Lines/manager of Bloom and Sarah O'Malley from Burnt Out Bookings are just a few of the very special guests included in the first issue. Featuring vocalists, booking agents, makeup artists, publicists, photographers, creatives and more within its 80 pages, the zine proclaims it's something of: 'a bible for bad bitches in the scene you should support!'
The brainchild of Allison Watters, Allison has carved out a space to celebrate the plethora of dedicated and passionate women behind Australia's alternative music community. Awarded for her work with PULSE, Watters last year won the annual industry award at the National Live Music Awards for Victoria. "It has been an absolute pleasure being able to fully immerse myself in the talent and strength behind the non-males in this community," muses Watters. "Every single individual I have interviewed is a powerhouse and I'm honoured that they have trusted me to share a part of their story."
The original creation of PULSE accompanied a time of reflection for Watters, who pondered her place in the scene and dedicated months to learning about women in the local music community, in the Australian scene, and the history of women in punk.
Watters found that although representation and visibility is rather commonplace in Australian heavy music, the general practices can sometimes be overlooked. "Even the basics like safety at gigs, gender-neutral bathrooms, and gender-diverse bills are incredibly inconsistent across different sub-scenes, genres and venues."
PULSE strives to keep the conversation alive and endeavours to consistently support and celebrate non-males in the music industry. "Until the women in this scene feel properly represented, respected and able to express themselves in and around the music they enjoy and create, there needs to be artists, creatives and crew pushing for open and positive discussions. Please listen to the people around you. Listen to their stories. Support their art."
PULSE: Issue 2 is available now to purchase here, and at select shows from featured artists.