EVEN before Newcastle post-punk band dust were ready to release their debut single, Stare, they already fought and won more battles than your average band.
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Last year during the COVID-19 lockdown friends Gabriel Stove (vocals, guitar), Justin Teale (lead guitar), Kye Cherry (drums), Adam Ridgway (guitar/sax) and Liam Smith (drums) came together to form the project based on their shared love of modern English and Irish post-punk bands Shame, Fontaines D.C and The Murder Capital.
However just as dust was taking shape, Cherry received the devastating news that his Hodgkin's lymphoma, a form of lymphatic cancer, had returned. The 20-year-old was first diagnosed in 2019 shortly after finishing high school at St Philips Christian College.
Thankfully the drummer is on the mend.
"I'm at the other end of my second round [of chemotherapy] and looking all clear," Cherry said.
"It was definitely bit of a shock. Out of school I started dealing with that, but I kept myself busy and entertained doing music and it helped me get through it."
On March 7 dust will play their first show at the Cambridge Hotel to launch their single Stare, which will be released on Friday. The gig also serves as a fundraiser for the Mater Hospital.
"When we formed the band it was around the time I was going through my second round of chemo for Hodgkin's lymphoma, so we were juggling my health-related stuff with forming this new band.
"The team at the Mater supported me heaps and helped keep life real normal, so we thought we'd put a bit of love back into that."
The members of dust have previously played in other bands Ridgemont High and Looseleaf IV, but the recording of Stare at Carrington's Novotone Studios with producer Sean Cook was the beginning of a new direction.
"We've done a lot of stuff for other people, but this is our own creative outlet," dust frontman Gabriel Stove said. "It's the first thing we've taken a professional approach with."
LETTER FOR ACTION
GOLDEN guitar-winning Hunter artists Kirsty Lee Akers, Lyn Bowtell and Travis Collins, Maitland electronic producer Jacob Grant (Just A Gent), Newcastle musician Ben Murphy (Carl The Bartender) and venue owners Brian and Jo Lizotte (Lizotte's) are among the 3500 music industry figures imploring the Federal Government to extend JobKeeper.
An open letter was released on Wednesday signed by the likes of Bernard Fanning, Kate Miller-Heidke, Paul Kelly, Missy Higgins, Archie Roach, Sarah Blasko, Ocean Alley, The Cat Empire, Xavier Rudd and The Living End outlining the looming threat to the music industry if JobKeeper is removed on March 28.
Figures show the music industry is operating at only 4 per cent of its pre-COVID level due to border closures and restrictions on venues and audience sizes.
BLUES APPROVED
BYRON Bay's Bluesfest will be the first major music festival to return in NSW if the state maintains its current COVID-19 situation.
The NSW Government has approved Bluesfest's COVID safety plan, allowing the festival to proceed at 50 per cent capacity when it returns on the Easter long weekend of April 1 to 5.
Punters will be fully seated, but will not be permitted to wear face masks.
The all-Australian line-up features Jimmy Barnes, Tash Sultana, Ziggy Alberts, Teskey Brothers, Ocean Alley, John Butler, Xavier Rudd, Kasey Chambers and many more.
TUNING UP FOR SECOND SEASON
MUSIC People host Matt Field said he hopes the livestream program will return for a second season by May or June "at the latest."
There are three episodes remaining in the show's inaugural season which is financially backed by the City Of Newcastle through its Industry Response Program Grants for industries heavily affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Any season second will require private investment or sponsorship.
Newcastle bluegrass band Doc & The Delegates will appear on episode 10 of Music People next Tuesday at the Civic Theatre.
Joining the acoustic four-piece will be Hammond organ maestro Clayton Doley and his eight-piece band.
Doley is the older brother of fellow keys whiz Lachy Doley and has previously played with Jimmy Barnes, Jon Bonamassa and Ed Kuepper.
Northern Rivers indie-roots artists Angie Hudson and Ben Jansz complete the line-up.
Tickets for the show are available from the Civic Theatre website or you can watch live through the Newcastle Herald Facebook page from 8pm Tuesday.
