Band back to stage a free fire relief show in Katanning

Weeks after a bushfire nearly destroyed part of Katanning, the town is bracing for a “landslide”.

Perth band Landslide was ready to play at the Concert in the Park on February 8, when a bushfire broke containment lines to the north of Katanning.

Lead singer Karen Jackson and her fellow band members had arrived in town just as the situation started to escalate.

Within hours, they were in a bushfire emergency, complete with an evacuation centre and automated texts to leave town.

“We had to go and get my parents and relatives who were in the caravan park on the other side of Katanning and our friends who had come down to see us in the Concert in the Park,” Mrs Jackson said.

“We got evacuated. We were very fortunate all we lost was our time, but some of the locals lost animals and one of the locals lost their property. It was quite scary.

“I didn’t think we were going to get out. It was very smoky and it felt very close.”

Hundreds of volunteers managed to stop last month’s bushfire in its tracks, with only one home lost.

The emergency forced the cancellation of two of the town’s biggest events — Kaos in the Country and Concert in the Park.

Landslide, a Fleetwood Mac and Eagles tribute band, will return to Katanning for a free concert on April 18 at the Ram Pavilion.

The concert is happening on the same day as the monthly Katanning Farmers Markets.

Bass guitarist Mike Jackson said they felt invested in the town after the fire and wanted to put on a good show.

It was a chance for residents to relax and forget about their worries for a while.

“To be in that position where there was all that smoke and people were evacuated, it was a strange time and we were upset about what was happening,” Mr Jackson said.

“We just got a bit close to it and we thought we’d like to give something back.”