The North Shore collective working to ignite the music scene

The main appeal of Sydney’s North Shore has never been the music scene, but a group of young, local bands are working together to change that. 

Bugalugs Collective, a music organisation established by Tin Heads and Kaunta vocalist and guitarist Noah Lees, is aiming to reinvigorate the music scene in the Upper North Shore. 

“There's no scene here, at all,” Lee told the North Shore Lorikeet.

“In my other band, the Tin Heads, we've kind of had to pioneer music in this area, trying to run our own gigs. Because there's literally nothing here,” 

In 2023, Bugalugs Collective launched the Hornsby High Music Festival to showcase local musicians, provide a platform for emerging talent and inject some much needed life to the area. 

After a successful turn out, the group replicated the same success at the Hornsby Inn last weekend, bringing together seven up-and-coming bands from the area. 

Bands including Possum Pants, Retail Therapy, Kaunta, Defair, 12:51, Atlantic Ave, and Toy Saints all performed at the 2024 Hornsby High Festival, hoping to break into a larger scene of their own creation. 

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Kaunta Takes the Stage 

The Hornsby High Music Festival is named not for the school, but for the euphoric high that good music gives people. Ethan Aerlic, vocalist and guitarist for Kaunta, explained the festival is “creat[ing] a scene in an area where there isn’t really one, and trying to celebrate some of the bands local bands in one place.”

Checo Toresi, drummer for the band, also chimed in.

“I think if we keep working hard,” said Toresi, “then we can put music on the map and make Hornsby a place where people can go and say ‘Yeah, this is where good music is,’.” 

Sam Bjorlo, bassist and vocalist, lamented the lack of nightlife in Sydney, something echoed by the other band members. The simple act of being able to see live music, let alone perform, is a vital and fun way of getting out. “Giving the alternative of live music, where people can hear our creations that don’t come from a laptop and come from us… doing cool stuff together in my living room and making music – it’s fun,” Toresi explained. 

How local bands can harness social media and move beyond their bubble

Kaunta is just one example of bands using social media to transcend geographical limitations and expand their reach. 

Using Instagram and TikTok, the group has been expanding their reach beyond the confines of the north-west of Sydney, taking advantage of a new digital landscape to share their music globally and create opportunities in the local area. 

“We wanted to get people our age to start coming to our stuff,” said Bjorlo.

“Older people, even the adults, are finding it funny as well,” Toresi added. “At work, my colleagues will talk about it to me and they’ll say,’ I saw your post last night, it was hilarious’.” 

“[Our content] fits in with what other social media content in Australia looks like at the moment, skits, making fun of people.”

Social media is the most essential platform for musicians today, offering high engagement and trend-driven content that can launch an artist's career in just days.

It provides a unique opportunity for your music to be discovered by a diverse, active audience eager to uncover new talent and hidden gems online.

Artists like Tayla, Lil Nas X and Maneskin have harnessed social media to elevate their careers on a worldwide stage, inspiring other young burgeoning artists to follow suit. 

Each of these artists soared in popularity after their songs became the centre of viral dances and trends, and local bands like Kaunta are hoping their songs can pop the Hornsby bubble. 

As Kaunta and others who performed at the Bugalugs’ festival continue to step into the spotlight, the future of the North Shore music scene looks promising. There’s plenty of local talent in the area – it’s just about getting seen.

Image Credit: Shelley Morton