Flippin’ the Bird to Covid-19

Singing Bird Studios has managed to navigate a year that bought the local music scene to its knees – and emerged in style.

The Frankston recording studio is back and hosting events for the dedicated and eclectic community of music lovers who got them through.

Singing Bird Studio’s manager Stuart Anderson, said the creative hub was saved thanks to passionate local musicians.  

“They paid all throughout last year because they just didn’t want to lose it,” Mr Anderson said.

[The studio] is a community and creative hub for independent and original artists.

As a sign of life returning to the studio, the annual Flippin’ the Bird festival returned, selling 460 tickets and securing 32 performing artists.

Mr Anderson attributed the event’s success to people missing live music – especially local music.

“People were just itching to get back … big bands like Tool, they aren’t touring,” Mr Anderson said.

For the first time in the event’s four-year history, the gig was an all-ages event.

Mr Anderson said he wanted to provide an event that anyone could attend. “All the 16 to 17-year-old kids, they wanted to get back to it just as much.”

Up and coming band Stimpies performing at Flippin’ the Bird 2021. Picture: Charlie Hurd.

The music industry took a massive hit over 2020, with 58 per cent of people in the industry looking to leave the scene.

A further 34 per cent of people who worked in the industry full-time dropped to 7 per cent.

For musos at Singing Bird Studios, this was their reality. The studio saw many of its musos trade sticks and picks for spanners and hammers, attempting to renovate the warehouse while it was closed.

Will most restrictions now lifted, Mr Anderson will look to start filling out all his rehearsal and recording rooms again.

But he said bands are struggling to get back into their old routines.

The band I play in, we were tight, rehearsing two times a week before this.

A study by Pirate Studios, another international rehearsal and recording studio, showed 70 per cent of musicians who use their studios had to retrain their skills after the lockdowns.

As the Covid-19 pandemic eases in Australia, live music is on the comeback with the return of major-headline shows and festivals.

Mr Anderson says he looks forward to seeing a renewed excitement in the local music scene.