Mount Gambier’s Battle of the Bands is back and bigger than ever this year with a new venue and an exciting lineup featuring more than 10 local artists.
The all ages event will take place on Saturday, October 5 from 12pm until around 8.30pm and tickets will be available soon for $15.
The lineup will include Dennis O’Carroll, Esketamine, GERNZ, Greasy Rhysy, Fat Pony, Jesse and Jordan, Awoken, Menacidal, Rewind, The Short Sleeves, Stamina and B’s Music.
Battle of the Bands will be hosted at the Woolstore Brewery by local drag artists Clitzy Von Teaze and Ophelia Butt who will be joined by the esteemed judging panel of Bianca Hendy, Fiona Unger, Josh Lynagh and Kyra Sykes.
Battle of the Bands co-organiser Stephen Esnouf said there was a focus on young artists in this year’s lineup.
“I have done music in town for a long time and when I started there was people around in their 30s and 40s who had been doing it a long time and organised the gigs for us and now that’s us,” he said.
“We are the ones who have to put this together for all the kids and that’s our main motivation.
“The real focus has been on school bands, people that are in their late teens and early twenties and people that have never been on the stage before because that is what this kind of event is perfect for.
“I think COVID was a real killer for a lot of music in town and there is a whole new generation of artists that have never been to a gig, they have never played live and they have never been to bands which are things I just took for granted growing up.
“It is about building a scene more than anything, the ‘scene’ in Mount Gambier is actually really important for young people because they need something to do. It’s about building that scene for people who have never had the chance to experience it.
“Stuffing up on stage is so important because you are going to and you have to be able to do that in a safe kind of environment and have it not cost you everything.”
Mr Esnouf said there needs to be an outlet for young people who enjoy music just as much as there is for those who play sport.
“There is a lot of facilities in town for people that want to play sport … but when it comes to music, the facilities and infrastructure are not there. You kind of have to make it happen,” he said.
“There are a bunch of kids out there that just want to play guitar or rap or do their thing and they need an outlet as well as much as kids that want to play sports.
“It is about more than just the music in the same way sports are about more than the game. It is about having a community.
“There is a lot of bedroom producers and that’s kind of what I want to pull out of the woodwork. There are not people in bands so much because that’s not as common as it used to be. You do not need a band anymore to make music.
“It’s a lot more common for people to be doing this stuff by themselves but I think it is not the best for people to only be doing that. It’s good but it is also very isolating.
“It is a lot of pressure to put on a young musician so you need help, you need the whole community around you.
“I am trying to bridge that gap of finding these people that are doing stuff and might be promoting stuff online but do not realise they have a place in town they can come and play as well.”
