Features
Australia News: Kings Of Leon, Under The Southern Stars, Gudinski
– Kings of Leon
Kings Of Leon Return
In the wake of the Australian chart topping status of Kings Of Leon’s When You See Yourself album, TEG Dainty has the Tennessee band of brothers and cousin back Down Under for their first visit in ten years.
“Kings of Leon’s Australian shows in 2011 were nothing short of phenomenal and this time around the band will also be riding high after celebrating yet another #1-charting album in this country,” said president/CEO Paul Dainty.
“We can’t wait to welcome Kings Of Leon back into Australian arenas.”
The tour ships into Qudos Bank Arena, Sydney (March 26), Brisbane Entertainment Centre (March 29), Sidney Myer Music Bowl, Melbourne (April 1), Adelaide Entertainment Centre (April 4) and RAC Arena, Perth (April 7).
The trek begins in New Zealand, where Kings of Leon notched up five #1 albums, on March 23 at Spark Arena in Auckland.
– Under The Southern Stars
Under The Southern Stars Shocks With Delay To 2022
One World Entertainment’s Under The Southern Stars – mooted to be the first Australian tour since the COVID-19 lockdown to feature international names— was postponed from May to 2022.
It featured Bush, Stone Temple Pilots and Cheap Trick, and Aussie bands Rose Tattoo and Electric Mary, over 11 shows.
Promoter Andrew McManus explained, “Given the disappointingly slow roll-out of the vaccine by the government, there is no confidence that we can keep all safe and proceed as planned at our festivals this May”.
Earlier in the year, McManus told Pollstar its covid safety plan was ratified by the Border Force Commissioner after feedback from state governments, health officials and police departments with 150 letters of support including those from the premier of South Australia, the lord mayor of Brisbane and the environment minister of New South Wales.
The operation during the tour was military style with maximum isolation. Each of the eleven stops were to create 500 to 600 direct and indirect jobs, and pump an extra A$6 million ($4.66 million) into local economies.
The music industry is becoming increasingly peeved with arbitrary decisions by state and federal health departments to close down events which already have strict safety regimes in place. The most notable was the closure of Bluesfest a day out due to a single positive case, causing a loss of $10 million ($7.77 million).
McManus said: “We must protect our artists and patrons. “We get it… (but) how many times can the Australian system force another postponement?”
– Crowded House on Michael Gudinski’s Music From The Home Front
Statue, Annual Concert For Michael Gudinski?
Conversations have begun within the live sector as to how to honor the legacy of Frontier Touring’s late Michael Gudinski. One is a statue outside the 14,820-seater Rod Laver Arena in Melbourne where his state memorial was held.
The other is to make a pet project of his, the all-star Music From The Home Front concert, a permanent one. Major act Jimmy Barnes said, “It was Michael’s passion, as it was his whole career, to champion Australia and Australian artists. So yes, I’d love to see that great work continue with a yearly event in his honor.”
Last year when the pandemic closed down the sector, Gudinski tapped government funding to stage the virtual concert within nine days to be held on veterans’ remembrance ANZAC Day. It was to put 50 acts on prime time TV on free to air Nine (to an audience of 1.4 million), raise money for music charity Support Act through the resulting #1 album, DVD and merchandising, and equate sacrifices of veterans with modern day medics and firefighters.
Gudinski was working on the 2021 sequel when he died March 2. The concert returned to Nine April 24 on ANZAC Day, at Myer Music Bowl in Melbourne with Lime Coridale, Vance Joy, Bliss N Eso and Amy Shark, while Barnes, The Kid Laroi, Crowded House, Ben Lee, Tina Arena, Delta Goodrem and You Am I pre-taped sets. This year it was also streamed on YouTube.
On The Road: Jimmy Barnes, Lime Cordiale, Bliss n Eso
Despite the COVID pandemic still creating a volatile nightmare for tours with venue capacity changes and sudden border closures, more Aussie acts are heading out on the road.
Jimmy Barnes makes six major city stops through Frontier Touring July 2 to 30 behind his 12th solo album, the family-themed Flesh & Blood. It is dedicated to long time friend Michael Gudinski, the singer saying, “Everything he did was about family one way or another.”
– Lime Cordiale
Sydney electro-pop brothers Lime Cordiale do their biggest headlining run in spring.
The act’s popularity is at an all-time, after their 14 Steps To A Better You album reached #1 and saw them become most-nominated at the 2020 ARIA Awards. Chugg Entertainment, Frontier Touring, Chugg Music and Select Music has them at six mostly outdoor shows October 9 to 30.
Chart-topping hip hop act Bliss n Eso, whose new single features country singer Kasey Chambers, have six club and theatre dates June 25 to July 23 with Illusive Presents and Frontier.
Live Nation brings Nashville-based Australian singer Emma Swift back behind her Bob Dylan tribute album Blonde On The Tracks.
With five theatre stops June 17 to 24, her tour band includes members of Jet and Powderfinger.
Rock bands The Angels and George are cautiously issuing dates.
The Angels’ Greatest Hits, Live In Concert so far only revealed Melbourne shows for mid-June. George’s celebration of the 20th anniversary of their chart topping album Polyserna only marketed four shows May 6-8 in hometown Brisbane.
Artist Manager Titus Day Trial Set For May
– Titus Day (right, with former client Guy Sebastian)
Artist manager Titus Day’s trial on embezzlement charges begins on May 2,2022 for four weeks, a Sydney court decided April 23. He faces 61 counts on diverting $1.15 million (A$894,207) of recording and performance royalties from R&B singer Guy Sebastian 2013 to 2020 when he was arrested last July. Amounts allegedly withheld ranged from $109.48 (A$85.12) to $214,565.88 (A$166,824.98). The 48-year old Day denied any wrong-doing.
French Festival Snowboxx To Debut In NZ
After two false starts – a scheduling conflict in 2019 and the coronavirus in 2020 – Avoriaz, France’s Snowboxx announced the 26 acts for its New Zealand debut. It is held Sept. 7-14 at the Cardrona and Treble Cone skifields in a collaboration with the Rhythm & Alps festival.
Entertainment includes electro-reggae Kora, drum and bass acts Concord Dawn and Lee Mvtthews, hip-hop MC Rubi Du and a DJ set from Shapeshifter. The crowd is capped at 1,800.
Australia’s Snow Machine festival, which expanded to Japan last year, announced in January it would make its NZ debut at The Remarkables and Coronet Peak skifields in Queenstown Sept. 8-11 to an attendance of 5,000.
Its bill is primarily Australian including The Avalanches, Flight Facilities, Hayden James, The Presets, Hermitude, Hot Dub Time Machine, Illy, Boy & Bear, Bliss N Eso and Sneaky Sound System.