To get into the four-band bill Where Did You Sleep Last Night, you need to bring some tinned food to leave at the door as a donation.

You see, the show is looking to help the Wollongong Homeless Hub do its work.

Opening in 2013, the homeless hub provides food, laundry facilities and a warm shower to the region's disadvantaged, as well as other forms of assistance.

Warren Wheeler, the organiser of the fundraiser, says the idea for the donation of tinned food is it allowed the hub to continue giving the homeless food hampers.

"It also causes people to think about what they're doing," Wheeler says of the tinned good door charge.

"They're not just coming to a gig and handing over some money for a cover charge. They can grab something from their cupboard on their way out the door, but it just gets them thinking about what is it they're contributing to.

"The process of being able to donate an item like a can of baked beans is, for many people, simple but for someone who is doing it tough and sleeping rough, it is a huge thing for them."

Wheeler, who works at the Illawarra South Coast Tenants Advice and Advocacy Service, says his day job is guided by the same aims at the homeless hub. And that was was drove him to want to find another way to help out the organisation.

"In my real job I work very closely with the hub and the work I do is very much related to preventing homelessness," he says.

"Working closely with the hub I could see they were doing things in a very unique manner. I describe what they're doing as having a very punk rock ethic, it's very DIY, meaning that they are very resourceful, they don't just sit around and talk about things, they get their hands in and do it.

"Seeing how they were operating and seeing how they were struggling for ongoing funding, I thought it would be cool to promote what they do and raise a bit of money and a bit of practical assistance to combine my two worlds, the music community and my interest in housing and homelessness."

Given that Wheeler felt the hub had a punk rock ethic, it made sense to ensure the four bands on the bill shared that same vibe.

"The music's punk rock and by that I mean it's fast-paced, it's energetic, it's visual and a little bit obnoxious but all in good fun," Wheeler says.

"Babymachine have been around for the longest of those four bands. But the others are doing pretty good things too. Hoon and Kaleidoscope, they've just come back from Indonesian tours and Scumm always put on a very interesting show. You never know what to expect when those guys turn up."

GLEN HUMPHRIES