We’re truly lucky to have artists like Mark Wells in our community. Local artists are part of what makes Newcastle so magnetic and unique. These are the people who tell our stories, who reflect on life’s peaks and valleys from a local perspective and entertain and inspire us in our moments of celebration and heartache.
We say all of this because it’s so easy to take for granted. It’s easy to take for granted because you can catch Mark, and other amazing local artists like him, playing around town every weekend. But we really shouldn’t take it for granted, we should celebrate it by getting out to see a gig or buying a shirt or (heaven forbid) an album of their music. Because if we don’t we may lose something really special about Newcastle.
Artists can’t survive on social media likes and congratulatory online comments alone. We need to actually support them.
And it’s not only about supporting local artists, it’s about supporting the venues that give our local artists a stage to play on and put dollars in their pockets for playing gigs.
We caught the first part of Mark’s set at 5 Sawyers last night and it reminded us what an amazing body of work he has in the bag. Songs like Give It Up, with its FM friendly chorus, and the single Sly are cracking songs that we should be proud of.
We should be so proud of Mark and those songs that we invite our mates from out of town to come to his gigs. We should be so proud that we actively support the local venues who continue to put on live music despite all the red tape, noise complaints and bullshit from authorities it often brings.
So we urge you to get out this weekend and see a local artist at work. Hit the gig guide and head into a local venue that’s supporting live music this weekend. To get you in the mood here are some of our favourite Mark Wells songs.
