Newcastle musician Ben Pittman of country boogie band Grand Pricks had a rare week to himself recently and decided to see live gigs in town every single night of the week.

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On Monday he was at fortnightly '90s-inspired grunge jam Temple of the Stag, at The Stag and Hunter Hotel in Mayfield.

On Tuesday he went to Sphere, a jazz gig at The Grand Hotel in Newcastle.

On Wednesday he watched Breeze at Newcastle Yacht Club and loved it so much he went to see them again at the Lass O'Gowrie Hotel, Wickham, on Thursday, followed by more NIMA Jazz at The Grand.

On Friday he saw Chai Chester at The Oriental Hotel, Cooks Hill.

On Saturday he saw The Lairs at Carrington Bowling Club, Andy Abra at The Lot in Islington and Johnston City at The Stag and Hunter.

On Sunday he played an afternoon gig at Teralba Bowling Club and then went on to see The Milestones at The Wickham Park Hotel, Islington.

If you have cash for a drink or two, maybe even the occasional $20 for an entry fee here and there, Newcastle's live music scene can accommodate you every day of the week.

Pittman is the founder of Let's Talk Gigs Newcastle Facebook Group, a good place to visit when making last-minute live music plans.

Music photographer Ella Grace Paterson is acutely aware that people book at the very last minute. When she's not behind the camera, she works with a local booking agency called Gumnut Artists and at The Press Book House.

"There has been a resurgence in support for live music and showing up for shows," she says.

If Instagram is where you get your live music information from, she recommends following witchhouse_newcastle.

Lead singer of jump jive rhythm and blues band Fish Fry, Justin Collins, has watched the music scene change in Newcastle since his band Yes Commissioner did its first gig in 1984 at The Grand Hotel. Fish Fry did their first gig there in 1993.

For at least 10 years he's also played regularly at Queens Wharf Hotel. He used to play a lot at The Cambridge with House Quake. His wife Gina plays bass alongside him in their funk and soul band Pow Wow. She used to love playing gigs at The Wickham Park Hotel. They both recall great old venues like The Palais, the old Workers Club and The Casbah.

The couple hope that bands, especially newer, younger bands, aren't getting taken advantage of and playing for too little money, or even for free. It's an all-too-common concern that comes up when I talk to musicians in Newcastle.

Frontman of The Breeze and the newly-created Dapper DILFS, Matthew McFarlane, has been playing live music in Newcastle for 25 years. His career started at The Lass O'Gowrie where he used to play "great" and "terrible" gigs with his band The Stain.

"They used to have this Wednesday night and anyone could play, so I pretty much learned how to do stuff in front of people," he recalls, adding that the venue "has a new life as a young person's venue".

"They let us in every now and then," he says of his current band.

The Breeze has had a regular Wednesday night residency at Newcastle City Yacht Club since October last year. McFarlane has just committed to playing indefinitely on Wednesdays. They are also playing on Sunday, July 13, at The Crown and Anchor Hotel.

Like Pittman, when McFarlane isn't on stage, you can find him in the crowd.

"If you wanted to do a ticketed event, I think The (Hamilton) Station Hotel and The Stag are probably the two joints," he says.

He recommends Coal and Cedar for late-night live music mid-week, and he also loves The Oriental, The Great Northern Hotel and King Street Hotel. He says Goldbergs Coffee House on Darby Street has started doing Monday night jazz as well.

Paterson books free live music on Friday afternoons at The Press Book House on Newcastle's Hunter Street. In June the venue hosted Noah Church, and this month the artist is ChaiChester, who will premiere a new song for each gig.

Justin Teale is the frontman of Novocastrian-based band Dust, which has taken off since 2020 and toured with Block Party and internationally. Teale describes the band's music as "rocky, saxy, pretty big sound".

Their first show was a seated gig at The Cambridge during the pandemic.

During Teale's relatively short music career, the scene has unquestionably improved. His band has toured Australia while enjoying Newcastle as a home base. Teale personally likes playing at The Oak, Tighes Hill, and the Croatian Club in Wickham.

"People care about going to shows, and not much else is going on. People are always keen," he says of Newcastle.

He advises emerging musicians not to be afraid to play outside of Newcastle, and to collaborate not only with bands but with rappers and electronic artists as well. He encourages them to make each show count, don't spread yourself too thin, and always keep the crowd wanting more.

When asked about his next gig in Newcastle, he was elusive, saying it could be in September.

Some venues like The Lass O'Gowrie Hotel, The Grand Hotel and The Wickham Park Hotel remain Novocastrian stalwarts for live music. Interesting new places have popped up, like the live band room at King Street, The Den (adjacent to Rogue Scholar) and Flamingos Live, previously Lizotte's.

Some favourites are now empty, like The Cambridge, Franky's Noodles and The Family Hotel.

A lot is going on and it's not hard to find a venue and vibe that's just right.