Stuck on the couch? Here’s where to see your favourite artists online

While COVID-19 has pulled the plug on live music, you can find many of your favourite artists online now, minus sweaty moshpits and queues for the loo.

Singer-songwriter Steve Kilbey is performing live from his flat at Coogee in Sydney’s east on Instagram today. Picture: John Feder/The Australian

IN an industry already struggling with lost revenue from album sales, musicians are at crisis point with venues being shut down and tours and shows cancelled to help stop the spread of coronavirus.

The upside for fans is the huge array of talent coming up with creative ways of staying connected with their audience.

A growing number of huge names including Chris Martin, Birds of Tokyo, John Legend and Billy Bragg have been performing from self-isolation on Instagram in their living rooms, kitchens and home studios.

Neil Diamond performed a version of Sweet Caroline by his fireplace, replacing the words “Hands, touching hands, Reaching out, touching me, touching you” with “Hands, washing hands, Reaching out, don’t touch me, I won’t touch you”.

U2 posted a new song from Dublin on St Patrick’s Day for those self-isolating Let Your Love Be Known.

Paul Simon performed a version of American Tune “for Til Further Notice” on social media with the line “Still tomorrow’s going to be another working day and I’m trying to get some rest” taking on new meaning.

Matchbox Twenty’s Rob Thomas posted a challenge to musicians with the hashtag SocialDistanceSessions inviting musicians to “go on Instagram and share a little something with people to help them while they hunker down in their homes”.

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The Church frontman Steve Kilbey is holding an impromptu performance live from his flat at Coogee on Instagram at 5pm (Queensland time) today and is looking at making it a regular Monday night show.

In Brisbane venues are getting creative to help the industry stay alive.

THE SHUTDOWN SERIES

The Tivoli has launched the Shutdown Series, live at What’s Golden, curating a series of live streamed gigs from the venue that you will be able to watch from the comfort of your lounge room.

The shows will be live-streamed via The Tivoli’s Facebook page with a recommended $5 viewing donation going directly to the artist.

The first instalment will be Sunshine Coast singer songwriter Sahara Beck on Friday, March 27 from 4.30pm.

Sahara Beck plays the first show for the Shutdown Series at The Tivoli.

THE QUARANTINE SESSIONS

At Airlock Studios in the Samford Valley, northwest of Brisbane, Brisbane film production company Method To My Madness has been working with the studio on a live web series called Up In The Airlock and has decided to bring it forward for a first season The Quarantine Sessions over the next three months.

Hosted by Powderfinger and The Church guitarist, and Airlock Studios owner Ian Haug, the series will be a fly-on-the-wall studio session with an interview, “tech talk”, a 30 minute live set and a live chat element with the band.

Haug says the situation with coronavirus is getting more dire for musicians every week and the Quarantine Sessions is one way of keeping the industry alive in Brisbane.

“It’s a several-pronged attack. I want to keep the industry alive in Brisbane, I want to keep my studio ticking over obviously and I want these bands to keep operating,” he says.

“This is a project in motion. No-one really knows what’s going to happen.

“I don’t think we’ve got long. We are going to shoot this week. We are going to shoot as many as we can because I think we are going to have to go into lockdown after this week.

Powderfinger/The Church's Ian Haug will host the Quarantine Sessions from his Samford Valley studio. Picture: David Kelly

“Once we’ve shot all of these bands we can mix and edit in our own time, in our own little quarantine, and the these bands will have something to put out and they can have a live chat element when we screen it, answering fans questions and there is going to be a virtual tip jar so people can pay whatever they can so the band performing and the crew get compensated for what they’re doing.”

The original idea was to film a monthly show for touring acts in Brisbane.

“When I tour over to America with The Church it’s on our day sheet. When we go to Seattle we known that we will be doing the KEXP radio Session, or when we go to Chicago there’s a session there. I want this to be the Brisbane one.

“This first series we’re doing a bit more. It has to be all Brisbane bands because no-one else can travel. Luckily Brisbane has a lot of good bands.”

Brisbane band WAAX will be the first band featured on April 9 at Up In The Airlock’s YouTube channel.

COUCH CHOIR

Pub Choir, famed for bringing crowds together in song, has also shown what can be done posting the first Couch Choir yesterday.

They asked for video file submissions with their crowd singing along into their phone to The Carpenters hit (They Long To Be) Close To You.

More than 1000 people from 18 countries submitted a video of their performance within two days of the call-out for submissions.

■ To help musicians you can also donate to Support Act through their Sound of Silence – Sending out an SOS appeal.