All-female experimental punk-pop band, Rackett has won the inaugural Rockin’ the Puburbs competition.
The four-member group, two from Curl Curl and two from Marrickville, was chosen from 300 acts by a panel of expert judges and will now embark on a fully-funded tour of some of the state’s best live music pubs.
AHA NSW CEO John Whelan said the aim of the competition, run by AHA NSW in conjunction with APRA AMCOS and the Live Music Office, was to find the state’s next big pub band.
“Many national and international music acts first got their start down at their local pub, and the goal of Rockin’ the Puburbs was to find top local talent and give them a leg-up,” said Mr Whelan.
“Rackett was chosen by our judges because they are everything a pub band should be- they are full of energy, fun and extremely talented. “
Formed just four months ago, Rackett is a thrilling live show known for their technically proficient and powerful sound.
The foursome, including Bec Callander on rhythm guitar and vocals, Kat Ayala on lead guitar, Ally Gavin on bass, and Astrid Holz on drums, has already released three original singles from their debut album EP ‘Ready or Not’.
Callander said the band was stoked to be chosen and couldn’t wait to get on stage and strut their stuff.
“This will be a great opportunity for us to be exposed to people we wouldn’t otherwise get to play in front of,” said Callander.
“We will get a chance to play for the people who matter and really build an audience- we are really excited,” she said.
The state-wide contest was open to NSW-based acts – a band, duo or solo artist- who performed at least one song of original material.
Three hundred entries were whittled down to ten finalists by a panel of nine judges including, politicians from both sides of the aisle and representatives of AHA NSW, APRA AMCOS and the Live Music Office. The winner picks up a $15,000 prize package – courtesy of AHA NSW – including live gigs at hotels across NSW in 2017/18, a dedicated tour publicist, mentoring sessions with industry ambassadors including Aussie music legend Mark Lizotte (Diesel).
They will also perform in front of 1200 guests at the AHA NSW Awards for Excellence in Sydney on Tuesday, 21 November.
