The Civic theatre held a sold-out concert for award winning Australian artist Ben Lee.
Known for his 2005 album, “Sleep Is The New Awake”, Ben Lee has released more than 20 albums and has been on his current tour, “On Tour…Always” since 2021.
The Gunnedah Conservatorium hosted Ben Lee in Gunnedah on Thursday, March 26 with more than 130 guests in attendance, with some travelling as far as Canberra to enjoy the show.
The concept for the tour stemmed from Ben Lee’s passion for live music and his longing for touring during the Covid-19 lockdowns.
“The idea started when there were all the snap border closures … and I started thinking, well how many shows can I do just within New South Wales without the risk of [the venue] getting shut down?” Ben Lee said.
“The music industry used to be different, you toured to promote something but now the tour itself is the thing, it’s the lifeblood of a career in music.
“I’ve made over 20 records now and I don’t use a set list, I go on stage and there’s, you know, 80, 90, 100 songs or whatever…people request ones I don’t even remember, and it just becomes this rolling, chaotic, living thing.”
Touring is usually regarded as a gruelling time, but for Ben Lee it’s where he finds most of his inspiration.
During “On Tour…Always” he has started to work on a new album, which he says has been fun to work on.
The show integrated some of his new songs, which Ben Lee said has been enjoyable, and has added to the process of making the album.
“I’ve just started making a new record, and I’m road testing a lot of the material, I’m learning about the songs and I’m seeing what works and what doesn’t and what needs to change and how it connects with the audience,” Ben Lee said.
“I’m writing a lot about what it feels like to make music in 2026 and what it feels like to be a songwriter and, you know, I’m 47 so I’m looking at where that sits in my life.”
Regional and rural towns are not often included in tours, which is in part to the belief that those areas are more behind on current events.
A stigma which Ben Lee believes to be changing thanks to the current digital age we live in.
Touring small towns, however, hasn’t been without its learning curves, with Ben Lee saying it has taught him to remain humble.
“When I was younger there was a sense music didn’t get to smaller towns as quickly,” he said.
“But in the internet age, and particularly post-COVID, all these little towns are just full of people that are following culture and music just as quickly. All of that sort of stigma has gone and there’s people to play to.
“I always say that I never take it personally when the shows are packed, because you never know if there are fans of your music or if there’s just nothing else to do that night, so you have to be humble in that sense.
“But mainly I’ve learnt that people really appreciate [live music], and I think that’s the main takeaway I’ve gotten from [touring small towns].
“It’s funny, even if I play totally solo people appreciate sort of an aggressive show where you get up on the stage with a lot of energy…I think that’s been almost innate to Australian audiences.”
Director of Gunnedah Conservatorium Rebecca Ryan said that the audiences was really positive, with many thoroughly enjoying the night and Ben Lee’s performance.
“People seem to have had a really great night remembering some of the great music from Ben Lee’s back catalogue,” she said.
“Also having a few premiere performances of stuff coming on his new album. It seemed like a great atmosphere in the room … people really enjoyed the night.”
Ms Ryan, and the Gunnedah Conservatorium, are passionate about bringing live music to Gunnedah noting that the Ben Lee concert not only got people out and about, but it helped to boost the night life of Gunnedah.
Ms Ryan urges people to get involved in local events, to get out of the house on a Friday night and explore what the community has to offer.
“Having a live music performance program in town adds value to life for everybody,” she said.
“It adds great value to the local nighttime economy. We know that many people went out to dinner before the show or went to a pub after the show and this all just adds money into the local economy and it’s also great for our students and local musicians to be inspired by other musicians coming into the community and performing.
“It is excellent to see our venue becoming a centre for these types of events.”
Ben Lee isn’t the only artist dipping their toes into Gunnedah this year, with the Conservatorium set to host musician Meg Washington in May with plenty more live music set to come later this year.
“Live music is really important to the community and the opportunity to get out and see live artists from all different types of genres is something that the Conservatorium is committed to,” Ms Ryan said.
