Industrial Strength: June 12

FOUR MUSIC VENUES FACE DIFFERENT ISSUES

Four music venues in four cities are facing different issues.

• Adelaide’s Pepper Tree Café, which has been pushing for two years to be able to play loud music on the weekends, may have to wait a few more weeks. The Onkaparinga Council’s assessment panel has asked the owners of the Aldinga venue, Tanya and Mark Crago, to provide more information on the noise level. The panel is expected to give strict guidelines,  telling the couple: “You have been acting illegally, in breach of your approval.”
• MP’s Nightclub on the Gold Coast has been told by the Ad Standards to take down one of its external ads because it’s too sensual. It featured two women dressed in lingerie with handcuffs and riding crop pressed against each other and whips, next to a man in his underwear displaying his chest. Ad Standards said the ad was not relevant to a nightclub, and did not treat the issue of sex, sexuality and nudity with sensitivity to the relevant broad audience.”
• The Victoria Park Hotel in south Townsville in Far North Queensland, has been burned to the ground. Police say that the fire was not suspicious, and musicians who played at the 122-year-old timber pub are in the process of arranging a wake for it.
• After 17 years, Perth pioneering EDM club Ambar is closing its doors forever after a final bash on Saturday, July 7. In a farewell post owner Liam Mazzucchelli acknowledged how the club had launched careers, showcased local and international acts, and forged lifelong friendships. “What we are most proud of is how we have championed and supported the local electronic music scene and continued to do so right to the end.”

CONRAD SEWELL HEADING BACK HOME

Los Angeles-based Australian singer-songwriter Conrad Sewell is heading back to Australia to play the east coast.

His Come Clean Australian tour consists of three dates, September 6 – 8, booked through Frontier Touring.

The ARIA Award-winner will be touring in celebration of his recently released Ghosts & Heartaches bundle (Sony Music), Sewell’s first new music since 2016 and which shows a move from pop to rock.

Joining him on the tour is New Zealand singer-songwriter Mitch James who, after a stint in London, returned home to ink a deal with Sony Music and saw his debut single ‘No Fixed Abode’ amass close to 17 million streams on Spotify.

MORE SHOWS FOR GANG OF YOUTHS, SETS NEW VENUE RECORD

Gang of Youths fans are saying yes to tickets for their Say Yes Go Life tour.

The band has added a third round of shows, with a seventh Melbourne date on Monday, October 9 and sixth show in Sydney on Friday, November 30.

At six shows in Sydney, they set a new record for most performances at the Enmore Theatre within a single tour.

At seven shows in Melbourne, they have broken a similar record at The Forum, where the previous record was four.

According to the promoter Handsome Tours, the band shifted 33,000 in one week across the country.

They now do 19 shows on the tour.

TOM BALLARD DENIES INDECENT ASSAULT…

Broadcaster and comedian Tom Ballard has denied “in the strongest terms” allegations published on social media that he indecently assaulted an aspiring comedian in a hotel room in June 2014.

The alleged victim said he went to the police but they had said they couldn’t investigate further because Ballard “hadn’t gone outside of the confines of the law”.

Ballard said he’d heard the accusations six months ago but responded after they made it onto social media last Saturday.

… TALIB KWELI CALLS ALLEGATIONS “BOGUS”

US rapper and label executive Talib Kweli has rejected as “bogus” a series of tweets by Philadelphia singer Res in which she claimed he refused to put out her music because she rejected his sexual advances.

Kweli responded that he dropped Res from his label, Javotti Media, in 2013 for “disrespecting my employees and for failing to turn in an album I invested in.”

He said he couldn’t have stopped the release of her album because she never delivered one.

He sued her for releasing a track on which he featured without his permission. He says she resorted to “smear tactics” as a result, and that a court rejected the singer’s allegations a year ago.

Res’ tweeted: “Jesus do you know how many women you tried to have sex with to put them on and they said NO and were[sic] are they now @TalibKweli?

“Let’s talk i been silent for four years I shall not be bullied no more keep the music I still have my voice.”

PERFECT PITCH

This week sees Perfect Pitch Publishing celebrate its 8th anniversary as an independent music publisher.

It was formed in 2010 by Clive Hodson and Peter Paterson after the collapse and subsequent liquidation of Shock Music Publishing. They had worked together at Shock since 2006, Hodson as general manager and Paterson as creative manager.

Hodson points out to Industrial Strength that Perfect Pitch Publishing (together with Perfect Pitch Digital) are a full-service publisher with a catalogue of over 25,000 songs.

With offices in the Gold Coast and Perth they are also the only full-service publishing company in Western Australia.

PPP are represented globally with five of those international publishing deals reciprocal and have been able to secure some very sizable licensing/synchronisation deals.

BATACLAN CLUB SHOOTING VICTIMS SUE

Victims of the shootings at the 2015 Bataclan concert hall in Paris have launched legal action as to why eight soldiers stationed nearby were ordered not to intervene when Islamic State gunmen stormed the venue, killing 30 and wounding hundreds.

They say the soldiers had been ordered not to fire their weapons or even provide first aid in the bloody aftermath.

The soldiers were part of Operation Sentinelle, a unit created for internal security.

The lawyer representing the victims says it’s not about punishing the soldiers but hoping to find out who and why made the stand-by decision.

MORE NAMES FOR MELBOURNE GUITAR SHOW

Further additions to the Melbourne Guitar Show (August 4 & 5, Caulfield Racecourse) include Dave Leslie (Baby Animals), Brett Garsed (John Farnham, TJ Helmerich), The Weeping Willows, Ed Bates, Espana feat: Matthew Fagan, Bernardo Soler and Dean Gaudion, Adam Miller, Mitch Cairns, Josh Munday, Phisha, Peter Baylor, Craig Newman, Ben Kelly and Thomas Leeb.

ROSE TATTOO IN EUROPE

“That’s not a bus… THIS is a bus!” guitarist Bob Spencer reports from Rose Tattoo’s latest European tour. It’s gleaming, modern and massive, with two storeys and 14 bunks.

There are 11 men on the tour – “a testosterone overload” he sighs.

The first part of the tour with the 2018 lineup – Angry Anderson, Dai Pritchard, Spencer, Mark Evans and John Watson –  winds up tomorrow in Switzerland, before returning for a longer run across Europe and the UK at the end of August.

NO BEDS FOR ONE NIGHT STAND

Those wanting to head to St Helens in Tasmania to catch triple j’s One Night Stand on September 1 might need to take a sleeping bag.

Within hours of the town being announced as this year’s destination, many of its hotels and parks had been booked out, the Launceston Examiner reported.

About 7,000 are expected to attend the show with Vance Joy, Peking Duk, Tkay Maidza, Middle Kids and Alex The Astronaut.  

SIR ELTON HITS SOCIAL MEDIA ON HOMOPHOBIA

Sir Eton John was on BBC-TV’s Newsnight, to call on social media to tackle homophobic hate speech on their platforms – and suggested a boycott could help their bosses scurry along.

“I don’t know why they [social media firms] allow it – it’s supposed to be free speech but the things that are on social media are so disgusting that there has to be action taken by the people who own these companies.”

FREMANTLE GETS NEW LIVE MUSIC VENUE

Fremantle gets a new live music venue, The Aardvark, based in the basement of the Norfolk Hotel, where The Odd Fellow was.

Mark Spillane, booker at The Odd Fellow, now runs The Aardvark with Greg Sanders.

According to a Facebook posting, the new club will open four days a week, with residencies on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays, with Sunday hosting “Burrow Sessions”.

ABC ENTERTAINMENTEXEC DEPARTS

In the latest exit from the ABC, Debbie Cuell, head of entertainment, has left the building after her 12-month contract ended on June 1.

Following development roles at SBS and Foxtel and executive producer of development at Andrew Denton’s  Zapruder’s Other Films, she replaced Jon Casimir, who returned to pair with Denton for Interview.

MIDEM ATTENDANCE UP 9%

This year’s MIDEM, held June 5 – 8 in Cannes, posted a 9% increase in attendance from last year, organisers said.

It drew 4,800 delegates from 80 countries, including  Australia.

The festival summit touched on new experiences in European and South American events which could take on in Australia – chef’s areas, special gigs for kids, and the replacement of merchandise stalls with walk-in stores which have seen rise 150%.

The speakers also talked about 150 ticket options, which included the festival partnering with an entire city and offering experiences of the city to VIP festival patrons.

Next year MIDEM will have its awards, a “truly data-driven” international music prize celebrating regional and global talent.

UNIVERSAL BAR TURNS 25

The Universal Bar in Northbridge, Perth, celebrates its 25th birthday on June 23, acknowledging not only its support of local and international music acts but its award-winning reputation as a cocktail bar.

Venue manager Jason Juraszek has invited former workers to join in. The bar’s former manager Brett Lubicz returns for the night from Darwin, whee he now runs Hotel Darwin.

TEACHER SUSPENDED OVER EMINEM SONG

A Utah junior high teacher was suspended after she told students to read out Eminem’s anti-Trump song ‘Like Home’ as part of a class on biases in society.

Some students and parents complained it was inappropriate.

Treasure Mountain Junior High School will decide after review if the experienced teacher will be allowed back the next semester.

ADELAIDE’S LION CENTRE LOOKING FOR TENANT

Arts South Australia is seeking a creative individual/association tenant for the multi-arts Lion Arts Centre, at the corner of Morphett Street and North Terrace in Adelaide’s west end.

Other tenants include State Theatre Company SA, LWDance Hub, JamFactory, ACE Open, Guildhouse, Nexus Arts and the Media Resource Centre.

For more information on how to apply, contact: Magda Whiteman, manager Capital Projects and Assets on

(08) 8463 5425 / magda.whiteman@sa.gov.au by 5pm, Friday, June 22.

LIL WAYNE SETTLES CASH MONEY LAWSUIT

The longtime $51 million lawsuit by rapper Lil Wayne against Cash Money seems to have been settled.

The long-delayed album Tha Carter V will be issued soon.

Published claims that Mr. Lil’ got $10 million were slammed by all sides and that the correct sum would surface soon.

Over the years Wayne has criticised onstage the label and its CEO Birdman on how he lost a fortune because the label kept delaying the release of the record.

In March the two were seen clubbing together and Birdman posted a shot of them together on Instagram with the caption:

“Me and my SON”. Gee dad, open up the cheque book.

CLIPPED WINNERS

The Clipped Music Video Awards was held at Carriageworks in Sydney in early June with panels, screenings, premieres and an interactive music video exhibition.

Winners of the awards looked at the works of filmmakers from Australia and New Zealand.

400 entered the 14 categories to grab at the $17,000 prize pool:

Best Video (Aus)

Iluka – ‘Sympathy’, directed by Kate Halpin

Best Video (NZ)

DMA’S – ‘The End’, directed by WAM Bleakly

Directing (Aus)

Lo! – ‘Locust Christ’, directed by Adrian Shapiro

Directing (NZ)

DMA’S – ‘The End’, directed by WAM Bleakly

Cinematography (Aus)

Willow Beats – ‘Be Kind to Yourself’, cinematography by Ehran Edwards, directed by Oren Kanski

Cinematography (NZ)

DMA’S – ‘The End’, cinematography by Grégoire Lière, directed by WAM Bleakly

Animation (Aus)

PNAU – ‘Go Bang’, directed by Toby & Pete

Editing (Aus)

Iluka – ‘Sympathy’, edited by Matias Bolla, directed by Kate Halpin

Visual Effects (Aus)

Willow Beats – ‘Be Kind To Yourself’, directed /Visual FX by Oren Kanski

Colour Grading (Aus)

Jack Ladder & The Dreamlanders – ‘Susan’, colour grading by Scott Stirling, directed by Leilani Croucher

Makeup (Aus)

Jack Ladder & The Dreamlanders – ‘Susan’, makeup artist: Amy Sartorel and makeup assistant: Charlotte Mcleod, directed by Leilani Croucher

TAMWORTH BUSKERS TO BE UNPLUGGED?

Buskers on Peel Street are one of the major attractions of the Tamworth country music festival in January.

But the council is doing a community survey on whether they should be silenced or have their amplified sound turned off.

The problem, Tamworth Regional Council events manager Barry Harley says, is that the festival draws 400 in total. At any one time, 60 will be playing, drowning each other out.

NEW BOARD FOR ARTS NW

A new board has been announced for Arts North West, located in NSW’s New England region.

Last year’s chair Anna Watt (Glen Innes) is re-elected to the position, with Sandy McNaughton (Inverell) as vice-chair, Sue Price (Moree) as treasurer and Chris Newbigin (Inverell) as secretary/public officer.

New board appointments include Peter Ross (Tamworth), Len Waters (Tamworth) and Sally Blackwood (Quirindi).

NEW BRISBANE SCREEN STUDIO

The Queensland government has committed $12 million to build an all-purpose studio for small film and TV productions, after lobbying from the local sector.

The location and tenants will be announced in the new financial year.

Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said the studio would “bring a new wave of investment in the creative jobs of the future.”

She added, “Queensland is recognised as a production paradise and film-friendly state, and we are known internationally for our diverse and unrivalled natural locations, strong financial incentives, world-class facilities and award-winning talent and crew.”

APPLE MUSIC HIP HOP HIRE

Hip hop music is the most popular genre on streaming services, so it’s not surprising that Apple is bringing in a hip hop expert for its Apple Music and Beats 1.

Yet again it has poached someone from the BBC, Ryan Newman, who was the editor of 1Xtra, its flagship hip hop and grime station.

MAJOR NAMES RECOGNISED AT NZ JAZZ AWARDS

The start of the Wellington Jazz Festival saw two categories announced for the Recorded Music NZ jazz awards.

25-year-old Umar Zakaria was awarded Best Jazz Artist for Fearless Music and the Best Jazz Composition went to pianist, composer and jazz lecturer Anita Schwabe for ‘Springtide’.

NAME CHANGE FOR JANDS NZ

Pro-audio distribution and solutions company JANDS NZ has rebranded to JPRO. 

“One thing that’s constant in the vibrant audio industry is change,” says JPRO managing director Bruce Gray.

“We are proud of our heritage. For 30 years JANDS NZ has lead the way in New Zealand, supporting musicians, businesses and institutions with their commercial and professional audio requirements.

“We have stayed on top of the changes as new products and platforms arrive in the market, grown and evolved with the times. Now we’re embarking on another change, as we leave behind JANDS NZ, in name only, and introduce JPRO.”

The initiative has been prompted through the recent changes which sees JANDS Australia entering into the New Zealand market.

“We have seen this as an opportunity to promote our own New Zealand brand in a new and revitalising manner.

“JPRO will resonate with our market and at the same time avoid any confusion with JANDS Australia.”

KEEP SYDNEY OPEN PARTY THROWING PARTY

Keep Sydney Open is celebrating its decision to become a political party at a tilt for next year’s NSW election with a fund raising party on June 30.

The Party Party will be held over six floors of the Kings Cross Hotel, a venue that has been affected by lockout laws and noise complaints.

Performing are Roland Tings and Basenji with DJ sets, DJ and triple j presenter Luen Jacobs and the Body Type DJs.

STAN HITS 1 MILLION SUBSCRIBERS

Australian streaming service has hit the 1 million subscribers mark three years after it launched.

The news was announced at a gala event where the company announced it has struck up deals with Hollywood studios Metro Goldwyn Mayer and Lionsgate and green-lighted Australian content for its Stan Original Series including 6-part mystery drama Bloom and 8-part drama series The Gloaming.

AND A FEW OTHER THINGS …

Was it news of Spotify starting to strike direct non-exclusive licensing deals with artists and managers that saw its share price close at an all-time high on the New York Stock Exchange last Friday and push its market cap above $30 billion?

The good news for Peking Duk was that the NRL State of Origin final they performed at drew 2.35 million viewers (and probably 3.45 million factoring in regional and sports pub viewers). The bad news was that social media followers and sports media were baying for the NRL’s blood for daring to hire an EDM act rather than a rock band.

All of which turns the spotlight on who’ll play at the AFL grand final in spring. Our money’s on a Meat Loaf tribute band, if there is one. Son of Spam anyone?

US son-of-a-preacher-man soul/funk dudester Allen Stone is back in Australia in September – to marry his Australian fiancée, about whom he sings on his new single ‘Brown Eyed Lover’. Like us, you’re not on the wedding list, but during his Melbourne visit, Stone is playing Croxton Bandroom on Wednesday, September 26.

On the eve of a visit to Australia, New Zealand teen Maori-metal band Alien Weaponry are going great guns with debut album Tū. It’s gone straight in at #1 in the New Zealand charts. Its notched up 1 million Spotify streams since its June 1 release. The band which signed globally to Napalm Records earlier this year is also getting strong airplay in New York.

Sheppard told the Brisbane Courier Mail they’ve had a two-year feud with Katie Noonan, who called them “disrespectful and lazy” when they didn’t turn up to the Queensland Music Awards. Singer and keyboardist George Sheppard said that at the time they had taken a break in North Stradbroke Island to “reconnect and not let the band fall apart”.

“(Noonan) had no idea what was going on behind the scenes but still used the platform to call us out as being disrespectful and lazy,” he said. Earlier in the year when Noonan was copping serious shade over the Commonwealth Games opening ceremony, George posted “karma’s a bitch”.

Noonan has not responded to the latest Sheppard comments but has devoted herself instead to celebrating husband Zac Hurren’ and Appian Way tour behind the Asylum album and urging people to begin nominating for the Australian Women In Music awards.

Cooly Rocks On festival on the Gold Coast drew 35,000.

Aussie band Columbus pushed back their Australian tour after losing a member.

WA’s Culture and the Arts’ website has a survey to get feedback on how to improve its content and design.

A 24-year-old man who was drinking heavily at a Perth warehouse party couldn’t remember afterwards fatally beating up a stranger in a 35-minute attack outside a café. The victim, a 57-year-old, even tried to crawl under his ute to avoid the savage beating, but Saxon Steele Vitali wouldn’t stop until he was dead. Vitali couldn’t remember what happened, and turned himself in when he heard rumours of a fatal bashing and thought he might have been involved. He was sentenced to life.

James Stafford Caffery, 19, was sentenced in Townsville Magistrates Court for possessing dangerous drugs, sneaking them into the Groovin’ The Moo festival, in his undies.

After two pedestrians were seriously injured last Friday on Adelaide’s Hindley Street, a push has begun to make the entertainment precinct a one-way.

US rapper Lil Kim has offered to sell her house as she deals with bankruptcy proceedings with debts of $4 million.

Meantime Lily Allen has dismissed reports of her wealth, saying she is £1 million in debt.

During International Make Music Day, the Sydney Symphony Orchestra will perform Verdi‘s Requiem as part of a global broadcast from the Sydney Opera House – and can be seen via ten NSW libraries.

US DJ Tom Swoon is giving up DJing, as he’s so devastated that last year he caused a car accident when drunk which killed someone.

Rogue Traders’ free show as part of Campbelltown Council (SA)’s 150th anniversary will go ahead. It was rained out in April but council managed to get back $125,000 it had already spent on the band and support acts from its friendly insurance company. It will be staged now in November at Daly Oval at Magill, and Rogue Traders’ set is being marketed as their first in seven years.