Spotlight on musicians in City of Sound Exhibition

With live music returning to Wollongong’s CBD, we’re shining a light on our local music scene with a photography exhibition in Crown Street Mall.

The City of Sound exhibition includes photographs showcasing 15 musicians and bands who have brought their live performances to eight different local venues.

Wollongong City Council worked with photographers Chris Frape and Anna Warr who helped photograph the vibrance and intimacy of these musicians’ live performances.

As a well-known face around Wollongong’s music scene, Chris has loved capturing many live music shows since 2011.

“The Illawarra [music] scene is close-knit because it’s a regional town. It has a sense of warmth to it,” Mr Frape said.

“There is a sense of ownership of something that is greater than just the music. It’s a community of people who look after each other.

“When a local band does well, it’s celebrated as a win for the area and lifts the spirit of other musicians because it shows that you don’t have to move to Melbourne or Sydney to forge a career in the music industry.”

Council also collaborated with Daniel Breda to dress Crown Street Mall with the flag, banners and wraps on the stage with his artwork.

A local artist and musician himself, Daniel drew inspiration from the contrast between natural and man-made Wollongong landscapes when designing the banners and stage wraps.

“Music and art have been synonymous in my life and lifestyle since I was an early teenager, so I imagine it was only a matter of time before they really obviously collided, to build projects in unity with one another,” Mr Breda said.

“The mall banners have been informed by what I deal with in my regular art practice. Which is looking at organic and mechanical space. Fortunately, in Wollongong we are surrounded by both, so inspiration is constantly at my fingertips.

“These works are less contrasting than my usual workflow, but portray abstracted elements of sand, sky and mountain-scapes in juxtaposition with the imposing hard edge structures.”

Wollongong Lord Mayor Councillor Gordon Bradbery said it’s exciting to have our arts and entertainment industry starting back up again following a hard-hit year.

“With recent easing of COVID restrictions in NSW, our musicians and bands can once again reconnect with their fans at their local gigging spots,” Cr Bradbery said.

“Our city has always been proud of our live music scene with a great selection of local talent, and a fantastic offering of live music venues, bars and restaurants

“Our homegrown talent proves to be popular as our musicians shine in a number of different genres and we’re proud to highlight this diverse offering within the Crown Street Mall

“I encourage our community and visitors to take a walk through the Mall to see the creative exhibition. You just may see a familiar face performing in your favourite venue!”

The City of Sound exhibition will run until the end of August which features much-loved musicians and bands, Jack Willis, Circadia, Steel City Strings, Angelo the Poet, Tropical Strength, Zach Stephenson (Hockey Dad), Tees, Hellcat Speedracer, CLYPSO, Sunscreen, Classic, Floodway, Eishan Ensemble, Kate Ceberano and Ellie Drennan.

For information on the exhibition, artist profiles, and interviews with the photographers visit the Wollongong CBD website.