Time To Punk Up This City
Illawarra Mercury
Saturday September 29, 2007
AS a fan of punk rock and heavy metal, Josh Smith has lost faith in Wollongong's live music scene.
In pubs and clubs throughout the city, he sees opportunities drying up for emerging bands who sit outside the mainstream."Wollongong is such an untapped musical resource but with younger bands coming through wanting to play punk, metal or emo music, there's nowhere for them to play regularly," Josh, 23, said."It's very rare to see a faster, harder band play. You can't really go out and watch a different kind of band anywhere."In response, Josh has taken it upon himself to lift the profile of alternative acts in Wollongong's live music scene, hoping to persuade venue owners to take a chance."Wollongong has so many good young bands emerging, but they get left out because they don't appeal as much to some of the older customers," Josh says. "Over the last six to nine months it's gone downhill really quickly and it now just seems like the same old crap cover bands are being recycled over and over."Josh's crusade to shake up Wollongong's live music scene kicks off tomorrow at the Oxford Tavern, where he's assembled a line-up of punk and metal acts sure to rattle some cages.
© 2007 Illawarra Mercury