It won’t have been on TV screens for almost seven years however, for hosts Julia Zemiro and Brian Nankervis, RocKwiz by no means actually went away.
The remaining episode of the much-loved music quiz present – then filmed in entrance of a reside viewers at Melbourne’s revered rock venue The Espy – went to air in June 2016 after 14 seasons and 177 episodes on SBS. But the format lived on in stage kind because of the dedication of the hosts and the keenness of audiences who turned as much as the common reside excursions, the latest of which was final yr.
So whereas Nankervis and Zemiro by no means had time to overlook the present themselves, they had been always bailed up by members of the general public questioning once they may get their subsequent TV repair of normal segments resembling Who Can It Be Now?, Million Dollar Riff and Whole Lotta Facts.
“I’d be in the foyer before the show trying to find contestants and we’d often hang about afterwards chatting and people just missed it so much,” says Nankervis. “It was constantly ‘when is it coming back?’.”
While the pair recognise that that they had a particularly reasonable shake on SBS, it wasn’t their option to name it quits, and so when Foxtel provided to revive the sequence, it was a simple sure.
“We were frustrated because we wanted to keep doing it and we also felt that we were really at the top of our game,” says Nankervis. “We’d put together 12 years of experience, we’d gained a lot of knowledge, and we felt that the last run of shows were as good as ever. But we also realised that we’d had a good run, and that was okay.
“So, when the offer came through, yeah, it was pretty much ‘Yep, great – let’s do it.”
As an added bonus, RocKwiz was not solely being rebooted – Zemiro estimates about 80 per cent of the unique crew got here with them – it was additionally being upgraded. While recording on the Espy in St Kilda introduced a sure grungy kudos and manic power, it was hardly purpose-built for TV. The room they recorded in was so cramped that, within the sweltering summer season months, enthusiastic and sometimes well-oiled viewers members would actually be fainting and, as Nankervis says, “the backstage facilities were, you know, agricultural”.
Zemiro says that their new residence in a South Melbourne studio meant they sometimes needed to work a bit tougher to construct a celebration vibe, however there have been particular benefits when it comes to the technical toys and strategies that they had at their disposal.
“We had a bigger budget, more space, better lighting – and that’s lucky when you’re over 50,” she says with amusing. “It was an exciting creative experience, considering we’ve all been out with Covid. Instead of coming back and just doing the same thing, we all had to put our creative hats back on and that’s never a bad thing.”
The return of RocKwiz additionally feels well timed when it comes to the native music business, which remains to be making an attempt to get again on its ft after being battered – and almost destroyed – by years of Covid-induced lockdowns.
Even earlier than that, Australian TV had been a wasteland for musical acts to showcase their wares and Nankervis and Zemiro all the time labored onerous to assemble an eclectic mixture of established artists and rising stars to guide the groups and carry out. The new season will characteristic Aussie greats together with Jimmy Barnes, Megan Washington, Tina Arena, Vance Joy, Ella Hooper, Ben Lee, and Chris Cheney – all backed by the fabulously revamped RocKwiz band. Lesser recognized – however no much less spectacular – faces embrace Meg Mac, Thelma Plum, Gretta Ray and Fanny Lumsden.
“We’ve always prided ourselves – and I think it’s one reason for the show’s longevity – that we have had a mixture,” says Nankervis. “You’re pretty excited when Jimmy Barnes walks through the curtain. Tina Arena got a standing ovation. Chris Cheney from The Living End brought his firepower and guitar wizardry. But also to then have upcoming stars, I think people really love that. They know intrinsically that without having a forum for these new artists, the industry is hampered. People need to be seen because if the industry is to grow, you’ve got to have new artists coming in.
“People also love a sort of sense of ‘I’ve discovered a brand new artist that you’ve never heard about’.”
Zemiro says she was thrilled by the current arts bundle introduced by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Arts Minister Tony Burke – each followers of the present and previous attendees – within the very room the place they used to file RocKwiz,
“Arts needs to be front and centre of who we are because it is who we are,” she says. “What are we fighting for if not the beautiful things around us that remind us of why we’re human and why we’re alive – or just to have fun and to relax.”
Zemiro and Nankervis, who each come from theatre backgrounds, additionally took the current recording classes as a possibility to verify in with the performing neighborhood that they nonetheless really feel very related to.
“We all sat there in the makeup room beforehand, going ‘how’s it been for you? What was the last two years like? What have you lost? How your confidence levels? Are you nervous to go back out?’ and the conversations were fascinating because you really felt the loss,” Zemiro says.
“I’m not a musician – I don’t need to play guitar – but these people do. That’s what they do. They sing, they perform – and if we can be a small part of that and remind people how great it is to be in an audience, then that’s great. It doesn’t have to be a huge arena – it can be a small space where you can fit 100 people.”
RocKwiz, Friday, 7.30pm, Fox8 and on demand
Source: www.dailytelegraph.com.au
