Camp Cope bassist Kelly-Dawn Hellmrich chats with Tanya Ali on Agenda, centring on promoting change, performing at the Sydney Opera House and existing as an entirely self-managed entity.

The powerhouse that is Camp Cope continues to manifest equality in screaming defiance of a resistant music industry. Their tools? Raw artistry, an engaging and inclusive live show and the positive force of their It Takes One campaign which stands against the inexcusable sexual and physical assault rife our live music scene. An issue that unfortunately continues to linger, Hellmrich points out the fear of initiating change beyond the music community,

“It’s a societal issue. It’s not just music where this happens. There’s definitely lots of resistance to change from people who you don’t expect it from… People who know the right thing to do, but it’s easier to sometimes be quiet and just let things go on… I’m hoping that will change. Let’s not fill up the spaces in our art community with what’s easy, let’s try and fill it up with more meaning.”

Having just returned to the motherland after a 25-date US tour with Run For Cover label-mates Petal, the Melbourne three piece continued to harvest the fruits of their second-album labour with a Sydney Opera House return performance of How To Socialise And Make Friends; this time around in the iconic Concert Hall. Camp Cope saw the scale of such a room as an opportunity to embrace,

“It’s a very powerful room. You maybe expect to walk into a room like the Concert Hall and for it to be intimidating, but it’s kind of the opposite. It has this weird, powerful energy that makes you feel like you can do it more than you can’t.”

Kelly-Dawn also gets into face-palming reality of being a highly successful all-women self-managed band and still needing to fend off unsolicited offers of assistance.

Listen to the whole thing up top or listen back to the full show with Katie Winten and Tanya Ali here.