Equal Local
Equal Local were an Australian synth-pop band from Melbourne, active from 1980 to 1982. The original lineup included Dean Richards (guitar), Philip Jackson (synthesizers, trumpet, and rhythm generator), Melissa Webb (synthesizers and piano), Bryce Perrin (double bass), and Mick Hauser (saxophone). Richards and Jackson had prior links to Whirlywirld. They quickly built a cult following in Melbourne’s Crystal Ballroom scene, playing with Essendon Airport and Tsk Tsk Tsk, and earned praise from critics who called them the best new Melbourne band since The Birthday Party left for England. Their music blended post-punk energy with avant-garde touches inspired by cocktail music, jazz, and funk, and they used a computer built for them by Robin Whittle to run live sequencing, making them early pioneers in programmable sequencing.
In 1980, Jackson, Hauser, and Stephen Ewart contributed horn parts to two tracks on The Birthday Party’s Prayers on Fire, and Equal Local also provided the soundtrack for the Punkline documentary. Two of their songs, “Widespread” and “Barren and Wasted,” appeared on the 1981 cassette magazine Fast Forward. They released the Madagascar EP on Missing Link Records in 1981, and Powderworks Records issued their single “12 Ways to Go” in 1982. The band toured interstate before disbanding in 1982. A recording of their last show at the Crystal Ballroom on May 29, 1982 was released as a live album by Rash.
This page was last edited on 2 February 2026, at 16:01 (CET).