With international acts unable to get in the country at present, 2021 is gearing up to be the time for Australian musicians to shine.
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Once we are allowed to gather en masse, expect to see all-Aussie lineups for festivals and plenty of up-and-coming musicians being given spots they may otherwise wouldn't have been given.
Music industry mogul Michael Chugg previously told the Mercury the downtime due to COVID-19 has pushed the creativity button on many local artists.
"It's really been about making new music, writing new music and getting it out to the public," he said.
"When [restrictions] loosen up it will certainly benefit Australian music."
Here's some hot musicians from the Illawarra to keep an eye on:
Cry Club
Ex-UOW duo Heather Riley and Jonathon Tooke have just released their debut album, God I'm Such A Mess, (albeit months behind schedule).
The now Melbourne-based pair have had their catchy pop-rock sounds make it onto Triple J and were excited to start touring again, though a pandemic is causing some havoc for them.
After enduring a Melbourne lock-down Cry Club were set to play in Wollongong this week, though their plans have again been put on hold.
"New year, same curse," the pair wrote on Facebook. "We're heartbroken to say that despite our best efforts, our shows in Sydney and Wollongong are unfortunately cancelled due to the border closures and COVID-19 cases."
Stevan
The self-taught multi-instrumentalist has gone from producing urban tunes in his bedroom to being signed to a US record label and collaborating with big names in Sydney.
The former TIGS student taught himself to play drums, guitar, bass and piano, with Triple J's Richard Kingsmill event going so far to label him as the "next Frank Ocean".
In December he had a gig slated for the UOW UniBar, but will no doubt have more on the cards in 2021 with his latest "mixtape" out now.
Rather than call his releases "album" or "EP", Stevan is releasing collections of his own works as "mixtapes" to streaming devices - the latest titled Ontogeny.
"I thought it would be special to give my fans that sort of experience, and release music in a format that first got me into music," he said.
The Witching Hour
Former St Josephs Catholic High School student Taime Marsh was hand-picked to be the frontman of this rock band, now based on the Central Coast.
Marsh quit high-school and grabbed his guitar for the move, joining fellow guitarist Jacob Richardson, drummer Bailey Graeber and bassist/keys Brad Hughes.
The pairing came after the Albion Park teen was taken under the wing of veteran musician Steve Balbi (of Noiseworks and Electric Hippies fame).
The Witching Hour's latest single " Sleep With The Stars" has received radio play in Australia, UK, and the US, and was featured on Nights with Alice Cooper on Triple M.
The group's sound is similar to silverchair in their heavier days - think "Freak" - or with thick, gritty chords a la Nickelback.
The group will play two shows at La La La's in Wollongong on Thursday January 7.
The Vanns
Coastal faves The Vanns - fronted by James Vann - have been kicking around for a little while, but their status shot higher in 2019 after recording their album Through the Walls.
"We were in the process of paying it off, and then the label jumped on board and helped us out," Vann previously told the Mercury about their good fortune with Sony label 123 Music.
You may have heard their cruisy indie singles "Mother" and "Fake Friends" as they have been getting a bit of airplay.
The Vanns will play to a sold-out crowd at the UOW UniBar on February 26, but if you can't wait for the next gig you can always book a "serenade" via their website.
It's where they'll record a personalised video of one of their songs just for you.
Expect to hear more of them as they're on a four-album deal.
Hockey Dad
Besties since childhood after playing a game of front-yard footy, Zach Stephenson and Billy Fleming have more status than the Windang bridge - they are probably now the suburb's biggest exports.
Their third album Brain Candy entered the ARIA charts at No2 last August, only beaten out by the surprise release of Taylor Swift's Folklore.
Not bad for a couple of surfy-skater dudes confined to novel ways of promoting their album during a pandemic.
Last year saw them play to fans in a "drive-in" environment at Bulli Showgrounds - though a headache for the managers who organised it.
Perhaps when restrictions ease up a stadium could be on the cards next time? They're certainly rising through the ranks of festival line-ups.
Bec Sandridge
The Stanwell Park singer-songwriting rose to fame at the same time she dyed her hair platinum blonde, and won the 2015 Triple J unearthed competition to perform at the Yours and Owls Festival.
In 2018 she made headlines after singing John Farnham's "You're The Voice" in her own style on ABC's Q&A program.
In a December copy of Rolling Stone, the musician penned a "love letter" to the man himself - if you missed it, you might still be able to find a copy at her parents' newsagency in Helensburgh (ask for Therese or Ken).
There's no solid dates we know of yet for her next local gig, but keep an eye out for "Boo" performing at your local, it's her pseudonym when doing cover gigs.