Melanie Riley
BANDS are set to hit the stage later this year for the return of Battle of the Bands in Mount Gambier/Berrin with the event’s line-up officially locked in.
Dennis O’Carroll, Esketamine, GERNZ, Greasy Rhysy, Fat Pony, Jesse and Jordan, Awoken, Menacidal, Rewind, The Short Sleeves, Stamina and B’s Music will make up the talented line-up for the 2024 event.
Clitzy Von Teaze and Ophelia Butt will host the event at the Woolstore Brewery and will be joined by Kyra Sykes, Josh Lynagh, Bianca Hendy, Fiona Unger lined up on the judges panel.
Each artist will perform a 20-minute set and will play a set list of three songs.
Event organiser Bronte Ellard said the chosen 12 artists are a range of different genres with a focus on youth artists, which is exactly what the committee aimed for.
“We wanted to focus on those up-and-coming younger artists to really give them the chance to get themselves out there,” Ms Ellard said.
“It’s the biggest variation we’ve had in a Battle of the Bands that I’ve hosted – in previous years, we’ve had quite a focus on the same few genres and this line-up is just so different.
“Plus we’ve got our first hip-hop artist I’ve had on a line-up so that’s extra exciting.”
She said after a lot of organisation and hard work from herself, fellow organiser Stephen Esnouf and the Battle of the Bands committee, she was looking forward to seeing the event finally come to fruition.
“This is something I’ve been wanting to bring back to the region for years, and I’m so excited to showcase the amazing talent in our region,” she said.
“If we want to keep seeing these events or any kind of arts and music events in Mount Gambier, we need to start supporting this stuff.
“Creating an event from the ground up takes a lot of work and time and it needs that community backing or it doesn’t happen.”
Ms Ellard said she was looking forward to hosting the event somewhere different, after attending the Beer & BBQ Untapped event at the Woolstore Brewery earlier this year.
“Kylie and Chris really care about local talent here and it’s awesome to see,” Ms Ellard said.
“They have been amazing to deal with and I’m so grateful they’ve jumped on board to support us.”
Woolstore Brewery owners Kylie and Chris Ind said their decision to get involved and host another music event at their venue was an easy one.
“For us, we are very keen to see local talent supported,” Ms Ind said.
“I think that the live music industry is still in a really bad place after COVID and that opportunities for local bands to get started are few and far between, especially ones that might not have a whole set to be able to present.”
Ms Ind said Untapped provided a chance to showcase the “breadth of talent in the region” and could not wait to see another huge range for the Battle of the Bands.
“Something like this event offers up-and-coming bands that might only have two or three songs that they’re really happy with to get out there and be seen by the public,” she said.
“It gives them an opportunity to introduce themselves to the community and then gives them the confidence to work harder and get some more music happening and get out there.”
Ms Ind acknowledged the work of Ms Ellard and the Battle of the Bands committee for bringing the event back to Mount Gambier/Berrin and said the brewery was looking forward to the event.
“We’re excited to be hosting and to be able to share local talent with the community,” Ms Ind said.
The event will be an all-day, all ages licensed event at Woolstore Brewery on Saturday, October 5.
Tickets will be available soon – follow ‘Gigs And Music Connect Mount Gambier’ on Facebook for updates.
