Despite producing his own music, having thousands of views on YouTube, and winning a state-wide music competition, Nic Beare has only ever had one chance to perform live in his hometown.

The 20-year-old Mount Gambier rapper and vocalist said performing live on stage gave him a rush.

"It just went from me sitting in my bedroom, writing songs on my phone and recording them on my laptop, to being up there on a stage in front of these people who were there to listen to me," he said.

"It was really thrilling and I never would've expected to be up there."

Beare, who releases music under the stage name Esketamine, started rapping and working on his music in high school. 

He now writes, records and produces music from his bedroom.

However, he said finding a place to perform live had been challenging.

His first-ever gig was as an entrant into the SA Beer and BBQ Festival talent search event in Mount Gambier earlier this year.

His second live performance was at the final, which he won.

The 20-year-old said there was a lack of spaces in Mount Gambier for up-and-coming artists.

He said it was particularly tough for artists who strayed from the rock-centric music typically played at pubs and clubs.

"It's more up in the cities, [so] to be able to get that chance to perform and have people there wanting to listen, it was great.

"I'd love for there to be more stuff like that down here."

Hopes for a new music platform

Shadows nightclub was the centrepiece of Mount Gambier's nightlife until its closure in 2020. 

Before the doors shut during the COVID-19 pandemic it operated as a live music venue and the town's only nightclub.

It now has new owners, a married couple, who want to reopen it with a focus on live performance.

Karen Bracken and her husband have been involved in the heavy metal music scene.

She said promoting local acts and giving young musicians a place to play was vital.

"The number one name missing from the live music scene in the South East is Shadows," Ms Bracken said.

"We used to run live music, performance, karaoke, and comedians.

New live music project

MusicSA has launched a new program in conjunction with local venues and the City of Mount Gambier council to reinvigorate the live music scene.

Christine Schloithe, MusicSA chief executive, said fewer shows were being organised due to rising venue costs and tough financial times for attendees.

"How people want to listen to live music and see live music has changed," she said.

She also said that people's drinking habits had changed.

"So a lot of smaller venues that relied on bar sales to put on live music, that's changed quite significantly," she said.

Ms Schloithe added that MusicSA and the City of Mount Gambier would work to open larger venues, such as the Wulanda Recreation and Convention Centre, to provide a space for more well-known artists touring between Melbourne and Adelaide.

Call for more diverse music

Beare said the initiatives in Mount Gambier were a positive step forward for the local music scene but believed organisers should also increase the diversity of genres.

He said local young people were more interested in rap, hip-hop and electronic music, but venues typically booked rock bands for shows.

"A lot of younger people listen to hip-hop, rap and RnB. It's a pretty mainstream thing, as opposed to rock and the music you usually hear at those pubs," he said. 

"There's a few people I know that dabble in making their own music themselves.