A brief glimpse at the goings-on in the WA music industry, rounded up by WAM aka West Australian Music.
WA MUSIC WEEK
The mammoth ten days of local WA music is over. Bunting has been pulled down, dancing shoes packed away, some much needed sleep has almost been caught up on, and we can't thank the WA music community enough for getting around and supporting the inaugural WA Music Week. Let's take a look at the highlights.HEAR & NOW
The week kicked off with two epic Hear & Now concerts held at HBF Arena. It's been a long time since venues like this have held thousands of excited fans and we felt honoured to been able to bring the best of WA to the stage.The first night saw Adrian Dzvuke bring his infectious onstage energy, Stella Donnelly's unrivalled songwriting shine, San Cisco nailing indie hit after indie hit, and Pond taking us to another planet with their powerful psych-rock show.
Equally as exciting was the second night, which was opened with an incredible and moving set by The Struggling Kings, followed by indie-pop group Dulcie bringing a smile to everyone's faces with their wholesome presence and unmatched harmonies.
Closing out the night was the living rock legends from Thornlie, The Southern River Band and triple j's Hottest 100 #2 champions Spacey Jane who had the crowd feeling 'Weightless'.
WAMAWARDS
After a tough year for the industry, Tuesday March 23 brought the opportunity to get dressed to the nines and celebrate the achievements of artists and industry practitioners at the beautiful His Majesty's Theatre.Among the highlights were Will Backler, RTRFM's Music & Program Director, Interviews Coordinator and Head of Training, receiving the coveted Golden WAMi for his tireless efforts in supporting local music as well as legendary acts Paul McCarthy (RIP) and Fitzroy Express being inducted into the WAM Hall of Fame.
Performances from Alter Boy, Noah Dillon, Circus, Fitzroy Express, Adrian Dzvuke and Bexx delighted the audience with an extra special closing performance from the one and only Tame Impala, playing 'Innerspeaker' classic 'Solitude Is Bliss' – a highlight that will stay with us for a long time.
Read the complete list of winners.
WAMCON
WA's premier music conference kicked off on Friday 26 March with an all new, hybrid in-person and online format, the first of its kind held by a music organisation anywhere.Across the two days the State Theatre Centre of WA and the Perth Institute of Contemporary Arts saw hundreds of delegates come to be inspired, learn, network and broaden the horizons of their music businesses.
We were blessed with the unique opportunity to look into the early days of Nirvana and the Seattle grunge scene with Sub Pop Records founder Bruce Pavitt as well as gain incredible insight into the world of recording with Prince and psychoacoustics from Professor Susan Rogers.
Open to the public were two special events – Breathe: A Meditation Soundscape and the returning WA Music Week Record Fair featuring local record labels.
WAMFEST
Brining it all home was the much-loved flagship festival WAMFest. Across two days the City of Perth and Northbridge was taken over by over 160 of WA's most exciting, diverse and progressive contemporary musicians.From The Bird to Badlands, Amplifier to Jack Rabbit Slims, there wasn't a corner of Perth that wasn't alive with the best local music has to offer including Peter Bibby's Dog Act, The Floors, Dulcie, Great Gable, Furchick, Grievous Bodily Calm and Death By Denim.
Here's to going even bigger and better next WA Music Week.
LAUNCHPAD (upcoming local events)...
Grace Sanders (EP launch) - Rosemount Hotel, 9 April
Last Quokka & False Cobra (7" split launch) - Mojos Bar, 10 April
Asparagus Soup (single launch) - The Aardvark, 10 April
Angus Dawson (album launch) - Rosemount Hotel, 10 April
Ben Catley (single launch) - Freo.Social, 10 April
Michael Dunstan (tour event) - Mojos Bar, 16 April
Adrian Dzvuke (single launch) - Rosemount Hotel, 23 April
The Washing Line Economy (tour event) - The Aardvark, 23 April
Voyager (tour event) - Badlands, 23 April
Spici Water (single launch) - Indian Ocean Hotel, 30 April
Sly Withers (single launch) – Rosemount Hotel, 7 May
