Heavy Metal Fans In A Country Music Town - Tamworth Locals Speak Up

Members of a heavy metal band, a venue owner, and the Regional Council manager of entertainment venues in Tamworth have let their voices be heard about an unspoken issue in the city’s music scene: the treatment of heavier music in a so-called country music town.

An ABC article reveals the Tamworth Town Hall is required to front a refundable 50% security deposit if it hosts heavy music acts, 25% more than the usual payment for other genres of music on display. A show that already costs $1,102 to host then requires a $550 security deposit.

The security deposit goes to “cover us if a particular act might incite an audience to get a bit rowdy,” Peter Ross, the Regional Council manager of entertainment venues in Tamworth admitted. 

Ross acknowledged that the fee is “from another time, back in the 80s,” when Satanic panic was aimed at heavy metal music in particular, and in full force.

"I think it comes down to perceptions of what heavy metal music is, especially in a country town,” Luke Fielding, the owner of Tamworth’s The Press, the sole venue that hosts anything past alternative music in Tamworth, providing a home for heavy metal and punk acts, told the ABC.

Jack Pallett, the vocalist of Tamworth's heavy metal outfit Traces, said that the country music culture surrounding the town made it difficult to find a community of people who enjoy heavy music. Pallett added in a quote to the ABC, "A lack of alternative culture in Tamworth really amplified that feeling of isolation.” You can read the full article here.

Tamworth has a growing heavy metal scene, with the founders of Emo Night hosting METAL! – Tamworth’s Heavy Music Night.

Like Emo Night, METAL spins the hits by prominent artists in the genre, including Parkway Drive, Slipknot, Architects, Metallica, Halestorm, Meshuggah, Trivium, Rammstein, Babymetal, and more.

METAL also features live music from local acts, including DJ sets from Traces, with bands Broken Earth, Serrated and Ghost Complex taking the stage. You can buy tickets to METAL – Tamworth’s Heavy Music Night at The Press, going ahead this May, here.