Organising a music festival of 18 bands is no easy task to accomplish, but one man has done just that for the last five years in a row. Stephanie Jewell sat down with Jacob Kenny, the frontman of Legacy Alive and organising mastermind behind Perth Rocks Festival. Jacob shared some vulnerable, raw and honest insights into what it takes to put on a music festival of this calibre, as well as some highlights and vision for the Perth Rocks Festival to come.
Steph: Jacob, thank you for sitting down with me today. Please tell me about the origins of Perth Rocks – how Perth Rocks came to be and how you became involved in it?
Jacob: So the origins of Perth Rocks came out of Koke Fest, which was put together by Karl from the old, no longer around band Jackson Koke, as a kind of central original band scene festival for Perth. He wanted to try to de-badge it from himself and try to make it a little bit more about the local music scene, so he renamed it Perth Rocks. He reached out to myself and Matt Hatton at the time to try to put this together and it was a really huge success in 2019. It was a fantastic gig! We rebranded our band at that time but so many bands that I’d never heard of, I got to see on the lineup. And I think that was so important. What we moved into after COVID, and we had 2021 Perth Rocks, Karl found it a little bit overwhelming, but we both realised that it was much bigger than all of us and he shared a bit of help and I kind of continued to help and by the end of it, I was kind of the last man standing that was holding the baby. So, I was kind of, okay, let’s continue it. We had a project called Perth United a few years ago where we tried to showcase lots of original artists in Perth. From that, I decided that we have to have another Perth Rocks to showcase all of those artists, so that was 2023. From there, now, I think it’s a clear mission that we have to roll it every year because it’s important. It’s just really important to have festivals people feel good about playing and talking to each other.
Steph: You’ve mentioned that it’s been through a couple of evolutions over the years compared to now. How have you seen that grow or evolve or develop?
Jacob: I think from the band’s perspective, people, there’s always competition, especially in bands in Perth. But the competition now is about who can make a bigger Perth Rocks splash, and I love that. It’s something to shoot for every year, but it’s actually attainable. I’ve noticed that since the first one, bands have really been trying to leverage more and more to be able to put on bigger and better shows and I love that the production has got bigger and better. The original Perth Rocks was at the Civic and it was a great day, then we moved to Badlands, and we had a slightly bigger production there and a few bigger bands. Then we moved to Port Beach where we could play outside, and it got even bigger again, we had commercially successful bands and touring bands. It has just been going strength to strength really every year.
Steph: What has been some of the challenges that you’ve faced with Perth Rocks, and how have you overcome them?
Jacob: Funding is hard. So, when I took it on solo for the first year, I applied for funding, arts funding, and there was no arts funding for anybody that year, which I was really upset. But then to realise that it all went to Voyager, I was really happy because of what they were able to do. Funding is hard, so Perth Rocks is self-funded by me, and then I cross my fingers and hope to God that I make the money back every year. That is the hardest, I think, out of all of it. Dealing with the cost of living and the wonderful things that we deal with in our lives at the moment and then to press into doing festivals. So, it can be difficult, and expectations. Everybody is so excited by this show, everybody wants it to be their Woodstock. And unfortunately, there’s only one main stage at 8pm and trying to, I suppose, meet everybody’s needs, make them feel welcome and make them feel that this is going to be good for them without disappointing them and not meeting their expectations. I try to meet everyone’s expectations as much as possible, but sometimes you can’t. So, yeah, those are probably the two most difficult things.
Steph: That definitely sounds challenging! What have been the highlights that you’ve experienced since you’ve been involved in Perth Rocks? Has there been a real standout moment?
Jacob: Oh, jeez. I think last year was the biggest standout moment when we had Port Beach full, like it was really full. And watching the ticket sales just explode right before, but then seeing so many people just come in on the door because they wanted to see it. I suppose it’s the camaraderie, there were so many people there that would usually stare each other down through social media that were up on stage hugging each other during Amberdown’s Hole in the Floor. And you know, that’s what Perth Rocks is all about. And that makes me feel good and want to keep on doing it.
Steph: What is your vision for Perth Rocks moving forward after this one?
Jacob: To quote Jurgen Klopp, I’m running out of energy, but I can’t let it fall away. It needs to exist. So, my vision is to put together a committee that we can continue to grow Perth Rocks but grow it beyond just the festival. I want to try to create some sort of a brand that includes annual awards for bands, opportunities for bands to go interstate, which is why we’re building our collaborations with touring acts now. And really trying to create something that challenges WAM at what they do.
Steph: I love that. Thank you very much, Jacob, for sharing your commitment and passion for supporting the local music scene and live music.