John Willsteed

Terence John “John” Willsteed was born in 1957 in Geebung, Brisbane, and moved with his family to Kedron in 1963. He attended Catholic primary school and studied guitar under jazz guitarist Ricky Farbach. Although relatives remember him constantly playing guitar, Willsteed recalls himself as a shy child who preferred books and Iced VoVos. His shyness was so strong that during one school performance he played guitar from behind a curtain while a younger boy stood onstage and sang. This early tension between musical ability and public reticence would shape his creative life.

University and the Brisbane Punk Awakening (1978)

Everything changed in 1978 when Willsteed briefly attended university and moved into a Kelvin Grove share house filled with artists and outsiders. There he met Mal Skewis, the first punk he had ever encountered. An afternoon of Patti Smith records and vodka became a major turning point. Soon after, he moved into a New Farm house with visual artist Gary Warner, who cut off his long hair in a symbolic break from his old identity. Immersed in the sound of Brisbane punk pioneers The Saints, Willsteed became part of a cultural shift as the city’s underground pushed back against the repressive Bjelke‑Petersen era.

Punk, Activism and the Brisbane Underground (1978–1985)

A chance encounter with Lindy Morrison and Gary Warner in 1978 led to Willsteed joining Morrison’s feminist punk band Zero as a bassist. Despite not having experience a bass player John later says he "fudged it". Zero (later Xiro/Xero) became central to Brisbane’s activist‑aligned underground, performing at women’s dances, abortion‑rights fundraisers, LGBTQ+ community events, and Aboriginal community fundraisers. The group released cassette EPs and a 12" EP as the lineup evolved. During this period, Willsteed also contributed experimental electronic works to the ZIP artist collective (1982–1987) under the name John‑e Xero, helping define Brisbane’s early electronic and art‑music landscape.

Sydney, New Sounds and Film (1984–1987)

Around 1984–85, Willsteed moved to Sydney, expanding his musical range through bands such as Tender Mercies and Machines That Walk. His long association with Gary Warner and the Sydney Super 8 Film Group led to soundtrack work, including collaborations with filmmaker Ross Gibson on Camera Natura, Wild, and Dead to the World. This period marked his transition from punk bassist to multi‑disciplinary musician and sound artist.

The Go‑Betweens and 16 Lovers Lane (1987–1989)

In 1987, after Robert Vickers chose to remain in New York, Willsteed joined The Go‑Betweens. He contributed bass and guitar to the band’s most acclaimed album, 16 Lovers Lane. His nylon‑string guitar break on “Streets of Your Town,” recorded in one take, remains one of the most recognisable moments in Australian indie music. He toured internationally with the band, including on R.E.M.’s Green world tour, representing Brisbane on the global indie stage even as he struggled with heavy drinking and the disorientation of his first overseas experience.

1990s: New Bands, Sobriety and Reinvention

After leaving The Go‑Betweens, Willsteed played with numerous Australian acts including the Plug Uglies, The Drunk, The Monk and The Spunk, Disgraceland, The Apartments (appearing on Drift), and Ed Kuepper of The Saints. He quit drinking and drugs in 1992, with a brief relapse in 1999, and continued composing for film and television, including music for the children’s series Kitu and Woofl (1997).

Halfway and National Recognition (2010–Present)

Since 2010, Willsteed has been a guitarist in the Brisbane band Halfway, contributing to a run of critically acclaimed albums. He collaborated with Aboriginal activist Bob Weatherall and musician William Barton on Restless Dream, a concept album exploring repatriation.

Film Sound Design: Awards and Achievements

After studying Sound at the Australian Film, Television and Radio School (graduating in 1996), Willsteed worked on more than 60 film and television projects. His awards include the Australian Film Institute Awards for The Beat Manifesto (1996), Vietnam Nurses (2005), and Rare Chicken Rescue (2008), as well as the International Wildlife Film Festival Sound Award for Hypsi, the Forest Gardener.

Academic Career and Cultural Research

Since 2000, Willsteed has taught at Griffith University, Bond University, TAFE, and Queensland University of Technology (QUT), where he became a Senior Lecturer and later an Adjunct Senior Lecturer. His PhD, It’s Not the Heat, It’s the Humidity, examines the presentation of Brisbane’s punk and post‑punk cultural history. His publications include Electronic Cities (2020, co‑editor), Underground Music Cultures and Music‑Making in LA (2024, co‑editor), and Nowhere Fast: Punk and Post‑Punk Brisbane 1978–1982 (2024, with Robert Forster).

Cultural Leadership and Recognition

Willsteed has served on the boards of QPIX and the Australian Screen Sound Guild and has been president of Feral Arts since 2005. He also serves on the board of the Queensland Music Festival. His awards include the Letty Katts Award (2016) for research on Brisbane music posters (1975–1995) and the John Oxley Library Fellowship (2024) for his oral‑history project Dive For Your Memory.

Legacy

John Willsteed’s career spans punk, pop, experimental art, film sound, academia, and cultural activism. From playing behind a curtain as a shy child to shaping one of Australia’s most beloved albums, his story mirrors Brisbane’s transformation from an isolated, tightly policed city into a globally recognised creative hub.