Ask Willem Hendriksen what he loves about the Blue Mountains, and you may get a surprising answer. “The diversity in the local music scene, first and foremost. It’s mind-blowing to think there is so much talent within such a small population.”
And he should know. As his exposure to local acts grew through his RBMfm radio show, Retro Rehash, it also revealed that there was a gap in the market for showcasing up-and-coming Mountains bands.
“I noticed there was a real variance in the different ages and styles of the bands, but no events that really brought this together as a showcase; a taster of what we can offer an audience. I also wanted to create an event the locals could really get behind and be proud of.”
With this in mind and his crew of music-loving mates at the helm, Henriksen launched the first of his Locomotion branded events at Station Bar in March 2015.
“We were overwhelmed by the feedback, people were really responding to the different elements Locomotion brought that other events weren’t – the dress up themes, the quality and calibre of the music, and cheap drinks all equal one hell of a party,” he said.
After the success of their previous events – which have attracted acts such as Angry Anderson, Toni Mitchell from Sherbert and Lindsey Tebbutt from the Choirboys – the Locomotion team are set to do it all again on May 28 with their latest event: Super Safari Strut-Off.
Local acts will include Juniper and Jackal or Tiger, who are launching their EP on the night. They will be joined by Hot Potato Band from Sydney, and Steve Kilbey of the Church backed by The Mountaineers – a super group of top-notch local musicians. Three local visual artists will also be displaying their works: IZE, Dingo Lingo and Ruby Rain.
The night kicks off at Hotel Gearin at 8:30pm with $20 entry. Prizes for best-jungle-dressed, great live music and some brilliant artwork will make sure this is a night to remember.
In a bid to spread the goodwill, the Gearin will also be accepting donations to the RSCPA. For more information on Locomotion events head to facebook.com/retrorehash, and to hear the Retro Rehash crew having a blast with the past, tune into RBMfm 89.1 Fridays 4–6pm.
