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It will be a wondrous musical reunion. At the end of the year when live music died, it will come back to life on the streets of Canberra. After the Lost Year, Canberra plans a New Year’s festival where 33 singers and bands will play in a party for a city that’s been through a lot. The long shadow of COVID-19 means big venues still aren’t allowed so the three-day festival will spread over 28 venues in five places across the city. The innovative festival will be poignant – it will be a time to reflect on a terrible year but with songs of hope for a better 2021. There may be tears. Already there is reflection. Musicians are meeting up and sharing their experiences. On New Year’s Eve a year ago, Linda Yang was trapped by fire in Eden on the NSW South Coast. She composed a haunting lament of unspeakable beauty: “Once it was the Garden of Eden; Now it is a living hell; I just want to flee this place; But the roads are burnt.” This time last year, singer Kirrah Amosa was in Los Angeles, ready to launch a recording career. “2020 was going to be the year,” she said. Then the coronavirus hit and the recording industry suffered. “Now, we are approaching labels which don’t have any money,” she said. Her income has also suffered because live venues closed. It’s true that smaller ones have reopened, but without the numbers, there isn’t the revenue. She now sings solo whereas before the year that never was, she and her father played in a duet, “Tuchasoul”. “I have had to go solo because there’s just not the money there,” she said. Coronavirus struck so suddenly at the end of March, that concerts were cancelled overnight – and that meant musicians lost out. “I had to pay back $5000 in deposits,” singer Bill Olson said. “That was a nightmare.” And musicians like making music. They like making money, too. But the point is the music. “It’s been a rough year,” singer Lucy Sugerman said. “I haven’t been able to gig. We lost a chunk of our livelihood – and the joy of it,” she said. She, too, has gone solo because the costs are lower. She had a backing band but she hasn’t been able to give them the work. “I have a four-piece band but I haven’t been able to do many band gigs because I wouldn’t be able to pay them,” she said. “We are the end of the food chain. There’s no money for bands.” It wasn’t just the epidemic. The year started with fire and smoke and as musicians gather now, they reflect in amazement on how it was. “We were playing in smoke-filled rooms,” singer-songwriter Simone Glover said. People were loathe to go out, so audiences were small. “There was hardly anyone around. It was a very sombre feel. It was quite scary,” she said. “It was pretty ominous,” singer-songwriter Evan Buckley said. “A lot of people weren’t going out. It was unpleasant because it involved going to gigs in a smoke mask.” He had a 15-person music video planned for 2020. “It had to be scrapped,” he said. Singer Will Campbell was doing nicely, performing in Japan when the closure of the Australian border was announced. “I was gigging in the ski resort so I came back in March. Then it was lockdown,” he said. Dreams died in 2020. Siobhan McGrath felt she was going to make the big leap into a professional singing career but she ended up working in a shop. “I was hoping to make this year the one where my main income came from music. Instead, I went into retail management in a store,” she said. So this New Year’s Eve festival is a rewinding and a restart. They all regret the stalled careers but they see some gains. Singer-songwriter Will Campbell got to see his kids. And there was time for creativity and reflection. “There was a time when you had nothing so you had to look inward,” the New Zealander in Canberra said. “The whole year was 10 months staring out of the window. You just found something to do. I wrote an album.” This time last year, he had big plans. “I was making the commitment to go full-time music and then COVID came along. All my income was cut,” he said. But now they’re back. “It’s going to be great to be back on stage,” Simone Buckley said. Lucy Sugerman thinks the year without live music may make people realise – if they didn’t know already – how essential music is. “Life without music? What’s the point?” she said. The centres for the music will be (from 5.30pm to 9.30pm):
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Lucy Yang: “Garden of Eden”
It will be a wondrous musical reunion. At the end of the year when live music died, it will come back to life on the streets of Canberra.
After the Lost Year, Canberra plans a New Year’s festival where 33 singers and bands will play in a party for a city that’s been through a lot.
The long shadow of COVID-19 means big venues still aren’t allowed so the three-day festival will spread over 28 venues in five places across the city.
The innovative festival will be poignant – it will be a time to reflect on a terrible year but with songs of hope for a better 2021. There may be tears.
Already there is reflection. Musicians are meeting up and sharing their experiences.
On New Year’s Eve a year ago, Linda Yang was trapped by fire in Eden on the NSW South Coast. She composed a haunting lament of unspeakable beauty: “Once it was the Garden of Eden; Now it is a living hell; I just want to flee this place; But the roads are burnt.”
Taking the music to the suburbs- (from left) Lucy Sugerman, Kirrah Amosa, Bill Olson and Tori Chard will be playing live music over the New Year period. PIcture: Karleen Minney
This time last year, singer Kirrah Amosa was in Los Angeles, ready to launch a recording career.
“2020 was going to be the year,” she said.
Then the coronavirus hit and the recording industry suffered.
“Now, we are approaching labels which don’t have any money,” she said.
Her income has also suffered because live venues closed.
It’s true that smaller ones have reopened, but without the numbers, there isn’t the revenue.
She now sings solo whereas before the year that never was, she and her father played in a duet, “Tuchasoul”.
“I have had to go solo because there’s just not the money there,” she said.
Coronavirus struck so suddenly at the end of March, that concerts were cancelled overnight – and that meant musicians lost out.
“I had to pay back $5000 in deposits,” singer Bill Olson said. “That was a nightmare.”
And musicians like making music. They like making money, too. But the point is the music.
“It’s been a rough year,” singer Lucy Sugerman said.
“I haven’t been able to gig. We lost a chunk of our livelihood – and the joy of it,” she said.
She, too, has gone solo because the costs are lower. She had a backing band but she hasn’t been able to give them the work.
“I have a four-piece band but I haven’t been able to do many band gigs because I wouldn’t be able to pay them,” she said.
“We are the end of the food chain. There’s no money for bands.”
It wasn’t just the epidemic. The year started with fire and smoke and as musicians gather now, they reflect in amazement on how it was.
“We were playing in smoke-filled rooms,” singer-songwriter Simone Glover said.
People were loathe to go out, so audiences were small.
“There was hardly anyone around. It was a very sombre feel. It was quite scary,” she said.
“It was pretty ominous,” singer-songwriter Evan Buckley said. “A lot of people weren’t going out. It was unpleasant because it involved going to gigs in a smoke mask.”
He had a 15-person music video planned for 2020.
“It had to be scrapped,” he said.
Singer Will Campbell was doing nicely, performing in Japan when the closure of the Australian border was announced.
“I was gigging in the ski resort so I came back in March. Then it was lockdown,” he said.
Dreams died in 2020. Siobhan McGrath felt she was going to make the big leap into a professional singing career but she ended up working in a shop.
“I was hoping to make this year the one where my main income came from music. Instead, I went into retail management in a store,” she said.
So this New Year’s Eve festival is a rewinding and a restart.
They all regret the stalled careers but they see some gains.
Singer-songwriter Will Campbell got to see his kids.
And there was time for creativity and reflection.
“There was a time when you had nothing so you had to look inward,” the New Zealander in Canberra said.
“The whole year was 10 months staring out of the window. You just found something to do. I wrote an album.”
This time last year, he had big plans.
“I was making the commitment to go full-time music and then COVID came along. All my income was cut,” he said.
“It’s going to be great to be back on stage,” Simone Buckley said.
Lucy Sugerman thinks the year without live music may make people realise – if they didn’t know already – how essential music is.
“Life without music? What’s the point?” she said.
The centres for the music will be (from 5.30pm to 9.30pm):
- Lathlain Street in Belconnen
- Anketell Street in Tuggeranong
- Bradley Street in Woden
- Hibberson Street in Gungahlin
- Lonsdale Street in Braddon
- Northbourne Avenue in the City
