Throughout 2024, nine regions from around Australia have hosted music events, inviting emerging artists that play original live music to take part in a showcase of amazing local talent. One act from each region is then invited to play the Friday night Showcase event at Airlie Beach Festival of Music on the main stage.
Friday night, the nine acts play in front of a panel of music industry judges including Rai Thistlethwayte, front person of Thirsty Merc, Jeremy Berg drummer for 19Twenty, Mark Westaway from Australian Venue Co and long-time friend of the festival and supporter of live original music Cindy Jensen (Buskers By The Lake).
The regional representatives this year are The Corbs from Darwin, Slippery Gypsy the Townsville band who won the Cairns event, Noah Davis from Mackay, Tom Neilson from the Sunshine Coast, HILZ from Brisbane, Space & Ages who played the Gold Coast, Thirst Trap from Byron Bay, Phoebe Over from Newcastle and ANA from Melbourne.
While the panel deliberates, the 2023 winners Avalanche will perform for the crowd of dedicated music fans that are keen to support emerging talent in Australia. Following Avalanche, Thirsty Merc and Jebediah will show the audience what drive, determination and talent looks like as Australian bands with years of success under their belts.
Avalanche had this to say about their time with Passport and Airlie Beach Festival of Music to date, “We had the absolute time of our lives last year playing and partying at the best and biggest live music comp and festival in Oz! We had the chance to meet and play with some of our absolute childhood heroes, got treated like rockstars all weekend long, made a ton of new friends and fans, sold out on merch, and the best part … we get to do it all again!”
The Passport to Airlie acts from around the country then go on to gig Saturday and Sunday in the iconic official street venues of Airlie Beach.
