NEWCASTLE’S fertile music scene will have the opportunity to beat its own drum for the first time at this September’s BigSound Music Festival.
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The four-day annual festival held in Brisbane’s Fortitude Valley brings together the best emerging talent from across Australia, as well as industry figures such as record labels, managers, media and promoters.
Local indie artist Rachel Maria Cox and punk band Eat Your Heart Out are already on BigSound’s festival line-up, but Newcastle has also been afforded it’s own official showcase party.
The “Big Newy Sound” will be a two-hour show featuring three Novocastrian acts held during the day at BigSound in Brisbane.
The two Newcastle acts will be announced in late July, while an opening is available for the third artist. Any musicians interested need to be available to perform in Brisbane between September 4 and 7. Inquiries can be made through the Big Newy Sound’s Facebook page.
Besides music, Big Newy Sound will also serve as an advertisement for Newcastle as a touring destination, by providing information to artists, managers and booking agents about performing in the city.
Despite producing nationally and internationally-recognised artists like Silverchair, The Screaming Jets and The Gooch Palms, Newcastle is often overlooked in discussions about hotbeds of Australian musical culture.
We have this opportunity to reach so many people in the music industry and to go ‘remember Newcastle'.
- Sara Martin
Newcastle music manager Sara Martin has been campaigning for years to have a Newcastle showcase included at BigSound.
The Gold Coast is only other regional city represented at BigSound.
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“Our one is about our whole town and about coming to it,” Martin says. “We have this opportunity to reach so many people in the music industry and to go ‘remember Newcastle’ and ‘this is what we have coming out of Newcastle, but bring your music to it’.”
Invitations have been sent out to Newcastle musicians, venues, media and booking agents for an information night next Wednesday at Watt Space to brainstorm strategies on how to best utilise Big Newy Sound.
“We’re putting together this directory for music industry services and professionals in Newcastle so we can give that out while we’re at BigSound,” Martin says.
“If people want to tour, they’ll say ‘here’s the booking agent’ or ‘here’s where we hire our stuff’.
“Also it’s about talking to local businesses to see what they want to get from it.”
Josh Leeson
Josh Leeson is an entertainment and features journalist, specialising in music, at the Newcastle Herald. He first joined the masthead in 2008 after stints at the Namoi Valley Independent and Port Stephens Examiner and has previously covered sport including the Asian Cup, A-League, Surfest, cricket and rugby league.
Josh Leeson is an entertainment and features journalist, specialising in music, at the Newcastle Herald. He first joined the masthead in 2008 after stints at the Namoi Valley Independent and Port Stephens Examiner and has previously covered sport including the Asian Cup, A-League, Surfest, cricket and rugby league.
