Will Live Music Make A Grand Recovery On Australian TV In 2019?

Australia has a long and rich history of live music on TV. The ‘70s and ‘80s saw Countdown as king, the ‘90s were all about Recovery, and the ‘00s saw Foxtel’s local music programming skyrocket with channels [V], Music Max and MTV, and quiz shows viewed in a different light thanks to RocKwiz and SBS.

For the past ten years though, it would be easy to only think of reality singing competitions as the country’s default setting when it comes to live music on our screens. But with such an impressive back catalogue of band performances being broadcast into lounge rooms across the nation, is it perhaps time for a less manufactured format to return to its glory days? Looking at 2019’s local programming schedules, it looks like it may already be happening. 

Mid-last year, MTV Australia announced they would be launching their own localised version of MTV Unplugged, the much-loved and revered format made famous in the ‘90s by acts like Nirvana and Eric Clapton. The local version launched with Gang Of Youths, giving the show a strong and anticipated local debut. Since, Amy Shark and DMA’S have scored episodes, while there’s a show from The Rubens expected to drop soon. 

MTV Australia followed the MTV Unplugged news, and its successful launch, with an announcement that its Total Request Live (TRL) program would make a comeback in early-2019, after going off-air in 2006. When asked if the strong reaction to Unplugged spurred on the decision to bring back TRL, Simon Bates, Vice President and Head of MTV APAC, shares that the show’s return was always on the cards. 

“TRL was always a part of the plan, but yes, the success of MTV Unplugged Melbourne in Australia definitely gave us confidence that the strategy is right,” he says. 

“We chose to focus on TRL and MTV Unplugged for very different reasons. MTV Unplugged is global. It’s a completely unique opportunity for Australian artists. Not only does it have the incredible legacy, it is arguably the most iconic music show ever created. It’s an opportunity to showcase Australian music to a global audience. Australian Unplugged Melbourne shows have been broadcast globally on MTV, followed by the opportunity to release an MTV Unplugged Melbourne album, which we have seen from Gang Of Youths. 

"TRL is more of a local show for Australian and NZ audiences only. It’s a party and performance every week at the MTV head office and studio in Sydney where we are ultimately filming a show. We will also have the opportunity to distribute our content into other global markets, and across all our digital platforms – YouTube, Instagram, Facebook and Twitter."

Along with the return of TRL, this year sees the launch of Chris & Julia's Sunday Night Takeaway - with Dr Chris Brown and Julia Morris - and Saturday Night with Rove McManus, which are all set to host regular musical performances. The Feed has introduced a live musical appearance as part of its new weekly format, while 2018 saw strong debut seasons from The Set and All Together Now. 

Hosted by Julia Zemiro, All Together Now launched with 813,000 viewers and had a consistent first season. Only weeks ago, it was announced that the Zemiro-hosted RocKwiz would not return to SBS after an 11-year run. The show had not released any new episodes since 2016 and its future remained unclear for fans and the show's stars alike. 

Zemiro is understanding and gracious when she speaks of the show’s time with SBS ending (its live format continues with shows scheduled in Melbourne and Byron Bay this year). 

“Every TV station is allowed to do what they want with their money. And I will say this, Matt Campbell, who now works at CJZ that makes Home Delivery [Zemiro’s show with ABC], who commissioned our show back then, he was someone who was in a position of power and luckily he chose our show and SBS have been magnificent over the years, in nurturing us and pretty much letting us do what we want and I think that’s a big plus.”

So what was it about RocKwiz that made it become so beloved and successful with fans?

“I think Brian says it best when he says, ‘These are people, the people who get up on stage to answer the questions, they’ve been waiting for this show their whole lives’... With us it was, because Brian picks the best four of a group of 24, the ones that get backstage are pretty great and I simply can’t do the show without them. I can’t. So when you need your punter as much as they need you, it’s a beautiful combination because you have to make each other look good, you just have to.”

Throughout the discussion, Zemiro comes back to the same word - kindness - and believes that this could be the shift for the future of music programs on Aussie screens.

“There’s going to be more shows in the future, and I’m thinking of Julia Morris and Chris [who] are going to do a tonight show [Chris & Julia's Sunday Night Takeaway], and I remember reading somewhere her saying, ‘We want it to be a kinder space.’ So maybe the tide is turning.”

RocKwiz Live tours from 19 Apr. Total Request Live premieres Friday 8 March at 6pm on MTV on Foxtel, Foxtel Now and Fetch.