Creators very rarely set out to birth a community, and yet this is exactly what Locky (Lachlan Sykes) has done with the creation of Blue Tac.
But, wait. Who is Blue Tac? Blue Tac probably began about 30 years ago, when Locky first heard the discordant throes of grunge, or first picked up a guitar, or first felt the thrill of making something.All of these experiences laid the foundations for Blue Tac, which manifested again some years later when Locky thought to pen his nephew some punk-rock nursery rhymes.
You read correctly, punk-rock nursery rhymes and those songs delighted both audience and creator.
Fast forward a few years, Blue Tac has had a few line-up changes and is now kicking some goals with performances across Brisbane earlier this year at Anywhere Festival, Kurilpa Derby, Forbes Street Gig, and Love Your Bookshop Day at Avid Reader in West End, along with upcoming gigs aboard the Lady Brisbane and at Backbone Youth Arts Outdoor Amphitheatre at Seven Hills for Brisbane's re-imagined Fringe Festival.
All these festivals have strong roots within the communities they serve, and it is in this environment where Blue Tac thrives and comes alive.
Blue Tac has a DIY attitude, a warm lo-fi delivery to allow for maximum internal reveries. Broad brushstrokes to evoke the finest of details.
The songs may be punk but the production is anything but. Recordings smooth as velvet allow the fun lyrics to worm into your ear and stay with you for days.
A few listens of their self-titled album and you'll be singing about the lollipop lady too.
Blue Tac often starts their gigs by gradually ushering in the sound around the children. They may gently add the layers of sound, form a circle to sing together, or even have the children on their feet meeting the band and touching the instruments.
Music is not just sound, but a physical sensation. Most kids have never heard live music.
As a parent who once enjoyed the thrill of late-night live music, I can only lament the limited offerings of music for children (and their parents) and less still the opportunities to experience live music with the kidlets.
The kids love the songs, lyrics about things they relate to but the gigs are something else – immersive and experiential, more meaningful and empowering for the children to be involved in the gig.
To dance, to sing, to shout and to be immersed, a Blue Tac gig tells kids THEY can do this too. Blue Tac is the remedy to audio junk food for kids.
Blue Tac's debut self-titled album is out now. The band play Brisbane Fringe Festival gigs: Boat Cruise on the Lady Brisbane (18+) 4 November and Backbone Youth Arts Centre (3pm) 5 November.
