The last time local musician Andy Nelson took the theatre stage at the Bathurst Memorial Entertainment Centre [BMEC], it was in the role of Simon Zealotes in Carillon Theatrical Society's production of Jesus Christ Superstar in 2006.
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When he takes the same stage on Friday for the Inland Sea of Sound festival, he will support Kate Ceberano, a fellow Superstar alumnus who achieved acclaim for playing Mary Magdalene on the musical's 1992 Australian tour.
Nelson's gig will be his first at Inland since 2018, and the first time he'll take the stage at the festival with a full band in tow.
"I've got Amy Viola [viola], Pandora Holliday [violin], Jon Wilby [bass] and James Van Cooper [guitar] joining me for this gig, and we're all looking forward to returning to a festival stage," Nelson said.
"The full band adds a deeper dimension to the songs, and an intimate theatre show will suit our sound perfectly."
Nelson has been a regular at the festival since 2015, when it was held at the Bathurst Goldfields.
"I first performed at the festival as part of the Local Emerging Artists Program [LEAP], which required me to perform an audition piece in front of Sophie Jones [Smith & Jones]," he said.
"To find myself now supporting artists such as Kate Ceberano and Andrew Swift [coming up at The Victoria Bathurst on March 20] instills me with plenty of positivity about how far I've come."
Nelson released his debut album, Man on the Mountain, in June 2019, generating the singles 'Man on the Mountain', 'Late Night Letter' and 'Sell Your Soul'.
He said he has started to brainstorm ideas for a potential second album.
"I've been playing around with some ideas, and there's a vague blueprint in place for where I want to take new material," Nelson said.
"There's still some question marks around how live music's going to look post-COVID, so I'm eager to see how it all plays out, and once the touring environment starts to look up, I'll hopefully have some new music ready to go."
Nelson and his band will be on the BMEC theatre stage this Friday from 8pm. Tickets cost $45 [$38 for concession and students].
In other events across the festival, a free screening of Soda Jerk's TERROR NULLIUS will air at BMEC from 7.30pm on Tuesday evening, while Sub-Tribe, The Safety of Life at Sea and The Miranda will perform at BMEC's City Hall from 7.30pm on Wednesday.
Hussy Hicks and Smith & Jones will perform at the Fossil and Mineral Museum car park from 8pm on Thursday, as will C.W. Stoneking and Mo'Ju from 8pm on Saturday.
The Beanies will perform a free show for kids at BMEC from 2pm on Sunday.
To book tickets, visit www.inlandseaofsound.com.au.