Looking For Fitzroy Soul? Here Are Three Unmissable Albums

In the lead-up to the Brunswick Street Soul Fiesta as part of Leaps & Bounds— featuring live soul, funk, hip-hop and jazz in over 30 venues along and around Brunswick St on 9 July — here’s Chris Gill from Northside Records with three essential Fitzroy soul records.

Archie Roach – Charcoal Lane

What that man put on wax is his heart and soul. He laid it down for the white man to see what had been done. He started a conversation with a nation. Took The Children Away, when performed in Northside Records last year to commemorate the 25th anniversary of this record written in Gertrude Street, went down in local folklore history. Not a dry eye in the house. This is Fitzroy soul.

Hiatus Kaiyote – Tawk Tomahawk

Born out of playing the music in Fitzroy for a long time. They worked up a wild vibe about people participating in soul music – combine that with the exciting feel of this band as they came up led to a great buzz. They played many gigs at The Evelyn, a venue that provides a home for this sort of music, and in fact, many forms of music. This ended up in becoming the first EVER Australian band to be nominated for an R&B Grammy.

30/70 – Cold Radish Coma

Another band that has come up in funky Fitzroy and spent a lot of time sharing their music, and what a beautifully crafted album this one is too. So many different colours played out in the music. This is a great musical family that will be exciting to watch. These guys WILL hit the bigger worldwide stage very soon. I have enjoyed seeing them come up.