How a Group of Darwin Teenagers Are Shaking Up the NT Music Scene

Looking back at her primary school years, Nicoletta ‘Detta’ Cotis said she feels lucky that she didn’t get put into clarinet class like she wanted to. Instead, she joined the percussion class which was her second preference at the time, and went on to become one of the most well-known names in the Darwin music scene. 

“I really wanted to do clarinet, and my second choice was percussion because it was easy,” she said.

 
“Now I’m so happy that I didn’t get into clarinet.”

This coincidence has propelled her into a career as a drummer at her school band, and eventually her own band Elusive, a group co-founded by her and her friend Erin alongside a few other friends.

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“In my first gig… I remember getting off the stage and [being] just like ‘Oh my God!’,” she said, “It was a huge rush of adrenaline… watching people just enjoying and dancing around to our music.”

And while Elusive didn’t last long after her high school years, Detta soon found herself in Stone in Focus, where she continued to take the opportunity as the drummer to enjoy every gig she has with the group.

Now the founder of local music project Amplify the Youth, Detta has dedicated herself to not only celebrating music, but also the young people who want to get themselves into the action. 

“It’s a youth-run organisation aimed at getting younger or less experienced bands, giving them an easy way to start playing out in the community,” she said.

“Starting a band is really hard, and honestly, getting gigs is really hard, especially when you’ve never done it before,” she said, “Seeing that it’s actually kind of tricky for newer bands to do anything… that was kind of the inspiration for it.”

As the organiser, Detta and her friends oversee everything from choosing the venue, band lineups to the nitty-gritties of getting insurance and looking for sponsorships. Managing the organisation while balancing her life as a university student, the 18-year-old said it would never have been possible without the support from her friends.

Freddie Manion was one of the friends who helped run the logistics. Also an aspiring musician himself, the year 12 student said it was Detta who got him into forming his own band.

“It was Detta’s old band Elusive that made me want to start playing in a band,” he told the Student Spotlight, “And she’s been a huge help with organising my own band from the very beginning.”

Both Detta and Freddie got into music because of their family members. And now with more passion for the artform than ever, they said they want to spread that influence to younger generations of musicians just like how their family did to them.

“I kind of always grew up with [music]; my dad was very into it, he was a DJ,” Detta said, “I’ve been doing percussion since year 5… so [music] has just been around.”

 
“I want to watch the bands I put on to grow and change.”

After months of planning, Amplify the Youth finally got its first gig in March this year. As they welcomed dozens of teenagers from all around Darwin to the gig, and six different bands on the lineup playing their own music, the group celebrated their first victory in offering more opportunities to young musicians in Darwin.

“I didn’t think we were going to get much [expressions of interest], so I opened for five bands… but we had like 10 bands reach out,” Detta said.

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“There was a bit of concern because there were six bands playing that night which is a lot more than a usual gig but it all went really smoothly,” said Freddie. 

“It was one of the most attended gigs I’ve seen in a while too.”

But Amplify the Youth doesn’t just have its eyes on the Top End. Dubbed Detta’s ‘representative’ in Alice Springs, recent Year 12 graduate Lionel Ortega has been running music lessons in Alice Springs and remote communities across central Australia with the Top End Rhythm Academy. He said it is his passion for music that makes him want to share it with others, while also hinting at the possibility of an expansion of Amplify the Youth into Alice Springs.

“We got a great response from the youth there, they showed great interest in drumming and music,” he said, “we built connections that could [be] explored in the future and most importantly, the kids had fun playing music,” said Lionel.

“Detta is one of the best young drummers in Darwin [and] I’d say we share a definite interest in music… In terms of taste we’re quite different,” he said, “but we both see music as a way to let loose and bring people, particularly the youth, together.”

Looking into the future, Lionel and Freddie say they both see themselves working alongside Detta, who is keen to keep the project running on a non-profit basis as they continue to look for sponsorship opportunities to support more young musicians.

“There’s a lot of paperwork and it can get expensive, so we’ve been in contact with sponsors to donate funds,” he said, “I can easily see Amplify the Youth being a prominent force in youth gig organising in the near future and I look forward to seeing it.”

“My biggest goal is just being a person who can help younger people to have a space to put on their music… a safe space for younger people to have fun, because there’s really not that many,” said Detta.

“I don’t know how big it’s going to get, or how complicated it’s going to get, but I’m excited to see.”