Full house at the iNTune Music Conference Darwin, 2010. Pic: Megan Spencer
The speakers arrived from all over the country for the 2010 iNTune Music Conference..
Seventeen from interstate attended with a contingent of eight local speakers from Darwin. Surprise speakers were also added to the program at the last minute, including ex-Living End drummer Travis Demsey and James Mangohig from Sietta, with Music NT Board member Adrian McNamara (Winanjikarri Music Centre) also stepping in to chair the Festivals masterclass. Metal drummer extraordinaire David Haley gave a great, sold out drumming masterclass at Happy Yess – and a brilliant live radio interview on ABC Local Radio Breakfast, with Leon Compton – and Steven Schram‘s Production masterclass at Subsonic was one of the Conference highlights for local music producers. Briony Petch from ‘After Dark’ on 105.7 ABC Darwin was a also a welcome addition to the iNTune program, giving great advice to local musicians on the ‘Radio Daze’ panel.
The Conference reached capacity and was sold out by the time doors opened at 9am Friday August 27. Musicians, bands, managers, teachers, students, producers, engineers and music composers from all over the Top End attended in droves. The iNTune Music Showcase featuring Worldfly and Unearthed iNTune Showcase Band The Moving Targets, was a big hit with delegates and speakers, as were the Darwin Showbag gigs at Happy Yess, and Leah Flanagan‘s album launch at the Lighthouse on Thursday evening (seriously rave reviews all round from the interstate speakers who attended..) Nhulunbuy band Sleeveheads – who were front and centre at iNTune – also played a killer set at the Darwin Railway Club late on Saturday night, after the IMAs. Opportunities were also being discussed between a number of local acts and visiting music publishers, programmers and bookers…
The 7th annual Indigenous Music Awards – hosted by Ali Mills and Robbie Collins and presented by Music NT – were another huge success on Saturday August 28, with hundreds attending the live concert and awards ceremony in Darwin’s Botanical Gardens. Interstate speakers were blown away by the night, sitting with the crowd at the front of the Amphitheatre to soak up the NT Indigenous music extravaganza. It included amazing performances by Warren H. Williams and band (featuring Music NT Chairman/axeman Cain Gilmour on lead guitar), 2009 Hall of Famers Tableland Drifters, Ali Mills, the Chooky Dancers, Saltwater Band with Gurrumul Yunupingu, and many others. What a stunning night of music!!! (Full details on the winners and the big night to come on the Music NT website soon!
iNTune speaker Steph Hughes – presenter of triple j’s Home and Hosed – has literally stepped off the plane home, and written a blog praising the many NT bands she encountered at iNTune. Read it here.
Congratulations and thank you to all of the artists involved in the events above; massive thanks to all of the speakers and delegates who attended iNTune and made the Conference such an incredible experience, and massive thanks also to the volunteers and staff at Music NT who made the event so enjoyable and professional. Can’t wait until next year!
Zack from Tennant Creek band Colourfide - all smiles at iNTune! Pic: Megan SPencer
Check out the photo gallery of the iNTune Music Conference Darwin here.
View iNTune Darwin conference program here and speakers bios here.
Words: Megan Spencer
