Australia News: Regulations Overturned, INXS, Bring That Beat Back & More

The Australian live sector is pushing for a roundtable discussion after the New South Wales (NSW) Legislative Council overturned the state’s six-month old stringent and controversial music festival licensing process Sept. 26. 

The roundtable was one of two key recommendations coming from the Legislative Council regulation committee’s inquiry in late August. It also called for the removal of the new regulations, finding that the government erred in rushing them through after six drug deaths occurred at festivals over six months.

The roundtable will include live associations with liquor licensing, police, health, local councils and harm minimization groups. 

“The government can now sit down with the industry for some constructive consultation on ways to improve patron safety at music festivals, including steps to reduce drug-related harm,” Evelyn Richardson, chief executive of Live Performance Australia, said.  “Better safety outcomes at music festivals will be achieved through collaboration with festival organisers and patrons rather than imposing onerous and costly new regulation.”

The hope is for a new regulatory regime by start of summer festival season mid-November. 

Shadow arts and nighttime minister John Graham told Pollstar, “The lockouts moved the exposure of emerging acts from club s to festivals, so it was essential these had to b e saved. During its campaign, the music industry worked in a unified and articulate way and got the results it has.”

The live sector may also win its battle to overturn Sydney’s lockout laws. Dropping these were among 40 recommendations in a Sept. 30 report by an inquiry on the city’s nighttime economy. 

Violence in the CBD and Kings Cross precincts has fallen since the laws’ 2014 introduction. The report also suggested the introduction of the agent of change principle, protecting venues from noise complaints from recent neighbors, and provisions to encourage new venues to begin.

A film capturing INXS’s 1991 landmark show at London’s Wembley Stadium before 72,000 fans is to screen globally through Eagle Rock Films.  It has been restored from the original 35mm print, found in Australia after a decade-long global search by manager Chris M. Murphy, to create a widescreen 4K Ultra HD version. 

The soundtrack, released as the Live Baby Live album in 1991, gets a new Dolby Atmos audio mix by Abbey Road Studios’ Giles Martin and Sam Okell, including a “lost” track. 

The movie gets its North and South American airing Dec. 9, after Australia and New Zealand (Nov. 14) and rest of the world (Nov. 27).

’90s urban tour Bring That Beat Back – with Bobby Brown, Bell Biv Devoe, Montell Jordan, Flavor Flav and Blu Cantrell  – nixed a four city run Oct. 18 to 22. 

Local promoter MJR Presents gave no reason but said, “However we are currently working with all artists on a return date.” In August Drip World was postponed, once expecting 90,000 to a three-city run with Migos, French Montana and Akon. 

Half a dozen local acts expect a sales boost after playing the grand finals of Australia’s two largest sporting codes.

The Australian Football League season wound up at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) Sept. 20 with the first all-Aussie bill since 2012. 

It ranged from veteran troubadour Paul Kelly who opened with his 1987 ode to Melbourne “Leaps and Bounds” (first line: “I’m high on the hill, looking over the bridge, to the MCG”) to breakthrough artist Tones And I who a year ago was busking and sleeping in her van before her “Dance Monkey” became a global l hit. In between were singer songwriters Dean Lewis and Conrad Sewell. They played to 100,000 at the grounds, with 770,000 TV viewers, while the game drew 2.83 million.

The Oct. 6 grand finale of the National Rugby League at Sydney’s ANZ Stadium, has OneRepublic headlining. 

Also providing pre-game entertainment are locals Daryl Braithwaite, Natalie Bassingthwaighte, Thandi Phoenix and Christine Anu. Last year’s headliners Gang of Youth attracted 1.7 million viewers while the game drew 3.03 million.

Miranda Lambert makes her Aussie debut as a headliner of CMC Rocks Queensland at Willowbank Speedway alongside Kip Moore and Nashville-based Aussie Morgan Evans. 

Billed as largest country music event in the southern hemisphere with an aggregated crowd of 60,000, in 2020 it adds an extra day, held March 18, 19, 20, 21 and 22. 

This year it sold out 21,000 weekend tix in minutes. Nineteen international acts and 12 domestic names were announced. The 14-strong US contingent includes Billy Currington, Brothers Osborne, Lanco and Dustin Lynch. The major Aussie names are Lee Kernaghan, Adam Brand and Casey Barnes.

The Veronicas, aka twins sisters Jessica and Lisa Origliasso, are talking about legal action against Australian airline Qantas after they were escorted off a Sept. 22 Sydney to Brisbane flight. 

After a dispute over carry-on baggage, federal police escorted them off the plane. 

When asked on Ten Network’s The Project if the incident was a publicity stunt for their November-due Foxtel reality series Jess & Lisa: The Veronicas, Jess responded, “Ha! This is a legal matter, not a publicity stunt.”