Industrial Strength
Image: Jake Smyth and Kenny Graham outside the Lansdowne Hotel (Craig Wilson for The Daily Telegraph)
SYDNEY’S LANSDOWNE TO RETURN AS MUSIC VENUE
Sydney’s iconic Lansdowne Hotel is returning in June as a 250-capacity live music venue with a 3 am licence. It was bought by Jake Smyth and Kenny Graham, whose other businesses include the Unicorn Hotel restaurant in Paddington and Newtown burger joint Mary’s.
They have appointed as the venue’s bookers Matt and Dan Rule, who ran The Annandale in its most iconic incarnation as a live venue, and now run a booking company The Music And Booze Co. The Lansdowne is setting up a studio in the bandroom to record and broadcast sets.
PATTI SMITH DONATES $10K FOR FLOOD RELIEF
Patti Smith, whose Horses set got a standing ovation at Bluesfest Byron Bay, wrote out a cheque for $10,000 after she noticed volunteers from local community charity Rise Above The Flood collecting donations from patrons on site.
All proceeds from Rise Above The Flood go to four programs, which are directly supplying food to victims.
GENDER GAP WORKSHOP…
A free workshop tonight (April 18) in Adelaide will look at whether there’s a gender gap in the Australian music industry, why there is one, if so, and what’s to be done to ensure that a cultural shift happens.
Panellists are Sose Fuamoli, Editor-in-Chief of The AU Review; Hannah Fairlamb, who plays in pop trio Ponytail Kink and is involved in Office for Women; Karina Utomo, singer with Melbourne metal-punk band High Tension; Chloe Turner of LISTEN Records and Operations and Marketing Administrator at Music Victoria; and Emily Retsas, a musician who also runs an all-girl rock n roll class at Northern Sound System and is a mentor at Rock n’ Roll Camp for Girls Los Angeles.
It is held from 6 pm at the Jade Monkey and is part of APRA AMCOS and Music SA’s Making A Musician series.
…WHILE SEVEN FEMALE ACTS HIT ROAD TOGETHER
As a symbolic move against male-heavy bills, six emerging female acts hit the road under the banner Electric Lady. The acts are Alex Lahey, Ali Barter, Bec Sandridge, Gretta Ray, Body Type and Rackett. The shows land at the Metro Theatre in Sydney (June 30) and The Corner Hotel, Melbourne (July 1).
PERTH NIGHTCLUB FOR SALE
The Library Nightclub, in Perth’s entertainment Northbridge precinct, goes under the hammer midway through next month. The one time church on Lake Street has gone through a number of incarnations, starting out in 1983 as Hannibals.
Its current name came during a revamp, during which 11,000 books were stacked on the walls as part of the look, Long time owner Entertainment Enterprises is planning to focus more on its bars and restaurants.
MUSIC TASMANIA AGM
Music Tasmania announced its Annual General Meeting is held on Wednesday April 26 from 6 pm at the Mess Hall, Quartermasters Arms, 134 Elizabeth Street Hobart.
There will be nine vacant positions for members to be appointed to the Board of Directors. Nominations closed last Friday.
TWO PART RAGE CELEBRATIONS
ABC-TV last night staged the first of two specials on the 30th anniversary of Rage.
The Story of Rage looked at its beginnings (working title: Rage Til You Puke), the clips and artists, and its significance. However, it failed to rank in last night’s Top 20 shows.
This Friday (April 21) sees the Kate Ceberano-hosted Stories from the Red Couchairing at 11pm.
NSW LAUNCHES FUNDING FOR “AMBITIOUS” ARTS
Create NSW has launched a major funding program for ambitious arts and culture under the 2017/2018 Arts and Cultural Development Program. It supports music and regional touring as well as visual arts, museums, literature, dance, music, capital works and professional development for artists
Create NSW CEO Michael Brealey said, “We will foster and grow an ambitious, contemporary, and progressive sector that is inspired locally, but has national and international appeal,” Full details at www.create.nsw.gov.au.
TASMANIAN PUNK SINGER WINS AWARD
Tyler Richardson, frontman for punk outfit Luca Brasi, got The Coffee Club Arts and Fashion category in the Tasmanian Premier’s Young Achiever Awards.
It was for his success in the Australian music industry – 40 songs on five albums, three of which ARIA charted, and playing to 40,000 people in Australia, UK and Europe and a sell-out winter tour – as well as promoting Tasmania and fundraising for LGBTIQ youth, refugees and Indigenous causes.
PERFECT PITCH ACTS HEAD ABROAD
Two acts signed to Sydney-based Perfect Pitch Publishing are making waves abroad.
WA based XtortY are halfway through a 38 city UK/European tour (with Il Nino) to promote their debut album’s release through Germany’s Bleeding Bose Records. The album entered the charts in Hungary and the Czech Republic after shows there. A 2018 return is already in the works.
Bad Pony kicked off a 7-date North American run last week in LA followed by four shows in New York and this week, in Philadelphia. This weekend they showcase at Canadian Music Week,
BURNS NOMINATED FOR NZ MANAGERS AWARDS
Australian-based Alastair Burns, whose clients include Marlon Williams and Julia Jacklin, is among those nominated in the New Zealand Managers Awards. He’s up for Manager of the Year and International Achievement.
The awards, held in Auckland on May 10, are put together by the NZ Music Managers Forum, with support from the NZ Music Commission, Recorded Music NZ and OneMusic.
VALE DAVID JAYES
David Jayes was Promotions Manager at Astor Records in the 1970s, then Victorian Promotions Manager for PolyGram Records (now Universal Music) and retail consultant for JB Hi-Fi.
Veteran Melbourne DJ Les Toth paid tribute to him as “a true professional” and “one of the best people I ever worked with in the music industry”.
WHILE MY GUITAR GENTLY LEAPS
The Manly Art Gallery in Sydney hosts an exhibition called The Instrumental from May 27 to July 9. It is a photographic study by Sydney photographer Chuck Bradley of 50 instruments used by high profile musicians, as well as stories behind them collected by Bradley and curator Ross Heathcote.
The idea started as just a look at Midnight Oil’s gear. But Rob Hirst put him on to his mates, who in turn recommended their friends. They include everything from Iva Davies’ oboe and Ian Moss’ guitar to Go-Betweens member Amanda Brown’s violin mandolin,Buzz Bidstrup’s drums andKirk Pengilly’s sax.
FAIRWAY TO HEAVEN: GOLDEN STAVE GOLF DAY
The 26th anniversary Golden Stave Golf Day is on Friday May 26 at Moore Park Golf Club to raise funds for children’s charities. The Golden Stave Foundation has raised $14 million for 50 of them in NSW.
The day includes the 6th David Gilchrist Ambrose Challenge, a golf clinic, a BBQ and buffet and presentations.
It’s $900 for a team of 4 players, and $225 for individual players. Send a cheque made payable to the Golden Stave and posted to Larry Warren, Golden Stave Foundation, PO Box 879, Cherrybrook NSW 2126.
DAILYMOTION TO REBOOT WITH PREMIUM CONTENT
Vivendi-owned video streaming platform Dailymotion is relaunching in June with a focus on premium content for its 300 million monthly users.
It’ll still accept user-generated content, but its aim is a curated experience of professional content from content partners including Universal Music (also owned by Vivendi).
DARWIN MUSICIAN TO WORK IN CAMBODIA
Darwin musician Dan Davies is heading to Cambodia for three months, to be based at the Kampot Arts and Music Association (KAMA) as bassist and in-house producer. He’ll work with local musicians and acts who want to record and gig abroad.
It is part of the 2017 Asialink Residency Program run by Arts NT.
MARMALADE STUDIO IN LIQUIDATION
One of New Zealand’s best-known recording and post-production studios, Marmalade Audio, has gone into liquidation with debts of just $183,000.
The Wellington facilities were where Dave Dobbyn & Herbs cut their global hit Slice Of Heaven, as did Shihad, Bic Runga, The Bats, Shona Laing, Sharon O’Neill, Fur Patrol, Bailter Space, Netherworld Dancing Toys and Margaret Urlich.
The studio hit its peak in the 1980s, working on jingles for TV and radio. But the climate changed, as more tracks were cut in bedrooms and more ad agencies opted to operate in-house studios. It ceased operations last year.
AND A FEW OTHER THINGS….
- It’ll be cheaper to get to Mt. Isa for this Saturday’s triple j’s One Night Stand concert. After repeated calls from Mount Isa City Council and MP Robbie Katter, various airlines have dropped fares by up to $150 on a return flight.
- About 15,000 are expected to attend to see San Cisco, Tash Sultana, The Smith Street Band and Thundamentals at Tony White Oval. Mt. Isa wants them to come and spend money there. Virgin is offering flights between Brisbane and Mount Isa for $422 return. Qantas charges $438 on the same route, while the return from Townsville is $470. A Rex return flight from Cairns is $397
- The whisper at Bluesfest is that James Reyne has become engaged to longtime gal pal Leanne Woolrich.
- Can presenters get in the way of ratings? The Media Diary column of The Australian noted in the year that Foxtel closed Channel [V] and replaced it with 24/7 music videos, ratings were up 6% from last year for [V] Hits.
- Aussie DJ duo Mashd N Kutcher, whose videos have reached 1 billion views on all social media, found their latest one hit scoring 5.2 million in its first nine days.
- Angela Dawson has written a book called Like Two Mexicans Dancing about the late ‘80s Tasmanian band The Fish John West Reject and the music scene at the time. Dawson was in the band’s inner circle; she was visiting from Manchester when she struck up a relationship with singer Mark Narcowicz and toured with them, joining them when they relocated to Melbourne.
- The Noosa Federation of the Arts (NFA), founded in 1989, has closed citing lack of funds and decreasing interest from younger patrons. One of its initiatives was the Dame Joan Sutherland Vocal Competition Award.
- Following the death of her husband, Jands founder Eric Robinson, Sydney-based entertainment publicist Patti Mostyn has put their Port Douglas home up for sale for $6.75 million.
- Sydney DJ Dan Single has yanked his GoFundMe campaign to raise $250,000 for medical bills after he fell off a Paris hotel balcony. Social media responded negatively, saying he had the cheek to ask for money after he flaunted his jet-setting lifestyle online.