A lot has changed since Newcastle band Midway last spoke to the Herald in 2019 after their song Hero proved to be a surprise Triple J Unearthed High success.
The band has halved in size, for starters. Midway is now a duo: Jordan Snowden (guitar/vocals) and Kade Winfield (drums).
The band has released another single, Beach Girl; organised and played a live-streamed festival made up of Newcastle bands with a live audience; played shows in Sydney and the Central Coast as well as their home town; and recorded a few songs. One of them is new single red p's, which is being launched at the Galeri Shangri-Lah on Hunter Street this Friday. It's an all-ages gig and the support act is Tyrants.
"red p's is about losing a friend to their own ego," Snowden said.
"The friend leaves the persona for popularity and various other things that go on in teenagers' lives. I feel red p's is a bit punchier than our past two singles - the drums are full and the guitar tones are so thick. We have a lot of fun playing this live, it just gets us moving when we're on stage. red p's is definitely a progression of our sound and gives a bit of a taste of what some of our new songs sound like."
An EP is in the works, he added, and they've got a few singles to release over the next couple of months.
The secret's out
Natalie Henry has been hinting at a "secret gig" at Newcastle this week in honour of her new single Weed, Wine and Women. Soundbites can confirm it's happening this Friday, May 28, at The New Loft, a creative space in Newcastle's East End. Doors open at 7pm.
"The single went off with a bang. Tim Rogers and Shane Nicholson loved the track, and Henry Wagons premiered it on Double J," Henry's manager Jazmyn Bowman said.
"Weed, Wine and Women was added to five Apple Playlists and Nat's been busy doing interviews on radio stations all around the country. She's also recently been announced as a support act for Catherine Britt's national 2021 Bush Pubs Tour."
Tickets to Friday night's show are $35 and available via Henry's social media pages, Oztix or at the door.
"It will feature performances by local singer songwriter Suz Dorahy as well as aerial hoop performer Ali Pickup," Bowman said. "The venue is BYO and guests are welcome to bring their own chairs."
One for the diary
Rudderless Records Market Day at The Edwards on June 12 coincides with Record Store Day but is so much more. From 9am to 3pm the venue's garage space will be buzzing with DJs, stallholders, vintage clothing stalls, and drinks specials courtesy of Cattleyard Brewing. Rudderless Records owner Ben Leece says the record shop will be open and there will be "plenty of Record Store Day treats".
Line-up envy
The Wickham Park Blues & Roots Festival on September 4 is an exciting addition to the city's live music calendar. The first line-up announcement alone includes Diesel, Ash Grunwald, The Blues Bombers, Justin Ngariki & The Dastardly Bastards, Then Jolene and Piper Butcher, with more acts to come. Earlybird tickets are available now at the Wicko's bar, $90 (including booking fees).
Girls Will Be Girls
Laura-Louanne Morgan (aka Louannella) and Monique Humphreys (Vexel Creations) have joined forces for Girls Will Be Girls, a new local platform for underrepresented artists that also raises money for Got Your Back Sista.
It's all happening at The Rogue Scholar on Newcastle's Union Street this Saturday, May 29, from 4pm until midnight. A new musician will perform every hour in what they describe as "a safe, encouraging and positive space".
The Newcastle duo were inspired to act following the nationwide March for Women's Justice on March 15.
"Laura and I came together after being at the march and asked ourselves 'OK, what's next? How can we actively contribute to the change we wish to see?'," Humphreys said.
Added Morgan: "Having a mutual passion for women's rights and live music, we decided there's no better way than to hold a festival highlighting exactly that."
Even better, it's all for a good cause. Got Your Back Sista offers benevolent relief and support to women and children escaping domestic violence and who are at risk of living below the poverty line. They help them to begin again and live independently.
The Girls Will Be Girls line-up includes Tegan Portener, Lily Humphreys, Kodivine, HAN, Mariko, Bloom, Butterknife and Boycott.
Tickets are on sale now through Eventbrite.
Breathing new life into the classics
Pop-jazz musical collective Postmodern Jukebox is celebrating the return of live music with a national tour.
The 12-date Grand Reopening Tour will kick off in Darwin in February and then head to Perth, Adelaide, Melbourne, Hobart, Newcastle, Wollongong, Sydney, Canberra, Toowoomba and Brisbane before winding up on the Gold Coast.
Early last year Postmodern Jukebox were keen to treat audiences to "the most sensational '20s party this side of The Great Gatsby" through their unique renditions of modern music's biggest hits in the classic styles of bygone eras.
Well, we all know what happened next. Just seven dates into the Welcome to the Twenties 2.0 global tour, creator Scott Bradlee pulled the tour off the road and made the decision to postpone the remaining dates, many of them sold out, as the global pandemic took its toll.
"Ever since our first trip Down Under in 2015, we've made Australia an annual stop on our tour itinerary and have gotten to meet some of the best audiences in the world as a result," Bradlee said.
"We have been so sad to miss a couple of years of this annual tradition due to the pandemic, but we're thrilled to announce that we'll be back better than ever in 2022 for our sixth tour of the continent. We have a lot of catching up to do so bring your dancing shoes."
The Grand Reopening Tour will feature an ensemble of multi-talented singers and musicians bringing generation-spanning arrangements to life night after night. Surprise guests often join the core ensemble to make each concert unique and unpredictable.
Most recently, Postmodern Jukebox reimagined the beloved theme from Friends via the evolution of music styles throughout the 20th century.
Catch Postmodern Jukebox at Newcastle's Civic Theatre on February 22. Tickets on are sale from 10am on May 28.
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