Brisbane venue Crowbar launches Hearts MGMT, sign Melbourne’s Pagan

While running Brisbane heavy rock venue Crowbar for the past six years, co-owner/director Trad Nathan and co-owner/ operations manager Tyla Dombroski have had no shortage of young bands asking them for business and touring advice and management.

Nathan’s past bands The Scare and The Amity Affliction made him a source of guidance on how to approach the global market.

Until now, running the venue has kept the two of them too busy, explains Dombroski.

“But now we’ve now a great management team at the Crowbar, which now has given us the time for us to put more energy into doing it properly.”

The first signing to Hearts MGMT is Melbourne metal-punk outfit Pagan, who played Crowbar at the Dead of Winter festival and approached the pair about management.

This time the timing was right, and they agreed, noting they are a compelling live act whose July-released Black Wash is “a killer album.”

“They’re amazing people, instantly part of our family, and it just made sense,” Dombroski says.

Pagan are European in their attitude and sound, and already have a UK/ European label (Hassle) alongside EVP for Australia. “There’s definitely a place for them in the market there.”

As a result, Hearts MGMT co-manages Pagan with UK publicist and artist manager Hayley Connelly.

She has owned and operated Little Press/Little MGMT for nine years, with clients including My Chemical Romance, PVRIS, Pierce The Veil, Metallica, Northlane, Knocked Loose, Rise Records and Pure Noise Records, Slam Dunk Festival and 2000trees.

“I am so honoured to join forces with Hearts MGMT,” says. Connelly.

“I have known them for over a decade and represented Trad’s previous bands.

“That coupled with their wealth of knowledge in both music and business means that I am very excited to work alongside them in a new capacity.”

Connelly saw Pagan play the Crowbar at BIGSOUND 2017 at 1am

“They had me from the first second and I immediately told them I wanted to work with them. They’re a very special band.”

Black Wash is already getting strong reviews from the UK and European press, and plans are being firmed for a UK/Europe run this year before they play Australia again in early 2019.

They’ll start work on a follow up album, Dombroski confirms, with indication they’ll hit the UK/European festival circuit in the 2019 northern summer.

Pagan posted on Facebook: “Trad and Tyla adopted us into their beautiful family since the day we first stepped foot into their venue and their love and guidance has helped our band to no end to this point.

“Hayley has work d miracles in helping our little band reach parts of the world beyond our wildest dreams and had been so supportive and invested in what we do since the first time she saw us play, funnily enough, at Crowbar.

“The stars have aligned and everything makes sense now! It’s people, not business.”