Isolation and no competition a boost for WA's music industry amid coronavirus - ABC News

COVID-19 has provided a silver lining for WA musicians and audiences as more local artists take the stage, filling the gaps left by a lack of national and international tours.

Key points:

• WA's live music scene has been hit by cancelled shows and tours
• However, the industry says it's helped artists at the start of their careers
• Scaled-back social distancing rules have allowed local artists to sell out shows

In fact, Kojonup rock duo Old Mervs reckon 2020 was their best year yet.

Drummer Henry Carrington-Jones said the pair notched up nearly 200,000 Spotify listens for their single Cellphone and because they were in WA, they could still play gigs.

"Perth scene's been going off a lot, there's no denying it's been a really good place to be," he said.

"We are super lucky to be here, the scene's flourished.

"Probably partially because of COVID, as weird as that comes across, but that's definitely been the case."

Old Mervs had moved to Wollongong but returned to WA when the state's hard border was imposed.(Supplied)

The duo had moved to Wollongong, but when WA's hard border was imposed they drove straight back.

Old Mervs guitarist and vocalist David House believes there's a stronger awareness of the value of the scene, especially when compared with what's happening in the eastern states.

"We've got mates over there who are playing sit-down gigs, but there's only so few people," Mr House said.

"And for us to be able to play here and have everyone standing and dancing is so normal for us.

"I think it'd be hard to be motivated for our type of music to go and play to people sitting down."

Slower pace welcome for some

Cecilia Brandolini had planned a regional and national tour in 2020 but had to let it all go due to the pandemic.

Cecilia Brandolini says the COVID-19 pandemic has taught her important lessons.(ABC News: David Weber)

She remembered the enthusiastic response when she started playing again.

"I found the community was pretty excited to have live music back — we sold it out a few days before the actual day of the show, which was pretty exciting, and the whole night was really incredible," she said.

The pandemic even helped her gain a new perspective.

"One thing that COVID has taught me is that it's actually okay to slow down and do things at my own pace in a not-so-stressful way," she said.

"It's made me value my mental health way more, so it's been actually really nice, really appreciating the gigs once I'm at them, post-COVID anyway."

COVID-19 'baby bands' emerging

Andrew Ryan says the pandemic has been a good time to start a band in WA.(ABC News: Jon Sambell)

There have been more opportunities for local players — whether in cover bands or playing originals — at the Indi Bar, Mojos, Freo Social, Rosemount, Clancy's, Rodney's, The Milk Bar, The Bird, The Aardvark or regional venues.

For Andrew Ryan, managing director of Mojos, it's a perfect moment for any new act with more than half an hour's worth of good songs.

"It's been an extremely good time to start a new band," Mr Ryan said.

"There's still no national or international acts, so it's been actually positive as a breeding ground [for talent].

"You might hear people talk about COVID babies, but there's a lot of COVID baby bands."

The next national or international success from WA could emerge out of the pandemic.

"Gyroscope, Jebediah, Tame Impala, Sleepy Jackson, Katy Steele, Stella Donnelly, [they] all started in the small rooms," Mr Ryan said.

Artists have welcomed the ability to say they've sold out a gig, even if audience numbers have been slashed due to restrictions.

Al Taylor says musicians in WA have always had to contend with isolation.(ABC News: Jon Sambell)

West Australian Music president Al Taylor said the overall response to COVID-19 showed the resilience of the scene.

"It's not always about making money and selling tickets, it's just about honing your craft and being able to present your work to a crowd," he said.

"Because we've always been 'over here' and we haven't always got all the big acts touring, there's always been a lot of creativity and a lot of performance.

"We're more accustomed to that in this market and that's why I use the term 'resilient' because we're able to respond differently.

"We've had that isolation all the time."

Threat of rule changes fuels ongoing uncertainty

The bigger concerts and the festivals are mainly still on ice.

The events industry thrives on big crowds and was the first to be hit by COVID-19 — and it's still in trouble.

The WA music industry fears events aren't being booked due to the threat of rule changes.(Supplied: Facebook)

Darren Heath, managing director of Stage & Studio Productions, has a warehouse full of gear.

"Cable racks are full, the shelves are full, we've never had this situation where there's been so much equipment just in the warehouse," he said.

"Everything from staging, trussing, lighting, sound, drapes.

"Normally this time of the year it would be out working hard at major concerts, whether it's AC/DC, Foo Fighters, behind the scenes, in the dressing rooms, at the Arena, or whether it's out for festivals at Kings Park.

"It's going to pick-up, [but] the problem we have is the market is so scared of actually booking stuff.

"If the rules keep changing, what's going to happen to us?

'Millions' of dollars in gear 'sitting around'

There's growing concern over what might happen to those employed in the events industry after JobKeeper ends.

Events Industry Association president Tim Kennedy said there was a widespread belief that the promoter was the only one who lost when a big show was cancelled.

"For every major event that goes, there's anywhere from 50 to a hundred, even more suppliers, that are dependent on those larger events," he said.

"Stage, lighting, all those guys have millions and millions of dollars in infrastructure that is literally sitting around at the moment, in a lot of cases, not doing anything."

The West Australian Government recently announced a renewed commitment to the Contemporary Music Fund, which helps performers produce and promote their work, among other initiatives.

The government had already announced the 'Getting the Show Back on the Road' shared risk program, supporting a percentage of losses for events, and offering free hire at Perth Theatre Trust, Venues West and Kings Park venues.

Mr Kennedy said the sector needed more certainty.

"We've really struggled to get any sort of traction within Government and the Government [needs] to sort of understand that these businesses need help, they are firmly under the thumb of restrictions," he said.

However, Mr Kennedy acknowledged the WA Government had been successful at keeping COVID-19 out of the state so far.

While 2021 may be a brighter year for artists and audiences, it is likely to be a long road back for the events industry.

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2021-01-24 00:20:00Z
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