A Heaps Normal Night in the Jetty
We, at SUBCULTURE?, had an idea a while back after curating a few events at the Long Jetty Vintage/Lifestyle store Tiki La La. We wanted to organize a monthly evening where talented and diverse artists from all over Australia could perform at the shop. We also wanted to film their performances beforehand to create high-quality content for the bands, as well as to livestream the concerts online. To make this happen, we partnered with our friends at HEAPS NORMAL.
Putting together an event is a lot of hard work and requires a lot of energy. On top of that, we had to organize live sound and a film crew to capture the artists exactly as we envisioned. We want to thank Heath and April from Tiki La La for trusting our vision and for providing us with not only a great space but also their collective vision and creative styling to bring everything together.
On May 6th, we held our first Nights @ Tiki La La, which marked the official launch of this ongoing event series. Prior to this, we had already hosted performances by Hein Cooper and Lawson Hull at the shop, as well as a Backyard Party for the Long Jetty Festival featuring Rage, Dipodium, Soyboy, and more.
On this particular evening, our friends Billie Eternal from Sydney's Northern Beaches took the stage. We've been working with them at SUBCULTURE? for the past year, and they recently released their debut album "Billie Eternal & The Jetcats" along with their first online 8-bit video game, which is quite impressive.
We're fortunate to have an incredible team on board for this series. Ashley Cooper, our Creative Director, spent time planning the space and the creative aspects, including artwork and design, to bring everything together. We also enlisted Ian Tyley, a local filmmaker and photographer, as our Director of Photography and Editor. Simon from ECP Studios, a recording studio in Tuggerah, handled the live sound and recording. And of course, our friends at HEAPS NORMAL provided the drinks and good vibes. From 1pm to 4pm, we filmed Billie Eternal performing their previously released single "Falling Down," which will be released via Heaps Normal/SUBCULTURE? in the near future.
During the transition from filming to the live gig, we took a moment to relax and enjoy some cheap champagne and hot chips with gravy from the local chicken shop.
We knew that having our friend Jake Dobson from the band Stupid Baby perform his solo material would make the evening truly special, and he certainly didn't disappoint. Performing under the name Dr Dobo, accompanied by a few friends, his brother, and his mother, Jake captivated the room from the moment he strummed his first chord. With the audience clapping and dancing along, he knew how to create an electric atmosphere.
Around 8pm, with the crowd already in a celebratory mood, Martin from Billie Eternal exclaimed, "Let's do this!" They played a number of tunes, marking their first-ever performance in the area. The crowd was ready and receptive, enjoying the unique blend of 80s New York and Australian surf guitar sounds.
We want to express our gratitude to everyone who attended the event. Your presence meant a lot to us. Stay tuned for more exciting news, as we've just announced our next installment featuring the Sydney-based band Don West and local favorites The Big Drive on June 23rd. Don't forget to grab your tickets today!