Quick Fire questions, extended.

What’s your favourite venue to play?

It doesn’t feel right to spotlight one venue in Australia right now - everywhere is just doing their best to stay open. Everyone loves a nice stage, a great sound, or cool rooftop - but the live music industry at large is in crisis, so we have to acknowledge the entire ecosystem right now.

One third of Australian live music venues have closed in the last 5 years. Places I thought were untouchable, and mighty. It’s not just the loss of a community and subculture that sucks, but it only makes sense that we are going to start seeing a skills gap in the next 10 years.

Front of house engineers, monitor techs, production managers, bookers, stage designers - they all come to your favourite venue, from somewhere else where they first cut their teeth.

Your favourite venue is shaped by people who came from somewhere else.

Insurance companies, landlords and local councils don’t seem to understand this. Personally, I’d love to see what great things would happen in Australia if live music spaces weren’t just fighting for survival, but could actually dream…