Be_Hear/Now.
Be_Hear/Now. present an epic weekend of music featuring headliner, Augie March for an exclusive Ballarat show. The weekend showcases the cream of the local crop with performances by Aaliyah Bise, Coda Chroma, Day Fever, Surfe and more!
This is a music convention like no other giving regional artists that all-important opportunity to develop in the Australian music scene. It’s a festival of workshops, bootcamps, guest speakers and showcases.
The City of Ballarat’s live music program, Be_Hear/Now. has been developing and supporting musicians by providing a framework to celebrate the skills and talents of our community and helping give them the tools to refine their craft. Be_Hear/Now. is a celebration of music and place.
Now in its fourth year Be_Hear/Now. is again focusing on ‘the ones to watch’ in the Ballarat music scene but extending this out to work with more established names in the local music industry.
The program of support has focused on identifying talent, providing mentoring and training, assets and resources such as video production amongst other elements.
Be_Hear/Now identifies talent worth watching and examines what kinds of support they need to thrive.
We link practitioners with grant writers, venues, mentors and educators, striving to help the network to succeed at home and elsewhere.
The way we consume music is changing. Audiences are responding differently to music today than a decade ago, and we all interact with music completely differently from a generation ago. But regional cities such as Ballarat are still the hot spots for making, creating and performing music
AUGIE MARCH
Australian music legends, Augie March, will headline alongside special guests and class of 2024 Be_Hear/Now artists, Coda Chroma and Day Fever.
Straddling the various sub and mainstream cultures of the Australian music world with relative comfort and ease for years, Augie March have continued to do what they do regardless of what ice cream flavour is melting on the contemporary footpath.
Winners of the AMP, Hottest 100, various APRA gongs and much else, this unassuming lot
have been indie as can be, spread all over the corporate map, revered across the globe by the highest, mightiest, lowest and dirtiest.
You can see them exclusively for one night only, making tender dreams and rolling nightmares, joining the legendary live music touring hallows of Civic Hall Ballarat.
AALIYAH BISE
The soulful R&B, Billie Eilish and Adele informed vocals of this young Ballarat artist have put her firmly in the sights of the Australian music-loving community.
Aaliyah broke through with an audition on Australian Idol in 2023 where she unexpectedly faltered during the filming.
What’s more, the producers added a clip of her unexpected slip-up to the commercial, meaning she had to deal with watching it air again and again in the run-up to the show.
But Aaliyah has some grit and determination, demonstrating that Ballarat grown musicians are tougher than most, and she took the incident in her stride by taking to TikTok and securing more than 1.7million viewers.
Aaliyah released her debut single, Sorry, in 2023 as a follow up and a message to her younger self. As a Be Hear Now cohort member for 2024 Aaliyah is looking to seal the deal of her music future.
CODA CHROMA
Coda Chroma is Damien Charles and Kate Lucas. Their swirling and lush synth inspired music is based on personal dreamscapes and real life encounters.
Kate as songwriter uses her music to help explore the notions of having to leave behind creative dreams to focus on more tangible goals.
With subtle acoustic guitar and soaring synths matched with sweeping strings, Coda Chroma offers a slice of indie-folk with plenty of pop sensibilities.
While they’ve scored some career highlights including performing at the Woodford Folk Festival and the Winter Sounds Festival, Coda Chroma is realising that there are challenges to creating a sustainable creative practice and hopes to use the support of Be Hear Now to both secure a future and also add value to the Ballarat scene.
DAYFEVER
The band is a unique blend of indie rock, indie pop and alternative rock, with essences of Aldous Harding and Marlon Williams.
The band is formed by well known Ballarat musician Connor Toomey. His songwriting prowess has been enhanced by vocalists and a full band, taking Connor’s lush introspective lyricism into new directions.
Dayfever has crafted a hugely listenable catalogue that wouldn’t be out of place on regular rotation on Triple J. Their musical prowess reveals their future plans with Connor reporting that he spent the better part of two years saving up to record, mix and master Dayfever’s first EP.
They are keen to get into recording a new EP and engaging third parties to help them with branding, industry representation and merchandise.
SURFE
Surfe is Harry Nijam. Harry performs a laidback, dance, indie pop sound which is much more mature than his years.
Harry performed as part of the Be Hear Now fringe, taking part in a gig in an old hairdressing salon turned performance venue on Sturt Street.
Harry also got along to the inaugural Be Hear Now live music conference held in the Goods Shed where he met up with key contacts from the music industry and scored some great introductions.
Cut a long story short, today Harry is represented by Unified Music Group and he’ll be rolling out new music in 2024.
Harry joins the Be Hear Now cohort in 2024.
Date & Time
Saturday 10th August
9am – 4pm
Sunday 11th August
9.30am – 4pm
Prices
Free event
Venue
Civic Hall Ballarat
