RocKwiz urges punters to avoidthe "hipster apocalypse" bykeeping away from live gigs

Didn’t pull a crowd to your last gig? There is a chance that your crappy music is not to blame.

An advertisement for the new series of SBS cult music program Rockwiz, which urges people to “Escape the hipster apocalypse” by watching telly instead of going to see a local band, cranked internet vitriol up to eleven over the weekend.

The clip features a trio of punters being chased out of a pub by zombie hipsters. “Face it: going out to see gigs is pretty scary now,” booms the voiceover guy in a distinctly ‘Stop The Boats’ tone. “Escape the hipster apocalypse – stay in and rock with RocKwiz. The best gig in town is at home.”

Despite the show’s tongue being firmly in its cheek, with so many venues closing or up for sale – including Melbourne’s East Brunswick Club, Phoenix Public House and The Palace, Adelaide’s Jade Monkey, Brisbane’s The Tivoli and Sydney’s The Basement – the ad has triggered some very serious reactions from punters who think it is in poor taste. Many of the programs fans have taken to Facebook to express their distaste, with one rallying viewers to lodge a formal complaint to SBS: “Your local live bands invest a huge amount of time and money into entertaining the community and it is hard enough to get a crowd out to a gig as it is without adds such as this raising the middle finger to musicians and fans alike. What muppets!”

Responding to criticism this morning, the Rockwiz team tweeted: “Don’t blame us! Not our idea at all. Shoot the messenger!”