Live music with 0 emission - Alex Pinte, founder of Wildlive

For many years, Alex dreamt to organise live music events in Australia's most beautiful locations, but also to reduce their environmental impact as much as possible. This is why he founded Wildlive, a company that develops a range of entirely solar-powered sound and lighting systems, for live music with 0 emission. From a career as an artist manager to the Guts Tour, despite many challenges and with the support of artists such as Kim Churchill, discover the fascinating journey of Alex Pinte, the founder of Wildlive.

Portrait of Alex Pinte, the founder of Wildlive

Red soil as far as the eye can see. An intense blue sky, barely dotted with a few white clouds. A sun not yet scorching at this time of year, but whose dazzling light flattens the perspectives of the outback. An almost overwhelming silence broken only by the laughter of children in the distance, and a slight breeze stirring clouds of ochre dust intermittently.

Suddenly, an unusual sound breaks the peace of this timeless place. The riff of an electric guitar.

This scene took place in September 2024 in Docker River, a small Aboriginal community in the heart of the Northern Territory, 250 kilometres west of Uluru. It is here that the third gig of the Guts Tour took place, a tour like no other in the immense spaces of the Australian desert.

“I don’t know how many hours we spent on the road, on the bumpiest tracks I’ve ever seen,” remembered Alex. “In total we covered more than 2000 kilometres in 10 days!” A week had passed since the end of the Guts Tour, but the fatigue could still be seen on his face. The happiness of having participated in such an event too. “This tour was exactly what I dreamed of when I created Wildlive 3 years ago.”

Alex Pinte is French. He moved to Melbourne in 2016, and never left. Passionate about music, he gradually made his way onto the local cultural scene, starting by managing artists and organising small gigs and events. Until in 2021, he decided to launch the project he had had in mind for several years: Wildlive, the first eco-responsible live music production company in Australia, which develops a range of entirely solar-powered sound and lighting systems. "I wanted to offer something new," he explained, "organising events in exceptional locations in Australia, but in the most eco-friendly way possible. Since there was no technological solution available on the market, I thought I might be able to create something myself."

When I met him, he was finishing preparations for a “Solar Session” a few days later, an intimate gig in the beautiful setting of the Collingwood Yards in Melbourne. Headline artist: Kim Churchill, Wildlive ambassador since the beginning, who celebrated the release of his new album It's Lovely to Have You Here on this occasion. Despite the stress of organising this event, Alex took the time to talk to me about the creation of Wildlive, the challenges he had to overcome, and how lucky he was to benefit from the support of an artist like Kim.

The Guts Tour in Docker River - photo by Sam Brumby

Alex Pinte, the founder of Wildlive, during a Solar Session in Collingwood in 2024

Kim Churchill is an Australian folk/rock musician born in Canberra in 1990. He released his debut album With Sword and Shield in 2009. He has since known success in Australia and internationally with songs such as Window to the Sky, Canopy, or Second Hand Car. His latest album It's Lovely To Have You Here was released on 11 October 2024, the day of that Solar Session in Collingwood, and reached fifth place on the Aria charts the week of its release.

This extraordinary tour began on September 19 in Alice Springs. 10 days, 8 concerts, and 21 people on the road, or rather on the dusty and corrugated tracks of the Northern Territory. “The artists participating in this tour were the James Range Band, 8 musicians from the Pitjantjatjara and Utju Aboriginal communities, and Floodlights, a rock band from Melbourne.” But also surprise guests at almost every concert!

“Every evening, local bands came to play on stage spontaneously. They were enjoying themselves so much that it was sometimes difficult to ask them to leave to make way for our artists! Most of the communities we passed through have a “music room” with instruments and some very old sound systems. But it’s an extremely rare event for them to have access to equipment of such quality, with such good sound.”

Beyond the cultural aspect, this tour was also a huge technical challenge. For 10 days, the fragile amplifiers suffered the incessant shocks of the outback tracks, but also the constant attack of dust, and even torrential rain on the fifth day! But everything held together, “fortunately because we had no plan B” smiled Alex. “There was simply no room to carry spare parts!”

The first major event in which Alex participated with Wildlive was the Queenscliff Music Festival in November 2022. Since then, he multiplied the “Solar Sessions” throughout Australia, entirely solar-powered concerts in unique locations. Step by step, event after event, he continued to make a name for himself, while convincing sceptics of the validity of his project. At the end of 2023, he embarked on a three-week tour with 3 French artists, who were all delighted with the experience. It was at the same time that the Guts Tour began to take shape.

“In November 2023, I received a Unified Grant, an award given annually by the Unified Music Group, a Melbourne-based label, which rewards innovative projects in the field of music. The Bush Music Fund, which supports First Nations musicians, was also one of the recipients. They had organised some previous Guts Tours since 2016, which aimed to bring live music to isolated locations in Australia. They wanted to repeat the experience in 2024 and asked me to join them. I immediately said yes.”

What’s next now? “I think the Bush Music Fund team was delighted with this tour. If they want to do it again in the future and call on me, I would be happy to participate. In any case, I will continue to organise this kind of eco-responsible events, whether in the Northern Territory, in Victoria, or even in parks in Melbourne. Because it’s the only way for me to envision the live music of tomorrow!” With hopefully more and more success for Wildlive.

For more details about Wildlive and their products and events, visit their website as well as the Instagram pages of Wildlive and of the Solar Sessions.