International News: Laneway Lauded; Sino-Japanese Diplomatic Spat Cancels Shows & More

AUSTRALASIA

by Christie Eliezer

AUSTRALIA

Laneway Wins Inaugural Award For Festivals

Laneway Festival won the inaugural award for best music festival at the ARIA (Australian Recording Industry Association) awards held Nov. 19 at Sydney’s Hordern Pavilion.

It was up against Bluesfest, Beyond The Valley, Ability Fest and Yours & Owls.

TEG’s global head of touring, Tim McGregor, said, “Laneway has always been a festival that backs great music and emerging talent long before the rest of the world catches on.”

In 2025, Laneway had its biggest numbers, with 200,000 for five Aussie shows and one in New Zealand, and an extra 40,000 at sideshows.

The 2026 bill in February, its 21st year, includes Chappell Roan, Role Model, PinkPantheress, Wet Leg, BENEE, Gigi Perez, Wolf Alice, and Teen Jesus and the Jean Teasers.

Co-founder Danny Rogers, who collected the trophy, remembered, “We just wanted to throw a party for music we loved, and it somehow grew from there,” and cited late Big Day Out founder Ken West for setting the bar for music festivals.

Another inaugural category, Spotify’s global impact award, went to Grammy-nominated DJ, producer and songwriter Dom Dolla.

A fixture on major global festivals alongside a 10-week residency at Hï Ibiza, his 170,000 ticket sales on his 2024 Australian run was the largest-ever run by an Australian electronic artist.

A December 20 headliner at the 42,500-seat Allianz Stadium, Sydney, is the first stadium date for an Australian electronic act.

Biggest wins on the night with four – including best group and album of the year – went to hard rock outfit Amyl and the Sniffers.

Currently opening for AC/DC’s massive homecoming, the act’s wins came on a week where they were nominated for a Grammy, and their free show at Melbourne’s Federation Square was pulled just before they went on as it hit 10,000-capacity and other fans were getting unruly when they were prevented from entering.

You Am I were inducted into the Hall of Fame by former Silverchair singer and guitarist Daniel John, with a list of tributes from Soundgarden’s Matt Cameron, Jimmy Barnes and Australian prime minister Anthony Albanese.

“Fuck, I love rock and roll!” exploded the band’s Tim Rogers rounding off an emotional speech.

Destroy All Lines, XIII Touring, Enter J/V

Destroy All Lines (DAL), top performing independent promoter and ranked No. 4 of local tour firms by Pollstar, struck a touring joint venture with XIII Touring.

Founded by Renee Rudolf, XIII has over 25 years toured Kesha, The Kooks, Biffy Clyro, Glass Animals, Cold War Kids and Catfish & The Bottlemen.

Rudolf said, “Destroy All Lines continues to set the benchmark for independent touring, with a globally recognised reputation for innovation and integrity,” while DAL head promoter Chris O’Brien added, “We can’t wait to dive in to start promoting the incredible roster of artists with her and the new artists that are coming on board.”

NEW ZEALAND 

20 More NZ Acts Helped On The Road

Twenty NZ acts will receive tour funding, thanks to the first round of the government’s creative funding body NZ On Air’s pilot s New Music Project Touring (NMPT).

The tours must be set up to promote new album or EP releases, and divided evenly between bands and solo performers.

“Rising costs and slower ticket-buying trends have made it increasingly challenging,” explained the body’s head of music Teresa Patterson.

The acts include names as the Black Seeds, Kaylee Bell and Bic Runga who have ventured outside NZ shores.

The funding will provide half of costs, of up to NZ$50,000 ($28,066), will cover transport, accommodation, marketing, production, venue hire and session musician fees.

Patterson confirmed the scheme will return in 2026.

ASIA

by Phil Brasor

Diplomatic Row Nixes Japanese Cultural Events In PRC

In the wake of a diplomatic row between China and Japan sparked by comments made by Japan’s new prime minister Sanae Takaichi about perceived threats from China toward Taiwan, almost all Japanese-related cultural events in China have been cancelled, including concerts by Japanese musicians. In the most prominent case a Beijing concert by the Japanese singer-songwriter Kokia was cancelled at the last minute due to a “technical issue” while fans were already arriving to see it. 

The South China Morning Post also reported a fan meeting in the city of Guangzhou for three members of the Japanese boy band JO1 slated for the end of November that was cancelled by the organizer, who cited an act of God. A three-day comedy festival featuring dozens of Japanese comedians in Shanghai was also cancelled two days before it was to take place. Japanese rapper Kid Fresino had his entire China tour indefinitely postponed, and folk duo Yuzu announced that its upcoming shows in Shanghai, Hong Kong and other Chinese cities were cancelled “due to unavoidable circumstances.”

Japanese cultural events are very popular among Chinese youth, particularly movies, which have also been cancelled in recent weeks after Takaichi suggested that Japan could deploy its military in the event of a conflict between China and Taiwan. There is pressure in China to reject anything Japanese after the dustup, and apparently many promoters are simply taking matters into their own hands by unilaterally cancelling concerts. 

But in some cases, the authorities are doing the cancelling themselves. Several media have reported that popular 80-year-old jazz bassist Yoshio Suzuki was in the middle of a sound check for a major concert in Beijing when plainclothes security personnel entered the venue and ordered them to stop. In this case, the organizer was a Norwegian person who has lived in China for 13 years. However, China’s foreign ministry has not commented directly on the cultural backlash. 

People in Japan reacted in kind when a petition with more than 100,000 signatures was sent to public broadcaster NHK demanding that an appearance by the K-pop girl group aespa be pulled from the station’s big New Year’s Eve song contest because of one Chinese member, NingNing, who in 2022 was perceived to have made light of victims of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima with a post on social media. In addition, Hong Kong-based Cantopop star Ekin Cheng Yee-kin cancelled his Tokyo concert scheduled for December 5, again due to “unforeseen force majeure circumstances.”

However, at least one Japanese concert did go ahead as scheduled. NHK itself reported that a concert by male idol singers Jin Akanishi and Ryo Nishikido took place at an indoor stadium in Shanghai on November 22, though the report also said that there were no indications outside the venue that such a concert was going on inside. In addition, some Japanese musicians who regularly visit China have voiced support for the “One-China principle” online as a means of placating their Chinese fans. 

So far, the cancellations only affect concerts that are supposed to take place in 2025, but venues and local promoters have been told not to submit fresh applications for Japanese performances that would take place next year. These developments mirror the informal ban on K-pop concerts that has lasted 10 years as a result of China’s concern over defensive missile deployments in South Korea. 

THAILAND

Creamfields Canceled

Creamfields Asia 2025, slated to take place at the Impact Exhibition Center in Bangkok, Thailand, December 13 and 14, has been cancelled by the organizers, who cited “challenges that prevent us from delivering the experience fans deserve,” according to Ticket News. The EDM festival was to feature Skrillex and Calvin Harris as headliners as well as appearances from Camelphat, Steve Angello, Far East Movement and R3hab. No specific reason was given for the cancellation. 

In a message on the festival website, the organizers said, “This was a difficult decision, and we want to sincerely thank everyone who supported the event, as well as the incredible artists who were set to perform. All ticket holders will receive a full refund via their original payment method.” 

The festival, based in the UK and organized in Thailand with the help of Live Nation Electronic Asia, was expected to attract about 50,000 people. This is the second time a Creamfields event was cancelled this year. A festival slated for Hong Kong in March was also called off with no reason given. A previous Creamfields festival took place in Thailand in 2017. 

CHINA

Tomorrowland Makes China Debut

One EDM event that was not cancelled was the China debut of Tomorrowland, which took place November 22 and 23 at the newly built Hero Dome in Shanghai, the first-ever indoor edition of the global EDM festival. The lineup included Dimitri Vegas, Amelie Lens, Chris Lorenzo, Apashe, DubVision and a number of Chinese electronica artists. Among the highlights was a collaboration between Dutch DJ Don Diablo and Chinese rapper GALI. In addition, Dimitri Vegas’s headlining set included an appearance by Chinese star Ma Siwei. 

According to City News Service, the event “tested the festival’s ability to localize production for China.” A 20-member crew from Belgium and Netherlands oversaw the stage construction and lighting and sound installations. The Dome itself, which was built in a mere five months, can hold 10,000 people. All facilities were produced in Shanghai. The CEO of The Magic of Tomorrowland and Hero Esports Music Festivals, Clinton Lau, told the website, “The venue was built to match Tomorrowland’s global standard, and this is just the beginning.”