by Oscar Parry
Sunbury musicians are calling for more music venues in town, claiming the current amount does not meet the local demand.
Sunbury musician Gareth Huggett said while there are some great local hospitality venues and smaller music venues hosting live entertainment, he would like to see more with the capacity to host a full band.
“It’s not a lot for a town of this size and pedigree … there is a sense [that] Sunbury is sort of a sleeping giant – it could be really big … I think there would certainly be a big market for it if it took the chance,” Huggett said.
“An open studio would be fantastic … like a music hub for the young musicians and the old musicians to get together and learn from each other. That would be fantastic.”
After last year’s Sunbury Pop Festival anniversary event, Huggett said this could be run each year with a strong focus on local acts to further promote the local music scene.
“It was good that they brought back the Sunbury Festival last year … to make that an annual event and to grow it … we’ve got the build and the base for it,” he said.
Local musician and Sunbury FM presenter Chris Galea said that in his long tenure as a musician in Sunbury, he has seen plenty of venues come and go.
“They all tried different things, but nothing seems to last,” Galea said.
“People are hesitant … I think it’s just a struggle because they kind of don’t really know the industry well enough to be able to accommodate it,” he said.
“It’s become a difficult one – I don’t have an answer by any means, but I’d like to see the scene kind of grow if we can.”
