It’s a Global Bandemic!

Woody Point music lover Bree Daley doesn’t watch TV, she prefers to listen to music. So, when she could see friends in the music industry struggling as a result of the COVID-19 shutdown, she and some muso mates got busy.

They put the call out for musicians interested in being part of a livestream event on Facebook and were blown away by the response.

“We wanted a band from every state and ended up with 40 bands from every state and it ran over two days,” Bree explains.

The event, called Isonation, was on April 18 and 19, and organised by Bree and the crew at Jones in the Fastlane Promotions.

Some of the bands to join in included The Packets, Serial Killer Dinner, The Decline, The Murderballs, Blindspot and Redcliffe band The Gastons. The line-up was mostly punk, but the organisers welcomed musicians of all genres.

“The response was incredible, so positive. The music community is a very supportive community, they’re all there to help each other out and promote each other,” Bree says.

Isonation reached more than 50,000 people and grabbed the attention of bands overseas.

So, on May 30 and 31, the guys are cranking it up a notch with another livestreamed event called Global Bandemic.

As the name suggests, this is an international effort with more than 35 bands from 14 countries. And this one promises to be a feast for punk fans, with The Creepshow’s Chuck Coles from Canada headlining it.

“I can’t believe the response we’ve had – we’ve reached over 80,000 people in three days,” Bree says.

How it works

The organisers have created an event on Facebook and a different band or musician will start streaming every 25 minutes. Fans can join in by indicating they’re going to the event, so they receive a reminder, and clicking on the discussion tab to see the livestream once it starts.

Bree says this process worked really well last time and, even with managing time zones due to the international nature of this one event, she’s confident it will again be easy for musicians and fans.

The schedule will be released before the event, so fans waiting to see a particular act know when to join in.

Why it’s important

Bree does graphic design work for bands and knows they have been hit hard by COVID-19 restrictions, with no live gigs and little to no income.

“Musicians have been sitting at home and it’s affected with mental health because they rely on gigs for income and also as a creative outlet. It’s what they live for,” she explains.

“It’s been great for the artists but it also gives fans the chance to interact with the act on livestream. Instead of screaming from the mosh pit, they can write a message and the artists can see that straight away and they can respond.”

Why bands have embraced it

“In terms of their creative outlet, they need it, they miss it, it’s something that’s good for them,” Bree says.

“They’re not being paid. They’re doing it for fun and the love of music and doing something for the fans as well. They want to keep giving the fans something and help other people bored in isolation as well. They’re saying let’s give them something to help them pass the time.”

Getting involved

Bree says fans wanting to help bands ride out this tough time, can share the livestream, buy merchandise from bands’ websites, buy their music and make sure they head to live venues and support them when COVID-19 restrictions are lifted.

Visit the Jones in the Fastlane Facebook page for more details about the Global Bandemic event.

Looking for inspiration to unlock your creativity? Head to our blog.

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