Live music is one of my biggest passions. It’s why I moved to Brisbane, it’s why I moved to Melbourne, and it’s a contributing factor in why I moved to Newcastle.
Newy’s on the coast, so of course every beer garden has someone with a loop pedal singing Ed Sheeran and Taylor swift covers. That’s not a dig — I used to do it years ago, and it’s harder than it looks. Newy’s also a regular touring stop for Triple J-level bands, and if I want to see internationals I can catch the train to Sydney.
The real drawcard though is Newy’s originals scene. If I really wanted to, I could be out four nights a week seeing live original music at around half a dozen small venues. Someone told me that Newcastle has more musicians per capita than Melbourne. I can’t verify this, but I believe it based on vibes alone. The city has enough original music going on that there are two competing local music podcast/radio shows1. A couple of weekends ago, 60 local bands packed out 7 venues in Newy’s CBD as part of city-wide locals-only music festival.
Like everywhere else, the live music scene has its challenges. The Cambridge Hotel (a touring staple for Aussie and international bands) is closing next year to be turned into uni student accommodation. The boomer supremacy of downsizers moving into the CBD and complaining about the noise is having an impact on live music. I truly hope council does what Brisbane did with Fortitude Valley in the 2000s and designate a live music zone where residents can’t complain about the noise.
In the meantime, Newy goes hard.
Rock
Boudicca — Newy has a lot of great heavy guitar music, but I had to pick one. I love riffs, I love great stories of history, and Boudicca has both. Singer Madeleine Mitchell used to do vocals and bass in Rort Menace (another old Newy fave of mine), and now fronts this band with lyrics that are all based on historical concepts.
Turpentine Babycino — I honestly don’t know why this song hasn’t blown up on Triple J. It sounds like Tired Lion/Violent Soho/Dune Rats with an extremely catchy chorus.
Pop/Indie
Teddie — I wish “chill BBQ vibes with sick saxophone solos” was a genre. As a mid-00s Blue Toyota Yaris owner, I appreciate the representation in this film clip.
Cormac Grant — great neo-soul.
Emo
I say a lot that Newy reminds me of Brisbane circa 2011, and the music from these bands fits what I was listening to then.
I don’t know what was in the water at the Church family home, but brothers Noah and Romy Church are both prolific creators of emo-y music2.
e4444e (Romy’s project)
Yev Kassem and dave the band (Noah’s current and previous projects):
Lamphead — this is a bit more pop-punk emo-y.
Newcastle Music Show is my favourite, and their Spotify presence and playlists keep me feeling well-informed.
It’s Elliott Smith/Jason Molina/Jets To Brazil style emo, not My Chemical Romance emo.