TIRED of talented bands playing to empty rooms, Bassendean music producer Peter Renzullo has started up the Perth Underground Live Music Appreciation Club, to revitalise the flagging live music scene.
The aim is simple: he doesn’t want people to just join his group. He wants rock-solid commitment to attending gigs.
Early indications are positive: he’d hoped to sign up 100 people by Christmas but it’s soared already to 700.
Turnouts over the past couple of years have certainly withered. Sometimes the only people watching are the bar staff. It means dedicated live music venues struggle to make a buck, and either close or scale back their gig nights.
“I’ve certainly noticed it a lot in the past few years,” Mr Renzullo says. “I used to play on and off in 2001 and 2002, and that seemed to be a lot more busy, the pubs were packed.
“The latest trend, quite noticeably across the board, is a drop in crowds.”
“The public is quite disengaged with the original scene,” he says, and that leads to a self-defeating cycle: bands get apathetic so they don’t publicise their gigs, so no-one turns up, and on it goes. Pub owners watching their bottom line fall back on recorded music or cover bands belting out Khe Sanh.
Mr Renzullo started Pulmac to build up a dedicated fan base.
He’s planning monthly meetings at live gigs so members can get exposure to new music and chat with like-minded fans. It’s also a reminder to venue owners that people are interested.
New bands also need to show pub owners they can bring along a fan base—a tough ask if you haven’t gigged before—so Pulmac members can step in on that front too, giving new bands an all-important leg-up.
Pulmac’s big launch gig is January 11 at the Bakery in James Street, Northbridge, and there’s already 200 pre-sales. It’ll be a mixed bag of acts to expose newcomers to variety, with vocal loop artist Sam Perry, acoustic folksters Lynda Smyth & the Borrowed Few, Shimmergloom, The Regular Hunters and the indy/grungy The Bitter Grins getting up on stage.
The group has a Facebook page (PULMAC) or head to http://www.nowbaking.com.au for a ticket to the launch, or it’s $15 on the door.
by DAVID BELL
Perth Voice Interactive 
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