Xrayspex

What is Xrayspex?
Xrayspex is a series of events catering for a market that we feel is generally neglected - under-18s. It's about bringing amazing acts who are only playing over-18 shows to an underage audience at one of Sydney's coolest venues, Oxford Art Factory. It started when a committee of interested kids teamed up with the management at OAF to pilot a launch event - we had Cut Off Your Hands and AJAX play - and it went from there.

Who is involved in Xrayspex, and how old are they?
We're a group of 20 or so kids who were already doing stuff around the industry. I present on FBi radio and make music videos, others were in bands, others were organising art shows, others were running fashion blogs. We all decided to team up on this project because the venue was really committed to making it work, so we got involved and pooled our resources to make it happen. We're all between 15 and 17 and keen to further this sort of culture in Sydney for people our age.

What's the under-18 event scene like in Sydney?
It's pretty dismal. There are some art galleries around who have smaller events, a couple of venues like the Enmore and the Metro who put on big shows that are all ages, a heap of trashy under-18 dance nights and the occasional gig by a local council. But there's really nothing for the kind of bands we like or at a cool venue like Oxford Arts.
 
How often do you put on events?
Last year we ran three events, but we've had a bit of trouble getting the funding together to put any more on. For our next event we've had some amazing support from a group called Indent (part of Music NSW), plus Modular and MySpace Australia jumped on board. If it goes well we plan to do a heap more.

What challenges do you face when putting on events?
The biggest challenge has been getting the funding, but once that's a goer we have a lot of trouble actually securing bands. It's amazing how few booking agents are willing to take a chance on catering for an audience that rarely gets to see their artists. Luckily, Modular are helping us out and have been incredible making this next event happen. Beyond that it's all the normal hurdles like promotion and the logistics of the day itself, but we're learning so much in the process that it's all worthwhile.
 
In the future, what do you want to do for a career?
Putting on Xrayspex events has certainly given me insight into what the industry is like. There are some really inspiring and passionate people working in this industry and it'd be pretty cool to do it for a career.

In a few years your generation will be in charge of the events/music scene. What do you have to say to the current people in charge?
It would be so much better to see people taking more risks with younger bands and events like this that are a bit left of field. The scene now is in a pretty good way but it would be incredible to have more venues like Oxford Arts around. Areas like Surry Hills, Darlinghurst and Paddington have it happening - I would love to see more of the city embrace that culture. Especially that amazing vibe in January around Sydney festival where the whole town embraces music, art and culture - it would be pretty great to have that all year round.

Best and worst thing about being a teenager?
Best - we've got very little commitment to anything. Worst - being shunned from cool events, being bound to schoolwork for another year.

Last words?
We're a pretty passionate bunch of kids committed to putting on some cool events around town - it'd be amazing if a few more bands, labels and bookers took a chance on supporting a project like this. Sarah Theeboom