Industrial Strength: July 10
MUSICIANS ARE BEING USED AS TARGET PRACTICE
Standing on stage performing, musicians are vulnerable to attacks from the audience, usually drunken cowards hiding behind the crowd.
Two incidents over the weekend served as a reminder.
During a Shannon Noll show in Nyngan, regional NSW, a punter in a suit threw a bottle at the stage, missing the singer and his band.
Noll being Noll, he let out a series of very loud four-letter words (“oops” was not one of them) and challenged the assailant to come up onstage and face the consequences.
Meantime, during The Preatures’ show at the Saloon Bar in Launceston, someone threw a glass at bassist Thomas Champion cutting him on the cheek.
The man was grabbed and thrown out.
In Noll’s case, the footage of his lengthy tirade made it to social media and the mainstream media, with a lot of tut-tutting about his “aggressive” behaviour and the crowd for cheering on his verbal attack.
Musicians have the right to a safe secure workplace like anybody else.
PINK 4 BILLION YOUTUBE VIEWS
While literally swinging away through Australia, Pink had caused to tweet her thanks “4 billion times”.
According to a report in Pop Crave, the US singer has now generated 4 billion views across all official YouTube channels.
We’re still waiting for official confirmation from YouTube but will celebrate while we wait.
SONOS HEADS FOR IPO
US smart speaker brand Sonos, which has an operation in Australia, is listing on the Nasdaq stock market.
It filed with an initial offering of $100 million and targeting a valuation of between $2.5 million and $3 billion.
Speaker phones are seen as providing a major boost for the streaming phenomenon but Sonos has been facing competition from Amazon’s Echo and Apple’s HomePod.
DESTROY ALL LINES TO RETIRE BANG
After 12 years, Destroy All Lines is retiring its Melbourne-based Bang event.
It’s been responsible for Xmas In July, The Biggest Emo Party Ever, Warped Downunder and the Harry Potter Party.
The final one is held on Saturday, August 18 starring the music of My Chemical Romance.
AVALANCHES’ THIRD ALBUM ALREADY “SOMETHING SPECIAL”
The Avalanches have made it clear that their third album won’t take as long as the 16 years it took for second album Wildflower to pop its head out of the hole – and it’s something special, they say.
In a tweet, to celebrate the anniversary of Wildflower the band said, “The music has connected us to people far and wide and for that we are eternally grateful.
“We are blessed to be part of this exchange – after all it is not really ‘our’ music – we are interpreters and receivers.
“Our third album is taking shape and we can’t wait to share it with you all. It’s already something very special.”
Wildflower began streaming two years ago today.
The music has connected us to people far and wide and for that we are eternally grateful.
We are blessed to be part of this exchange – after all it is not really ‘our’ music – we are interpreters and receivers.. pic.twitter.com/X1K8EVECkP— The Avalanches (@TheAvalanches) 2 July 2018
…Our third album is taking shape and we can’t wait to share it with you all.
It’s already something very special.Love and light,
the avalanches. @EMIMusicAU @xlrecordings @Astralwerks— The Avalanches (@TheAvalanches) 2 July 2018
SYDNEY VENUES UPDATE
Promoters Code One announced the entry of a 450-capacity space in September, with Club York at 95— 99 York Street in the city. Opened seven nights a week, it offers general admission as well as dinner and theatre options.
Australian Venue Co is selling two properties, the Oxford Tavern and The Norfolk, after two years, saying they need to be run by a smaller operation with closer ties to local communities.
A community campaign to save Paddington’s Four In Hand – including a petition with 12,000 signatures – has worked, with Good Beer Company (The Duke of Gloucester) buying it for $7 million.
PINK, AVRIL LAVIGNE, DEFEND KESHA IN LAWSUIT
Pink and Avril Lavigne have submitted statements defending Kesha in her defamation lawsuit with producer Dr. Luke.
He claims her claims that he sexually harassed her lost him work and money.
Documents obtained by The Blast and reproduced on its website, have both singers filing sworn affidavits that their decisions to stop working with Dr Luke had nothing to do with Kesha.
SPILT MILK SELLS OUT
Spilt Milk in Canberra (Saturday, November 17, Commonwealth Park) has sold out for a third consecutive year.
A resale facility goes live on its website on August 2 at 12pm.
VIC GOVT STOMPS ON LOCKOUT CALLS
The Victorian government has continued to resist calls to initiate lockout laws for clubs and venues in Melbourne.
The latest came from VicHealth on the weekend, which also wanted an increase in tax on alcohol.
CHANGE IN NZ CHARTS
Starting off from last Friday, New Zealand’s Official Hot40 Singles Chart has introduced a new trending list of fast-moving new songs, “as they gain sales, increase streams and airplay, pick up new fans and show all the signs of being the hottest new tunes of the week, says Recorded Music NZ chart manager Paul Kennedy.
There’s also a new list focussing on just NZ new fast movers.
TRIPLE J DANCE ARRIVES
New platform triple j Dance launched on the weekend. An amalgamation of Mix Up, House Party, Friday Night Shuffle and the Kick On, it unveiled exclusive mixes, new tracks, tour news and info on club culture.
MELBOURNE VENUE FIRE
Melbourne venues Bar Idda and The Alderman in Brunswick East were put temporarily put out of action when a fire broke out in an adjoining laneway.
The blaze was under control in half an hour, and the establishments were set to be back in business by now.
NEW FESTIVAL FOR NEWCASTLE
Newcastle has a new music festival in late spring. Scene & Heard is on November 4 at Wickham Park – a day after This That with R. Grimes, The Rubens and Amy Shark.
The full lineup will be announced today with Spiderbait to headline.
Scene & Heard replaces the over-55 Live At The Foreshore with organisers now attracting Gen X and Y.
WORKSHOPS FROM MUSIC DEVELOPMENT OFFICE
Adelaide’s Music Development Office has a number of workshops and panels planned this month at St. Paul’s Creative Centre.
“Inspirational Interfaces in Music & Tech” (Thursday, July 12):
Matthew and Luke Wilson of globally successful VR company Novus Res demonstrate how to loop music into a VR game.
“Grants: Contemporary Music Projects & Artist in Residence” (Thursday July 19):
Free info session on applying in the August round of the Contemporary Music grant program:.
Activate Seminar Series #9: Write on the Money (Monday July 16)
APRA AMCOS performance reports workshop (Tuesday July 17)
Nick Findlay triple j (Saturday July 28).
Full details here.
KIM DOTCOM GETTING FREE TRIP TO US
Tech entrepreneur Kim Dotcom has lost a six year battle to avoid being extradited from New Zealand to the US to face Megaupload related charges of fraud, money laundering and copyright infringement
Last Thursday New Zealand’s Court of Appeal upheld rulings allowing for his deportation, leaving Dotcom the last chance – of filing an appeal with the Supreme Court.
JUNCTION ARTS UNVEILS PROGRAM
In its 8th year, Tasmania’s Junction Arts festival unveiled its five day 25-event program of artists, food and wine, architecture and music.
A world premiere is Roundabout features Launceston’s Devil State Derby League, Launceston College dance students and the Allstar Cheer and Dance Tasmania come together in a dance, music and roller disco spectacular around Prince’s Square’s stunning Val d’Osne Fountain.
It was created by the festival’s creative director Greg Clarke with choreographer Virginia Ferris with an original score by Launceston DJ and music producer Je Bahl.
PAUL CRAIG TO CHAIR MMF
Paul Craig (centre) with MMF board.
Paul Craig, one-time INXS manager (briefly) and current co-manager of Biffy Clyro, is the new chair of the Music Managers Forum in the UK.
The MMF’s membership has grown by 35% over the past four years, ad it now represents 500 UK-based managers. A third of them are female, while those under 30 also represent one-third of the list.
GEELONG ARTISTS TO GET FREE RENT SPACES
Renew Geelong announced it is open to dialogue with owners of vacant properties in the Melbourne satellite town to offer rent-free for creative types.
All they would have to pay is a nominal fee to cover public and product liability insurance.
NEW OWNER FOR DERWENT ENTERTAINMENT CENTRE?
Glenorchy City Council was last night discussing whether to take up an offer from a Melbourne company to buy the Derwent Entertainment Centre, the ABC reported.
The Hobart sports and entertainment venue reportedly loses $1 million a year, so the offer is certainly enticing.
HydraPlay, which makes sports water bottles, is owned by former Tassie Devils basketballer and entrepreneur Justin Hickey, who is part of the bidding consortium.
Among those performing at the 4,875-capacity Derwent EC are Queens of the Stone Age and Il Divo in spring.
VALE
Bendigo (Victoria) based singer-songwriter Liam Thorpe was also one of those behind the Bendigo Blues and Roots Music festival He also had a reputation for helping to build the city’s music scene. Thorpe died in a cycling accident, aged 49.
Mark “Noddy” O’Donnell tour managed the likes of Sherbet, Richard Clapton and Kevin Borich before moving to Los Angeles where he worked with George Thorogood, Cheap Trick and Eric Burdon. He was diagnosed with an aggressive brain cancer which led to funding campaigns by Support Act Ltd and the Australian Road Crew Association.
AND A FEW OTHER THINGS…
Melbourne dance group Stephanie Lake Company has got funding from the Victorian government to develop a new work based on the music of Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds’ Skeleton Tree by choreographer Stephanie Lake and theatre director Matthew Lutton.
A UK Morrissey impersonator is whinging that he’s getting heat for the singer’s controversial views on immigration.
Which (stoned) musician tried to tell police he couldn’t take a breath test because he was Buddhist?
Quote of the week from Liam Gallagher to a TRNSMT festival patron who’d climbed up a speaker tower during his set and forcing him to stop: “We’ve got a gig to do here, so you’re either going to f**king jump or come down.”
Perth band POW! Negro who stated that a June show was their last back are back as SUPEREGO. “As a culturally and musically diverse group, we wanted a name that was representative and reflective of everyone and feel this new identity encapsulates us as a whole.”
Panic at the Disco’s Brendon Urie told Papermag that he is pansexual. He said that although he is married, he wasn’t “opposed” to a relationship with a man because he “like[s] a person.”
Chance The Rapper proposed to his girlfriend at a July 4 BBQ.
Both John Farnham and The Church are going on tour behind two classic albums – Whispering Jack from 1986 and Starfish (1988).
Elvis Costello had to cancel European dates after recovery from surgery to remove an “aggressive” cancer six weeks ago proved slow.
Chris Brown was arrested as he stepped off stage after a show in West Palm Beach, Florida due to an outstanding out-of-county warrant from last year. Apparently, “Thumper” whacked a photographer at a party he was paid to attend.
Melbourne band Baby 8’s first video from their debut album features some names from the underground scene, including The Scientists, X, Powerline Sneakers and Dollsquad.
Melbourne community radio 3PBS, currently raising $1.2 million to relocate studios, transmission equipment and administrative functions to the new Collingwood Arts Precinct, got a helping hand from the state government in the form of a cheque for $500,000.