AN indie network of artists will hopefully be returning to live shows next week for its winter showcase.<\/p>\n
Poppet Head Records is made up of some of Bendigo’s biggest alternative rock musicians and was created after local musician Trevor Petrie realised how much original and independent music the region has to offer.<\/p>\n
\u201cI was living in Castlemaine for a few years and while I was there I took the opportunity to get down to Melbourne a bit, trying to break into the Melbourne music scene by going to a lot of open mics and gigs down there to try and meet some people,\u201d he said<\/p>\n
\u201cSomething that I came away with from that experience was that Bendigo has some really awesome talent that not a lot of people know about.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat I wanted to do was bring together a group of like-minded musos and create a sort of artist discovery platform to try and highlight some of the indie rock and alternative artists we have in the region.<\/p>\n
\u201cPlenty of people are familiar with the Bendigo Blues and Roots Festival and there\u2019s this whole other pocket of music in Bendigo that I thought needed showcasing and that turned into Poppet Head Records.\u201d<\/p>\n
Petrie maintains that Poppet Head is not a traditional record label in that they don\u2019t sign artists.<\/p>\n
Instead, the label serves as a growing \u201cinformation sharing community\u201d currently with eight acts involved.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re really a cooperative of indie musos, any of the artists that are involved retain 100 per cent control of their music,” Petrie said.<\/p>\n
“That was something I was pretty passionate about from day one and something that\u2019s resonated really well with the artists.<\/p>\n
\u201cHaving 100 per cent control of our art is paramount and a big part of why we go down the DIY indie path.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen you\u2019re writing material, and everyone on the label does write their own material, it\u2019s a part of you and it\u2019s a part of you that you\u2019re wanting to share with other people and you don\u2019t really want outsider influence on that.\u201d<\/p>\n
The annual Poppet Head Records winter showcase is set to be on 21 August, with artists Sparrow Daley, Frank Bell, Acoustic Foxx and Steph Bitter included in the line-up.<\/p>\n
Petrie said the event has been a long time coming and rescheduling has become the \u201cnumber one sport for 2020 and 2021.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve found it absolutely crushing not having live music, not having that ability to go out and play gigs,” he said.<\/p>\n
“I never gigged that heavily, I played a show a month, but I\u2019ve been lucky to play maybe twice this year.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s a big hole, sort of a loss of identity in a lot of ways. The flip side of that is I\u2019m absolutely itching to get out and play.\u201d<\/p>\n
The showcase will take place at the Golden Vine Hotel on 21 August, which Petrie said is the \u201cthe home of original music in Bendigo.\u201d<\/p>\n