Shakin’ off lockdown
There has never been a better time to support local musical acts
As coronavirus restrictions continue to deter bands and musicians from touring Australia, our local industry is starting to dust itself off and hit the stage again. Big music festivals like Falls may have been cancelled, and interstate and overseas acts are likely to be rare on our island for a while yet, but fortunately we have a huge wealth of local talent taking to the stage in Tasmanian venues.
And now that those local live music venues are hosting (appropriately socially distanced) gigs again, there has never been a better time to get behind local music.
Hobart live music lovers virtually went into mourning when In the Hanging Garden’s Altar closed down during the pandemic, but there is light at he end of the tunnel with Altar confirming its first post-lockdown live gig for Saturday, August 8, and the show selling out almost as soon as it was announced.
There will be three bands on the bill, including high-energy Hobart electronic indie pop group Chase City, who recently re“And leased their brand new single, Liberty.
Owing to the pandemic, the band has not performed in nearly six months, so both the band and their fans will be looking forward to blowing out the cobwebs when the gig kicks off at 7pm.
Brisbane Hotel publican and coowner Christopher Giblett says they have had a number of shows at the Brisbane so far, under new social distancing rules, and while the experience is a little different to a traditional pub gig, the vibe is still a good one, and Tasmanian acts are front and centre.
“We have two stages, so we can have two bands each night and keep the numbers low enough in each area,” he says. “If we had any more than that and things went later into the night, it makes it hard to stick to social distancing rules. “We’ve always focused heavily on local acts, so not a lot has changed for us there. But you have to remain seated for gigs now.
that’s been amazing, actually. I think people are more engaged in the music, they’re actively watching the band instead of dancing and thrashing around.”
Shows are usually seated at Pablo’s Cocktails and Dreams, so owner Andrew Corney says little has changed in that regard at his jazz and blues club.
“And we’ve always been a big supporter of local music here, it’s just that now we are only open Friday and Saturday, instead of four nights a week, and our capacity is now about 30, half our usual size,” he says.
“A lot of our performing artists come from the Conservatorium of Music and local acts, because the talent is so good here in Hobart, it’s amazing. So it’s a good opportunity to come out and support local music and realise how good they are in this state.”
Limited seating at Pablo’s means booking ahead is essential. Tonight’s act is Nadira featuring Aaron Entresz, and on Friday, August 7, is Ruby Austin-Lund, both gigs starting at 9pm