Pic: Dan Howls and Julia Weller perform in Tania Hennah’s backyard
Local music ultra-fan, Tania Hennah, brings live music on home with iso gigs in her backyard.
While venues and artists alike have turned online to stream in the COVID-19 era, music fan Tania Hennah opened up her own backyard to live performances once the Level 2 Restrictions played out, hosting live gigs at her Padbury home to small audiences of friends and fellow aficionados.
Word goes out via her Facebook page and a small door fee is charged, which goes directly to the artists.
“I actually got on the front foot with this as soon as restrictions were set at 10 people,” she says. “On the day of the 10 peeps announcement I contacted four artists and asked if they’d be interested in a live backyard, socially-distanced gig at mine, as soon as the restrictions were lifted to allow 20 people. I had all respond positively by the end of the day and lined up for the next our Saturdays as soon as the Government made the call.”
Last Saturday, Dan Howls with Julia Weller kicked off proceedings in just the kind of fashion that Hennah knew they would.
“It was amazing,” she says, happily. “It’s been so long since we’ve been able to see and hear live music and have a beer together. The weather was a balmy 26 degrees, so perfect too, to kick back on the lawn and chill and enjoy local live talent. We even danced too! Dan and Julia delivered as always and had people in the palm of their hands.”
It’s all a step in the right direction, but it’s not a first for Hennah, who is no stranger to hosting gigs in her home in the pre-iso past. She especially loves the Fremantle music scene and has never subscribed to the North/South divide.
“Myself and my friends have such a love of local, live and original music and want to support our artists,” she says. “And I have the room. So, it’s no-brainer really. It’s a relaxed environment, my neighbours are awesome and happy for me to do them. Plus much of our local talent, and speccy venues, are in Freo, but I live in Padbury, so very selfishly it’s also perfect for me because I don’t have to drive or uber and can party on!”
Hennah originally hails from Guernsey, an island in the English Channel that lies off the coast of Normandy. She felt deeply connected to music at an early age for reasons that reflect the experience of local music fandom here in Perth.
“Guernsey, although only a small island – 45 ml square, and 62,000 people – has quite a lot in common with Perth, really. They are both very isolated places, Guernsey being just off the coast of Northern France and a long way from the UK. This made it very difficult for UK and international bands to play there, logistically and financially.
Tania at Castle Cornet, Guernsey
“So it’s much like Perth’s relationship with the Eastern States, especially going back a few years. We couldn’t get those bigger artists to the Island, or to WA, so Guernsey, although small, pretty much had to create its own local, live music scene, performing at small local venues. And damn we had, and still have, so much talent there. I think Perth had to do the same thing, create its own live music scene as it has been, in many ways ignored by the East Coast due to logistics.”
Hennah is as passionate a live music fan as this writer has ever met. Why has that passion never waned, when for so many people it often does?
“The calibre of the music, I guess,” she notes. “When you hear a new track by a favourite artist or discover a new band that you just dig… I just have to see them! As for so many people, music takes me to another place, and being part of the gig is so much more authentic to me. I think also that I’m lucky to be very healthy, get by on six hours sleep a night, and I’m not a fan of growing up!”
Hennah’s plans for the rest of iso – and beyond – revolve around her continued obsession with live music. There’s more to come from her backyard and more to look forward to when the world hits upon a new normal.
“Jack Davies is gigging in the backyard on Saturday (May 30) evening. Can’t wait for that. How can someone that young be so talented? Not only musically, but lyrically too. The guy’s a genius!
“Then for the third show on Saturday, June 6, we have Joe Corbin. He isn’t local to Australia, but he’s local from my home of Guernsey, so that counts! A soul, blues, folk singer/songwriter, who should’ve been travelling over East by now, but he also got iso’ed in Fremantle. For the fourth show (June 13) it’s another of my favourite Freo artists. Lincoln McKinnon, with James Elliot doing some percussion. Very excited for that, too. It’s a good thing, I think, that these amazing Freo musos get some ‘Northern Exposure’ too.
“After iso, me and the ‘gig fam’ – a bunch of mates who equally love our live music – will be back supporting the scene wherever we can, and usually will be found dancing at the front of the stage or at the bar. A positive from all the ‘Rona stuff, is that there will be new music to hear too, written in isolation. And. We. Can’t. Frigging. Wait.
“And on a side note, if you have the room, and want to support our artists in this financially crippling time for them, organise a bunch of guests/mates to come over and request they make a donation to the artist. Everyone can BYO drinks, nibbles and rugs… too easy!”
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