The word on punk with Alice Worley

Hey all! Spring has sprung! Congratulations, you made it through another winter (although it’s -3 degrees as I write this). Okay, so prepare yourself. I’m gonna start on a downer. But it’s swiftly followed by a lifter, and then an invitation. Let’s go.

Sad news…

As you all may have heard, The Shaking Hand, our once fresh new venue that opened earlier this year, has ceased its live music element (for now at least).

It seems the issue of massively inflated insurance costs, a problem plaguing most Aussie venues post- COVID, has caused the venue to halt all live music events for the time being.

The owners are said to be working hard to negotiate these costs and are trying to revive the venue while it still has life in its veins. This, however, seems like it’s going to take some time.

What can the general public do to help? Well! You can still come in, have a drink, a pizza, play some pool, have a smoke or a vape whilst adorning the outdoor furniture with bevy in hand (can’t do that most places these days).

Any support you can give to the venue may help it to stay afloat until a life line is thrown its way, which I know we’re all hoping happens soon. Big ups to BurntOut Bookings for working so hard to get this venue pumping with such awesome acts as quickly as it did.

I held my own event there a couple of months ago through Burntout and it was one of the best nights of my life, so thank you so much.

[Hey all, Bossman Sko here popping in with quick The Shaking Hand/ BurntOut update. As I learnt from an email exchange with BurntOut Head Honcho Sarah O’Malley: “We’re looking to pivot toward more of a dive/tiki bar so as soon as we’ve got some events, we’ll be looking to tout them.”]

Happy News!

Alright, now for some joy. The National Live Music Awards (NLMAs) have announced their nominees, and we’ve got some awesome local punks among them!

In the ACT Best Live Music event category we’ve got CBR GRRRLS To The Front (which featured Voiid, Masochist, Box Dye, and Pretty In Punk) and Loading Zone (which played host to CLAMM, Alien Nosejob, Church Sound System, and tons more).

Representing punk and punk adjacent goodness in the ACT Best Live Voice category we’ve got Tasha Nauenburg (Bad Lunar), Cormac McKahey (Sonic Reducer), and Keven 007 (Glitoris).

And in the ACT Best Live Act category we’ve got dogworld and Glitoris representing.

By the time this column is published, the voting will have just closed, but a big shout out to everyone nominated. Being a part of the music community is so elating, but it is hard work and can be super draining. So it’s awesome to see recognition going where it’s deserved. Good luck to all!

Got Punk News?

I really want to mention: please-please-please reach out if you would like me to include an event, a release, or anything related to local punk in this column. Especially hit me up if you’re a new punk band that wants to let the public know of your existence!

I know, for a fact, there’s more out there to include in these articles; and I want to include them!

So, if you have a gig coming up that you want plugged, just take a note of the next issue dates [ Editorial deadline Fri 20th October. Advertising deadline Wed 25th Oct. Next Issue #538 out Thurs 2nd Nov], and if your event comes after that date, hit me up and I’ll give you a plug!

And hey; gig putter-on-ers are busy folk, so if you know one, why not give them a hand and reach out and their behalf, mmmm?