THE Hoodoo Gurus, The Presets, Cub Sport, Gretta Ray and Dan Sultan headline a gluttony of live music that's headed to Newcastle in March as part of the return of Great Southern Nights.
From March 8 to 24, 14 Newcastle venues will host 38 shows as part of the partnership between the NSW Government and the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) to reinvigorate live music.
Some of the Newcastle highlights include Hoodoo Gurus at the Bar On The Hill (March 23), Dan Sultan at the Civic Playhouse (March 10) and Bob Evans at the Stag & Hunter Hotel (March 8).
The Hamilton Station Hotel will host Bad//Dreems (March 23), Teen Jesus & The Jean Teasers (March 21) and Gretta Ray (March 20).
King Street will be among the busiest venues hosting Cub Sport (March 10), The Presets (March 22), Drapht (March 22) and all-ages and over-18s Ruby Fields shows (March 24).
Peter Garrett & The Alter Egos at Newcastle City Hall on March 12 is expected to be another popular show.
Great Southern Nights was initially launched in November 2020 to breathe life back into the music industry, following the destruction of the COVID-19 pandemic.
While COVID restrictions have ceased, the live music industry continues to trail pre-pandemic levels due inflation and cost-of-living pressures.
Newcastle's biggest music festival This That was cancelled for a second straight year in September due to poor ticket sales, while numeral shows, such as last week's Allen Stone gig, have been downgraded to smaller venues.
NSW Government funding for Great Southern Nights enables venues and promoters to book free or subsidised shows.
"What it does is make the whole thing more commercially viable for the artists, for the promoter, for everyone in the chain, which of course is something we wanna do," ARIA CEO Annabelle Herd said.
"It means music fans have more access to more live music.
"It is like everybody, cost of living is something that everyone is battling with at the moment, including people in the music industry.
"The program is great to provide a bit of relief from all the things that are happening in the world at the moment to come together and enjoy brilliant moments in live music, which are hard to replicate in any other environment or art form."
Unlike the state-wide 2020 Great Southern Nights programme, the 2024 edition will be restricted to seven music districts - Newcastle, Greater Western Sydney, Inner Sydney, Wollongong, Wagga Wagga, Tamworth and Northern Rivers.
More than 300 gigs will held across the state over 17 nights.
Newcastle venues Bar On The Hill, Belmont 16s, Civic Theatre, The Exchange Hotel, Great Northern Hotel, Greenroof Hotel, Hamilton Station Hotel, King Street, Lizotte's, Newcastle Hotel, Newcastle City Hall, Civic Playhouse and Stag & Hunter Hotel will host shows under the Great Southern Nights banner.
Herd is hopeful the gigs will be well attended and convince other venues of the economic and social value of live music.
"We want to encourage more people to come to these areas, which I hope would encourage other venues to see the benefit of live music," she said.
"You have to be a venue set up to produce live music.
"We are absolutely talking to venues across the state about how they can put on live music."
The NSW Government has committed to funding Great Southern Nights for the next three years.
FULL GREAT SOUTHERN NIGHTS PROGRAM
Friday, March 8
Bob Evans - Stag & Hunter Hotel
Gins & Jams - Bar On The Hill
Trinity Woodhouse - Greenroof Hotel
Austin Mackay - Civic Playhouse
Awol - Newcastle Hotel
The Porkers - King Street
Saturday, March 9
Kate Ceberano - Belmont 16s
Eliza & The Delusionals - Stag & Hunter Hotel
James Blundell - Newcastle Hotel
Anna Lunoe - King Street
Maple Glider - Civic Playhouse
Every Day People - Exchange Hotel
Sunday, March 10
Dan Sultan - Civic Playhouse
Cub Sport - King Street
Elixir - Lizotte's
AGS - King Street
Daydreaming Soundsystem - Newcastle Hotel
Tuesday, March 12
Peter Garrett & The Alter Egos - Newcastle City Hall
Wednesday, March 13
All Good Party People - Bar On The Hill
Friday, March 15
Bleu Collective - Civic Theatre Bar
Godlands - King Street
Finnian Johnson - Greenroof Hotel
Saturday, March 16
Joe Moore & Jordan Brady - Great Northern Hotel
Party Latte - Exchange Hotel
Sunday, March 17
AGS - King Street
Wednesday, March 20
Gretta Ray - Hamilton Station Hotel
All Good Party People - Bar On The Hill
Thursday, March 21
Teen Jesus & The Jean Teasers - Hamilton Station Hotel
Friday, March 22
The Presets - King Street
Nina Romeru & Chain Daisy - Civic Theatre Bar
Abbie Ferris - Greenroof Hotel
Saturday, March 23
Hoodoo Gurus, with Spy vs Spy - Bar On The Hill
Bad//Dreems - Hamilton Station Hotel
Drapht - King Street
Skyscraper Stan & The Commission Flats, with Magpie Diaries - Civic Theatre Bar
D.Love - Greenroof Hotel
Felix Quinn & Georgie Winchester - Great Northern Hotel
Sunday, March 24
Ruby Fields (all ages & over-18 shows) - King Street
Ben Leece & The Left Of The Dial - Hamilton Station Hotel
Catnips, with Butterknife, Lost Plaza - Newcastle Hotel
