Australian News 6/29

Bluesfest Lodges Application

The East Coast Blues and Roots Festival doesn’t do things half-heartedly.

The development application that co-promoter Peter Noble took to the local council for its new site in Tyagarah was 1,000 pages long.

It addressed every environmental, traffic and logistics issue possible, taking 12 months and a $500,000 bill to compile.

Noble is determined to stage the festival’s 25th anniversary at the site next year.

 

New Lease For York Jazz

The Shire of York in Western Australia handed over control of the York Jazz Festival to Perth touring and festival agency Supersonic Events.

Supersonic runs major events including Rock It, Wave Rock Weekender, Margaret River Masters and Mudslinger.

It is investing $500,000 into revamping the festival, which takes place October 18-19.

 

Hot Tours

Conor Oberst (Bright Eyes), who is downunder with his Mystic Valley Band for the Great Escape festival in October, is set for three theatre sideshows October 2-4 for KMW Productions.

Albert Hammond Jr. of Strokes fame, here for Splendour In The Grass, will do three club dates for Frontier Touring July 30 to August 2.

California rock band Ignite will return for five club dates July 16-20, courtesy of the band’s record label, Resist Records.

Nickelodeon’s "Dora the Explorer Live! Dora’s Pirate Adventure" stage musical announced 27 shows in eight cities September 13 to October 8.

Adrian Bohm Presents locked in Asian-American standup comedian Jo Koy for four theatre shows October 19-23. He visited Australia earlier this year as part of "Russell Peters & Friends."

Back with a new single, album and U.K. release, Aussie dance act Sneaky Sound System is touring in support of the group’s 2 album, with six dates along the East Coast August 16-30, sponsored by Sony Ericsson.

Chart-busting Vanessa Amorosi ends her 21 Oz dates in her hometown of Melbourne July 27.

As debut album A Country Heart climbs up the charts, The Noll Brothers have expanded their tour to 14 stops, ending October 11.

Guitar band Rocket Science locked in 13 shows behind the release of its fourth album, Different Like You, (August 21 to October 11) while Magic Dirt is booked for 35 shows July 30 to December 13 on a tour titled "No Sleep Til Christmas."

 

Venue News

Queensland nightclub security bouncer Claude Peter Henry Tekawa was jailed for two years on charges of taking an intoxicated patron back to his apartment and raping her.

The Southport District Court heard the woman’s blood alcohol concentration was between .13 and .21 percent.

Her friends helped her outside, where she passed out. Tekawa told them he’d look after her. The woman said she woke up on his bed without her underwear.Clubs in the NSW city of Tweed Heads claim downturn of income of between 8 and 13 percent because of smoking bans and multimillion-dollar poker machine tax bills.

Twin Towns Clubs and Resorts lost $5 million in gaming revenue since the smoking ban was introduced on July 2 last year, general manager Rob Smith said. It lost 13 percent in gaming revenue after budgeting for 10 percent.

Seagulls Club posted an 8 percent drop in revenue worth $1 million after spending $1 million on two outdoor smoking gaming areas.

 

Short Notes

Growing overhead costs and poor trading saw events services group Staging Connections slash its post-tax earnings forecast for the year ending June 30 to $10 million, from $18 million. Revenue forecasts are $192 million, down $4 million.

The promoter who owns the rights to an Aussie Queen tribute show called "It’s Kinda Magic" is taking action against another Queen tribute act, Champions of The World.

He says the show is riding on the popularity of his act. The NSW Supreme Court has frozen all tour proceeds until the issue is resolved by the courts at a later date.

Fur Management has signed former Taxiride singer/songwriter Jason Singh, who is working on a solo album.

Airbourne won "best debut album" at the Metal Hammer Awards in London. The day before, at Donnington Download Festival, singer Joel O’Keefe climbed the stage to plant an Australian flag in the rafters.