By Luke Voogt
A fiesta of grunge, garage punk and indie is set to rock Drysdale with nine Geelong and Bellarine bands combining for Live and Local on Sunday.
Bellarine drum and bass duo Good Sniff will headline the concert, with one half of the band, Elias Hodson, co-organising the free event for a VCAL assignment.
“A lot of the bands are our mates and we know pretty much all of them,” the 17-year-old bass player said.
“There are some awesome bands playing so it should be a fun day.”
Hodson and drummer Lachie Brown shot to cult fame when their musical tribute to late bandmate and friend Louie Shearman, Louie the Milk Man, played nationally on Triple J’s Requestival last May.
“We got a lot of attention from everyone,” Hodson said.
They have since played alongside the likes of big-ticket acts such as Skegss, Mona Bay, Ruby Fields and Goldminds.
The garage punk band started as a trio but sadly lost Shearman in April 2020. They pushed ahead as a duo with the help of some expensive equipment, Hodson explained.
“Normally a guitar doesn’t sound like a bass so you need a lot of effects pedals and lots of money for that,” he said.
“It sounds pretty good for just bass and drums.
“During COVID was a big learning curve for Lachie and me – it’s a different sound.
“But Lachie’s a very good singer and he’s one of those kids who can play every instrument perfectly.
“He jumped on the drums because I wasn’t doing it – no way – and started singing and it just worked fantastically.”
Hodson only picked up the bass a few years ago studying music at Bellarine Secondary College.
“I picked music as a subject not really knowing too much about it, but I just fell in love with the program at school – it’s insane and there’s amazing people there,” he said.
“It was just a good feeling to jam with other people.
“Lachie came down one day and started jamming with us and we got talking about starting a band.”
While studying year 12 and 11, and working at a local nursery and fish and chip shop respectively, Hodson and Brown have been working on new material.
They now have an album-worth of songs like Beach Slumba and hilarious track A Song about Milk, and plan to release more singles soon.
Recently they shared the Sidney Myer Music Bowl stage with Ruby Fields and Skeggs, who they met through their late bandmate Shearman.
“A couple of years ago he got onstage with them at a festival. They said, ‘we need an extra guitarist to play the next song’,” Hodson explained.
“I couldn’t believe it when he texted me about it!”
Skegss kept in touch with Good Sniff throughout 2020 and invited them to the gig, just after Victoria’s snap lockdown, when King Stingray and the Vovos pulled out.
“Two days before the event they called us and asked, ‘do you want to play?’” Hodson said.
“It was a dream come true.”
They played for about 3000 people, split into groups of six at the 10,000-person venue.
“I think people were just so happy to see live music again,” Hodson said.
“It was sad there was no mosh pit but it’s easily the biggest crowd we’ve played for.”
Good Sniff joins fellow bands BRD, Poor Effort, Idiosync, Operation Karma, Good Wood, Magik Corn, High Lines and Hours for Live and Local at Drysdale Recreation Reserve beginning 1pm on Sunday.
The event is supported by City of Greater Geelong and Freeza, a state government body funding drug and alcohol free events.
Organisers encouraged concert-goers to bring their own chair and picnic rug.
For more information search ‘Live and Local’ at geelongaustralia.com.au/events. For help phone Lifeline on 13 22 44.
