Features
Australia: Ministry Of Sound, Evan Dando, Margaret Court Arena
Ministry of Sound and Gatecrasher Head Down Under
– Ministry of Sound
Peking Duk
Two UK electronic dance music brands, the
Performing first night are platinum duo Peking Duk and U.S. house identity Kings of Tomorrow.
“We’re very excited at the opening of a Ministry of Sound club in Sydney,” Ministry of Sound CEO Jonathan Bevan said in a statement. “It’s long been an ambition as our fan-base is so strong in Australia. Ivy is a stunning venue and we’re looking forward to many amazing clubbing moments there.”
The Ivy is the flagship club of Justin Hemmes’ company Merivale, which owns 20 music venues in Sydney. The Ivy complex alone hosts seven music spaces.
Hemmes noted, “Since its inception, Ivy has delivered world-class entertainment experiences unlike anything else in the country. It’s now time for the next evolution of Saturday nights at ivy, with music at its core.”
The nightclub will be co-run with Ministry of Sound Australia and its CEO Tim McGee. The local operations were set up in 1999 as a record label to issue chart-topping dance music compilations curated by Australian and international DJs.
Gatecrasher returns after more than a decade through Universal Touring Events.
It is the new company for Mark James, an Australian DJ and producer who set up Future Music festival which is believed to be currently on hiatus.
The Gatecrasher: Return Of The Lion Tour stages in Brisbane, Sydney, Perth and Melbourne starting Aug. 25.
The first artists announced included Scott Bond (who co-founded the club in Sheffield, England, in 1993), Mauro Picotto, Indecent Noise and Australia’s Factor B.
“Gatecrasher has been responsible for some of the most awe-inspiring, never-to-be-forgotten events in Australia,” James said. “I’m excited to be reconnecting with the original fans of Gatecrasher but most importantly, introducing one of the most iconic brands of our time to the new generation.”
Debate Intensifies Over Margaret Court Arena Name Change
The row over the renaming of Melbourne’s
One of these, 18-time grand slam singles title-holder Martina Navratilova, called for a name refresh in an open letter to the venue’s trustees.
She called Court, a 74-year-old tennis champion turned founding pastor of Perth’s Victory Life Church, a “homophobe” and “racist.”
Court responded, “I think Martina needs to look at her own country, not our country.” The Czech-born Navratilova champion is U.S. based.
Court sparked the furor when she wrote The West Australian newspaper she would no longer fly the nation’s airline Qantas because of its CEO Alan Joyce support for same sex marriage – which 62 percent of Australians back, according to recent polls.
In defending herself, Court said the campaign to have the venue renamed was the work of the U.S. gay lobby, and that transgender children were the work of “the devil.”
In the state of Victoria, venue names are decided by Melbourne and Olympic Parks and Tennis Australia.
Both declined to comment on whether any discussions have been made.
But in a statement, Melbourne and Olympic Parks said it “does not support Margaret Court’s comments and we remain an organisation committed to embracing equality, diversity and inclusion; from our fans to our colleagues who deliver the events that people love to attend.”
Live Performance Australia To laud Richard Tognetti
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Live Performance Australia (LPA) announced globally acknowledged violinist Richard Tognetti, also artistic director of the Australian Chamber Orchestra, would receive the 2017 JC Williamson Award.
LPA president Andrew Kelly noted, “The JC Williamson Award is presented in recognition of a longstanding contribution to the live performance industry and is bestowed on an individual who has made a truly outstanding contribution to the enrichment of Australia’s live performance culture and shaped the future of the industry for the better.”
Tognetti will be presented with the award at the LPA’s Helpmann Awards, staged July 24 at Sydney’s
The performer was earlier made an Officer of the Order of Australia the development and promotion of educational programs for children, support for emerging artists and contributions to charitable organisations.
Wellington Eying 12,000-capacity Arena
In a bid to stop major international acts from bypassing the New Zealand city of Wellington – the latest being Ed Sheeran who opted to play Dunedin as well as the main centre of Auckland –the Wellington Regional Strategy Committee May 30 green-lighted a feasibility study for a 8,000- to 12,000-capacity indoor arena.
Of Wellington’s two concert venues, the 30,000-capacity outdoor
Wellington City Mayor Justin Lester told Radio NZ’s Checkpoint show that the City has already budgeted $60 million for an arena to be built by 2023. It would be the same size as Auckland’s 12,000-capacity
“Anybody that is prepared to tour New Zealand we want to make sure that Wellington is putting its hand up,” Lester said. “It’s always a big project, it is never easy to get them across the line but where there’s a will there’s a way.”
Plans and costs are expected to come back from economic agency WREDA to the committee for discussion in August.
A media release from the City of Wellington included quotes from a number of regional mayors on how an arena would be a boost for tourism and local business.
Hutt City Mayor Ray Wallace said, “This will be a big feather in the cap of the region. We’ve all seen news reports of international acts heading elsewhere in the country because we don’t have the infrastructure to support their shows. This will help us compete and will be a great thing for the local arts and culture scene.
Evan Dando Refused NZ Entry
Lemonheads founder Evan Dando had to cancel two New Zealand shows after he was refused entry to the country, according to promoter The Label.
Dando was to play Christchurch’s
Dando initially missed his June 2 flight to Christchurch from Melbourne. He took a later plane but was detained at NZ Immigration.
The Label’s statement added, “We are not sure of all the details at this stage.” A decade ago, Dando was arrested at Sydney Airport for drug possession.