Festivals & Venues: October 5
LUKE BRYAN LEADS CMC ROCKS QLD FIREPOWER LINEUP
CMC Rocks Queensland, back in Willowbank, Ipswich from Thursday March 15 to 18, released a firepower of international and Australian big names.
US country music superstar Luke Bryan leads the charge, making his Australian debut at the event, as does formerHootie & The Blowfish frontman Darius Rucker.
Others from the US include Kelsea Ballerini, Luke Combs, Dustin Lynch, Old Dominion, Dan Shay, Randy Houser, Brett Young and Brothers Osbourne.
The Australian contingent features Busby Marou, Steve Forde, Travis Collins, The Sunny Cowgirls, Troy Kemp, Mustered Courage, Christie Lamb and The Viper Creek Band.
Jetting in from Canada are Dean Brody, High Valley and Gord Bamford, while from New Zealand are Jody Direen and Kaylee Bell.
Completely selling out for the past two years, CMC Rocks attracts over 15,000 each day. They come from as afar as North America, Sweden, Singapore, Germany, Austria and New Zealand, injecting more than $6.1 million into the Ipswich economy.
HOMEGROUND MOVES TO OPERA HOUSE FORECOURT
After 2016’s hugely successful Homeground event, the free, immersive festival of First Nations arts and culture moves to the Sydney Opera House forecourt (November 25 – 26) for the first time.
Headlining are Yothu Yindi, who’ve reunited to mark the 25th anniversary of global hit ’Treaty (Filthy Lucre Remix)’.
Founding members Witiyana Marika, Stuart Kellaway and Kevin Marlangay will be joined by the next generation of Indigenous performers including Yirrmal (grandson of Dr Yunupingu) and Yirrnga (Yunupingu clan member).
Others are Thursday Island’s hip hop act Mau Power with Radical Son, the Airileke Ingram-led hip hop/ log drumming project Sorong Samarai, folk singer Irish Mythen, Tibetan singer-songwriter Tenzin Choegyal who’ll be joined by two monks, The Medics’ Kahl Wallis and Electric Fields who blend ancient Anangu culture with modern electronica and soul.
Other Homeground attractions include 250 dancers, and Badu Gili, a spectacular seven-minute projection featuring artwork by five prominent First Nations artists, will illuminate the Opera House’s eastern Bennelong sail at sunset.
The Opera House’s Head of First Nations programming, Rhoda Roberts AO has also added The Te Kopere Healers to dispense Rongoā – a traditional Māori system of herbal remedies, physical therapies and spiritual healing – and a Black Arts Market, tours revealing Bennelong’s story, food and beverage items incorporating native Australian ingredients and interactive weaving workshops.
UNSOUND ADELAIDE UNVEILS AMBITIOUS PROGRAM OF PREMIERES AND EXCLUSIVES
Previously staged as part of Adelaide Festival, Unsound Adelaide — the Australian leg of the global experimental and electronic music festivals – has announced this morning an ambitious program in its first stand-alone edition.
These include a number of Australian exclusives and premieres.
Friday November 17 hosts the world premiere of Australian audio-visual artist Robin Fox’s new show Euclidian Drone; the Australian premiere of New York’s one-woman noise project Pharmakon; and Detroit experimental band Wolf Eyes’ exclusive Australian live show.
November 18 includes a showcase of the most current sounds in electronic music, with Holly Herndon’s interactive A/V show, the Australian debuts of Canadian ambience proponent Kara-Lis Coverdale and Denmark’s Porter Ricks, and Lexachast, the collaborative project of PAN Records head Bill Kouligas and Finland’s Amnesia Scanner.
The third and final night sees the world premiere of a new ensemble made up of three of Australia’s best instrumental musicians, pianist Chris Abrahams of The Necks, guitarist and experimental musician Oren Ambarchi and drummer Robbie Avenaim.
Also on the day are the Atom TM-led eight piece Senor Coconut making their Aussie debut with their Latino-electronica renditions of ‘’80s classics, and “militant space music and / or Fluxus techno” of Norwegian-Basque duo N.M.O., a physical and humour-filled show involving percussion and electronics.
Full program details at unsoundadelaide.com.
NEWTOWN FEST SPOTLIGHTS INNER WEST TALENT
Also announced this morning was the full program of the Newtown Festival (November 12, Camperdown Memorial Rest Park).
The whole event covers art, markets, food, dog show, writer’s tent, the La Toosh Tram & Stage, and an eco village to raise money for the Newtown Neighbourhood Centre.
The music component, curated by local resident and superstar Sarah Blasko and Newtown based booking agency Nathan Farrell Entertainment which has been booking the event since 2013.
Blasko says, “I put my head together with some people whose opinions I value to create the music lineup for Newtown Festival 2017.
“This year it was super important to put an even greater focus on the local community and atmosphere rather than it becoming just another festival.
“I believe this program to be a genuine expression of the Inner West music scene and we’ve aimed to make it as diverse as possible.”
The music acts, alphabetically:Cody Munro Moore, The Crooked Fiddle Band, Food Court, Gauci, The Goods, I Know Leopard, Jack Colwell, Jep and Dep, Klue, Left, Mezko, Sarah Be;lkner, Spit Syndicate, The Troubled Romantics and Voices of Lakemba.
CATHEDRAL TO BE MELBOURNE MUSIC WEEK HUB
St. Paul’s Cathedral is the new hub of Melbourne Music Week, replacing last year’s State Library.
Some weeks back, organisers tipped to TMN that the unidentified venue had an architectural ambience that would influence the performances. Four huge showcases will be staged there, at the corner of Flinders & Swanston Sts, the first time in its 126 year history.
Smooch Records hosts opening night with Juliana Barwick, Kath Bloom, Divide & Dissolve and Wilson Tanner.
There for an Australian exclusive is German electronic powerhouse, DJ Hell (in a house of the holy with that name?!) Sampa The Great, Fortunes, Spike Fuck, The Harpoons, Banoffee, Darcy Baylis and Planete are some of the other names.
MORE ADDITIONS TO FOTS
The Pretty Littles, Alice Ivy, Hatchie, Raave Tapes, Clea, The Money War and Manic Soul are added to Port Macquarie’s Festival of the Sun, which has already sold out, and which earlier announced Meg Mac, Ball Park Music, The Preatures and Horrorshow.
SNEAKY SUNDAYS BACK AT FLAMINGO
The rebooted Flamingo Lounge, in Sydney’s Kings Cross, last weekend also brought back one of its club nights when it was Hugo’s Lounge. Sneaky Sundays’ return featured a set from Sneaky Sound System.
CHUGG CALLS FOR LARGER HOBART VENUE
Elton John’s two shows at the Derwent Entertainment Centre in Hobart went down a storm, with both band and audience (total 12,000) jointly putting in a great performance and Sir Elt chattering away in a good mood.
Promoter Michael Chugg, delighted his former home town came to the party, took the time to tell The Mercury that the only reason that it was economically feasible for the Brit star to play Tassie was that he’d already sold 70,000 tickets in his other stadium stops.
“The venue’s not big enough,” he said of the DEC which has 5,400 seats ad holds 7,500 general admission.
“I told them when they built it all those years ago that they should have built a 10,000-seater and now they’re suffering because of it.
“Unless the acts are prepared to come down because they want to do it, or they can play outdoors, it’s just not going to happen.”
FYRE FOUNDER PLEADS NOT GUILTY TO FRAUD
Luxury Fyre Festival founder Billy McFarland pleads not guilty to fraud charges. Ticket holders turned up to the event in the Bahamas earlier this year to find nothing was ready, and that sandwiches were served instead of fine cuisine and tents instead of villas.
DRACULAS SAYS FANGS FOR THE MEMORY
After 37 years, Dracula’s cabaret venue in Melbourne is closing on December 23. It was originally modelled on The Rocky Horror Picture Show and featuring a “haunted castle” interior, and then later, um, revamped with a Drac theme.
“We are seeing the demand for our style of live entertainment in the region we offer has diminished in recent years despite our earnest efforts to maintain our popularity,” its owners said.
They’ll be keeping their Gold Coast venue open.
NEW CHAPTER FOR MUSIC FARM
The 22-acre Bruzzy’s Farm in Tallarook, out in the Victorian country, came to attention with the Boogie and New Year’s Evie festivals.
However the people behind Brunswick’s Rubix Warehouse have now taken over, and renamed it Our Friend’s Farm.
The previous festivals will still be held there. But the new owners are also holding their own bash there, Friends of Ours (November 3—5), a three day splash of drum and bass, techno, dub, reggae and hip hop.
Acts include Roni Size, Eva Lazarus, Dub FX, Spoonbill, DLR & ANT TC1, Antix & Fiord, Marcotix, Mortisville, Dub Princess, N’Fa and Motley.
The site offers eight fully self-contained cabins and a 120-seat function venue with bar and restaurant, solar power and multiple dams.
PUSH FOR WOLLONGONG ARENA
Local politicians are pushing for Venues NSW to get a move ahead and green light upgrade for Wollongong’s WIN Entertainment Centre.
Venues NSW has pencilled in a design for 2018, and says it is keen to support the changes.
The latest push came after Tina Arena mentioned during her concert there that the Centre was looking “tired”. Social media posts went on to call the place “putrid”, specifically mentioned the seats and claimed the disabled toilets didn’t work.
An earlier study by Regional Development Australia (RDA) specified the economic benefits to the region.
ANOTHER ACT FOR STORM
Following on from DJ duo Ephwurd, the inaugural staging of China’s Storm EDM festival in Sydney (December 9, Parramatta Park) added trap and bass producer NGHTMRE.
RED BULL TAKES OVER COPRESENTS MAIN STAGE
Copresents (November 11, by RMIT with Mushroom Group) announced, that music discovery and artist development program Red Bull Sound Select is taking over main stage.
It is showcasing hip hop act Manu Crook$ alongside Slum Sociable and GL with REMI, Gabriella Cohen, Billy Davis & The Good Lords, Willaris. K, Blyolk and Soft Corporate.
The Soothsayer Stage has the Melbourne label presenting, Wax’o Paradiso, Francis Inferno Orchestra, Love Deluxe (DJ set), Toni Yotzi and DJ Sarah.
QLD LIQUOR FEES TO DROP?
A Queensland parliamentary committee has recommended a reduction in liquor licensing fees for 110 regional Queensland pubs.
The idea was introduced by the Katter’s Australian Party to keep these pubs afloat.
Next step is for the State Government to vote on it, knowing it will lose $300,000 in revenue.
GREYHOUND SITE BECOMING APARTMENTS
The consortium which paid $2.1 million last year for well known St. Kilda, Melbourne drag club and gay bar The Greyhound spent little time demolishing it in May.
Now the site is expected to make $7 million as it’s allowed to redevelop for an eight-level complex with 37 flats and ground-floor shops.
NEWCASTLE LOSES VENUE
Newcastle’s Peppercorn, which was the local home to roots and Americana music, has closed suddenly. The landlord told musicians Melody Moko and Michael Muchow, who took over the lease seven months ago that he wanted to take the venue into a new direction.
MANAGEMENT CHANGE FOR GOLDFIELD CENTRE
In a new deal struck between the WA Government and the City of Kalgoorlie-Boulder, the City will take over day-to0-day management of Goldfields Arts Centre, Responsibility for the centre will be transferred to the Perth Theatre Trust which will issue a five-year lease to the City to operate the facility.
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