Youth-Led Music & Community Spirit Takes Centre Stage In Coffs Harbour With Coastal Grown
"When you bring young people together, provide guidance by local industry professionals and hand over the reins, great things happen."
Outset Youth Committee With Project Manager Andrew Davis (Credit: Supplied)
On August 30th, Coffs Harbour’s iconic Hoey Moey will come alive with the sounds of the Mid North Coast’s next generation of musicians. Coastal Grown, a free, all-ages music festival will take over the venue for an evening of live performances focusing on community connection and youth-driven creativity.
Kicking off at 5pm, Coastal Grown is set to spotlight the region’s most exciting emerging acts while celebrating the work of local young people who have organised the event from the ground up.
The festival is the latest project from MusicNSW’s Outset Program, a youth initiative dedicated to nurturing the Mid North Coast music ecosystem. Open to ages 15 to 25, the program empowers participants with the skills and support needed to build careers and put on events in their communities.
As MusicNSW Managing Director Joe Muller explained, Outset was “developed to counter limited opportunities for young people in the area to participate in live music, both on and off the stage.
“When you bring young people together, provide guidance by local industry professionals and hand over the reins, great things happen – and we’re seeing that with Coastal Grown,” he added in a press release.
“The program has supported its Youth Committee members to find pathways into the live music industry but also, and essentially, it is providing an opportunity for five young local acts to perform live and a live music experience for young gig-goers in one of the region’s best-loved venues.”
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For Program Manager Caitlin McGregor, the program is all about addressing a longstanding gap in opportunities for young people to engage with music as both audiences and organisers.
“We found that there was this massive gap in the celebration of all-ages events, but also just making sure that there’s enough skills development within young people to be able to take those skills and put on events themselves,” McGregor explains.
Based on Gadigal Land in Sydney, McGregor works closely with a team of ten Outset participants – comprising Amy Hughes, Annabelle Kerr, Arlo Smith, Brylee Eklund, Ethan Pursch, Isaiha Kelly, Jayden McDermid, Mahli Grant, Sam Duff and Scott Shrimpton – who have taken ownership of Coastal Grown’s planning and delivery.
They’ve had the guidance of local mentors in marketing, promotion, curation and event management, including producer Andrew Davis – a figure McGregor describes as a ‘local music hero’ but the drive and vision behind the festival have come entirely from the youth committee.
Other mentors involved in the process include Ben Lewis (Gig Big), Daniel Whiffen (Hoey Moey), Lisa Willows (RAWR Music Management/Rough Velvet Records), Lola Willows (The Cage) and Nanette Backhouse (saso.creative/Punk Arts Collective).
At its heart, Coastal Grown is about celebrating local talent. The line-up features five homegrown artists, each bringing their own unique sound and vibe to the stage.
Port Macquarie three-piece Korderoy will headline, delivering their brand of mellow Aussie rock, fresh from releasing their EP Written In Black And White earlier this year. Rising indie folk artist Lily Hallawell will also take to the stage with her dreamy sound reminiscent of artists like Lizzy McAlpine.
For those who like things heavier, Autopilot are a self-described ‘stoner rock’ trio who are quickly making a name for themselves in the local area. Coffs Harbour’s own Temperate, who released their debut self-titled EP in 2025 will also be playing, and rounding the lineup is Rhetorical? – a four-piece rock band with a ‘90s edge, whose 2024 single A Girl hints at their punchy live set.
Together, these five acts represent the depth and diversity of young talent thriving along the Mid North Coast.
While the music is the main attraction, McGregor emphasises that the true purpose of the Outset program goes beyond staging a single event. “Obviously COVID had a big part to play there, also the closure of so many spaces,” she says on why opportunities like this are so rare at the moment.
“A huge pilot for our mission for this is making sure that we are offering skills development to empower these young people to know that they can put on events not only at Hoey Moey but also in any alternative space as long as you’re having the right conversations with community leaders and following the steps of putting on a great event.”
For the participants, the festival experience thus far has been a masterclass in event creation – from programming and promotion to working alongside venue staff and artists.
On event day, the Outset Committee will be on site from roughly 8:30am, working side by side with Hoey Moey staff to transform the space. In addition to the live music, they’ve partnered with Arts Mid North Coast to provide further opportunities for the performers through their MiNiDig program.
They will capture three live songs from each set, along with providing professional press photos and conducting interviews, creating a digital EPK (electronic press kit) that artists can use when applying for future gigs and festivals.
The event will also include hands-on skills development in stagecraft and professional presentation for the performers, ensuring that they are walking away with not only the experience of playing a festival but also with the resources and knowledge to propel their careers further.
It’s this dual focus – spotlighting the local talent while investing in their future – that makes Coastal Grown a vital addition to the region’s creative and cultural landscape.
Coastal Grown is set to go off with a bang after months of hard work and skills development for the Outset Youth Committee. It will be a true testament to what young people can achieve when given the tools, mentorship and platform to shape their own scene.
For the community, it's a chance to discover the next wave of Mid North Coast artists, and for the Outset Committee and their mentors it’s proof that the future of live music is in good hands.
Coastal Grown takes place on Saturday, August 30th from 5pm-9pm at Coffs Harbour's Hoey Moey. Entry to the event is free, though registration is essential.
Coastal Grown
Korderoy
Lily Hallawell
Autopilot
Rhetorical?
Temperate
Saturday, August 30th – Hoey Moey, Coffs Harbour, NSW
This piece of content has been assisted by the Australian Government through Music Australia and Creative Australia, its arts funding and advisory body
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