DAVE the band drummer Gabe Argiris remembers fondly performing at Lass O'Gowrie's Beach Street festival and how it rapidly expanded their audience.
Years later Argiris, now a promoter, musician and co-owner of Novotone studio, is aiming to shine a spotlight on the latest crop of bands germinating in the fertile post-COVID Newcastle music scene.
Cult Classic on November 12 at the Lass O'Gowrie Hotel will feature two stages and some of the freshest new talent in Shady Nasty, Downgirl, Fungas, Dust, Well?, Doris, Boycott, Resident, Saylor and the Flavor, Slow Cinema, Good Glow, Worst Actors, Unpretty, Sugar and Argiris' band Bloody Hell.
Cult Classic was inspired by the success of the Carrington Crawl in June, which saw punters roving through a host of venues in the harbourside suburb.
This Sunday's West Best Bloc Fest is also showcasing the depth and diversity of Newcastle's music scene.
Argiris rates Doris and Unpretty as bands he's particularly excited to see progress.
"That's the cool thing about events like this," Argiris said.
"You think, 'how can I help young bands like this starting out and trying to get gigs'?
"You put on a festival with a few hundred people and all of a sudden they have a lot of fans."
Tickets for Cult Classic are $25 through Oztix.
FINALS TIME
OF course the NRL decider is almost upon us, but some of Newcastle's hottest bands are also gearing up for the local final of the Passport To Airlie Beach competition.
Wickham Park Hotel hosts the Newcastle final on Saturday. Turpentine Babycino, Arcadia Blue, Wayward Kings, Javier and The Appointments are flying the flag for Newcastle, while Sydney acts Dande & The Lion and Heart Of Mind have also reached the final.
The winner earns an opportunity to perform at the Airlie Beach Festival of Music in Queensland on November 3 to 6.
