The Funk Club’s SHAKE IT! WA Groove Music Showcase returns to Salt On The Beach on Anzac Day, this Friday, April 25.
On Anzac Day last year, the sombre tone of Australia’s day of remembrance took on a more exuberant feeling out in North Fremantle.
Salt By The Beach was the place; the upswing in mood coming via The Funk Club’s inaugural SHAKE IT! Showcase.
“I remember overall it was an awesome surprise,” says Funk Club honcho, Jimmy ‘Lips’ Murphy. “It was one of those events where everything came together and just worked. It was an awesome vibe and the 800 or so people who came along all had an awesome time. It was pretty special for an all-original, all-local music event.”
So special that it returns this Anzac Day, with a line-up set to say it like it is in terms of Perth funk and soul at this point in time.
“In terms of the line-up, it’s a pretty democratic process,” Murphy says. “We open the doors for submissions from bands/DJs/producers/performers, then the Funk Club Committee meets and spends half a day – or more – going through all the applications and debating their merit mostly based around the quality and suitability of the music – that being top quality tunes that people can SHAKE IT! to!”
There’s plenty of well-loved, established acts on the bill – Grace Barbe, Sunshine Brothers, and Charlie Bucket being just a few – but an encouraging serve of up-and-coming crackers and other favourites to boot.
“We’re pretty stoked with this years line-up,” Murphy says. “It’s certainly going to make for an awesome day with all the acts being quality. I’m hearing good things about Juice, they do their own stuff and cracking versions of hip hop tunes. Amani Consort is also a Funk Club favourite and Junkadelic, featuring Randa K, should be special! But honestly I’d pay money to see any one of the 30 acts being featured, being able to see them all in one place is a treat.”
There’s a great sense of community in the Perth funk/soul scene. Murphy’s lovin’ it.
“I always have other musicians from other states comment on how generally positive, supportive and friendly the community is around the music over here,” he notes. “I find the Perth funk/soul scene is not much different to the rest of Perth’s local music scene in that sense, a really friendly and supportive one.”
As for the rest of 2014, The Funk Club is looking forward, as ever.
“Currently Funk Club is in the process of setting up a Funk School to help high school students get into the funk,” Murphy says. “We are also starting planning for our New Years Eve event later this year.”
Tickets are $25 (plus booking fee) from funkclub.com.au, Salt On The Beach, Heatseeker.com.au, Mills, Planet Video, 78 Records and the Prince Of Wales.
BOB GORDON
Go to the Facebook event here.
