Case study: Queensland singer songwriter Mitch King captivates regional audiences on 2022 tour

What

Building his fanbase to over 50 million worldwide streams, Mitch King is well known for his dynamic live performances blending vocals, electric and acoustic guitars, harmonica, kick drum and tambourine to create his unique southern blues and Australian folk n roots sound.

Born and raised on the Gold Coast, Mitch travels around Australia in his campervan, playing his music at shows and festivals across the country.

He has graced many festival stages including the Tamworth Country Music Festival, St Kilda Festival and Blues on Broadbeach, and supported artists such as Tones And I, America The Band, and Supertramp’s Roger Hodgson.

In May 2022, his single “Oil & Water”, co-written with Diesel, was awarded “Honorary Mention” from the International Song Writing competition and winner of the “Rip the Cord” category.

Following a successful Arts Queensland funded tour throughout regional Queensland in 2021, Mitch launched off his audience growth and achievements and embarked on another Queensland tour in 2022, performing at festivals and venues in Far North Queensland and beyond.

When and where

July – August 2022

1 July - Mission Beach Vibes Festival
2 July - PK's Jungle Village - Daintree
9 July - Chopperdog Productions Event - Port Douglas
10 July - Firefly at the Billabong - Kuranda
15 July - Lions Den Hotel - Rossville
16 July - River Sessions 3 - Port Douglas
17 July - Bar 36 Casino - Cairns
21 July - Townsville Folk Club
22 July - KCS Bar - Airlie Beach
23 July – The Pocket Sessions – Camerons Pocket
29 July - Bucking Seahorse - Mooloolaba
30 July - The Heads Shed - Wolvi
31 July - The Bearded Lady - Brisbane
13 Aug - House Concert - Tuxedo Junction Gold Coast
20 Aug - Dalveen Hall - Dalveen

Key stats

15 locations
15 performances
1,119 audience members
12 local supporting artists
7 arts and cultural workers

Arts Queensland investment

Arts Queensland investment of $9,711 through the Touring Queensland Fund in May 2022

Outcomes

Share our stories and celebrating our storytellers

Mitch performed in new locations which helped to strengthen his profile by building new audiences. He also re-connected with existing fans to share his songs and stories, and received new bookings through engagement with promoters and fans at the concerts.

Activate Queensland's places and spaces

Touring during a period of COVID restrictions helped to activate Queensland’s live music venues. A cancelled concert in Mackay was rescheduled into a larger annual event, engaging more artists and activating a new event space.

Learnings and reflections

In the post-Covid landscape, working without a booking agent means a touring artist needs more time to put together a tour, finding venues and securing dates. But once you visit a regional venue and you have a direct relationship, many of them will invite you back!

Tips for others

With social distancing and travel restrictions in the forefront of our minds, we took steps to mitigate as many risks as possible.

Mitch is a Queensland based artist so we decided to keep the tour within Queensland in the event of another lockdown.

Mitch drove to all locations utilising the most time and cost effective route, meaning he didn’t need to worry about airline travel restrictions and changing flight bookings.

What next?

Mitch kicked off 2023 in January with a tour of New South Wales and Victoria, which included festival appearances and a string of ticketed shows.

Mitch’s last 2 Queensland tours have been very successful and have opened up new opportunities for Mitch in his home state. He’s been invited to perform at more festivals and events in Queensland, and is hoping to tour the United States.