Secret Sounds, Live Nation unveils new 1,800-capacity music venue for Adelaide: Exclusive

Secret Sounds and Live Nation will open the doors to a new music venue in Adelaide later this year, its first in the city of churches, TIO can reveal.

The concerts and live entertainment giant today (March 11) unveils plans for Hindley Street Music Hall, a $6 million split-level complex at 149 Hindley Street, a site LN anticipates will become Adelaide’s “premier live music hub.”

Hindley Street Music Hall is a venture of Secret Sounds, LN, Five Four Entertainment, and the team behind Brisbane’s Fortitude Music Hall and The Triffid, which includes Paul Piticco, co-founder and co-CEO of Secret Sounds, and former Powderfinger bass player John “JC” Collins.

The project is a major redevelopment of the HQ nightclub, which, when complete, will boast world-class productions specs and audio and a full capacity of 1,800.

Based on artists’ renders, Hindley Street Music Hall will borrow from the Fortitude Music Hall’s all-purpose model.

The new entertainment site will have a separate street level nightclub and restaurant, and a chandelier in the main room, a clever feature that can convert the space into a ballroom for galas, formal presentations and fancy lunch gatherings.

According to LN, the new project will create roughly 60 direct employment opportunities and pathways for industry professionals, and numerous economic outcomes to other local businesses operating in South Australia’s hospitality and live music sectors.

“South Australia is the state of art and I have long-admired the value that SA puts on culture and social infrastructure,” comments Piticco.

“Our plan is to build one of the best music halls in the southern hemisphere right here on Hindley Street, and to also do our bit filling it with the greatest local and international talent.”

John Collins takes the title as Venue Director for Hindley Street Music Hall.

“We’ve spent a lot of time on the design of the venue ensuring the relationship between the performer and the audience is the best it can be,” he explains, “and to create an incredibly intimate space where fans feel super close and connected to the artist.”

JC and Paul Piticco

Despite its geographic isolation, Adelaide, Australia’s fifth-most populous city, has a rich music history.

The SA capital is the first, and only, designated UNESCO City of Music in Australia, and, in recent years, Adelaide has hosted Indie-Con and the AIR Awards.

The status of live music in South Australia is considered so important, British festival promoter and “live music thinker” Martin Elbourne was engaged by the Dunstan Foundation to write a report on it, the results of which published in 2013.

Hindley Street Music Hall is the latest addition to LN’s growing portfolio of live music assets, which includes the Palais Theatre in Melbourne and Spark Arena in Auckland.

The complex “will be a great new addition to our venues across Australia,” says Roger Field, President Live Nation Asia Pacific in a statement.

Hindley Street Music Hall “will ensure the continued development of the city’s incredible live entertainment scene and will attract amazing performances for local music fans to enjoy while also creating jobs for the local community.”

The new space is set to open in August 2022, with U.K. electronic-pop duo Honne and the interactive Pub Choir among the first acts booked.

This article originally appeared on The Industry Observer, which is now part of The Music Network.