The ABC’s Headliners (2024) is a new five-part series that has raised what was, admittedly, a pretty low bar in disability representation and advocacy in the mainstream media and music scene.
The show addresses the gap of almost 20 per cent of Australians living with a disability but only 7 per cent of musicians being part of the disabled community. It is raw and empowering, with the simple goal of forming and mentoring two rock bands of disabled people to play at one of Australia’s most iconic music festivals, Mundi Mundi Bash.
The project is led by musician and disability advocate Elly-May Barnes, who recognises her privilege in being able to sing with her father, rock legend Jimmy Barnes, despite not seeing any musicians like herself growing up and despite the issues associated with her Cerebral Palsy that make it hard to tour. Elly-May is paying it forward by working to increase the representation of and opportunities for disabled people in music, with the help of rockstars Ella Hooper and Tim Rogers.
I remember watching Headliners first episode with a hawk-eye, wary of it potentially perpetuating the same stereotypes and fetishisation of disabled people in shows like Love on the Spectrum. Where Love on the Spectrum is oft-classed as ‘kind’ and ‘sweet’ by viewers, it is hard to look beyond the show’s focus on interviews with neurotypical parents and its David Attenbrough documentary style that portrays Autistic people with infantilising narration and background music.
Headliners ticks all the boxes. It displays the authentic experiences of disabled musicians, including the unglamorous frustration with societal barriers or episodes of painful flare-ups, without a voyeuristic or pitiful undertone. At the same time, it highlights the extraordinary talents of its different disabled musicians, whose disabilities at times actually enhance their craft and make their sounds more unique.
The musicians and crew members themselves have affirmed the positive and inclusive nature of the project and its representation on screen, as Conservatorium of Music student Indiana Zezovski has been unpacking in a series of interviews under the banner “Forget Women in STEM, what about Women is MUSIC?”. Indiana recently sat down with singer-songwriter and proud Gamilaraay woman Aimee Hannan from Headliners band ‘Sync or Swim’ and Katherine Munro, a social worker and mentor for the Headliners musicians. You can read the full interviews on Indiana’s LinkedIn page, with more in the series to come!
Interview
Indiana: What does the song ‘Harsh Weather’ mean to you? What was your process of making it?
Aimee: I have Parkes Weber Syndrome — it’s the reason I lost my leg. Dealing with the pain and torment my whole life of this illness was an absolute S%#T storm or, in nicer words, ‘Harsh Weather’. I co-wrote it with Luke O’Shea and being able to put the feelings of the fight that I’d been through but also the positivity that came through in the end… this song is a constant reminder to keep fighting through the storm.
Indiana: Can you give us any Headliners behind the scenes stories and insight?
Aimee: It was the most healing thing I’ve done musically and mentally. Working with Elly-May, Ella, and Tim, not to mention all the special guests and the entire production team, ‘Together With Strangers’ and of course my amazing band mates in ‘Sync or Swim’ has been the most uplifting experience. It has given me back a lot of my fire that has been previously extinguished by an industry that sometimes looked at people with a disability as something different or difficult to deal with. We can do ANYTHING.
Indiana: In the auditions, the temporal transitions were insane! Mikky, the teen guitarist’s demeanour changed from in music form: Piano to Forte! His energy and enthusiasm took over when performing music. And James’s quote: “It’s like the tics take a seat and they just watch… It is like my medicine!” His Tics decreased and weren’t even there when he was drumming, it was a massive shift. It gets me wondering about how music and mental health in synergy is crazy. What are your thoughts on how music impacts mental health?
Aimee: I always say that music is the best medicine. It takes us away from whatever we may be feeling or going through at that point in time and transports us to a place that is healing — we are just doing what we love to do, which is to perform.
Indiana: Can you give us any behind-the-scenes stories and insight? What was your time like working on the show?
Katherine: They really did give them the time and allowed the bands to work on their own, which is the best thing you can do for a group of people who may have previously been underestimated. They allowed autonomy and independence for them every step of the way and really listened when us, as support workers felt like they were not being heard which was super rare.
Indiana: What was it like meeting the artists and helping support them on the show?
Katherine: I think they taught me more than I could support them. Watching them overcome their own anxieties and come together was just amazing. Especially ‘Together with Strangers’. There were a few hurdles to overcome from song choice to sound barriers to understanding of each other’s disabilities. And even as we watched James above give advice to his own band mate and I’m sure even Ella Hooper took that pearl of wisdom away with her.
