THE City of Newcastle will invest $20,000 to get local music firing during this month's inaugural New Annual arts festival.
The hospitality and performing arts industries have been among the hardest hit by COVID-19 restrictions as venues have struggled to sustain entertainment costs and support musicians.
Under the Live Music Grant Program, 16 venues will receive up to $1500 in funding to support live gigs between February 12 and 21. Participating venues include inner-city pubs like the Cambridge, as well as suburban haunts like Wallsend's Racecourse Hotel.
Racecourse Hotel licensee Holly Bidwell said the funding of $1100 would enable her pub to book performances from Newcastle artists Justin Ngariki, Huge Combo and Javier during the New Annual's 10-day period.
"We've started to roll out some live music, so it allows us to put on even more," Ms Bidwell said. "Over those two weeks we're going to try and put on a mini music festival here, which we wouldn't have been able to do otherwise."
Ms Bidwell bought the hotel just prior to COVID and said live music was essential to her plans for the venue.
"It's great to get it going this year and we feel like this will give us momentum," she said.
Lord mayor Nuatali Nelmes said the focus of New Annual was expanded to local music due to COVID and that it was important to spread support beyond the CBD.
"It was one of the remits to make sure that we were not only utilising council and community assets, but providing venues that would be very interesting for an arts and cultural festival," Cr Nelmes said.
Local soloist musician Javier has been "bombarded" with gigs since December and said the public had become more respectful to musicians since COVID restrictions had eased.
"Before COVID you were just a guy playing in the corner and no one paid much attention, but now you see people really missed live music," he said.
Visit the New Annual website for a full listing of gigs.
