ARIA-nominated classical quintet Topology celebrate 20 years this year and recently released a commemorative album called 'TWENTY'.
The compilation traverses the last, or rather the first 20 years of the Brisbane quintet’s career, with each of their previous releases - save for their latest 2017 album 'Tortured Remixes' - represented in the double-disc album.
Ahead of two local shows in early December, the band's bassist Robert Davidson looks back at two decades of life for a band that have created their own sound playing chamber music, pop, jazz, electronica, orchestral and progressive rock.
"Twenty years, when Topology started, Brisbane had a vibrant musical scene, built on the firm foundations of the great energy and originality in bands like The Saints, Railroad Gin and The Go-Betweens and continued at that time with Custard, Regurgitator, Wondrous Faire and other brilliant artists, with a vibrant focus in the Livid festival.
"The classical scene was full of leading figures nurtured through John Curro's work at Queensland Youth Orchestra; there was a strong group of highly inventive jazz, folk and theatre musicians.
"There was a sense of adventure - that there were no rules, that you didn't have to fit into camps. The scene was small enough that if you wanted to have musical friends, you had to hang out with people in many genres.
"It was before Napster and any real streaming music, so the way you heard new music was on radio, on recordings or live. A heck of a lot of music we really liked was not available in record shops or on radio, so we put it on live instead. The audience was adventurous and very social, and this very much fit the grassroots approach we were taking.
"Yes, many leading artists sought their fortune in bigger cities, but it was around the '90s that many decided to stay, since it was becoming possible to have a career based in Brisbane, as long as you visited the more central arts scenes fairly regularly.
"But the congenial attitude has persevered, which has been incredible for Topology's collaborations.
"It is very natural in this town to be talking to a wide range of artists, since there just aren't enough people to form sizeable, exclusive niches.
"We've found that being based in Brisbane has been an advantage, as it's an ideal place to take risks and come up with fresh ideas, which have been really attractive to collaborators and presenters in places like New York, London and San Francisco."
- Robert Davidson, Topology
"The classical scene was full of leading figures nurtured through John Curro's work at Queensland Youth Orchestra; there was a strong group of highly inventive jazz, folk and theatre musicians.
"There was a sense of adventure - that there were no rules, that you didn't have to fit into camps. The scene was small enough that if you wanted to have musical friends, you had to hang out with people in many genres.
"It was before Napster and any real streaming music, so the way you heard new music was on radio, on recordings or live. A heck of a lot of music we really liked was not available in record shops or on radio, so we put it on live instead. The audience was adventurous and very social, and this very much fit the grassroots approach we were taking.
"Yes, many leading artists sought their fortune in bigger cities, but it was around the '90s that many decided to stay, since it was becoming possible to have a career based in Brisbane, as long as you visited the more central arts scenes fairly regularly.
"But the congenial attitude has persevered, which has been incredible for Topology's collaborations.
"It is very natural in this town to be talking to a wide range of artists, since there just aren't enough people to form sizeable, exclusive niches.
"We've found that being based in Brisbane has been an advantage, as it's an ideal place to take risks and come up with fresh ideas, which have been really attractive to collaborators and presenters in places like New York, London and San Francisco."
- Robert Davidson, Topology
