Folded music Festival wrap

FOLDED Music Festival drew about 500 people to the Ballina Skatepark, where some of the region’s best high school bands took the stage.

The event, held for the third time, gives aspiring teenage musicians the chance to perform in front of their peers.

The winning band, to be announced this week, will earn a free day of recording in a local studio with Ham Blacket, lead singer of Byron Bay band Drop Legs.

“It was a great day, the crowd changed over a few times between bands, but there was up to 500 people there at one point,” festival manager Charlotte Brennan said.

“The mayor (Sharon Cadwallader) was really impressed, and we’ve had other people reach out about what a great vibe there was in there.

“The talent from the bands playing and seeing everyone enjoy themselves was the highlight.”

Indie rock band Eliza and the Delusionals headlined the show after five high school bands played.

The band formed at Pottsville in 2017 and has received a Triple J Album of the Year nomination, a Rolling Stone Australia Award nomination and a Queensland Music Award.

The teenage acts included Da Manager, a cross-school band made up of students from Kingscliff High School, Mount St Patrick College and Lindisfarne High School.

They come from diverse musical backgrounds and have a shared passion for performance which saw them play a pub show at Byron Bay on New Year’s Eve.

The winning band will be selected by a board of independent industry experts.

The festival was started by men’s mental health charity the Healthy Minds Club, which saw a chance to connect with young people through the arts and local music.

It was supported by the Ballina Rotary Club and sponsors Harvest Estate Byron, Marcon Consultancy, Pelicans On Posties, Cherry Street Sports Club and Koellner Steel.