Hands Like HousesAnswered by: Trenton Woodley, Hands Like Houses
What was the first all ages show you remember going to when you were younger? I think the first real rock show I went to was a Wishful Thinking/Sounds Like Chicken co-headline show... both punk/ska bands from Melbourne, I think it was around 2004/2005. Had an amazing time and was my first real taste of what live music could be, ha ha! Walked away with a shoe and sock full of blood from getting my toe stomped on but I felt strangely proud of it!
Canberra is not a big city — did you have any assistance like the Indent Tours when you guys were young and just starting out? Not really — we started playing shows in a local bar and youth centres in Sydney and Canberra, so in a way those facilities helped get us our first live experience. They weren't really the greatest venues but they were a lot of fun. It's great to see programs like Indent giving young people in regional areas the opportunity to get a taste of live music — it's such a cornerstone of our social culture. We've seen music have so much of a positive impact around the world; I genuinely believe it's so important for government to maintain and develop these kinds of programs to create opportunities for young people to get involved in music, both as a career path or as a healthy and productive social activity. So much of the sex, drugs and rock'n'roll stigma around live music is based on decades old assumptions — it seriously is one of the most healthy, therapeutic and inspiring things we can be a part of. Music is a community!
Can you notice a difference in atmosphere when playing to all ages crowd as opposed to a standard pub gig? Definitely — I feel like there's an energy and enthusiasm that you don't always get from a pub/bar/venue/all-adult crowd. People are less inclined to stand at the back with arms folded — they get involved and take it all in!
Do you think the Indent tour will differ from others you've been on due to the organisers being younger people learning the ropes? There's probably always a difference in what the unspoken 'norms' are, mainly to do with logistical stuff like runsheets, stage managing and tech riders, but they more than make up for it with enthusiasm and desire to learn, accommodate and experience what it is to be involved in putting on a show! We're genuinely stoked to be a part of it and hope we can help them better understand the music industry.
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Do you think that this experience will open up opportunities in the future to work with more all ages shows, and if it does, are you interested in taking them again? All ages shows are great to be able to do — they're very difficult to organise at the present moment, due to quality venues constantly closing or our liquor licensing laws in Australia preventing AA shows from being financially or legally viable for venues and promoters. We hope the tour is as successful for the program and organisers as it is for us, because that will go a long way in making sure these kinds of shows keep happening and hopefully be a reason to grow support for music as a factor in national youth programs and education, as well as facilitate a shift in the way local, state and federal governments see music. Can't wait to be a part of it!
When and where: 25 Sep, Campbelltown Civic Hall; 26 Sep, Orange Function Centre; 27 Sep, Scone High School; 2 Oct, Basketball Stadium, Batemans Bay; 3 Oct, St Joseph’s Primary School Hall, Goulburn; 4 Oct, Giant Dwarf.
