Have assignments got you down? UniSA’s UniCast Radio Club is hosting a live music event this Friday with some big and small local acts to cheer you up. It’s affordable for those on a budget — and better yet? Students get a discount! (image: Robert Hicks)
By Robert Hicks | @_roberthicks
It’s a busy time of year for university students, with major assignments piling up like fallen leaves in autumn and the dread of them all looming over you freezing up productivity like winter’s toll on a lake in Sweden.
It’s a good thing spring is for gigging and drinking away that feeling, then, eh?
The University of South Australia’s student radio club, UniCast, is hosting a live music gig at Nexus Arts on October 25.
Grab your tickets here — students can find a discount code on the many posters dotted around UniSA’s metropolitan campuses (or, if you can zoom in enough, on this article’s feature image).
SA indie-pop-rock locals The Tullamarines are headlining the show, fresh off their national leg. They’re supported by Emerauld, a local indie-rock darling, and psych-pop band Marlin Kites.
The Tullamarines sound like the dictionary definition of fun, with soaring vocals and guitars softening their often revealing and confrontational lyrics; they don’t offer anger but a laugh and a hug.
In planning the event, UniCast President Rachel Forbes says she aims to promote local musicians, with an eye towards both already established artists and upcoming acts that appeal to students going to budget-friendly local gigs.
“We obviously have been able to play like plenty of smash hits on the radio, just like any station, but being that we are a student-run station, I think it’s important to think about what the students are thinking about,” Forbes says.
“And a lot of them are getting involved in the Adelaide music scene, some of them are starting their own bands and we wanted to find a way to promote that.
“One thing led to another, and we were able to create a of showcase; the Tullamarines were a bit more popular while Emerauld and Marlin Kites are really great emerging acts from Adelaide that kind of represent that sort of natural come up for any band.”
Emerauld — the stage name of Gawler musician Emilie Suter — has competed in the 2023 edition of Australian Idol, where she placed in the top 40, and performed at WOMADelaide in the same year.
Her songs are melancholy but peaceful. The acoustics in her performances pair perfectly with her hauntingly beautiful, yet still powerful and energetic, voice that always carries a hint of something darker beneath the surface.
Marlin Kites, formed in 2020, are gearing up for their upcoming EP and have recently played the Art of The Possible 2024 Fest, hosted by students at the University of Adelaide.
In the meantime, you can listen to their most recent single below, which sounds like being bathed in light, hugging a cute dog and frolicking among daffodils (yes, at the same time).
If you’d like more recommendations for local acts, you can read UniCast President Rachel Forbes’s article on some up and comers below.
UniCast Treasurer Chelsea McLean says an event like this is needed for students studying and working on their final assignments.
“I think it’s a very important time to have a gig around, particularly cause all the assignments — all the major assignments — are kinda due around this time,” McLean says.
“The fact that we’re able to make it at a good price for uni students to come along, enjoy a beer or two, have a bit of fun, and, yeah, I think it’s important during this busy time of the semester.
“I’m heaps keen for it. I’ve booked off work for the day, which is usually where I get all my money from, so we’re not going to talk about my bank [account] …
“It’ll be mainly lots of setting up throughout the day to make it a really special occasion and event for the people, for the students.”
A lot of setting up is right, not just on the day but throughout the whole year, says Forbes, who began planning the event in early 2024, had a grant approved towards the beginning of the university period, and is facing the last hectic hurdle this week.
“Honestly, we’ll be planning it till the very last second until they get on stage, trying to make it the best it can be and make sure as many people can get there and get involved as possible,” Forbes says.
“It’s not just the UniCast committee, we’ve been really well supported by the staff and UniSA — Andre, Neelu and Pete, who have sort of watched over everything, and Sam and the FM Assist Team.
“It’s been a real group effort to make this happen.”
Are you feeling inspired to do something similar? Forbes says the best way for students to get involved in UniCast is to be proactive and “go to the USASA website and sign up to be a member”.
“It’s free, which is I think the best part,” she says.
You can participate in radio training sessions, help UniCast find artists to play on their student radio station, and, if you’re a student musician who plays live gigs, have the chance to be interviewed by Forbes on her very own radio show to get your name out there.
Forbes has one final request: “Buy some tickets, please.”
“Of course, we have them on the door, but you can get a discount by using the code that’s on the posters that are all around every campus — we put them up literally everywhere,” she says.
You can grab tickets here.
ontherecordunisa.com 