Festivals & Venues May 31, 2018

Festivals & Venues: May 31

Senior Journalist, B2B

BOMBINO, MAD PROFESSOR, JAH9, GORDI AMONG FIRST ACTS FOR MULLUM

Among the first artist lineup for the 11th instalment of Mullum Music Festival (November 15—18, Mullumbimby, NSW) are Nigerian desert blues guitar shredder, Bombino, Afro-Caribbean dub maestro Mad Professor, Jamaican jazz-on-dub soulstress Jah9, and Australian folk/electronica singer-songwriter Gordi.

Also announced were Japan’s ministers of superheavy funk Osaka Monaurail, Jordie Lane, Irish electro-folk duo Saint Sister, New Guinea-born hip-hop neo-soul artist Kaiit, Mullum faves Hat Fitz & Cara and gospel blues Turner Brown Band.

86 more acts will be announced, says festival director Glenn Wright, who adds that the festival runs through the whole town.

The festival was recently named as a Flagship Event by Destination NSW and scored an official acknowledgement in NSW state parliament.

“A good festival inspires creativity and helps turn a group of people into a community,” says Wright.

“Mullumbimby now has a thriving arts and cultural community and we are very proud that over the last 11 years Mullum Music Festival has played a significant role in the town’s renaissance.”

CAIRNS VENUE SET FOR LATE 2018 OPENING

Cairns Regional Council has advised that, after a series of delays, the Cairns Performing Arts Centre (CPAC) will likely be opening in September.

The 940-seater was scheduled to open in August 2017, but delays were caused by the discovery of asbestos during the demolition of the site, and poor ground conditions caused by bad weather.

The budget, including an intensive rebuild at Munro Martin Parklands, has ballooned to $68.9 million.

MUSHROOM SHOWCASE AT COLONIAL BREWING CO.

A new four-part Mushroom showcase series called Mushroom After Hours will be staged at Colonial Brewing Co’s brewery in Port Melbourne.

The first event will be on Wednesday, June 27 with The Rubens and Melbourne electronic duo ALTA.

The shows will not have public entry tickets, but only through signing up at mushroom.com/afterhours for a lottery pick.

SURRY HILLS FESTIVAL APPLICATIONS CLOSING…

Artist applications for inner-city Surry Hills Festival (September 22) close on Saturday, June 9.

They are looking for musicians, digital, visual, installation artists, dancers, roving and pop up performers.

In the run-up, selected creatives will work with festival producers to overlay Devonshire Street and surrounds with a curated trail of pop up installations, projections and performances – transforming the heart of Surry Hills into a network of discovery for the Spring into Surry Hills initiative, running September 13 to 23.

This year’s event has a ‘60s flower power theme.

… AND OPEN FOR SEMAPHORE MUSIC

Artist applications have opened for Adelaide’s Semaphore Music (September 28—October 1) staged on the Semaphore foreshore and surrounding clubs.

Concerts are curated from artist applications covering alt-country, blues, roots, folk and indie rock.

All details here.

GOING OUT WITH A BANG

Melbourne’s Bang nightclub, now in its 12th year, is closing up and announced the final 10 weeks. Former promoters are invited to stage shows, see their Facebook page.

Promoters have worked out that in the 12 years, they’ve staged 600 events, 2000 bands, two million drinks, thousands of Jagar Bombs, countless hours chilling in the smokers’, endless singalongs and too many Southern Cross Hungry Jacks runs to ever keep track of!

“We’ve partied with our idols from across the world… Fred Durst, Oli Sykes, Ronne Radke and Andrew WK just to name a few.”

The team are planning their next venture already, which won’t be announced for some time.

HOOT MON! FIRST ACTS FOR YOURS & OWLS

Yours & Owls (Sept 29 & 30, Wollongong) has dropped an epic first artist lineup.

Saturday: Peking Duk, Jungle Giants, Ocean Alley, Middle Kids, Cub Sport, Luca Brasi, Boy/Toy, Dear Seattle, Hellions, Maddy Jane, Mallrat, Touch Sensitive and more.

Sunday: Angus & Julia Stone, Alison Wonderland, Methyl Ethel, Hockey Dad, D.D Dumbom, Alex the Astronaut, Alice Ivy, Rolling Blackouts Coast Fever, Stonefield, The Vanns, Tropical Fuck Storm, Tumbleweed and more.

US PROMOTER BUSTED

A New Jersey concert promoter was arrested, along with his girlfriend and accomplice, on drug trafficking charges.

Authorities allege he smuggled thousands of pounds of marijuana hidden in subwoofers from California to New York, and was able to move about regularly as a promoter.

DRACULA SITE SELLS FOR $10.3M

The old site of Melbourne’s longest-running theatre restaurant Dracula’s has sold for $10.3 million., the Herald Sun reported.

The buyer is a Chinese investor who plans to lease the space.

DASHVILLE SKYLINE NAMES DATE

Alt-country Dashville Skyline announced that its 2018 dates are September 28—30, with the first of its performers due early June.

RETHINK OF ALICE FEST

This year’s Desert Festival in Alice Springs will be held over six weeks in spring.

But it will be without its parade, according to the Alice Springs News. It’s been dropped to allow organisers to come up with something spectacular for 2019.

Last year the parade was pissy as its coordinator left abruptly and what was left of the Council’s $15,000 funding for the parade was returned.

Performers selected for the 2018 festival will be announced over the next few weeks.

STRONG LINEUP FOR LISTEN OUT

Listen Out (September) has gathered a strong collection of artists, including A$AP Rocky, Skrillex, Brockhampton, Lil Skies and Skepta along with Confidence Man, Glades, Godlands, Haiku Hands, Imbi The Girl, Kira Puru, Kllo, Made In Paris and Snakehips.

STARHUBS TO DISPLAY TICKET PRICES

After the UK’s Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) got tough on secondary ticketing websites earlier this year over transparency issues, one of the major resellers Starhubs has become the first to change its website so customers can more clearly see ticket prices including all fees that are going to be added.

RAAVE TAPES THROW MINI-FESTIVAL

As part of their national SUDS tour which starts this weekend in Perth, Newcastle’s Raave Tapes have turned their hometown appearance at the Cambridge Hotel (Saturday, July 7) into a mini-festival… or rather, a DIY party they are renowned for, and which attract up to 600 people.

The show will include Haiku Hands, Press Club, Vacations, Totty, Stumps, Candy, Pals, E4444E, Grace Turner, Morgana Osaki, Raj Mahal, Georgia June, NTL Landmarks, India and the Journey to the East, Belle Badi + Zampa.