In borrowing terminology, NWA shrinks the notion of distance between genre, taste, Australia’s own vastness and the world. Neither popular nor alternative, one genre nor another, NWA represents a new breed that find refuge in the space between us, played out in realtime around a renewed Newcastle.

This year’s festival presents the inaugural collaboration between Sound Summit and New Weird Australia, with an eight hour mini-festival occurring throughout Newcastle on Sunday October 4. With eleven live acts and two DJs including Holy Balm!, Castings, Moonmilk and Blastcorp to name a few performing over three intimate spaces (ArtHive Gallery, Renew Newcastle HQ, This Is Not Art Festival Club), it’s going to be quite special.

As a primer for the New Weird Australia event, check out the New Weird Australia website, where you can download Volumes One and Two of their free bi-monthly MP3 compilations, featuring artists performing at Sound Summit 2009 including Kyü, Brutal Hate Mosh, Lucia Draft and Tom Smith, as well as a score of other fantastic acts from throughout Australia.