'It's a Fight': Live Music Program Guts Touring Returns For Regional & Remote Australia

Live music program Guts Touring has announced it will return this May, bringing artists into remote and outer regional communities across the Northern Territory.

The run will feature 11 solar-powered concerts from Aussie favourites, including Stella Donnelly, Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever and Ripple Effect Band.

Kicking off on Thursday, May 14th in Wadeye, the tour will move through Palumpa, Peppimenarti, Emu Point, Katherine, Beswick, Gapuwiyak, Bulman Weemol, Maningrida, Gunbalanya and Darwin.

Guts Touring has boasted some massive names in the past, including Amyl and the Sniffers, Camp Cope and Teen Jesus and the Jean Teasers. Speaking to The Music Network, co-founder Jack Parsons reflected on the incredible journey.

"Back in 2016, James Clarke and I were just looking for adventure, really. We wanted to put shows on the way off the beaten track to see if we could create some new places to play and tour for bands," he said.

"In the second year, we were invited to perform in Ltyentye Apurte and Barunga and started meeting incredible bands from remote parts of the country. That was a bit of a penny drop moment. We became aware of just how many incredible bands there were in remote Australia, and we wanted to find a way to platform them and to create opportunities, despite the many barriers.

"Those conversations and experiences provided the early foundation for Bush Music Fund and changed the nature of the tour, which, since then, has become far more remote."

This year, the team want to platform First Nations musicians from each community that Guts Touring visits, which Parsons said is particularly important given the current state of the Australian touring industry.

"For the Australian touring industry to be a true thing, it needs to reflect the whole place, not just cities on the east coast," he said.

"The touring industry constantly overlooks regional and remote Australia. It's a fight and a hustle for sure. There are other ways to tour, new places to go and music lovers everywhere if you want it bad enough.

"Live music offers can offer a bit of respite. Maybe a bit of hope. Something for a young muso to aspire to. A reason to pick up an instrument. Or maybe it's just a fleeting but nice moment. It's hard to find a negative in live music.

Click here for more details.