WAMFest is the biggest celebration of the state's incredibly rich pool of diverse musical talent, and also the largest of its kind in Australia.
Each year brings audiences the best in local, home-grown music across a wide range of genre and style.
The WAMFest Live showcase is the pinnacle of the event, with hundreds of acts taking to stages across WA to prove themselves and expand their presence beyond state and national borders.
We find out more from WAM's Marketing & Communications Officer, Claire Logan.
Why is WAMFest such an important event on the WA live music calendar?
WAMFest is the country's biggest celebration of West Australian music, and it's the biggest festival of its kind anywhere in Australia – celebrating local music.
Spanning multiple weekends and plenty of events, the festival shines a light on the sensational local artists, industry and music community we have here in Perth, and helps introduce new people to Perth's proud music scene.
It draws significant interest from media, industry and audiences alike, so it's something we're really proud to bring to the WA live music calendar.
With the sheer size of WA, how does WAMFest seek to engage with artists and bands outside the metropolitan areas?
Yeah, WA is absolutely massive. So it's really important for us to find ways to bring regional artists and communities into the festival. As part of this year's festival we're bringing a series of free WAMFest Live showcases to regional locations such as Margaret River, Mandurah and Albany, all boasting local line-ups.
We've also selected a number of regional artists to play as part of the Regional Showcase opening celebrations at the WAMFest Live Lot Party on Saturday 3 November, which is really exciting as it helps shine a light on the incredible regional talent that city folk haven't heard before
What is different about WAMFest in 2018?
This year's festival promises a better experience for punters, with festivities centralised to music hubs over two HUGE nights.
You'll be able to roam around tonnes of great venues in the City of Perth on the Friday (2 November), then spend the day exploring outdoor stages and venues in Northbridge on the Saturday (3 November). So it should create a real festival vibe around town over the two nights.
Oh and everything is FREE! Which is something we're really excited to see this year. We hope this encourages more people to jump between all the different stages to discover new acts and catch all their old faves.
Who are some artists or bands on the line-up this year that you're excited to see perform live?
Honestly too many! On Friday I've got my eyes on Tanaya Harper and Kaitlin Keegan, who I'm sure will be as dazzling as ever, as well as Sly Withers, who will likely blow everyone's minds.
On the Saturday, I'm really excited to check out Goldfields up-and-coming emcee MissGenius, who absolutely blew us away when she performed as part of the Goldfield-Esperance Touring Circuit, as well as Priscilla, Feels, Jamilla, T$OKO, Hyclass, The Money War, Demon Days, J.F.K. – there's really such an incredible amount of talent, and I can't wait to just get out and explore it.
How do bands/ artists apply for the showcase? And how do you go about compiling the line-up?
Hundreds apply for the chance to play as part of WAMFest, before our festival coordinators lock themselves away to begin the selection process and start programming all the events.
It's an absolutely massive job, and our festival coordinators Mark and Skinny work tirelessly to curate the very best line-ups for each stage. This year over 200 acts will take part across the full WAMFest Live programme, including regional showcases, local council events, and the two-day main action in the City of Perth and Northbridge.
What makes you most proud of your work with WAMFest?
The festival presents such valuable opportunities for artists and audiences alike, so for me I'm really proud to play more of a role in bringing it together from the beginning and letting more people know about it.
How can people get involved with supporting WAM and WA musicians?
There are a few ways people can support WAM and in extension WA musicians. You can donate and help us continue to deliver opportunities and programmes for local artists. You can become a member, and take advantage of plenty of discounts, benefits and special opportunities.
If these aren't for you, just go out and support local music. Go to their gigs, buy their albums, share their music – every bit helps.
