Cassells performing at 2023 Be_Hear/Now Festival - pic by Alex Grose, Ak Pix
Be Hear Now - 23-25 August 2024
the ones to watch for 2024.
Confetti Western performs at Be Hear Now 2023 - (c) Alex Grose
Aaliyah Bise
The soulful R&B, Billie Eilish and Adele informed vocals of this young Ballarat artist have put her firmly in the sights of the Australian music-loving community.
Aaliyah broke through with an audition on Australian Idol in 2023 where she unexpectedly faltered during the filming.
What’s more, the producers added a clip of her unexpected slip-up to the commercial, meaning she had to deal with watching it air again and again in the run-up to the show.
But Aaliyah has some grit and determination, demonstrating that Ballarat grown musicians are tougher than most, and she took the incident in her stride by taking to TikTok and securing more than 1.7million viewers.
Aaliyah released her debut single, Sorry, in 2023 as a follow up and a message to her younger self. As a Be Hear Now cohort member for 2024 Aaliyah is looking to seal the deal of her music future.
Coda Chroma
Coda Chroma is Damien Charles and Kate Lucas. Their swirling and lush synth inspired music is based on personal dreamscapes and real life encounters.
Kate as songwriter uses her music to help explore the notions of having to leave behind creative dreams to focus on more tangible goals.
With subtle acoustic guitar and soaring synths matched with sweeping strings, Coda Chroma offers a slice of indie-folk with plenty of pop sensibilities.
While they’ve scored some career highlights including performing at the Woodford Folk Festival and the Winter Sounds Festival, Coda Chroma is realising that there are challenges to creating a sustainable creative practice and hopes to use the support of Be Hear Now to both secure a future and also add value to the Ballarat scene.
Dayfever
The band is a unique blend of indie rock, indie pop and alternative rock, with essences of Aldous Harding and Marlon Williams.
The band is formed by well known Ballarat musician Connor Toomey. His songwriting prowess has been enhanced by vocalists and a full band, taking Connor’s lush introspective lyricism into new directions.
Dayfever has crafted a hugely listenable catalogue that wouldn’t be out of place on regular rotation on Triple J. Their musical prowess reveals their future plans with Connor reporting that he spent the better part of two years saving up to record, mix and master Dayfever’s first EP.
They are keen to get into recording a new EP and engaging third parties to help them with branding, industry representation and merchandise.
Surfe
Surfe is Harry Nijam. Harry performs a laidback, dance, indie pop sound which is much more mature than his years.
Harry performed as part of the Be Hear Now fringe, taking part in a gig in an old hairdressing salon turned performance venue on Sturt Street.
Harry also got along to the inaugural Be Hear Now live music conference held in the Goods Shed where he met up with key contacts from the music industry and scored some great introductions.
Cut a long story short, today Harry is represented by Unified Music Group and he’ll be rolling out new music in 2024.
Harry joins the Be Hear Now cohort in 2024.
ZÖJ
ZÖJ is Ballarat based duo featuring Gelareh Pour on voice and Persian Kamancheh, and Brian O'Dwyer on drum kit.
Pour’s classical background comes through in masterful playing and evocative interpretations of Persian poetry sung in Farsi.
Together with O’Dwyer’s experimental rhythms, the duo’s nuanced synergetic connection sparkles with emotion and purpose. Gelareh Pour and Brian O’Dwyer have a significant working relationship that has seen the duo co-produce and release several albums together.
The ideals of ZÖJ are firmly rooted in true expression of inter-culturalism, specifically what it means to be from more than one place.
ZÖJ perform structured improvisations that are inclusive of the moment and environment. Translating that each ZÖJ performance is different as the duo allow the space in which they are performing to direct their music and reactions.
what is be hear now?
The main goal of Creative Ballarat’s Be Hear Now program is to find, foster and develop artists within the Ballarat region. The program of support has focused on identifying talent, providing mentoring and training, assets and resources such as video production amongst other elements. The program identifies ‘talent worth watching’ and examines what kinds of support they need to thrive. We link practitioners with grant writers, venues, mentors and educators, striving to help the network to succeed at home and elsewhere.
The selected acts for Be Hear Now are given headliner status in a festival showcase program - 23-25 August 2024 - and are mentored by the festival team, provided with profile articles and coverage including radio, newspapers, magazines and online. They are also introduced to our industry connections from record labels, booking agencies, streaming and online marketing and industry bodies.
In 2019 Be Hear Now linked performers to a multitude of venues across the city for 12 hours of live performance called Fringe Benefits.
In 2020 Be Hear Now placed performers into little known locations, streaming and recording the content over two weekends – reaching over 60,000 people through Visit Victoria channels.
In 2021 Be Hear Now produced high quality assets for musicians, filming videos in drains and abandoned shopping centres and offering extensive mentoring, grant application drafting and networking opportunities
In 2023 Be Hear Now returned to its roots of providing practitioners with spaces to play and engage in real time – activating venues throughout the city.
