In the small town of Ceduna, located on the far west coast of the Eyre Peninsula, the sounds of heavy metal music fill the old Scout and Guide Hall. This venue, situated across from a cemetery, serves as the rehearsal space for KNAW, the town's only heavy metal band. The group is preparing for its first performance in Adelaide, which will require a 16-hour round trip for a 40-minute set.

Lead guitarist Callan Slattery, 20, acknowledged that the journey might seem excessive. "But for us, it's a thing we've got to do," he said. "Bands from cities won't come out to regional areas like this often." KNAW dreams of one day performing on a festival stage, but their remote location presents challenges.

"We've talked to a few festivals and put our names out there," Slattery explained. "I think because they see we're from the middle of nowhere … I don't think it excites them for whatever reason. It seems to be a bit of a thing with small bands, especially from rural areas like this."

With few venues available in Ceduna, KNAW is willing to perform anywhere that will host them, often without pay. "You might get a tab on the bar, but we get up there and make our noise," Slattery said. He noted that finding venues that welcome heavy music can be difficult. "There is a fair bit of music [in Ceduna], but it's more so around the poppy, country stuff. It's hard to end up on the same bill as that sort of thing."

Jack Bergin, a veteran vocalist for the hardcore band Void of Vision and host of the heavy music program CORE, understands the struggles of regional bands. He stated that opportunities in small towns are limited. "It's very limited to what you can do in a regional town; I dare say it's quite a niche genre, especially in heavy music where you can only meet a handful of people," he said.

Bergin also pointed out that many regional bands aspire to move to major cities for better opportunities, but rising living costs often make this impractical. "It's a very tricky situation for a lot of regional acts that they find themselves in at the moment," he said.

Despite the challenges, Bergin has noticed a renewed interest in regional touring from heavier bands. "I think we're starting to see a bit of a change. I know regional touring in a larger aspect for some of our more household names is coming back big," he said. He believes that if more well-known acts perform in smaller towns, local audiences will respond positively.

In Port Lincoln, about 400 kilometers south of Ceduna, Mike Pearson, owner of Sound City, is preparing for a busy summer of shows. He emphasized the need for alternative music venues to support various genres. "It's the nursery for the whole music industry … reducing the number of venues that alternative bands can play in, they've got nowhere to play and have to invent their own gigs," Pearson said.

He warned that the lack of venues threatens the entire music industry. Pearson noted that the struggles faced by live music venues are not limited to regional areas. "Live music venues are struggling everywhere; there's a multitude of reasons for that," he said, citing rising costs such as insurance.

Despite the obstacles, Slattery remains determined. "I don't think there is really much that would stop us," he said. "We all really want to do it and will jump at any chance we get to do something like this. We would really love to have more heavy music festivals close to home … that's the hardest thing, finding the places that will want to have you there."