Europe and Scandinavia
Across the ocean in Europe rock still lives! Yep, there are live band festivals still going strong throughout France, Germany and much of Eastern Europe. They of course look very different to a live band that you might find in South America. Scandinavia in particular is a bizzare and fun place to see a live band. Metal rules in the northern regions. From Sweden you can hear bands like Armagedda. Iceland boast the great black metal band called Sinmara (formerly known as Chao). Crimson Moonlight are more of a symphonic black metal band and boast from Sweden. Finland has a phenomenal experimental band called Dodkvlt. Of course we can’t forget Norway with Drottnar (a very technical fast band) and Kampfar (leaning towards folk metal). Venues still see a great multitude of fans eager to rock out and mosh.
Australia
Cultures closer to home here in Australia have sadly seen the decline of the live band through out the 2000’s. Whether it was just the cost of hiring or the inconvenience of rehearsing. The idea of a full live band went backwards for a while. Harking back to the 60’s and 70’s in Australia, a live band could be heard almost every single night of the week in the streets and bars of Sydney or Melbourne.
Some claim that the introduction of the poker machines saw a decline. The famous live band “The Whittlams” famously performed a song called “Blow up the Pokies”. This was a reference to the struggle of addiction that over took millions. In the song, Tim Freedman sings of the good old days when live music was the main focus of attention. Instead years later it is the Pokies that draw people in and trap them in a cycle.
The come back down under
Never the less, the live band seems to be making a come back! Its good news for everyone. What is driving this? To be perfectly honest, the most likely place you are to hear a good live band is at a Wedding! Yes that’s right, for some reason, people are choosing more often lately to tie the knot and party all night to a live band. Bands like The Big Thanks Band are flying from venue to venue all over Sydney, bringing the highest quality live wedding music to happy couples. The ultimate wedding band is versatile. They can play all the favourite hits that any live band should. A good wedding band will also know how to read the crowd and cater for the wide range of ages.
