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Newcastle Herald
Newcastle Herald
Josh Leeson

Hoodoo Gurus and Dan Sultan lead massive Great Southern Nights program

Hoodoo Gurus will play the Bar On The Hill on March 23. Picture by Simone De Peak

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.

Dan Sultan plays the intimate Civic Playhouse on March 10. Picture supplied

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."

Triple j darling Gretta Ray plays Hamilton Station Hotel on March 20. Picture supplied

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.

Peter Garrett is bringing his new band The Alter Egos to Newcastle City Hall. Picture supplied

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

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