Civic

Civic are a five-piece rock band from Melbourne, formed in 2017 by singer Jim McCullough and guitarist Darcy Grigg. They emerge from Melbourne’s punk scene and play a style rooted in punk rock, garage rock and alternative rock, with a strong pub rock influence. Their sound is built around downstroked guitar, forceful vocals, direct melodies and a hard-driving rhythm section, drawing on the tradition of the Saints, Radio Birdman and the Celibate Rifles.

Formation and early releases

McCullough and Grigg first meet while McCullough is in Japan, where they decide that Australian rock needs more bands in the vein of Radio Birdman and related groups. Back in Melbourne, they recruit guitarist Lewis Hodgson, bassist Roland Hlavka and drummer David Forcier. They rehearse in McCullough’s practice space in a warehouse-turned-arts centre, play their first show under the name Diamond Dust, and then adopt the name Civic.

The band records its first material as a trio of EPs in the late 2010s. The seven-song New Vietnam EP appears in 2018 on Anti-Fade, a label run by Billy Gardener, and is followed later the same year by the four-track Those Who No EP. These releases establish Civic’s reputation and bring them early attention beyond Australia.

Albums and label history

In 2020, Civic issue the single “Radiant Eye” b/w “Making Time” as their first release for Flightless, the label founded by Eric Moore of King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard. Flightless then releases their debut album, Future Forecast, which is later issued in North America and the UK by ATO Records. This marks the band’s first full-length release after building their name on EPs.

For their second album, Taken by Force in 2023, Civic work with Radio Birdman vocalist Rob Younger, who produces the record. Mikey Young handles mixing and mastering. The album sessions also include Matt Blach on drums.

Line-up changes and collaborators

After Future Forecast, Darcy Grigg leaves the band and Jackson Harry joins on guitar after having played on the album sessions. David Forcier, who is based in Canada, is unable to continue live work during the COVID-19 travel restrictions, so Matt Blach takes over for performances and also appears on the Taken by Force sessions.

Civic are closely tied to a lineage of Australian and international rock acts, both through their influences and through later collaboration with Rob Younger. Their work combines late-1970s punk energy with pub rock and power-pop elements, presented in a straightforward and high-intensity style.