Australasia News: Beyond The Valley, WOMADelaide; John Farnham; NZ: Dunedin Live Music Plan

AUSTRALIA

Beyond The Valley Could Grow With Move

Major summer festival Beyond The Valley (BTV) could almost double its capacity with its move to Barunah Plains, in Victoria.

While previous site Lardner Park had a 20,000 capacity, the new home has a permit for 35,000 but sales are capped at 25,000 in its first year.

Set up in 2014, BVT is an event by Untitled Group which ranked No.2 in the Promoters list in the Pollstar Australia/New Zealand mid-year spotlight, grossing US$22,640,806 from ticket sales of 237,246. BTV stages Dec. 28 to Jan. 1 and marks its return as a four-day camping fest and the return of international acts.

International Stars Make WOMADelaide Debuts

Bon Iver and Florence + The Machine make their debuts at WOMADelaide, the Adelaide edition of WOMAD, March 10-13. They were the first to be announced, alongside the return after five years of French art collective Gratte Ciel’s aerial aerobatics Place des Anges as an Australian exclusive.

In 2020, WOMADelaide attracted a record 97,000 people, generating more than A$17 million ($11.7 million) in tourism benefit for the state. Bon Iver also plays Perth Festival and Mona Foma in Tasmania with five theatre and arena dates in Feb/ March through Handsome Tours.

John Farnham Undergoes Surgery

Concerns are for John Farnham’s future as a live performer. The 73-year old had the biggest grossing tours by a domestic act since a phenomenal comeback almost 40 years ago engineered by his late manager Glenn Wheatley.

Farnham, a long-time heavy smoker, had 12-hour surgery to remove a tumor from his mouth.

It meant the removal of part of his jaw and some teeth, with a long rehabilitation period expected including learning to chew and swallow again. In concerts reported to Pollstar Boxoffice since 1999, Farnham has sold just shy of 760,000 tickets and grossed $54,328,548.

NEW ZEALAND

Dunedin Developing Live Music Plan

Dunedin City Council is working with the Save Dunedin Live Music to develop a Live Music Action Plan to recommend around it can support local venues while balancing residents’ noise concerns and commercial development.

The plan, to be presented early 2023, will look at how live music can expand in the city and funding for it. “We will also be reviewing the planning rules around inner city noise,” said mayor Aaron Hawkins including an examination of the effectiveness of acoustic insulation rules.