The ARIAs will rock…and rain

If the forecasts are accurate, it will absolutely rain on the recording industry’s parade.

That’s right, Keith Urban, 5 Seconds of Summer, Troye Sivan and Rita Ora won’t be the only ones making a splash at Wednesday’s ARIA Awards. The big wet is coming, just when we don’t want it.

Meteorologists are urging Sydneysiders to brace themselves for a hammering. While the gods of rock and pop stroll the red carpet at The Star, the heavens should open and dump anywhere from 60mm to as much as 120mm on the city in just a few hours, as a concentrated low pressure area hones in.

That’s not some light drizzle. According to the Bureau of Meteorology, November’s average rainfall in Sydney is 66mm, so the host city of the 2018 ARIA Awards is facing almost two months of rain in just a few hours.

“Current forecasts indicate intense rain could occur in major population centres from Wednesday morning. Damaging winds and hazardous surf conditions are also anticipated,” a BOM alert reads.

That means delays for interstate guests, soggy suits and mushy hairdos. The upside, well, it shouldn’t too hot.

Forecaster Jordan Notara told the ABC some parts of Sydney may even flood. Oh, and wind.

“Sydney at the moment is looking like it may have some localised flash flooding through the northern parts of Sydney as well as southern parts and that may be due to potentially some isolated thunderstorm activity on the day,” he explained.

“So those areas from Wednesday will start to experience some quite significant rainfall as that low starts to deepen off the coast and as we start to go into the later part of the day, we’ll see those winds start to come into play as well.”

Rain, hail, heat and dust storms, Australians are used to all by now. And let’s face it, a little unseasonable flashflooding never put off an Australian from hitting a party.

Tomorrow will be a big party, the weather should be suitably wild.

Ropey weather aside, the ARIAs are shaping-up as a fitting full-stop to another strong year for the local industry. Another new wave of Aussies broke borders this year, with Gang of Youths, Tash Sultana, King Gizzard and The Lizard Wizard and others making big waves abroad. And the recording industry itself is in calmer waters, with ARIA’s reporting another period of sold growth in the first half.

“It’s been such a good year for Aussie music,” ARIA CEO Dan Rosen told TIO ahead of the 32nd annual ARIAs. “When you look at the line-up it’s wall-to-wall superstars and hits, which is great.

“Not that other ARIAs haven’t been, but this year in particularly there’s been so many big records and big songs. It’s a wonderful year for Australian music.”

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