Industrial Strength: September 18
DOCTORS ASSOCIATION JOINS CHORUS FOR PILL TESTING
The peak body for Australian doctors has joined the tsunami of calls for pill testing at festivals as it would have saved the lives of the Defqon.1 two.
In the last 48 hours, the debate has dug up the argument between “saving their lives” and “we’re doing the jobs of the drug dealers, and that’s a no-no.”
Wait until later in this week when the mainstream media whips it up into a “who’s to blame for this?”
Australian Medical Association president Tony Bartone joined the chorus for clinical trials, telling Sky News yesterday that law enforcement couldn’t be the sole option in dealing with the problem.
Pill-testing, he said, is “an opportunity to try and inform … about the dangerous consequences and try to get an opportunity to give them education and access to rehabilitation in terms of trying to reduce their drug dependency.
The AMA’s stand is that “proper co-ordinated clinical trials” were needed to see if pill testing did have a role to play.
SEVEN DIE AT VIETNAM FESTIVAL
Seven people have died of suspected drug overdoses during an EDM festival in Vietnam on Sunday, and five others remain in comas.
All were in their 20s.
The third Vietnam Electronic Weekend was held in a water park in the nightlife area of West Lake near Hanoi’s city centre.
It’s considered the largest drug disaster in a Vietnamese music festival, and authorities are scurrying around trying to find what drug(s) caused the disaster.
TRIPLE J PUSHES FOR MORE AUSSIE MUSIC
Triple j’s Dave Ruby Howe and Lachlan Macara fronted the NSW inquiry into the music and arts economy to lament at “a gulf between the amazing community we have of young Australians that support and love Australian music…to what we are seeing with commercial radio and moves there to step away from an obligation to play Australian music.”
Expanding online services was a definite way to expand help for unsigned and emerging acts, they said.
They released figures to show that Triple j Unearthed has 87,000 artists on its sign-up, of which 27,216 are from NSW.
Of the 148,855 tracks uploaded in the past ten years, about 46,000 came from acts based in NSW.
NEW CONCERT ARENA FOR ADELAIDE?
Currently being considered for the Adelaide Oval precinct is a new multi-use sports and concert arena at Riverbank.
It will have a seating capacity of 53,500 and the business proposal is being looked at to assess the $535 million price tag.
CONSPIRACY THEORIES FOLLOW MAC MILLER
The official results of the death of Mac Miller are still some weeks away. But his last hours have generated a series of conspiracy theories as to how he died.
One is that he topped himself, and gave clues on his Swimming album which came out in August.
The track Self Care, for instance, features the lyrics “September I fall”, and in the music video, he’s buried alive in a coffin.
He’s also seen carving the Latin phrase “Memento mori” (“remember you must die”)” into the lid of his coffin.
Some are also linking the shooting death of rapper XXXTentacion whose last video also depicted him attending his own funeral.
CAVE, AMYL & THE SNIFFERS, UP FOR Q AWARDS
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds and rising Australian band Amyl & The Sniffers are among those up for England’s Q magazine’s Q Awards, held in London on October 17.
The Bad Seeds are in the best live act category against David Byrne, Liam Gallagher, Stefflon Don and Taylor Swift.
Amyl & The Sniffers are on the breakthrough act list, which includes Goat Girl, Tom Grennan, The Magic Gang, Idles, Bugzy Malon, Nakhane, Novelist, Nadine Shah, Jorja Smith and Rejjie Snow.
Leading the noms are Idles, The 1975, Janelle Monae, Christine & The Queens, Arctic Monkeys and Goat Girl.
TEENAGE FANCLUB ADD PERTH
Frontier Touring this morning added a Perth date for Scottish band Teenage Fanclub’s summer visit.
It will be at the Capitol on Saturday, February 9.
The Melbourne show at the Corner Hotel has sold out.
NSW & NATIONAL SURVEYS FOR MUSICIANS
Two surveys are asking working musicians to provide them with data, to be used to request for future funding and policy strategies.
One is from the media and musicians union, the MEAA, which wants to pinpoint the more urgent issues they face and also how many sources of income they have.
Take the survey here.
The second survey is for NSW musicians, and by Create NSW.
It will take 14 minutes to complete, and its “purpose … is to collect vital information from NSW musicians and their representatives to assist in the development of a Contemporary Music Strategy for the state.”
Take the survey here.
MOJO’S CLOSES
Ballarat in Victoria has lost another live music venue. The latest casualty is Mojo’s Lounge and Bar, which the Ballarat Courier says was, “a dispute between the venue’s original owners and the current operators led to the former reclaiming fittings from the building, leaving it unable to continue.”
The Courier also ticked other recent closures including the Opulance nightclub after a year following cops discovering it was operating on a restaurant licence and not a nightclub one (although it says it’s been resolved and said to be returning), The Royal Mail with a reported $400,000 in debts, and Seymours after the building owners locked the licensee out.
MICHAEL BUBLE LEADS TV SPECIALS
In the run-up to Michael Bublé’s one-off show to mark the end of Sydney’s Allianz Stadium (Guy Sebastian and Busby Marou were added yesterday) Seven is tonight screening the crooner’s Tour Stop 148 documentary
Beginning at 9.45 pm, the doco was from the 172 date sold out To Be Loved Tour which concluded in 2015 and was seen globally by over two million fans.
On Friday at 8.30 pm Ten screens When Corden Met McCartney, as in James and Paul.
SBS has Amy Winehouse: Back To Black on its slate at 8.30 pm on Friday.
SEFTON AT RCC FRINGE
Acclaimed Adelaide artistic director David Sefton has taken over the running of the Adelaide Fringe venue RCC Fringe, previously known as the Royal Croquet Club under previous owners.
SPOTIFY CMO DEPARTING
Spotify marketing chief Seth Farbman will exit the music-streaming company at the end of the month after three years “as part of a broader effort to realign.”
He will not be replaced as Spotify is decentralising the marketing group.
JONATHON WELCH FAREWELLS CHOIR OF HARD KNOCKS
After 12 years at the helm, The Choir of Hard Knocks’ founding artistic director Dr Jonathon Welch AM is retiring in December to spend more time with his family.
A farewell concert will be announced in the coming weeks.
Dr Welch, who will help find his replacement, said, “The Choir of Hard Knocks will always remain etched in my heart and will probably be seen as my ‘footprint in the sand,’
“It has been my greatest honour to serve them as their artistic leader for all these years.”
SPLENDOUR, MOO, ACCUSED ESCAPE CONVICTIONS
Most of the 100 Splendour in the Grass patrons charged with drug possession have been let off with six-month good behaviour bonds and avoided convictions.
Lawyer Sally McPherson, who represented some of the charged, told ABC North Coast that magistrate Jeff Linden, is a “particularly intelligent, reasonable magistrate”.
“A Section-10 is what everybody is hoping for, particularly these young people who have got no criminal history.
“If you came there with no priors, were cooperative with police, made full admissions, admitted guilt at the first opportunity, magistrate Linden did tend to convict under section 10 with a good behaviour bond.”
Meantime a 21-year old male who was scooped up at Groovin’ The Moo’s Townsville show last year with MDA pills was let off with probation by the Supreme Court yesterday.
BACK SURGERY BRINGS AXLE DOWN
Axle Whitehead’s return to the road in Australia as opening act on Americana act James Van Cooper’s current tour fell apart because of his recent back surgery.
Whitehead explained, “Rehab has been a lot slower than expected and I’m not match fit to be on the road for 2 months.
“I’d like to apologise to fans and to James. Get along to his show, he’s got a brilliant band with him and a knock out record called Coming Home, available now. Have a blast Jimmy!!”
Van Cooper’s tour has brought on an assortment of new opening acts, including Bill Barber, Rose Zita Falko, Andrew Swift, Roses In Hand and Raechel Whitchurch.
‘POISONED’ PUSSY RIOT MEMBER MOVED TO GERMANY
After being reportedly poisoned during a court appearance in Moscow for invading the World Cup pitch, Pussy Riot member Pyotr Verzilov was flown to Berlin for specialist medical treatment.
According to Pussy Riot, Verzilov lost his eyesight and ability to speak.
Media at Moscow’s airport saw him being stretchered into a chartered plane owned by Cinema for Peace Foundation, who’ve supported Pussy Riot before.
He was met at Moscow airport by ex-wife and band member Nadya Tolokonnikova, and his mother. The latter accompanied her son to Germany.
Tolokonnikova took German tabloid Bild he believed he had been “deliberately poisoned” for either “intimidation or even an assassination attempt”.
CELEBRATING BRISBANE’S LANEWAYS
The inaugural Hidden Lanes festival (October 13) celebrates Fortitude Valley laneways through a fashion parade showcasing seven local designers, 41 music acts, photography exhibitions, food, art and heritage.
RAA EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR TO STEP DOWN
John Oster is stepping down as executive director of Regional Arts Australia (RAA) after four years.
According to the association, Oster’s achievements included setting up a new platform for Artlands, setting up a stronger touring circuit and using his parliamentary contacts to increase the profile of regional arts.
EARN, BABY, EARN: THE RICH RAPPERS LIST
US business magazine Forbes’ just dropped its list of top-earning rappers.
- Swizz Beatz ($15 million tie)
- Russ ($15 million tie)
- Meek Mill ($15 million tie)
- Logic ($17 million)
- Lil Wayne ($19 million)
- Lil Uzi Vert ($19.5 million)
- Birdman ($20 million)
- Travis Scott ($21 million)
- Chance the Rapper ($21.5 million)
- Eminem ($23 million)
- Migos ($24.5 million)
- DJ Khaled ($27 million)
- Kanye West ($27.5 million)
- Future ($30 million)
- Pitbull ($32 million)
- Nas ($35 million tie)
- Dr. Dre ($35 million tie)
- J. Cole ($35.5 million)
- Drake ($47 million)
- Kendrick Lamar ($58 million)
- Diddy ($64 million)
- Jay-Z ($76.5 million)
WHATEVER HAPPENED TO GABRIELLA CILMI
Ten years ago, she emerged with a cracker single Sweet About Me which was best selling track of 2008 and swept the ARIAs with six wins.
Then Gabriella Clim disappeared.
ABC Radio Hobart’s evening presenter Joel Rheinberger tracked her down to London, where she moved to after meeting a Scottish guy.
She’s still singing and releasing records, but not released in Australia.
“It was like a whirlwind, I was 17 at the time, and was signed up at 13,” after A&R chief Michael Parisi heard her at an Italian festival pounding out Led Zeppelin’s Whole Lotta Love.
New music is coming next year, with a more Celtic nod, given her love for Van Morrison’s classic Astral Weeks.
AND A FEW OTHER THINGS…
A decade after illness forced her to pull out, Kylie Minogue will play the Glastonbury festival next year under the Legends slot.
John Farnham’s A Day On The Green show on December 2 at Sirromet Wines in Mt Cotton sold out all 12,000 tickets. The lineup with Daryl Braithwaite, Richard Marx, Russell Morris and Bachelor Girl has seen similar sell-outs in Victoria and NSW, at Bimbadgen, Hunter Valley and Rochford Wines, Yarra Valley, with a second Victorian show on Sunday, December 9 nearly sold out
The Queensland and WA governments are seeking a more equitable share of federal funds for their state-based companies, The Australian noted.
Queensland singer-songwriter Cody Simpson’s family, who joined him in LA when his career took off, have now returned to the Gold Coast because of “the fresh air” and “great schools”. This is despite being offered a Kardashian-type reality TV series. Cody remains in the US. His younger sister, who’s also making music, returned to Australia but will commute to the States.
Rising singer and songwriter Jess Kent’s new track Girl through EMI Music Australia has generated 120,000 global streams n its first weekend after additions on Spotify’s New Music Friday in the US, Australia and New Zealand and the Best of the Week playlist on Apple Music across Australia, New Zealand and Asia.
Shannon Noll was charged with drug possession after allegedly being caught with a bag of “white powder” last Thursday night at the Caringbah Hotel in Sydney’s south, the Daily Telegraph reported.
Myf Warhurst and Zan Rowe’s Double J podcast series, Bang On, is headed to Melbourne for its first-ever live show in the city. It will be on October 21 at the Thornbury Theatre as part of the Darebin Music Feast. Guests will be announced soon. Warhurst and Rowe will also be speaking at OzPod in Melbourne. The one-day podcasting conference by the ABC will be taking place on October 17 at ACMI.
Peter Garrett and wife Doris sold their terrace place in Sydney’s Paddington after three years, going for a record-breaking $5.25 million in the much sought after suburb. They bought it for $2.7 million.
New research shows that half of Australia’s 28 biggest performing arts groups saw sponsorship revenue drop last year, but private donations surged to hit a record $111 million.
US rapper Rick Ross cancelled his tour at the last minute. It was due to begin tomorrow.
Indigenous musician Scott Darlow has put together The Drought Breakers to help Australian farmers, Noise 11 revealed. Sarah McLeod of The Superjesus, country singer Adam Brand, Southern Sons’ Jack Jones and Dragon’s Todd Hunter have recorded a version of Dragon’s Rain.