Sunset - Chapter Two

So after all the tasks I had performed for Sunset Events, I became concerned about the fact that music is a social industry, and I had accomplished next to no networking. Luckily, the spectacular One Movement Festival was only around the corner. The Festival would see three stages on the Esplanade pumping out fast and hard sets from a remarkable collection of bands, as well as stalls on site, a fringe festival of buskers littered around the town and for Gold Pass Punters and we AAA folk, after hours showcases at a variety of intimate venues around the city.

My position was backstage and involved a lot of interaction with the bands and their touring parties (ie. Tour Managers, Managers, Agents and the occasional Promoter). This was great because I could see that the team at Sunset trusted me to interact with the artists and their teams. And interact I did!

Over the course of the festival I mingled with a huge amount of excellent bands including Xavier Rudd who politely pulled me aside simply to have a chat, and members of Cloud Control, The Jezebels, Boy And Bear and countless others. I also established connections with many key figures in the Australian music industry, and plenty of awesome people a little lower in the hierarchy.

But I realized that if anyone can help me develop an understanding of that hierarchy, it’s the aspiring low-level industry members who see the hierarchy as I do, though from considerably higher.

The people I was working under were incredible. They were flexible, level headed and always ready to handle the task or help out a volunteer in need. Even if that meant letting them run off to watch a set or two… or three… or as many as I had lost count of.

At the festival I saw and was able to recognize where everyone’s hard work on the little things had paid off. I also got a far more comprehensive understanding of how an event runs smoothly; who does what and where information can be found for instance. But once it gets started there’s no stopping it, and honestly, this thought was a comfort. Everyone had done their’ part to make this festival run right, and for that reason, it did. Most of the staff had time to relax and enjoy the fruits of their hard work.

After many chance encounters with the right people and loads of great music the festival regretfully drew to a close and I was left thinking, “I wish Perth was this exciting all the time.”