News From Downunder 12/6

Dutch Promoter Sets Up Downunder

ID&T, which is Holland’s largest dance promoter and organizes massive parties through Europe, has set up offices in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane.

Brad Drummond (KillRockStar Entertainment) and Simon Coffey (Transmission Promotions) are its local partners.

 

World Music Expo Yields Results

A number of international executives joined panels at the inaugural Australasian World Music Expo in Melbourne to advise local world music performers on how to break the North American and European markets.

They included Tony Mills of U.K.’s Glastonbury festival; Peter Hvalkof of Denmark’s Roskilde festival; Isabel Soffer, director of programming at New York’s World Music Institute; Chris Wade of the U.K.’s Adastra agency and Jim McLaughlin of the Music Port Festival in Yorkshire.

Also included were French booking agent Bernard Batzen; Dominic Lloyd of the Winnipeg Cultural Centre; Michael Wolke of Yulunga Arts; Erwin Schelleken of the Netherlands’ Festival Mundial and Bernard Hanneken of Tanz & Folk Festival Rudelstart in Germany.

As a result of a series of showcases, Aussie acts Zennith, Frank Yamma and Yilial as well as New Zealand’s Kora were offered dates in North America and Europe.

Mullin To Run Star City

U.S. casino executive Larry Mullin will take over Feb. 1 as CEO of Tabcorp’s casino division, based in Sydney.

Tabcorp runs the Star City complex in Sydney, which is undergoing a $475 million revamp, and three smaller casinos in Queensland.

Mullin has been working on the transformation of Boyd Gaming Corporation and MGM Mirage’s Borgata complex.

He replaces Walter Bugno, who resigned Nov. 13, and will report to Tabcorp CEO Elmer Funke Kupper.

 

Coldplay, Williams Returning

Michael Chugg Entertainment is bringing Coldplay back for seven arena dates Feb. 27 to March 12.

Chugg told Pollstar he expects to outsell the 100,000 tickets the band moved on its last tour, which made 10 stops.

Adrian Bohm Presents is bringing Lucinda Williams back after 16 years, doing four theatres April 1-9 before her set at the Bluesfest Byron Bay.

Michael Coppel Presents confirmed Donavon Frankenreiter for four shows Dec. 29 to Jan. 7, and teamed Pussycat Dolls and Lady Gaga for five arena stops May 19-30.

Andrew McManus Presents announced David Byrne for four theatre stops Feb. 1-9, and teamed The Who with Counting Crows for five arena dates March 24 to April 4.

Frontier Touring has Ryan Adams & The Cardinals for six shows Jan. 25 to Feb. 4.

 

Rhythm & Vines To Introduce 2009

One of the marketing angles of the sixth Rhythm & Vines festival in Gisborne, New Zealand, (rhythmandvines.co.nz) is that patrons will be the first in the world to see the sunrise in 2009.

Set in the the Waiohika Estate vineyard’s purpose-built concert amphitheatre Dec. 29 to Jan. 1, acts confirmed are The Kooks, Franz Ferdinand, NZ hard rock band Shihad and British DJ Carl Cox.

Last year’s event attracted 16,000 fans.

 

Short Notes

The Angels’ guitarist John Brewster was rushed to the hospital after he suffered a heart attack before the band’s gig at Rumours in Toowoomba. He later underwent a five-way bypass operation.

A tour by U.K. dance act Dirty Sanchez was canceled at the 11th hour as KMW Productions couldn’t get insurance for their “dangerous” act.

Lagwagon guitarist Chris Flippin was deported by the Departmentt of Immigration, leaving Lindsay McDougall from fellow hardcore band Frenzal Rhomb to step in for the band’s tour, which is through Blue Murder.