WHEN the COVID-19 pandemic hit in March and sent the country into lockdown, it threw the plans of Newcastle emo band Sleepeaser into disarray.
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With no gigs and rehearsals on the horizon for the immediate future, vocalist-guitarist Jake Hewish could sense challenges ahead for his mental health.
So Hewish turned to writing. The result was a three-part acoustic odyssey, Better Lies. The first part, Heart Opens, was released on Tuesday and the remaining sections House On A Hill and Close Enough will be unveiled over the next fortnight.
The tracks recorded at Spinlight Studio by Rhys Zacher are also accompanied by a moody black and white video filmed by Hewish's partner Meg Clarke.
"I felt very unproductive and something I really love doing got taken away from me," Hewish said. "I definitely felt very low at that point.
"I'm happy how these songs turned out, even though they're a product of feeling pretty isolated. There's also a glimmer of hope in them as well."
Last year Sleepeaser - which also features Matt March (guitar), Levi Dallen (drums), Madeleine Jackman (bass) and new member Harry Brown (guitar) - announced themselves onto the Newcastle music scene with their debut EP Everyone You Left Behind.
The four-track record was characterised by anthemic melodies and crunching guitars, Better Lies is a stripped-back and more emotive affair.
"The band couldn't really visit each other much, so it was basically all written in my little home studio," Hewish said.
"I don't have a drum kit, so I just wrote some simple songs and I liked how it turned out.
"I talked to the band and they all agreed we should throw them out there."
Sleepeaser are in the process of writing a collection of full band tracks which will feature on the band's second EP, due early next year.
LIZOTTE'S COOKING
FINALLY there's some positive news for Newcastle music fans with Lizotte's rescheduling a host of postponed shows for this spring as the Lambton theatre lifts its capacity to 100.
Some of the highlights include Diesel (two shows on August 29), Gina Jeffreys (September 4), Daniel Champagne (September 17), Paul McDermott & Steven Gates (September 24), Jack Jones (October 1), Jeff Martin (October 3), Wendy Matthews (October 4), Glenn Shorrock (October 11), The Audreys (October 25), Felicity Urquhart & Lyn Bowtell (October 25), Aleyce Simmonds (October 31), The Black Sorrows (November 7 & 8), The Lachy Doley Group (November 13) and Kyle Lionhart (November 14).
E4444E PROGRAM
KEEP your eyes and ears peeled for an upcoming live stream performance from Newcastle electronic-indie whiz e4444e, aka Romy Church.
Church and his older brother, Noah of dave the band, were in Wollongong on Tuesday to film the gig at Thirroul bar, cafe and vinyl shop, Frank's Wild Years.
Meanwhile, dave the band continued the long build-up to their debut album Slob Stories on August 28 with the release of single No.4 Where You Are last week.
CORE OPPORTUNITY
MEGAN Core's profile continues to rise after the former Newcastle indie-folk troubadour was invited to perform on Ali Barter's Instagram Open Mic Night on Wednesday.
Barter, best known for her triple j hit Girlie Bits, commands more than 21,000 followers on Instagram, giving Core a healthy platform to expand her audience. Core performed her song Wednesday for the live stream.