With Alice Worley
Well, it’s time to say goodbye to another year of local music in Ngunnawal country. And, in a bit of a downer, it’s also a time to farewell some local performance spaces.
But first, we have some releases on the horizon, plus some pretty sick gigs coming up, so I shall gleefully talk about those before I go into a full-on depressing venue deep dive.
st.sinner
Local emo-punks st.sinner have released a new single, Dysphoria! They’ve been having a ton of fun experimenting with their sound on more recent releases such as Alone Together and SUI-PSYCHO before landing on their most streamed track so far: Headcase.
This particular song pivoted the group into a significantly heavier sound, leaning toward more of a hardcore/metal-inspired direction than early releases, like Mr Prime Minister and Dead For the Weekend. Looks like the heavy, dark direction is where it’s at for these guys.
The launch release for Dysphoria boasts a pretty attractive line-up. The night will showcase Bellewether (Gadigal), who also features on the single, as well as Live Like Animals (Gadigal) and local favourites Bad Lunar.
It’s all happening [edit happened] on Friday, 8 December [edit and we flippin’ missed it but I’m sure a fine time was had by all] at The Baso, so come along to keep up with the st.sinner evolution. I’m predicting more of an industrial vibe for this one, but we’ll have to wait and see.
Have a listen to Dysphoria on Apple Music, Spotify and Youtube
Festival 15
Speaking of The Baso (formerly The Basement), Festival 15 is nearly here! Sporting 15 acts doing 15-minute sets, on 15 December…. Nice and easy to remember, isn’t it?
No news on the lineup at the time of writing this, but by the time of publication, a peek at the Festival 15 Facebook event or The Baso socials should reveal all! Tickets are $15 via Oztix.
Box Dye Princess
I’m sure many people reading this are already aware, but I am in a local punk band called Box Dye, and we have a new release and launch show! So please allow me to indulge you with the spruik for a moment.
The new single is called Princess, and we’re so proud of it that we’re throwing a launch party to celebrate. On Saturday, 16 December at The Front, we’ll be joined by our favourite emo boys Nora, brand-spanking new femme punk band Dirt Nap, and the lovely solo stylings of songstress Abi Main. Tix are $20 via Humantix
And if we can get all the elements we need together to make it happen, there may be a little surprise to show on the night, so cross your fingers that the stars align!
The single will be released on 13 December, so keep those ears peeled on your streaming platforms. Thanks! [Edit IT’S OUT AS WE SPEAK so go listen on Spotify and Apple Music]
sadface
Right, onto the depressing stuff. It’s been an up-and-down time for our local scene. We have so many amazing bands and artists, but we’re starting to lose the platforms they need to get into the spotlight.
I popped along to bid farewell to the short-lived The Shaking Hand the other day. There was so much potential, and we were all so keen on another venue. I hoped this wasn’t cursed ground for venues in a familiar space, 7 Akuna Street in the city. After all, this is where Transit Bar failed to hang on. Unfortunately, Shakes has met the same fate.
I was so stoked to have my birthday gig there this year. Made some great memories with people I love, and the staff made it all the more remarkable, even inventing a birthday cocktail just for the occasion (bloody delicious, by the way).
But despite many cracker events and a steady stream of patrons, this place didn’t get to celebrate its own first birthday.
Speaking of Transit Bar (the relocated one at Bailey’s Corner, that is), after months and months of wondering when they’ll have another gig, it has now wholly stopped hosting live music, instead becoming the new hot spot for themed parties and pool comps. And really… who can blame them?
From what I’ve heard about how much the insurance on music venues has increased since COVID, it’s absolutely no surprise that they have had to come up with a new way to survive.
Transit Bar has semi-recently (30 September) posted that they’ll be hosting live music again, but the only events lined up on their Facebook page at this point in time are karaoke nights, so we’ll have to wait and see.
New venue brings hope to the scene
But it’s not all doom and gloom on the performance space front. I’m crossing my fingers—really, really hard—that we’ve just witnessed the birth of a new hot spot in the city for live gigs.
Fun Time Pony had its launch the other week, setting the bar high by booking beloved Aussie icons Spiderbait for the opening night, supported by much loved locals, Sesame Girl.
The underground venue is stationed where the Pancake Parlour once flipped its expensive golden discs of perfectly average syrup soakers.
Walking down the stairs, I felt a very intentional homage to the entrance to Frankie’s Pizza, minus the hanging garlic. Once I got to the bottom of the staircase, it was actually a bit of a dive, to my pleasant surprise. It reminded me of Magpies (if anyone remembers that sorely missed venue).
But be advised: It may not have this rough and ready look for long. A bouncer from a watering hole around the corner told me the underground grit was less a bold aesthetic choice and more due to needing more time to finish the renovations. With the might of Spiderbait locked and loaded, they simply couldn’t move the opening night, so the show went on.
But as much as I want to celebrate a new venue coming to the CBD, there is a fear from local musicians and gig-goers, including myself, that this place might not be the beacon of light we’ve been hoping for.
As the owners of Fun Time Pony also own Assembly, Bad Bing Dining Club, and Al’s Deli & Diner, the consensus I’ve been gathering seems to be that it’ll be, let’s say, too “posh” to host the likes of any scuzzy local punk rat bands.
At the time I’m writing this, there are no events advertised for the future, and I don’t know anyone who has a gig lined up on the fresh new stage, which is a bit disheartening. But time will tell. So, as with Transit, let’s hope for the best. Please prove our fears wrong; I would be over the moon!
First Annual BMA Thankies
As we end this year, uncertainty abounds in the live music venue space. But a constant that rings true is the dedication, hard work and skill of those toiling to keep live music going.
As such, I want to end this column by thanking some key players who have supported and showcased locals in the last year [a beautiful idea, Alice, and one that I officially dub the First Annual BMA Thankies – BOSSMAN AL]
I have to give kudos to sideway on their Thursday night gigs, which have showcased our lesser-known local acts regularly, and that’s something so needed.
A huge thanks goes to Sarah O’Malley of BurntOut Bookings for her passion and proactive nature in live music. She is incredibly dedicated to getting attention on artists who work hard and deserve a platform. The grit and energy she poured into making Shakes the best it could be gave us an exhilarating few months of programming, booking some absolutely stellar line-ups during her time.
Sarah, you are a force of nature, and this town is so lucky to have you in its corner.
Joel Cabban, you are also a fantastic ally to the music community here. The Noise Floor has put on some killer gigs. All your hard work at The Baso is greatly appreciated, and you significantly contribute to putting eyes on bands with something to show.
If the people reading this still need to check it out, The Noise Floor has a playlist on Spotify called Canberra New Music that showcases all the new tracks our artists are pumping out. Give it a follow to stay in the loop with new releases.
Also, if you see Joel on the sound desk at The Baso, buy him a beer!
AND a big round of applause for the people who open their homes to put on house shows. This has supported many growing artists in their journeys onto bigger stages. The ACT’s inner north suburbs were such a haven for house shows in the past, and they were pretty extraordinary to be a part of.
The Lacklustre and Crossroads houses had some pretty special shows back in the day that I wish I had more photos of, as well as the group of people and their houses that made up Mulgara.
I’m so appreciative of music-loving group homes trying to keep this element of the local scene alive. I lived in a gig house for a year and can confirm house shows can be really draining to organise and host. You need to love it to do it, so thank you, thank you, thank you to those still doing it.
