For any Western Australian band or artist working their way through the music industry, WAMFest is their ticket to the world stage.
A huge, multi-venue event running across two days in Perth and Northbridge, WAMFest is one of the world's biggest celebrations of local, original music and showcases 150 of the state's most exciting, diverse and progressive contemporary original musicians.
At the helm as Festival Director for WAMFest this year is Mark Neal, who has transitioned into the role having previously served as a co-ordinator for the past two years.
Mark says that his aim as Director in 2019 is to expand the scope of WAMFest to account for how the musical tastes and consumption habits of WA audiences has changed. “Audiences in Perth are growing and what used to be really niche scenes have blossomed into big audiences and bands moving onto huge things,” Mark says.
“WAMFest celebrates places that are ripe with WA talent.” - Mark Neal
“WAM [West Australian Music] is a pretty small, not-for-profit organisation that does incredible behind the scenes work across a lot of genres, and I wanted to see WAMFest branch out into some communities it hasn’t touched in a while.”
For many Western Australian artists, particularly those in regional areas, WAMFest is their first real opportunity to witness the industry in a central location. It is also a vital stepping stone for emerging artists, with many using it as a launching pad for their careers.
Mark Neal
Though certainly a proving ground for bands within the realm of 'youth culture', Mark says he wants to see an increase in participation by talent falling either side of the 'youth' demographic.
“Australia has a habit of celebrating youth music in a big way and it is very important, but the older demographic and the younger-than youth demographic are both the future,” he states.
“Young songwriters that are finding their feet are exciting, but so are mature songwriters who have battled through it, have three albums under their belt and know how to write a song. Sometimes, I think Australia just wants new and exciting, or the latest hit thing, but really getting to know an artist and following their career is far more rewarding.”
Beyond the abundance of musical talent on display, the conference portion of WAMFest – WAMCon – provides local artists with a direct line to industry tastemakers and influencers.
This year, WAMCon has been diligently programmed by WAM Industry Development Officer / WAMCon Co-ordinator, Claire Hodgson who marks her sixth year in the role. “WAMCon, the conference part of WAMFest, has also offered up incredible speakers from many different genres,” Mark says.
“Claire has been growing this event into a really unique and special event, and the speakers that are coming over this year have insight into so many different areas.”
This year's WAMCon event focusses on issues pertaining to diversity, accessibility and sustainability, featuring presentations by both emerging voices and respected industry veterans. Rounding out the annual WAMFest triple-treat is the illustrious WAMAwards, the WA music industry's night of nights that recognises and celebrates the very best that WA music has to offer.
Between WAMFest, WAMCon and the WAMAwards, there is no corner of Western Australia that hasn't been searched, no rock unturned to discover and present WA music and artists to the rest of the country and the world. “This festival isn’t designed like a major festival,” Mark says.
“It’s not a big, grassy cage that you can’t leave, there are no international acts, it celebrates places that are ripe with WA talent every weekend, and it celebrates the best of what is coming out of WA right now.”
