As CUB LIV LOUD gigs roll out around Australia throughout Ausmusic Month this November, local jangle pop duo Winksy are a prime example of what the initiative is all about.
Core members and partners Willem Kingma (keyboard/vocals) and Kelli Blackmore (electric guitar/vocals) perform often in the area.
They have been a regular fixture at the Barwon Club – sometimes with a full band behind them, often as a duo supporting other artists – since the world re-emerged from the pandemic.
They see the iconic Geelong venue as both a place they feel at home in and one where they have honed their craft.
“We love playing there because it’s one of the few locals that we have left around Geelong that still puts on great shows and has such an awesome friendly community energy,” said Kingma.
“Four nights (of music) a week at any venue is a feat, so to have a regional venue do that feels really lucky,” Blackmore agreed.
“Barwon Club is an institution, of course, but it’s also actively a place where you feel safe and you’re always guaranteed to have a good time.”
Blackmore and Kingma are also creators in other artistic fields; she is a photographer, while he is an illustrator and animator.
“With the other art forms, photography for me, you make it, you edit it, you might post it or it goes somewhere and then it’s gone,” Blackmore said.
“With music, you play those songs again and again…you play it better here, and then maybe another gig you won’t play it as well.”
The pair released their debut album My Anatomy earlier this year, which they recorded with Jasper Jolley (Bones and Jones) in Wallington.
Kingma said it was another huge learning experience for both of them.
“We had a lot of talented musicians come in on that… and I felt like I got better at my instruments in that time, learning stuff from other people we were working with,” he said.
“There’s always been some really great musicians living out there in Wallington and it was really lucky that sometimes we could just go, hey, come in and put some cool keys on this.”
Winksy are one of four bands at the Barwon Club’s LIV LOUD event on Sunday, November 17 and are also on the bill at Queenscliff Music Festival this year.
