Sunny Side wants you to have the most authentic live music experience possible while you're stuck at home, presenting high-definition, multi-camera livestreams of your favourite Adelaide musicians direct from The Jade on Flinders Street.

SPECIAL REPORT: COVID-19 ADELAIDE

Like many communities dealing with the widescale shutdown of society, Adelaide’s musicians have had to reconsider the very nature of their craft and industry.

With live music venues now lying dormant, musicians are left with few avenues through which to connect with their audiences in a live, visceral and meaningful way.

Luckily, some local Adelaide musos are bringing about new digital modes of performance fit for the current constraints brought on by the coronavirus pandemic.

Starting Thursday, 8 April, Sunny Side Uploads will be putting free, high-definition livestreamed gigs hosted at Flinders Street venue The Jade, starting with Aidan ‘Jazzy’ Jones, with a set from Timberwolf to follow this weekend.

The initiative was founded by three members of local psych band Ghost Thief, Timothea Moylan, Josh Trezise and Ed Noble, working alongside graphic designer Sam Trezise and videographer and co-founder of Repeater, Ben Golotta.

“We’re all in creative industries and we really wanted to find a way to keep doing what we’re passionate about,” Timothea says.

“And while we can’t play gigs at the moment, we’re really keen to give other musicians the opportunity to do that, because the community’s going a bit stir crazy.”

There will be future Sunny Side gig announcements for Venice Queens and Naomi Keyte, and they’re also urging any artists keen on being involved to get in touch.

“We’re shooting to do at least once a week, and if some weeks that means it’s two or three, we’re really going to roll with the punches,” Timothea says.

“Our main priority is getting musicians back on stage, getting them to do what they love, and finding a way for them to earn an income at the moment through the donations.”

Donations will be taken through PayPal and Beem It and all donations will go towards artists and the music crew industry involved in making the event happen.

Timberwolf was a social distancing early adopter

Sunny Side will be making the most of having a videographer on board; instead of relying on a static shot of a stage, there will be four cameras offering a dynamic view of the stage throughout each performance.

“The idea behind it is we want to really create an authentic live music experience,” Timothea says.

“We wanted to capture it really faithfully, so exactly as if the person watching it feels that they’re in the audience watching the band.”

Timothea and the Sunny Side crew have worked closely with SAPOL and SA Health to ensure they’re taking the necessary precautions and not endangering themselves or the performing artists.

They picked The Jade first because Josh has a longstanding relationship with the venue, working as a sound engineer, and second because the venue is large enough to offer plenty of space for the artists and crew.

Gatherings of up to 10 people are still permitted in South Australia, and the number of Sunny Side crew operating within the space will amount to three or four. The stage has also been marked up to ensure band members can easily maintain a 4sqm distance.

Each gig will be livestreamed simultaneously on YouTube and Facebook, before being saved for posterity on each platform.

Any viewers who donate $5 or more will also go into the draw to win a prize from Sunny Side’s participating partners: Never Never Distilling, Prohibition Liquor Co., and wine distributors Et Cetera ETC.

Cute Sunny Side graphics by Sam Trezise, reminiscent of Gudetama

“That’s something we’re really wanting to do ongoing, is work with local business, and again encourage people to support local hospitality,” Tiothea says.

“And that’s really what we’re trying to achieve, is support for local, creative communities and enterprises.”

Adelaide live music fans should connect with Sunny Side Uploads on Facebook and Instagram and hit ‘attending’ on each gig’s event page. A streaming link will be posted to the event page prior to each show.

Click through to see more on Aidan ‘Jazzy’ Jones’ gig, happening at 8pm on Thursday, 9 April, and Timberwolf’s show, happening at 7pm on Saturday, 11 April.