A BIGGER line-up and double the capacity.
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The second West Best Bloc Fest promises to leave an even larger footprint on Newcastle's live music scene and the city's thriving west end when it returns on October 1.
Last year, the all-Novocastrian festival delivered a sold-out crowd of 1000 people roving between venues in the Newcastle West block between Steel and Union streets.
After receiving a grant under the City of Newcastle's special business rate funding program and its inclusion in New Annual, Bloc Fest has expanded its scope.
The King Street Hotel's soon-to-be-opened 600-capacity bandroom and 250-capacity warehouse space will both join the roster of venues that already includes The Family Hotel, Happy Wombat, Bernie's Bar (formerly Star Hotel), Rogue Scholar and Jam's Karaoke.
The Rogue Scholar's forthcoming new 120-capacity live music venue, on the corner of King and Union streets, will also host bands, as well as the Mad Poet small bar that opens in Hunter Street next month.
"There's definite hype around Newcastle at the moment, and not just with our festival, but across the board." Bloc Fest promoter Dylan Oakes says.
"Adding in King Street this year is a big addition which will see us double capacity."
There's also more bands and artists on this year's West Bloc line-up.
The first two announcements feature popular emerging acts such as Where's Jimmy?, Abbi Yeo, Hey Lenny, Goon Gremlins, Piper Butcher and Elijah Amoss, next to more established Newcastle names like Amy Vee, Jacob Ridgeway, Atlas Franklin Alexander and Oakes' band Les Poétes Pop.
A third and final line-up release will arrive in the coming weeks taking the festival to 100 acts.
Oakes said it was an increasingly difficult process selecting the line-up, after he received about 140 applications.
"For us it was about how consistent are they online or with their gigs?" he says.
"Are they putting themselves out there?
"And persistence as well. There were a lot of people who missed out last year that have been gigging all year and have come back.
"I've pretty much seen 90 per cent of the bands that are playing this year."
Josh Leeson
Josh Leeson is an entertainment and features journalist, specialising in music, at the Newcastle Herald. He first joined the masthead in 2008 after stints at the Namoi Valley Independent and Port Stephens Examiner and has previously covered sport including the Asian Cup, A-League, Surfest, cricket and rugby league.
Josh Leeson is an entertainment and features journalist, specialising in music, at the Newcastle Herald. He first joined the masthead in 2008 after stints at the Namoi Valley Independent and Port Stephens Examiner and has previously covered sport including the Asian Cup, A-League, Surfest, cricket and rugby league.
