Festivals & Venues: March 8

INAUGURAL MELTDOWN ANNOUNCES FULL LINEUPS

The inaugural alt and heavy music festival Meltdown has announced the full lineup for its three dates (May 12, 19 and 26).

Seven acts – Gay Paris (pictured above), Child, Arteries, The Black Swamp, Sumeru, Never, Born Lion – will play all three east coast shows. Each city will also host their own additional bands (listed below).

The Spotted Mallard, Melbourne: I Am Duckeye, Lazertits, Smoke Stack Rhino, Moustache Ant, Desert Kingdom, Skullfork

The Bald Faced Stag, Sydney: Red Gazelle, Stormbird, The Lockhearts, The Social Norm, The Kids

Crowbar, Brisbane: The Silencio, The Ugly Kings, A Somerset Parade, For The Wolves, Regular Gonzales

Ticket links can be found here.

Meltdown is the first move into festivals by Dirthouse Agency, which set up 18 months ago as a booking, management and promotions company.

With the 2018 line up finalised, Dirthouse Agency is already planning to expand in 2019 with more cities and multiple stages.

Dirthouse owner Jason Finlay is hoping to make the festival an annual event as the heavy rock scene lacks an event like this, he says.

PITCH SELLS OUT, 10,000 ON THEIR WAY

This weekend’s EDM Pitch Music in Victoria (March 9—12) has sold out, its organisers told Ararat Regional City Council, which means hosting 10,000 people.

The reason for the announcement is that Pitch organisers want local Ararat and Grampians business to be prepared.

Last year the camping event drew 7,000, and some supplies from stalls ran out.

The loca council emailed businesses to use the opportunity to increase their income during the weekend, and to also remember that production crew would be there, while campers would also be wanting extra supplies from nearby towns.

Last year Council approved a five-year plan for the festival, with attendance capacity to grow to 11,000 next year, and to hit 12,500 in the years 2020-22.

BRIGHTSIDE HAS DOGGIE IN WINDOW

Brisbane’s Brightside is tomorrow (Friday March 9) holding a fundraiser for RSPCA Queensland.

$10 entry allows entry to the Fortitude Valley to see Former Angels, Skies Collide, A Somerset Parade Official, Acid Kat and Crimson Nights.

CORONER RULES ON RAINBOW SERPENT DEATH

The Coroner’s investigation into the death of 22-year-old Jacob Langford at Rainbow Serpent in regional Victoria found that he had no less than 16 different drugs in his body.

These included ketamine, cocaine, MDMA diazepam and alcohol. The punter’s friends had warned him to slow down, the Coroner said.

Paramedics were called to the festival site at 10.15 pm, but he had gone into cardiac arrest.

NEW HOUSE NIGHT FOR BLOOM

Bloom, the new nightclub in the basement of an old McDonald’s outlet in Geelong, has launched a new Sunday night called Groove Control.

It’s the latest initiative from the new owners who took over in January, Aaron Cashion from Chow and Luke Jeantou and Adam Metwally from Uno with venue owners John Kennedy (Frankie/Ain’t No Siesta) and Ayman Muhor (The Lord Nelson, Customs House).

They installed the latest Funktion-One sound and DJ mixer gear, and are focused on underground EDM from overseas and local names.

FYRE FESTIVAL PROMOTER FACES TEN YEARS

Billy McFarland, promoter of the failed Fyre Festival in the Bahamas, faces up to ten years jail after pleading guilty to wire fraud. He is sentenced in June.

The 26-year-old admitted that he lied to investors who lost over $26 million.

He had created the concept of a luxury never-before-experienced festival last April and May, as an extension of an app he invented which helped promoters and individuals directly book musicians to their events.

But the budget blew out, and he admitted lying to investors with false documents to get them to become involved.

FINAL BANDS AND DJ LIST FOR BOOGIE

Boogie 12 (Easter weekend in Tallarook, Victoria) added its final bands and introduced its DJs list.

The latest bands are Justin & The Cosmics, The Smoking Flowers, The San Sebastian and Southern River Band.

The DJ list includes David Smiley, Glenny G, Emma Peel, Andre Frost, Mind Leaf, BT, Faux Pas Noir, David Heard, Ginger Light and Larry Cronick Jr.

BEACH HOTEL GOES POKIE FREE

Impact Investment Group, the new management of Beach Hotel in NSW’s Northern Rivers region have made the venue pokie-free as part of the company’s social responsibility policy.

On the first weekend without the clang! clang! of the machines, they booked live performances from Andrew Stockdale of Wolfmother and reggae rock outfit OKA, and urged patrons to donate to the local The Buttery’s gambling treatment program.

NORMANBY BRISBANE ON THE MARKET

The Normanby in Brisbane, near Suncorp Stadium and known for its live Sunday sessions, is up for sale for the first time in 15 years.

FUND FOR HARVEST VICTIM FAMILIES

Families of the 58 people shot dead during the 2017 mass shooting at Las Vegas’ Harvest 91 festival will each receive $270,000 from a crowdfunding campaign that raised $31.5 million.

Another 10 who survived but suffered permanent disabilities will also benefit from the fund.

CHILL OUT HAS 50 EVENTS

Victoria’s Labour Day long weekend (March 8 to 12) sees Queer Country Pride in Daylesford host 50 events for the LGBTI community as it celebrates its 21st anniversary.

These include everything from bingo, bush walks and bike rides to exhibitions, pride parade, carnival, dining experiences, dance parties, comedy and drag.

Entertainers include Ladyhood, Monique Brumby, Nat Allison, The Australian Kylie Show and Casey Freeman, comedians Geraldine Hickey, Adam Richard and Sue Ann Post and drag royalty Miss Candee, Rita La Coqueta and Sue Ridge.

NEW COUNTRY FESTIVAL FOR NSW

Coastal Country Music is a new regional NSW festival, to be held in the town of Wauchope (four hours drive north of Sydney) in August. Currently on the lineup is Troy Kemp, Josh Setterfield, Emma Dykes, Trade-Ins, Rusted and Blake O’Connor.

THE GOV APOLOGISES AFTER SOUND TECH COMMENT

Adelaide’s The Gov, the award-winning live music venue run by women and known for its inclusive atmosphere, apologised to Perth band Boat Show after a sound tech made a sexist comment.

The male employee told one of the female members of the band “How’s the glass ceiling going for you?”, leaving her in tears just before she went onstage.

Melissa and Jo Tonkin, stated, “On behalf of the Tonkin family, owners of The Gov for the last 25 years, we unreservedly apologise for the dumb comment made by our sound technician Mike on Saturday night, towards a female artist.

“There’s no excuse for comments like these in the workplace, or anywhere.”

The tech in question also immediately apologised.

But he got a ticking off from live sector magazine CX Media, which reminded him, and others in the sector through clenched teeth, “90% of working in live production is making your artists feel safe, happy, and confident.

“All great operators and techs have a rapport with their performers, who are paying their wages, and that’s what keeps getting them hired.

“Don’t delude yourself – this is a service industry, albeit a niche and weirdly skilled one.

“It’s up to you to educate yourself on acceptable behaviour.

“And congratulations for picking the worst possible time in the history of our culture to make a sexist comment to a female performer – #metoo #timesup.”

SEVEN MORE FOR MITCHELL CREEK ROCK’N’BLUES

Seven acts were added to the 7th Mitchell Creek Rock’n’Blues (21-24 September in the Noosa Hinterland, Queensland).

They were Justin Yap Band, Maji Curran, Geoff Achison & The Soul Diggers, Fiona O’Shea & The Passengers, Salt and Steel, That Red Head and Little Billy.

They join Renee Geyer, Ross Wilson, The Backsliders, Jesse Redwing, Gerry Joe Weise, The Fumes and Cass Eager and The Velvet Rope.

Almost 40 more acts will be drip-fed until show time, and those wanting to play should email info@mitchellcreekrocknbluesfest.com.au.

ROW OVER PERTH FRINGE

Perth Fringe is this year holding a record 750 events, selling 360,000 tickets box office sales of nearly $10 million.

But some performers told The West Australian with extra competition from an increasing amount of performers, that they are losing thousands of dollars – or in some cases, just breaking even – after paying registration and venue hire fees on top of their costs.

They say that the City of Perth, which makes millions from the Fringe and auxiliary spending, should subsidise their shows or pay them for their work to top up.

OCEAN RHYTHMS BACK WITH ALL-FEMALE LINEUP

NSW’s Ocean Rhythms (April 21, Old Bar Beach) returns with Amy Shark, Angie McMahon, Maddy Jane, ELKI, Tomgirl and Kinder.

COUNTRY IN THE VINES LENDS A HAND

The star-studded Crossroads Country in the Vines (Roche Estate, NSW, March 24.) has thrown its support behind drought-stricken and cash-strapped Hunter Valley farmers through the Buy A Bale Hunter campaign – which has already raised $100,000 since launching last month.