A slot on a notable festival line-up is what many emerging artists might aspire to, but as The Rubens’ Elliott Margin stresses, it’s not where they should be placing their focus at first. 

Earlier this year, the group announced their Sydney-based Chucka Bucka showcase series would hit the road, with local acts getting the chance to support the band around regional Australia; a goldmine for emerging artists in terms of developing one’s live show and fan base. 

“We started it to combat the woes of the Sydney music scene and give younger artists, emerging artists, a platform to perform,” Margin explains.

“We've done regional tours around the country and realised that these towns don't get a lot of live music, and when you do go out there and play, they're super appreciative and they're some of the best crowds you could hope for in Australia.

“The main thing we're trying to provide is just an opportunity for the bands to play, because for us that's what we needed when we were coming up. We needed to play shows to actually get good at the band because we were terrible at first, and we needed to play in front of tiny crowds and fail to get better."

The inaugural Chucka Bucka tour kicks off on 8 August with Milan Ring and Shady Nasty in support.

“We literally just look for music that we like,” he shares on picking the support acts. “We have a group chat with us and mates and management and stuff, and we just pass around new artists that we've found, whether it's on Spotify or triple j. Then, when it comes around to it, we have this bank of artists that we like – we curate a line-up and see what works and try and put that on the road."

With Sydney’s lockout laws rendering it harder and harder for local bands to hone their skills, Margin says he’s “scared to think of the artists we might be missing out on because they just don't have opportunities to play”.

“Having said that, there are a lot of people doing a lot of good, like music venues and managers and promoters,” he adds.

"Do something that makes them want to see you again, makes them go, ‘Well, fuck, that's an amazing live act.'"

“So there are people making it happen but everyone's just obviously very conscious of the effect that it's had on the Sydney nightlife, and trying to combat that.”

The state’s controversial festival regulations are also taking a toll, but that didn’t dampen their Splendour In The Grass set last month, and won’t have an effect on their Snowtunes appearance in late August, with the band set to perform alongside The Presets, Trophy Eyes, WAAX, West Thebarton and more.

“[Festivals] are just a chance to blow people away,” he says.

“If they've seen you before, do something that they haven't seen you do before. And if they're seeing you for the first time, do something that makes them want to see you again, makes them go, ‘Well, fuck, that's an amazing live act.’

“And also for us as well, it's an opportunity that we don't get often, to play a stage that big. It's like, 'Alright, we've got this opportunity right now, this might never happen again. Let's go no holds barred, let's just pull out all the stops and just go fucking nuts.'”

And there’s every chance Snowtunes punters might get a taste of new music too. 

“We have been working on a lot of music, which is really exciting,” he says.

“We did some writing at the start of the year, went on a trip to LA and did a bunch of writing which was good, got away from home stuff. There's not much I can say right now, but we're very excited for the rest of the year.”