Australia: Great Escape, Divinyls, Men At Work, Nib Stadium, Bluestfest

With a national election due May 2019, the major opposition Labor Party unveiled a A$30 million ($22.1 million) over three years music package called Soundtrack Australia.  Party leader Bill Shorten said, “You can either write Australia small, or you can write Australia big, as our songwriters do, as our musicians do.”

It provides A$10 million ($7.3 million) to music export agency Sounds Australia to target more opportunities in major markets and newer ones as Asia and South America, and to also help emerging acts tour the domestic market, cut demos and generate digital marketing. In ten years, the agency showcased over 1,500 acts at international events in 66 cities and 23 countries. 

Labor promised to tackle online scalping with a ban on the use of bot software, capping ticket resales at 10 percent of original price, and increasing penalties for scalping to A$10 million ($7.3 million) for companies and A$500,000 ($368,466) for individuals. 

This came as acts as Gang of Youths, Peking Duk, Tash Sultana and Missy Higgins railed at inflated prices for their recent tours.

It will spend A$250,000 ($184,233) to increase the skills of young artist managers, A$4.2 million ($3 million) allocated for mental health assistance, more community spaces for use for band rehearsals and an increase music education at schools. 

Milly Millgate, executive producer at Sounds Australia, told Pollstar, “This level of investment will be a game changer for Australian music and has the potential to transform the way Australia sounds to the world.” 

Outspoken singer Jimmy Barnes admitted, “Political parties aren’t really my thing but hopefully other politicians will get behind these good practical ideas so new generations of bands can keep taking great Aussie music to the world.”

Australia is the focus country at the Great Escape 2019 in Brighton, UK. Courtney Barnett, Dean Lewis, Confidence Man, MC Remi and DZ Deathrays were among those who landed deals from showcasing there in the past 10 years. 

“Year on year we have been gifted with the very best musical talent coming from a country so rich, vibrant and diverse of a culture,” said festival GM Lyndsey Boggis. Music export agency Sounds Australia will coordinate showcases, luncheons and its signature Aussie BBQ for 2019’s acts including Allysha Joy, Body Type, Cable Ties, Emerson Snowe, JEFFE, Pagan Psychedelic Porn Crumpets, Sons of the East, Tropical Fuck Storm and Skyned.

Two major Aussie global exports, The Divinyls and Men At Work, are heading back on the road. The Divinyls’ co-founder and guitarist Mark McEntee assembled the new lineup with former Blondie member Frank Infante, Perth band The Sleepy Jackson’s rhythm section Malcolm Clarke and J. Cortez and Los Angeles-based singer Lauren Ruth Ward. 

McEntee became familiar with Ward when asked to contribute guitar to a Divinyls cover she was cutting. 

He fell in love with her voice – “it breaks at middle C, she had a Janis Joplin vibe” – and decided it would be perfect for a tour to commemorate the legacy of late Divinyls singer Chrissy Amphlett. The lineup plays 18 club, theatre and outdoor dates Feb. 27 to March 25.

Men At Work co-founder Colin Hay is taking a U.S. lineup of the former chart-topping act for its first headlining run in almost 20 years through UK and Europe in June. It was expected that the 2012 death in Melbourne of fellow-founder and multi-instrumentalist Greg Ham would end any reunions. 

But Hay says that touring as part of Ringo Starr’s All Star Band – he also tours and records as a solo act – during which he performed hits as “Down Under” and “Who Can It Be Now,” gave him the motivation. Hay said, “Every night we would play each other’s hits, and it was most enjoyable. The audience’s appetite for those old tunes is insatiable.”

Bluesfest Byron Bay, which celebrates its 30th anniversary next Easter, added 14 new acts in its second artist round. They were headed by Iggy Pop and Norah Jones, along with Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats as well as Aussie acts Archie Roach, Melbourne Ska Orchestra and Pierce Brothers.

Meantime, the free Blues on Broadbeach in the Gold Coast announced the first of its 40-strong bill for 2019 (May 16-19) to include Canned Heat, Eric Bibb, Z Star Trinity from the UK, and domestic guitarist Harts and revue The Bamboos. 

Set up 18 years ago by the Broadbeach Alliance of traders, to ignite activity during quieter autumn days, the event stages 150 sets in 20 areas including streets, parks, bars and restaurants.

 In 2018, an aggregated 171,000 attended over the four days. Some 64 percent traveled from outside of the Gold Coast with a direct injection of A$21.4 million ($15.4 million) into the economy. 

Perth’s outdoor sports and entertainment Nib Stadium will be rebranded HBF Park after Western Australia’s biggest health insurer secured naming rights. 

The financial aspects of the deal were not revealed but HBF chief John Van Der Wielen said it was “modest” compared with other corporate sponsorships in WA and “a small outlay” relative to the A$4 million ($2.9 million) HBF paid out in benefits each day. 

While the venue’s capacity for sports events is 20,500 and reaches 32,000 for concerts. The next major show there is Red Hot Chili Peppers May 5 while treading the boards this year were Foo Fighters, R&B Fridays Live and Wolfmother.