City stage offered to bands

By Glen Bernoth and Matt Neal. Warrnambool Standard 18th Oct. 2005 - ©Copyright Warrnambool Standard  2005. 

BUDDING bands would play on Warrnambool's Civic Green stage free of charge over summer under a plan one councillor has put on the city's agenda. Cr David Atkinson said the stage was grossly under-used. He said young entertainers would potentially add to the city's festive summer holiday environment and might be discovered for their talents in the process. "This would promote greater use of the Civic Green over the summer months, but more importantly give young groups a chance to play in public and get some exposure," he said. "It would have to be on a voluntary basis. Power is there and its cost would be negligible, but even if it wasn't it would be a pretty cheap investment by council. "I'd love to see bands book a time with council and play for an hour or two. No one is going to chase them, I'd just like it to be made available. I hope they take advantage and encourage people to come down in their lunch break and be entertained." Brauer College-based musicians Brenton Smith, Tom Richardson, Erin Jellie and Ryan Hegarty - who have pl ayed under the name Ad Lib - said they would appreciate the opportunity to perform at the Civic Green. Smith said if the council promoted gigs on the green they would be better for the bands and could help attract more people to the area."We'd be interested (but) we've done a few gigs there and not many people turn up," he said. Smith agreed there were few opportunities for under-age bands to perform. Brauer College director of music Manfred Pohlenz said the idea could be developed further."We've got our own soul band, a number of rock bands and other groups that could play at a venue like that and that would be fantastic," he said. "But I also know how disappointing it can be when kids work themselves up and then perform to a small crowd of people - there would have to be a means to promote it. "Maybe there could be a series of concerts. "Busking works most successfully when performers interact with shoppers and people mulling by and I suspect the Civic Green might be a bit too removed from that. In concept it is a terrific idea - maybe it could be marketed as a buskers' corner." Warrnambool College music director Alisa Bowring said she also supported Cr Atkinson's suggestion.