ORGANISERS are confident Warrnambool’s first Aus Music Festival will find a ready audience when it’s launched a year from now.
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The Coalition yesterday promised to spend $50,000 on the event if it’s re-elected.
The search is now on to secure headliners and a full line-up.
City leaders returned to the Lady Bay Resort yesterday — once home to the infamous Lady Bay Hotel — to launch Warrnambool’s bid to establish itself alongside the likes of the Port Fairy Folk Festival.
The Aus Music Festival has been given an official opening date of October 30 next year.
Premier and South West Coast MP Denis Napthine said other Great Ocean Road towns like Queenscliff, Lorne, Apollo Bay and Port Fairy had successful festivals.
“Warrnambool deserves its own music festival,” the Premier said.
He also reminisced about old gigs at the Lady Bay Hotel.
“It certainly brings back memories, particularly here at Lady Bay, where I came to see Daddy Cool.”
Organiser Russ Goodear said the Lady Bay was “sacred earth of great Australian bands” that had played at the former venue including the likes of Midnight Oil.
“We plan to start small, don’t expect a Port Fairy (Folk Festival) on year one. It’s not going to happen,” Mr Goodear said.
“We’re going to grow it from something small ... let’s get better before we get bigger.”
Former music journalist and Music Victoria boss Patrick Donovan said promoters were looking to book a major act to lead off the event.
“You’ve got to have some big name acts on that people want to see and then you need to have some quality acts the punters haven’t heard of,” Mr Donovan said.
Music Victoria is supporting the event and hopes to hold an Australian music summit at Deakin University the day before the event if the government decides to fund it. Despite the festival not targeting a specific genre, Mr Donovan said he was optimistic it could tap into a broad audience.
“I think you can have sub festivals but certainly there are going to be some concerts that are aimed at the baby boomers,” Mr Donovan said.
“Because it’s going to be at a different number of venues, I think you can have a program for young people and there’s so much diversity in music now.
“I think it’s great having an Australian music festival.
“There’s so much diversity in music now that the aim is to be the most diverse Australian music festival in the country.”
