Strikeback '06 helps keepNewcastle music alive

Thu 3rd Aug, 2006 in Local News

Strikeback is this year staking its claim as one of the Hunter’s fastest growing music festivals, despite a decline in the commitment of Newcastle City Council to its young musicians. Beginning as merely a small-town band competition, it was immediately recognised as being a valuable platform for the young bands of Newcastle to step into the spotlight alongside some of the Hunter’s more seasoned performers.

This March, however, things were a little different. Due to the success of the original Strikeback, five national headliners including Cog were added to the bill, and the event attracted some 3000 punters from the greater Hunter region.

September’s event promises to be even bigger and better. 55 acts are expected to perform at the day-long festival which has already picked up sponsorship from both triplej and the illustrious www.myspace.com. Get lost wandering around the festival, and you might just find yourself confronted by a room full of computertrons! But expect more than just the internet to keep you busy; there will also be markets and food stalls to brighten the day. The most exciting prospect of all might however be the room in which the Nutbush plays all day and all night long for your dancing delight.

The already long list of national headliners (including, but most definitely not limited to Faker, The Sleepy Jackson, Karnivool, The Hot Lies, Bliss n Eso, Bodyjar and Wolf & Cub) does not mean that local bands will be removed from the line-up. On the contrary, thirty local bands will be performing throughout the day over four stages, and have the chance to win cash and prizes worth over $2000. Event organiser Laurie Mahon spoke to Fasterlouder, confirming his dedication to the Hunter’s culture and community, “I see amazing potential in the musicians of the area, and want to give them an opportunity to strut their stuff alongside Australia’s biggest names”.

This support of musicians seems to be an uplifting trend in Newcastle. Young bands mercifully find themselves in a thriving all-ages scene, with facilities such as The Loft Youth Venue playing an important role in giving musicians under 21 opportunities to perform. The ‘Emergency’ Project runs concerts three times a year, each giving unknown school bands a chance to play in front of a paying audience. Often this leads to broader opportunities, and bands such as .jinn find themselves (only a few years after first appearing on this modest stage) touring with huge Australian names, in their case rock giants The Butterfly Effect. Jamieson Shaw from .jinn is particularly proud of the band’s hometown. “Between Strikeback and The Loft activities Newcastle must have the best youth arts opportunities in Australia if not the world,” he claimed when interviewed by Fasterlouder.

However, Council-funded initiatives such as The Loft’s ‘Emergency’ project are under threat, due to proposed cuts in funding for cultural ventures. In what the young people of Newcastle see as a “worst case scenario”, The Loft could be closed entirely as well as other important cultural projects like the Newcastle Music Awards and This Is Not Art festival. Newcastle City Council obviously does not rate the importance of these resources highly, but the necessity of such venues as The Loft is abundantly clear in Newcastle’s determination to resist its closure at all costs. You can help by visiting www.myspace.com/savetheloft.

Strikeback ‘06 is a demonstration of the high level of talent that Newcastle musicians possess. Not only do the chosen bands deserve to play alongside the biggest names in Australia, but their quality demands the right to it. If all regional cities and towns provided the same opportunities to local bands as Newcastle presently does, and with any luck will continue to do, Australian music would certainly see many more young regional musicians receiving the renown they deserve.

Already Sydney-siders are planning their trips to Newcastle for this highly anticipated event, and music-lovers are holding their breath for upcoming line-up announcements.

The festival is licensed and all ages, held in Newcastle at the Honeysuckle Warehouses on September 30 from 10pm til 11pm.
Tickets are $45 and will be available from August 9 at the following locations - The Drum Shop Newcastle, Beaumont St. Beat, The Rock Shop, The LAB, Sydney Moshtix outlets, www.bigtix.com.au.