Rockers aiming to revive live gigs

LIVE AT CORONATION: Ipswich band White Circus is hoping to bring live music back to the city.

A METAL band is working to bring live original music back to Ipswich with regular gigs in the city’s pubs.

White Circus will perform alongside fellow Ipswich band A Vast Hope at the Coronation Hotel tonight.

But White Circus drummer Matthew Meuleman said the event was one of many the band organised in the hope of luring live music back to Ipswich.

Mr Meuleman said Ipswich people were hungry for live, original music but currently had to travel to Brisbane to get it.

“We would like to get it up to where interstate and international acts would like to come,” Mr Meuleman said.

“We’ve got one of the best venues in Queensland – the civic centre – which doesn’t get put to much use, or as much use as it could.

“It’s always been a lack of bands who want to play in Ipswich or a lack of venues or a vicious circle between the two.”

Mr Meuleman said he hoped to change perceptions that music lovers had to travel to Brisbane to see great acts and create supply-and-demand so more venues would then open their doors.

The Ipswich born-and-bred musicians were set back last year after bassist Kurt Ison left to join the army, and then thousands of dollars of equipment was destroyed in floods.

But through sheer determination they pushed through and have done 18 gigs in the past four months.

White Circus, A Vast Hope, Embrace and In The Walls will perform at the Coronation Hotel tonight from 7.

Entry is free but limited to people aged 18 and over.