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<\/p>\nLIVE music can again be enjoyed in small numbers outside, as restrictions ease in regional Victoria and local music venues the Torquay Hotel and Anglesea\u2019s The Sound Doctor gear up for a big return.<\/p>\n
Before lockdown, the Torquay Hotel found a rhythm booking shows by quality artists and re-establishing Torquay as a regional destination for contemporary touring artists.<\/p>\n
Booking agent Luke Hindson is motivated to maintain that momentum.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe had 12 or 15 gigs ready to go pre-COVID that were already sold out. We postponed and postponed them. But artists like G Flip, The Rubens and Thelma Plum are still coming,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn the last week I\u2019ve been hit up by a bunch of agents who are booking shows again.\u201d<\/p>\n
He said the easing of restrictions was a start, but most venues are not set up for quality live music outside.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt is still not enough to sustain live music.\u201d<\/p>\n
Despite this, he remains optimistic.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s going to be a big welcome back to live music. We\u2019re working on a giant party \u2013 something big in the community.\u201d<\/p>\n
Hindson grew up playing music and seeing gigs in Geelong, when the Barwon Club and The Nash would host You Am I, Magic Dirt, Augie March, and in the past decade, The Vasco Era and local boys King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard.<\/p>\n
He wants to recapture the spirit of a coastal gig community.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe want to build a strong culture of strong music in our community,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen we book bigger bands, we have a clause in the contract that lets us choose a local support.<\/p>\n
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\u201cI have seen music and arts thrive in small communities in other parts of Australia and want the same for ours. Its not about dollars and cents.\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Before lockdown, Hindson said the Torquay Hotel was on track to sell 27,000 tickets in 12 months. He said their analytics showed people visited from other regional areas and stayed overnight to see their favourite band.<\/p>\n
With assistance from the City of Greater Geelong, Hindson has started looking at other possible venues along the coast.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are working on other ways our community can embrace live music. We are working on bringing live music back to the Barwon Heads Hotel. We have heard stories from the \u201980s and \u201990s when NOFX, Sonic Youth, Paul Kelly, INXS and Tina Turner played shows in Barwon Heads and Ocean Grove, and we thought \u2018why isn\u2019t that happening anymore?\u2019,\u201d he said.<\/span><\/p>\n Hindson said the venue used the recent downtime to finish the renovations and make improvements to the sound system.<\/p>\n