Heatwave Collapses, COO Missing

Australia’s inaugural Heatwave festival is in voluntary insolvency.

Promoter Patrick Whyntie, aka MC Mastacraft, said all artists were paid but some suppliers are still owed.

Low attendance at the six January shows were not helped by headliners D-12 arriving late from the U.S. and missing half the dates.

Complaints were made to consumer authorities that VIP packages to meet the act were not honoured.

The Perth show was canceled at the last minute, and Melbourne’s was a no-alcohol event after failing to get its liquor license approved in time.

Meantime, police are searching for Heatwave’s COO, Olivier Lokolomba.

He was last seen Jan. 21 at a bank in Sydney’s Potts Point, with $30,000 on him.

Whyntle told youth radio network triple j, “We just fear possibly something bad has happened to him.”