Darby Street in Cooks Hill played host to 20 acoustic music performers on Saturday for the Winter Live Unplugged micro-festival.
Advertised as a warm and intimate set of gigs held inside retail, hospitality and boutique stores along the popular commercial strip, the festival was blessed with a stunning winter’s day to help attract audiences.
Newcastle deputy lord mayor Declan Clausen said such events have become essential to stimulate the city’s live music scene.
“It’s really important in trying to develop and promote live music fabric in Newcastle,” Cr Clausen said.
“Clearly there’s a fair bit of change in the city and we’ve lost a number of live music venues.
“The only way to make sure that we can continue to cultivate live music talent is by putting on these kinds of events for artists to collaborate and show content.”
The festival was jointly run by Newcastle City Council, Newcastle Now and the federal government’s Live Music Office.
Cr Clausen believes the strong response to Winter Live Unplugged, and the Darby Street Live festival held in March, could see more events in the future.
“Each of the three groups have been really happy with the turnout,” he said.
“Both of these events were funded through a one-off funding application process.
“That said, they weren’t particularly expensive and are certainly something that can be done.
“It’s something we’ll look at hosting again and working with the Live Music Office and Newcastle Now.”
IN NEWS TODAY
