newy.com.au – The Newcastle Fringe Festival and the National Music Academy will present an all-ages, alcohol-free showcase of school-aged musicians at The Exchange, Hamilton, on Wednesday 18 March.
Newcastle Next will run from 5pm to 9pm and feature a series of 20-minute sets spanning grunge, progressive metal, indie pop and classic rock-inspired performances from emerging local artists.
Among the acts is JETLAG, a teen grunge rock band returning to the event after winning Bandwidth 2025 and building momentum on local stages over the past year. The band is preparing to release its debut single and music video.
Five-piece band 5 Volts, formed in January, will also perform. The group’s members, aged 14 and 15, switch instruments during their set and draw influences ranging from The Beatles to Green Day.
Hunter School of Performing Arts band Glycerine is billed to deliver a guitar-driven set inspired by 1990s rock, while progressive metal trio Dreamcore will bring music shaped by bands including Dream Theater and Tool.
Singer-songwriter Laila Michelini, 13, rounds out the line-up. A multi-instrumentalist who has been performing since the age of four, she was named a Triple J Unearthed Artist Pick in 2025 and is now mentored by Australian music manager John Watson.
