Carclew’s 2010 Off The Couch program – featuring some of South Australia’s top emerging musicians and bands – has drawn record crowd numbers, a strong indication that SA’s youth music scene is thriving.

As well as attracting the largest crowds of its 14 year history, the event also drew a strong line-up of bands with more than 130 local artists from a range of genres taking part.

According to Event Coordinator Drew Landt from Carclew Youth Arts, the success of the program is a strong sign that young South Australian musicians are looking for more showcase opportunities.

“This year’s Off The Couch program has proved to be a great success. All of the event’s six performances drew strong crowds, with the acoustic gig full to capacity. The record attendance numbers, both in terms of audience and performers, is certainly a good indication of the demand that is out there,” Mr. Landt said.

“When the Off The Couch program was originally created, the intention was to address the lack of performance and development opportunities for young musicians in SA and there’s no doubt that the need is as vital today as it was when the program started.”

This year’s event provided an extra kick start for four lucky groups, with heavy metal band Wasted Elegance, rock assembly Mayqueen, acoustic group Avenue and indie rockers Hightime each awarded one free day with Citydub Fat trax recording studios as the prize for drawing the largest crowds at their respective events.

Jason Illman from Hightime said the band was thrilled to learn they had attracted the largest audience.

“We thought the group before us had it in the bag, so we were very surprised and excited when we heard we had pulled the biggest crowd and had won a day in a recording studio for free,” Illman said.

“Hightime certainly enjoyed being part of the Off The Couch program – it gave us some fantastic exposure to people who wouldn’t normally hear our music and we’re looking forward to the opportunities that may bring.”

And in other OTC news, if you haven't already, head on up to the Carclew Youth Arts Centre foyer to check out Shoot the Couch 2010, a collection of photographs reliving the highlights of this year's Off the Couch program.

Curated by Logan MacDonald, the exhibition showcases the work of Shoot the Couch participants, using the state's up-and-coming young musos as their subjects. The young participants in STC attended several workshops on live music photography run by industry professionals, and were then given the opportunity to see their best photograph printed, exhibited, and put up for sale.

Shoot the Couch is open until May 27, 9am to 5pm Monday to Friday at Carclew Youth Arts, 11 Jeffcott St, North Adelaide.

Off The Couch is a program that is run by young people for young people with the assistance of industry professionals. It was developed to address the lack of performance opportunities for young musicians in South Australia and expanded to provide opportunities to learn hands-on about the industry through sound engineering, marketing, promotions, stage management and much more.

To learn more, visit Carclew's What's On profile here, or contact Drew Landt via email or phone: on (08) 8267 5111 (he loves to talk, so give him a buzz).