Festivals & Venues Update May 26
Image: The Bella Union
SECURITY BEEFED UP AFTER MANCHESTER
Although Australia’s terror warning ranking stays the same, venue operators have been initiating some changes after the Manchester bombing for music and sports events.
The Melbourne Cricket Ground is looking at options including clear bags only, and permanent barriers. Late arrivals will no longer be exempt from searches in some stadiums.
“The whole industry is going to have to rejig itself,” promoter Michael Chugg told The Australian from London, where Australian act Sheppard, whom he manages were about to start a UK tour.
Adelaide Venue Management (Adelaide Entertainment Centre, Adelaide Convention Centre, Cooper’s Stadium) will hold talks with SA Police and make a decision on permanent bollards outside the venues.
LORDE RELEASE OFFERED TO VENUES
Universal Music Australia, Spotify and Nightlife Music are offering a select amount of venues the chance to hold a listening party for Lorde’s second album Melodrama on the day of its release on June 16.
All venues, which will be provided with a full communications package (including visuals for screening) and supported by Nightlife, have to register by next Thursday (June 1) online.
MELBOURNE LOSING THE BELLA UNION
After 12 years of showcasing live bands as well as comedy, theatre and dance, Melbourne’s Bella Union is shuttering in late October after the Carlton building owner Victorian Trades Hall Council rejected to extend its lease for a further five years.
Pleas to keep the venue open at least until January 2018 were also rejected.
“We have all worked hard to create a venue that embraces creativity, diversity and, perhaps most importantly, the possibility of experiencing joy,” said venue Director Catherine Woodfield.
The Bella Union was also a home for the Melbourne Fringe Festival and Eurovision broadcast parties.
UMBRELLA SOUNDS STRIKES AON PARTNERSHIP
Adelaide’s Umbrella Winter City Sounds – with 300 events staged in 100 venues – has struck a partnership with Aon Entertainment Insurance as its insurance partner.
Aon has a strong focus on musicians, offering policies for individual performers, bands and performing groups, equipment and instruments.
It’s just relaunched its Musos Support Policy range, offering three years of lost income following personal accident, illness and permanent disability.
Aon has long-standing partnerships with APRA AMCOS and the Australian Music Association.
Umbrella’s printed guide hits the streets on Wednesday May 31.
YOURS & OWLS SELLS OUT SECOND RELEASE TIX
Wollongong’s Yours & Owls announced yesterday that its second release of tickets have sold out, following a similar response for its pre-sale and first release.
“Third and final release is now open and selling fast!” promoters said.
VICTORIA’S LAUNCHES DARK FESTIVAL
Winter Wilds is a new festival in Victoria’s Otways bringing “dark arts and music” over four weekends July 1 to August 13. There’ll be arts installations, roving performers and the burning of a festival sculpture at the end.
Music acts include Mick Turner, Tek Tek Ensemble, The Sand Pebbles and Emotion Works.
NEW ATTENDANCE RECORD FOR BLUES ON BROADBEACH?
The exact numbers won’t be tallied officially for some months. But it seems that the 2017 edition of Blues on Broadbeach surpassed last year’s attendance of 166,000.
The Saturday night was the pinnacle, with Bonnie Tyler, Slim Jim Phantom and Ian Moss.
Official charity partner Salvation Army also hasn’t crunched the numbers but said takings were higher than expected.
One reason is that when rain fell on the Friday, 3000 ponchos were handed out in return for donations to the Salvos.
FREDA’S GETS EXTENDED LICENCE
Freda’s on Regent Street is the latest Sydney venue to be given extended hours. It can open until 2am on Fridays and Saturdays from midnight, and to midnight on Sundays from 10pm.
“We have lost a large part of our soul in this process, but this news gives hope to all those who want a better solution for our nightlife and who believe a night out should only be about relaxing, listening to music, dancing, and engaging with each other in a safe and respectful way,” said proprietor David Abram.
SPIEGELTENT BACK IN DARWIN
The Aurora Spiegeltent returns to the Darwin Festival after five years with a season of Strut & Fret’s saucy new production Blanc de Blanc.
Darwin Festival Acting Artistic Director Felix Preval said, “Blanc de Blanc has been described as ‘champagne cabaret’, every act is a cheeky toast to the iconic party tipple. It’s a fabulous fusion of vintage glamour and high-end circus, and promises to be one hell of a party.”
The festival’s full program of cabaret, theatre, comedy, dance, visual arts, words and ideas, music and family fun will be announced on Wednesday June 21.
LISTEN OUT ON THE MOVE
The acts involved are yet to be announced, but the dates for EDM party Listen Out have been revealed. It begins at Melbourne’s Catani Gardens (Sat Sept 23) and then to Perth at HBF Arena’s Western Parklands the next day.
It’s back across the continent to Sydney’s Centennial Parklands (Sat 30) and winds up in Brisbane on October 1 at the Sporting Fields in Victoria Park.
ALLEGED ONE-PUNCH KILLER OUT ON BAIL
26-year-old Richard Vincec of Ocean Grove, accused of killing 22-year-old Jaiden Walker with a single punch on May 6 near Cherry Bar in Melbourne, was allowed bail until his next court hearing on June 23.
According to police testimony, the two men met that night after Vincec struck up a conversation with a female in Walker’s group in the bar. He allegedly invited the woman and another of Walker’s group to take speed in the male toilet.
They were thrown out of the bar. Outside the woman rejected Vincec’s alleged sexual advances. He tried to shake the hands of the group. Walker initially declined which upset the other man.
When they did, Walker grabbed his hand tightly. According to CCTV footage, Vincec either pulled back his hand or pushed Walker who hit his head on the concrete floor. He died later in hospital.
FROLICS AT BASSINTHE GRASS
Among the frolics at Darwin’s sold-out Bassinthegrass, most of the 7500 attendees were well behaved.
But there were 70 evicted for all sorts of bad behaviour, two people were nicked for allegedly dealing, two carted off to hospital with suspected drug overdoses, a couple with severe sunstroke and cops confiscated 447 litres of alcohol outside the no-booze all-ages event.
FOURTH MAN IN COURT OVER ALBANY HOTEL
A fourth man Karl Hutchinson faced the Supreme Court over a fire which destroyed the Premier Hotel in Albany. WA. He pleaded guilty to helping to set the building on fire, as did three others, and creating damages of $2 million.
The hotel’s former licensee Graeme Roderick Cooper, is fighting charges of attempted fraud over allegations in relation to the hotel fire so that he could make an insurance claim.
OPENING NIGHT FOR BELLO MUSIC
The separately ticketed Opening Night festivities of Bello Winter Music (July 6—9) features Husky, Jack Carty, West African multi-instrumentalist Epizo Bangoura, Melbourne six piece Hello Tut Tut and a number of local acts, with comedian Mandy Nolan as MC.
FRINGE WORLD GETS STAND-ALONE FUNDING
Perth Fringe World started out six years ago as an experimental offshoot of Perth International Arts Festival. The Sunday Times reports that for the first time, both are getting $300,000 sponsorship funding each from the City of Perth.
It’s an extra $200,000 for Fringe World and a $60,000 drop for PIAF, which requested $500,000.
The Sunday Times says that according to the City, Fringe’s bid was superior to PIAF.
Fringe World is expected to, over a month, draw 540,000 to free shows and 375,000 to ticketed performances for a direct economic boost of $95 million.
PIAF is expected to attract 210,000 to free events, with another 150,000 for ticketed performances for an economic impact of $34 million.
PIAF’s opening will be a free concert to celebrate WA’s links to the Indian Ocean and set to draw 100,000.
LANDING BAR FOR SALE
After five years, Andrew and Lisa Margan have put Newcastle’s Landing Bar on the market. They need to focus on their thriving winery business.
The building hosted the Isobar nightclub until they bought it.
NSW ‘THREE STRIKES’ TO BE WATERED DOWN
According to media reports, the “three strikes” rule introduced in 2011 is set to be watered down after a review by former High Court judge Ian Callinan.
The strikes increased with the amount of violent acts inside each venue, with the final one being loss of licence.
COUNTRY MUSIC LEAVES ITS HAT ON
Tamworth’s winter festival sequel, the 18th Hats Off To Country Music, is held in Tamworth and sponsored by Toyota July 6—9.
Acts include Luke O’Shea, Melinda Schneider, Catherine Britt and Amber Lawrence, performing in 14 venues.
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