Liam and Renae Norton throw a party with more than 100 guests nearly every Saturday night on the Sunshine Coast.
In a deserted street in a Caloundra industrial area, the good vibes continue unabated as the ever-changing mix of music lovers indulge their live music tastes.
And they keep coming back, safe in the knowledge that they are not only helping to raise funds for charity, but also giving musicians, singers and bands a platform to showcase their original songs at what has become known as Norton Music Factory.
Liam readily admits he is an accidental music promoter.
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An electrician by trade, he was searching to buy premises to expand his Platinum Electricians contracting business three years ago.
A life-long music fan and former drummer, he already had established the Norton Music Factory as a custom guitar sideline business a decade earlier in 2012.
That’s a story in itself. What started with a desire to own a Triple Humbucker 1970s custom guitar like his band’s guitarist, turned to failure when he was unable to find anything similar without an eye-watering price tag. That then became a drive to better educate himself on the intricacies of designing and building guitars and a passion to ensure they not only looked beautiful but also sounded amazing.
So, when Liam finally found the right premises for his electrical business in Bronwyn Street, he also moved the instrument workshop from his Little Mountain home to an area he soundproofed out the back.
The music venue idea still hadn’t surfaced when he held a company Christmas party for 80 people, including employees and their partners, as well as wholesalers and clients, in 2020.
That was the first of only a handful over the next two years as COVID restrictions capped private events to 100.
“If you had have asked me two years ago would I be sitting with you right now talking about a music venue or that I would have Rose Tattoo playing here or The Radiators … I’d be saying you’re kidding yourself because it was never in our plans,” Liam said as a cleaner worked quietly nearby in preparation for a blues music night.
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“Everything that has happened now started by accident. With the help and dedication of my wife Renae and other close family and friends, it has evolved into what it is today.
“I can’t thank them enough and I can’t thank our patrons enough. They really have embraced our way of supporting live music and charities at the same time. We are honoured to do this together.
“Even at the Christmas party, that was just a big open room and I still had tape on the floor where I’d marked out my tuition rooms that I was going to build.
“From that Christmas party, one of the bands that I brought in asked if they could do a film clip here.
“So, we built the stage and then the COVID lockdowns happened.
“The film clip was supposed to be early in the new year. The film clip got pushed back to April.
“The film clip was just another private party, and from that, it became ‘What do we do next?’. Even at that stage, there was still no ‘we’re going to try and bring bands here and have a music venue’.”
But that all changed through Liam’s involvement in the Dunga Derby: the major fundraising event for Rally For A Cause, which supports families with life-limiting medical conditions and in need of financial and/or practical assistance.
The annual four-day car rally adventure – with a field of 55 Dunga cars and support vehicles travelling a route from the coast to the bush and back – began on the Fraser Coast and now also helps Sunshine Coast families.
“It’s a fantastic charity,” Liam said.
“They support local families on the Coast that need help or may have fallen on hard times through no fault of their own.
“One of young boys we helped needed a machine so he didn’t die in his sleep. It’s a one-in-a-gazillion condition he’s got where if he falls asleep, he stops breathing.
“Or it could be cancer survivors or kids with tumours. The stuff they do is amazing.
“We did our first fundraiser for Dunga Derby here and it was very successful. We raised a couple of grand that first night (July 10, 2021).
“That was the springboard. That became: ‘Hang on, we can do what we’re doing here to raise money.’
“I did a tally the other day and so far we’ve raised over $30,000 for Dunga Derby.”
Fundraising parties were held in between COVID lockdowns and whenever Liam could book acts to put on a show.
There was never any fanfare. No opening night – just the drive to do some good in the community and have fun along the way.
But the venue’s unbridled success has led to Liam bringing on board a second charity, One Co. Foundation, which helps business owners take on charitable initiatives that are simple and easy to implement in their communities.
Norton Music Factory now presents a weekly entertainment mix, from blues and country music to rock, indie and heavy metal.
A ‘wall of fame’ at the entrance is a nod to the calibre of artists who already have played there – including our own Barry Charles and Kevin Borich Express – and soaked up the relaxed, intimate atmosphere that welcomes up to about 350 people on big nights.
Liam, who handpicks the artists, is especially excited to have Rose Tattoo on the bill on October 7, and the Women On Top night featuring Sarah McLeod (from The Superjesus), Karise Eden (winner of the first series of The Voice Australia in 2012) and Minnie Marks (Aussie blues singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist) on November 4.
Liam knows the venue is filling a void in the local music scene “because there’s nothing else like this”.
“The feedback we get from a lot of our regulars is that they feel safe here,” he said.
“We don’t attract undesirables. We’re not a pub and don’t intend to be a pub.
“The main reasons we do this: 1. To raise money for charity and 2. To support up-and-coming bands and give them a platform to launch their career.
“They’re the two big drivers and they’re on par with each other. If we didn’t raise money for charity, I’d probably think, ‘Well, what’s the point in doing it?’
“Primarily, we’re an original music venue. We’re trying to help up-and-coming bands or even bands that have been around for a while that haven’t quite got there. We’re trying to give them a venue to play at and hopefully can help them become top 40 artists, get more radio plays and get to play other venues.
“One of the bands that played here a while ago coined the term ‘Paradise for music lovers’, and that really has resonated with everyone who comes here.
“The musicians really like coming here because we have a decent-sized stage, good production and good sound so they can hear themselves.
“We built it for musicians and it’s built by musicians.
“I can guarantee, with the setup, the production and the sound, when you see a band play here, you wouldn’t want to see them play anywhere else.”
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