Kill the Music
Brand New instore!
Killing It!
Brisbane finally has it’s very own music store that deals directly in punk rock and hardcore, KILL THE MUSIC. Store co-owner PAUL VOGE gives BIANCA the lowdown.
Located at Level 1, 161-163, Elizabeth Street (ex-Central Station Records location) Kill The Music specialises in what the tattooed owner describes as, “modern day punk.” The store is big, neat, tidy and shiny yet full of attitude – perhaps similar to how you’d describe most ‘punk’ today. There are several CD racks to flick through where you may very well find that hard to get album or local release you’ve been after. A section of the store is also dedicated to all the latest in emo friendly, punk and hc fashion. Hell you can even pick up a pair of Macbeth shoes there. A one-stop punk & hc shop. “If there’s something you want we’ll do our best to get it ASAP,” Voge promises.
Catching up with Voge in the chaotic storeroom with shoe boxes packed high, he’s in chipper spirits despite looking a little disheveled and considerably tired – the store having only opened in the last couple of weeks. “It’s school holidays and I’ve kind of been playing a father figure,” he offers referring to the swarm of kids that have seemed to descend on the store since opening.
Another thing on Voge’s mind which may have something to do with his current demeanour is the fact that everything he has, has been put into the store. “I have absolutely no money now after opening the store. I have like $5.64 in the bank,” he explains.
For Voge opening the store has been a life long dream come true. “This wasn’t a split second decision,” he assures. “There’s a time when you have to stop talking and do something. It’s hard. There was a lot of tantrums between when I first decided to really do it and when it opened – but I did it.”
No stranger to music retail, Voge clocking countless hours in both chain and independent stores since leaving high school says, “I hit an age and it was either keep going doing what I’m doing or do something I’ve talked about since I was fifteen. I’ve always wanted to do it. I remember my dad saying when I was little, ‘If you still like music by the time you’re twenty-five I’ll give you a thousand dollars’. I understand where he was coming from because kids do get out of it and all. I never did get that thousand dollars,” he laughs.
Speaking on the inclusion of a fashion component to the store Voge tells, “There’s a lot of people that I know that own fashion labels so we’ve ended up doing more fashion than we originally thought of. I’m glad that we do but I don’t want that to take away from the music. I’d rather kids came in and looked at CDs and then the clothes later on.”
The spacious store also has an area to chill out in where you can watch the latest punk DVDs, play pool and an arcade game or just chill out. “It still hasn’t sunken in,” Voge shares. “I still feel like I’m a full-timer at a music store. It still doesn’t feel like I own this place.”
