Ballarat shines the spotlight on local talent with Be_Hear / Now
Subscribe
X

Get the latest from Beat

01.11.2021

Ballarat shines the spotlight on local talent with Be_Hear / Now

Be_Hear Now

Ballarat is set to immerse the world in its rich music and arts culture when Be_Hear/Now returns to the city in 2021.

Skyscraper Stan, Floc, LASHES and more lead this year’s musical program with eight video performances set to grace your social media feeds over the next month. You’ll be able to watch each performance, plus read feature interviews with all of the artists on Beat.

Be_Hear Now is a hyper-local digital program of live music, spoken word performances and art experiences that was first held in 2020.

Keep up with the latest music news, festivals, interviews and reviews here.

The performances were all streamed from inside derelict bacon factories, quirky motels and bowling alleys with the intention of celebrating Ballarat’s unique heritage and rich music and arts culture while connecting people again through shared experiences.

This year is set to build on the success of last year’s format with a brand new lineup spanning a huge diversity of musical and performative styles.

Expect Skyscraper Stan performing in a stormwater drain, LASHES stunning us from the Ballarat Royal Tennis Club, while Moonlover takes us all to the stratosphere from Ballarat’s Observatory. With Victoria set to reunite with the lessening of COVID-19 restrictions, the festival will promote the imminent return of Ballarat as an arts and culture destination in regional Victoria.

Eight Ballarat artists are set to take part this year, including producer Juno Mamba, singer-songwriter Skyscraper Stan, experimental pop artist Floc, folk-rock band Grove, local duo No Man’s Land, psychedelic-rock musician Moonlover, electro-pop powerhouse LASHES, and The Sam Boon Quintet, comprising some of the most sought after session musicians in Australia.

The festival is highly focused on developing the city’s artists, with each performer paid industry best practice and set to receive 25-30 minute professionally filmed recordings and interviews. They’ll also receive professional mentoring from industry professionals, including the likes Virgin Music, The Push, Regional Arts Victoria, and Press Play Agency.

Be_Hear/Now music lineup 

Skyscraper Stan

A man who needs no introduction and firm fan favourite from his work with band the Commission Flats, Skyscraper Stan is a songwriter and band leader best regarded for his lyricism. His first album “Last Year’s Tune” gave Australia a taste of his image rich poetry with crowd favourites like “I Fell Over” and “Woody Guthrie”. His follow up album, Golden Boy Volumes I and II further cemented Stan’s reputation as a unique songwriter on the Australian scene.

A veteran of the touring circuit; He has performed at festivals and venues in every state and territory of Australia.

Juno Mamba

A relatively new artist to the uninitiated, Juno Mamba creates dystopian soundscapes that pull the listener in with each listen. Conceived from uncertainty and wanting to be embraced, Juno Mamba is as much about experimenting with the unknown as it is about finding purpose with the familiar.

It’s not from a controlled setting, it has no limitations, it’s unrestricted, there is no predisposition and it’s ready to be consumed. The ambiguity can seem vast or obscured, but the feeling is with the listener. If it’s life or death, new or old, beginning or the end, let it take you on a journey and see where it ends.

Floc

Driven by jagged beats and layered synths, Floc will capture your attention vocalising their thoughts, fears and feelings.

Living on Wadawurrung Land, Floc weaves field recordings of the local surroundings inside their tracks, adding an experimental essence among the sound. Watch Floc live at Be Here Now for a unique music experience.

Grove

Grove is a folk-rock band based out of Ballarat, Australia. Influenced by regional landscapes and the importance of connection. Grove is an intimate glimpse into a collaboration by friends with the intention of exploring music and learning from one another. Formed out of spite for elitist cis-het boybands, it’s an act of defiance at the least.

No Man’s Land

Established in 2019, No Man’s Land is a duo of Pippa Bainbridge (vocals, guitar, loop pedal, effects) and Swiss van Kalken (bass guitar, found percussion,effects).

Together they make atmospheric drone,audioscapes and performance rituals, drenched in Australian folklore and inspired by the landscapes surrounding their home in the Central Highlands of Victoria.

Moonlover

Moonlover made his first record Thou Shall Be Free in his bedroom in Footscray. It was full on one-of-a-kind psychedelic journeys, melancholy ballads and whacko rockers.

In 2021, he decided to make a tree change andcan now be found in Bungaree experimenting, twiddling knobs and laying down tracks for his much anticipated record number two.

LASHES

Yohanna Bright bubbles with a vivacious energy, crafting bold electro-pop anthems under the moniker LASHES.

Fusing sweetly sincere vocals with a tenacious and daring approach to production, LASHES is the symbol of two juxtaposing definitions – from delicate eyelashes, to the raw and real emotion of lashing out.

The artist stumbled upon her love for song writing at just seven years of age, and finding she lacked the patience to learn musical theory, became a self-taught instrumentalist.

Sam Boon Quintet

The Sam Boon Quintet comprises some of the most sought after session musicians in Aus. Having all met when studying together at institutions such as the VCA and NMIT around 10 years ago, each member has forged a strong individual career in their own right with members having toured and studied extensively including in New York and the USA, Europe, The UK and Asia

We’ll be previewing each artist across our socials along with Be_Hear/Now so keep your eyes peeled for the performances popping up across all of our channels.

Check out the Be_Hear Now website for more information.