THE nation-wide closure of venues and mass gatherings due to coronavirus has had a devastating impact on the music industry.
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The latest estimate from self-reporting website I Lost My Gig places the cost of cancelled performances at $325 million. At a local level, hundreds of Hunter musicians have suddenly seen their gig diaries crossed out in red ink.
Fans have been urged to support their favourite artists by buying merchandise and another way to help is to simply stream their music to boost royalties.
The Herald has compiled a 19-track Spotify playlist of some of the Hunter's finest artists to help you broaden your horizons. So get streaming.
Dancing Because I'm Sad, Raave Tapes: The dance-rock duo have been among Newcastle's most popular acts in recent years filling rooms around the country and gracing the festival stages of Groovin' The Moo and Festival Of The Sun. The title track from their second EP released in December, Dancing Because I'm Sad, is the perfect launch point into Raave Tapes' fuzzy electro-rock sound.
Be Here, Tori Forsyth: The Kurri Kurri artist shocked her goth-country fan base last year when she unveiled a blistering new rock direction. Forsyth's debut album Dawn Of The Dark (2018) is among the best local albums recently released, but Be Here signals an exciting reinvention.
Rebel Alone, Ben Leece: A veteran of the Newcastle music scene, Ben Leece truly discovered his voice with the release of his debut solo album, the Americana-inspired No Wonder The World Is Exhausted in 2018. Rebel Alone is a horse-powered slice of southern rock with a vulnerable heart.
Dead Or Alive, Grace Turner: Another long-time fixture of the local scene, Grace Turner found national attention with her indie-rock single Dead Or Alive. It's simplistic in structure, but hauntingly beautiful in its execution.
On Your Own, Vacations: Judging by music streaming analytics, not many Hunter acts have a greater global reach than Vacations. The Newcastle four-piece's brand of indie conjures up nostalgic memories of The Smiths. Their latest single On Your Own gives an insight into where the music is headed on album No.2, Forever In Bloom.
Figure Eight, Trophy Eyes: Less than a decade ago Trophy Eyes were playing under-age venues like The Loft, now the four-piece perform before thousands on festival stages as Newcastle's most popular band since Silverchair. In January Trophy Eyes dropped the single Figure Eight, which moved away from pop-punk towards an anthemic Gang Of Youths-style of rock.
Carousel, Eat Your Heart Out: The Muswellbrook-bred Eat Your Heart Out are another band to emerge from Newcastle's all-age scene. After a series of EPs the pop-punk five-piece released their debut album Florescence last year. Carousel was the stand-out moment and attracted strong airplay on Triple J.
Priest, William Crighton: If you were to introduce a new listener to Bellbird troubadour William Crighton you'd begin with Priest. This country-rock tale about a victim of a pedophile priest taking his murderous revenge is classic Crighton. It's dark, emotional and uniquely Australian.
It Hurts Me Too, James Thomson: The honeyed vocals of James Thomson and the warm '70s alt-country arrangements of his latest album Golden Exile are the perfect tonic for isolation blues. The album is packed with great tunes, but the Beatles-esque It Hurts Me Too is the highlight.
Over My Shoulder, Surf Trash: If you haven't noticed, surf-rock is cool again. Bands like Milky Thred are enjoying success, but undoubtedly the most promising act is Lake Macquarie's Surf Trash. Over My Shoulder doesn't reinvent the wheel, but it gives it an almighty rollicking down the road.
Molotov, Kira Puru: Cardiff-bred artist Kira Puru spent years attracting acclaim for her soulful vocals and collaborations with Paul Kelly and Illy, but it wasn't until she embraced her pop sensibilities that she caught fire. The singles Tension and Molotov were the beginning of Puru's foray into electro-pop and she hasn't looked back.
Get Smart, dave the band: In late 2018 Newcastle's dave the band travelled to Chicago to record their debut album Slob Stories with Steve Albini, renown for producing Nirvana's In Utero. Get Smart is the second single to emerge from those sessions and sees the three-piece revelling in their familiar Australian '90s alt-rock territory. Fans of Jebediah will enjoy dave.
Shadow Lover, Lachlan X. Morris: There aren't many songwriters more prolific in Newcastle than Lachlan X. Morris. The confessed "dad rocker" has delivered three albums of high quality in as many years and his forthcoming record could be his finest yet, judging by the single Shadow Lover. ELO and Wings for the new millennium.
Jan 1, Fritz: Tilly Murphy, the 19-year-old woman behind Fritz, mightn't have been alive in the '80s but her single Jan 1 beautifully captures the dreamy nostalgia of the penultimate decade of the 20th century. The synth-laden indie track wouldn't seem out of place on the soundtrack of Pretty In Pink.
Stay, Cooks & Bakers: In less than two years Cooks & Bakers have progressed from garage jams to selling out the Cambridge Hotel's warehouse and attracting more than 150,000 streams on Spotify. The three-piece's new single Stay, is classic indie-pop and perfectly suited for commercial radio.
Busy Bleeding, Gooch Palms: Sadly last month The Gooch Palms announced they were disbanding at the completion of the colourful duo's now postponed tour. No band this decade has promoted "Novocastrian culture" more passionately than the Goochies. They also write a mean hook, like the garage-rock delight of Busy Bleeding.
Under My Skin, Kirsty Lee Akers: The bubbly Kurri Kurri songstress Kirsty Lee Akers is at her absolute best when writing sugary country-pop. The title track off her 2018 album Under My Skin combines all of Akers' strengths - pop smarts, bright production and a large dollop of sass.
Millennium Drive, Boo Seeka: Ben Gumbleton is a true musical chameleon. Each release from his electro-pop duo Boo Seeka with fellow Novocastrian, Michael May, travels down another sonic rabbit hole. On Millennium Drive Boo Seeka journeyed back to the late '80s "Madchester scene".
Dallas, Brightness: Last year Newcastle's Alex Knight, aka Brightness, released his foreboding self-titled second album. It's a maddening exploration of religion and its power on the faithful. The stunning Dallas, was inspired by watching televangelist Peter Popoff's sermon in a Texan motel.
