Music With Motion: Down Under
Music With Motion and the Woodville Concert Band have been part of my life for so long now that trying to sum up what the eighth iteration of the concert meant to me feels almost impossible. Each year the concert grows and changes, but at its core it still has the same mission: to celebrate video games and their music, and to bring both art forms to audiences who might not yet realise how imaginative, bold, and moving they can be.
With Music With Motion: Down Under, that mission felt especially personal. This year I wanted to shine a light on the remarkable talent in Australia’s development community, particularly here in South Australia. Our local scene is full of people and studios creating fun and ambitious projects, often with tiny teams but always with limitless creativity. My hope was that this concert would help give these composers and these studios the attention they deserve.
Inevitably because of this vision, this year’s concert again grew in scale and ambition, becoming the largest Music With Motion event yet. It was, to my knowledge, the largest live video game music concert ever held in Australia that focused exclusively on Australian games. The concert showcased a talented ensemble that grew to 54 musicians and also featured live choir and guest soloists, all with real-time audio-visual synchronisation created just for this event (special thanks to Daytime Devs for the opening sequence!).
Across 12 projects from 11 studios, we presented 19 pieces, 17 of them world premieres. All projects featured were developed right here in Australia, with 8 of them being from South Australia. With the exception of Goldstained by Tommy Raets, who arranged his own work, I worked closely with the composers and developers to ensure that my orchestrations translated their visions truthfully to wind orchestra. Many of these composers had never heard their work performed by a large ensemble before, which made the process even more meaningful.
The programme included:
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•Main Title / Haunting Horrors from Super BAWK BAWK Chicken by Daytime Devs - Chris Norton (SA)
•The Sacred Acorn from The Sacred Acorn by A Few Dragons - William D H Parry (SA)
•Main Theme from Demonlore by Barrel Smash Studios - Hew Wagner (VIC)
•Seeds of the Future from Project Regolith by Regolith Interactive - Simon Stemberger (VIC)
•White Palace from Hollow Knight by Team Cherry - Christopher Larkin (SA)
•Hydra from Roc’s Odyssey by Sunshine Festival Studios - my own score (SA)
•Main Theme from TOYA by The RnD Department - Chris Norton (SA)
•Threads of a Dream demonstrating FMOD by Firelight Technologies - Aaron C. Edwards (VIC)
•Alluvion from Submerged: Hidden Depths by Uppercut Games - Jeff van Dyck (QLD)
•Goldstained from Goldstained by Lantern Jump - Tommy Raets (SA)
•Enter Pharloom / Trobbio Medley from Hollow Knight: Silksong by Team Cherry - Christopher Larkin (SA)
•Dungeons and Dining Tables Medley from Dungeons and Dining Tables by Catalyst Games - my own score (SA)
The night also featured brilliant guest performers. Joshua Julian and Maverick Pov of Akira Slide joined us on electric guitar for my piece Hydra from Roc’s Odyssey. Ed Kriek graciously agreed to perform Trobbio from Hollow Knight: Silksong. Their musicianship elevated the night in ways I’m incredibly grateful for. It was also a pleasure to collaborate with the Woodville High School Senior Choir, who joined us for a few pieces and added a depth to the sound world of the night that we’d never had before.
Beyond the music on stage, it was important to me that the wider community was part of the celebration and that other local developers, not just those featured in the concert, had a chance to showcase their work. During the hour before the concert and throughout the interval, we ran a small convention-style showcase featuring:
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•Catalyst Games
•South Australian Games Association (SAGA)
•Paper Cactus Games
•Royal Reign Studios
•The RnD Department
•StarSword Games
•Wayward Skies Studio
•Bad Plan Studios
•Academy of Interactive Entertainment (AIE)
•Avery Andruwskiewicz (artist)
Most of these teams are up-and-coming developers, many of them young, and it was wonderful seeing audiences play their games, chat with them, and discover what’s happening right here in Adelaide.
The concert sold out. Over 600 people filled the Woodville Town Hall. Seeing that many people choose to spend their evening celebrating local games and music was incredibly heartwarming. More than the numbers, it felt like a community gathering to support the creators behind these works as well and the vision that the Woodville Concert Band and I have been developing for so long.
I’m enormously proud of the Woodville Concert Band. Performing a full programme of premieres—much of it intricate and stylistically diverse—was a monumental task that took many months of intense preparation and rehearsal. It has been incredible to observe their growth over the year and the community that has been fostered there. Their committee and volunteers worked tirelessly behind the scenes to ensure everything ran smoothly, from managing the doors, to managing publicity, the transportation of equipment, the setup and control of the audiovisual equipment, and keeping me sane, fed, and watered on the day.
There is a long list of people I want to thank, too many to list here, from our own volunteers, those close to us, and our supporters and sponsors. My gratitude to both Chris Norton and Christopher Larkin, who both individually stepped in to provide invaluable support via other preparations such as the inclusion of additional sounds, instruments, and last minute audio recording, is immeasurable. Thank you to Tommy Woods Photography for the fantastic photos from the night, some of which you can see here. A special thank you goes to Catalyst Games for sponsoring the event via the creation and printing of Hannah Ewart’s brilliantly hand-drawn key art, featured prominently in the poster and other marketing materials, and her design of the stunning event programme. Gelista Gelati generously donated free ice-cream for the entire audience and helped make the evening feel truly festive. It was also a pleasure to work with and have the support of the South Australian Games Association (SAGA) as well as our other sponsors. While not a sponsor, the West Torrens Library Service also deserves special mention for their support in promoting the event, helping connect us with the local community, and for their work supporting the local industry. Most importantly I’d like to thank my partner Camille, whose unwavering support and patience kept me going through the long months of preparation, and whose contributions to the event logistics were invaluable.
On a personal note, it took hundreds of hours to bring Music With Motion: Down Under to life. This concert was my way of supporting, uplifting, and giving back to the community that has shaped so much of my own creative path. Seeing these works come alive with wind orchestra, and seeing the pride and joy on the faces of the composers, developers, the performers, and even the audience, made every moment worth it.
Thank you to everyone who attended, performed, collaborated, showcased, or was otherwise involved in some way. I’m deeply grateful.
