The Australian Music Vault has unveiled a refreshed display of The Real Thing celebrating the Australian sound with objects from Roger Knox, Skyhooks, Jane Clifton, The Planets and others, in addition to a display celebrating Missy Higgins, 2024 ARIA Hall of Fame inductee.
Missy Higgins – ARIA of Hall of Fame Inductee
Singer-songwriter Missy Higgins has been a beloved figure in the Australian music industry since the release of her debut album, The Sound of White in 2004. Higgins’ honest and emotional lyrics combined with an arresting singing voice and an unmistakable Australian accent, has ensured it remains an enduring Australian classic.
Born in Melbourne, Higgins grew up in a musical household and took up piano at the age of six, learning the Suzuki method, which trained her to play by ear. Taking up the guitar as a teenager, she learnt to play contemporary songs and began to compose her own music on piano and guitar.
In 2004, she released the single Scar and then The Sound of White a few months later, both debuting at No. 1. She was nominated for five ARIA Awards at that year’s ceremony, winning Best Pop Release. She went on to release five more studio albums: On a Clear Night (2007), The Ol’ Razzle Dazzle (2012), Oz (2014) and Solastalgia (2018).
Her most recent album, The Second Act, was released in September 2024, and represents a thematic sequel to The Sound of White. The album sees Higgins return to her intimate and confessional style of songwriting, reflecting on the changes in her life since her debut.
Written in the midst of a divorce and post children, The Second Act debuted at No. 1 on the ARIA Charts, a remarkable achievement that makes Higgins the seventh Australian artist to have No. 1 albums in three consecutive decades.
In this display, Missy Higgins fans will see the guitar she used to compose songs for The Sound of White, an exercise book containing lyrics written for the album, CDs of The Sound of White, The Special Two and Scar, plus a variety of posters from her career.
The Real Thing
The ‘Australian sound’ is a bit like the Australian accent; difficult to define but also immediately evident. For some, it’s the incomparable sound of Indigenous language and rhythm, for others – it’s the cranked-up volume of guitar-heavy pub rock or the instantly recognisable cadences of Aussie hip-hop.
Favourite home-grown songs give voice to experiences that are both distinctly Australian while somehow universal. They come back to us at moments of great happiness or sadness. Their musical expression – the bagpipes in Long Way to the Top, the howling harmonica of Paul Kelly or the virtuosic drumming of Spiderbait’s Kram – have the power to evoke memories of time and place.
Local lyrical content also feeds our musical identity. From open celebrations of place in Skyhooks’ Balwyn Calling and Icehouse’s Great Southern Land, to more reflective takes on the Australian way of life with Bliss n Eso’s Golden Years. More recently, Australian music has crossed over cultural and geographical boundaries to explore new ways of storytelling and reflect an increasingly diverse population.
Australian music has developed in conversation with both local and international audiences at festivals and in music venues both big and small. The establishment of record labels – such as Festival Records in 1952, Mushroom Records in 1972 and hip-hop focused Elefant Tracks in 1998 – has also been key in nurturing and promoting an Australian sound that remains a prized calling card both at home and overseas.
In this refreshed display, visitors can see Roger Knox’s hand-painted guitar by Alin Duncan shining brightly alongside a Prue Acton designed mini dress worn by Marcie Jones of Marcie and The Cookies (c.-1968); Bob ‘Bongo’ Starkie’s (of Skyhooks fame) glam-tastic frill-necked lizard inspired jumpsuit (1975); drumsticks and boots used by Clare Moore of The Moodists (1980s); a bright pink jumper and shoes worn by Jane Clifton in performance with Stiletto; and a jacket worn by Graeme Howie of The Planets (1961-62), among many other amazing pieces of music history.
The Australian Music Vault is a FREE exhibition and a key initiative of the Victorian Government’s Music Works strategy, in support and collaboration with the music industry. It has been developed by Arts Centre Melbourne in consultation with the music industry and is a celebration of the Australian contemporary music story – past, present and future.
It’s a place to explore your love of music, revisit some of the big music moments of your life and discover the exciting new stories of today’s Australian music scene.
For more information about the Australian Music Vault, visit: www.australianmusicvault.com.au for details.
Images: (main L – R) The Real Thing in the Australian Music Vault, Licence to Rage jumper and shoes worn by Jane Clifton in performance with Stiletto, 1978. Gift of Jane Clifton, 1994 Australian Performing Arts Collection, Arts Centre Melbourne and posters from 2024 ARIA Hall of Fame inductee Missy Higgins | The Real Thing in the Australian Music Vault – photo by Jason Lau