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Morgan Wallen is the new king of Australia’s singles survey.
The U.S. country star bags his first leader on the ARIA Singles Chart with “Last Night” (Republic Records/Universal), which lifts 2-1, emulating its parent album One Thing At A Time, which hit the summit last month and currently lifts 4-3.
Prior to “Last Night,” Wallen’s chart best in these parts was a No. 20 peak for “You Proof” in 2022; “You Proof” dips 23-27 on the current tally.
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With Wallen at the throne, Miley Cyrus’ unbroken reign with “Flowers” (Columbia/Sony) comes to an end at 12 weeks. That’s impressive, but still some way off the 24-week non-consecutive reign of Tones And I’s 2019 hit “Dance Monkey,” the all-time leader.
“Flowers” dips 1-2 on the latest chart, published April 14, while PinkPantheress’ “Boy’s a liar” (Parlophone/Warner) holds at No. 3.
The highest new entry belongs to Drake, as “Search & Rescue” (Republic/Universal) bows at No. 8. Just one other cut debuts in the top 50 on the latest frame, NLE Choppa’s “S**t Me Out” (Warner), rising 105-48.
Over on the ARIA Albums Chart, homegrown queer pop band Cub Sport pounces to No. 1 with Jesus At The Gay Bar (Believe).
It’s the first No. 1 and second ARIA top 10 album for the Brisbane outfit. “We’ve been a band for over a decade and to achieve our first #1 record with our fifth album is incredible,” reads a statement from the four-piece. “So proud of the four of us for the years of hard work and for building to this moment as a self-managed and independent band. Above all, we’re so grateful to our beautiful fans – thank you so much for making this dream come true!”
Adds ARIA CEO Annabelle Herd: “Cub Sport are an incredible home-grown act who absolutely deserve to be celebrated. Congratulations to the band and their team for an incredible triumph, particularly as an independent band. All of us at ARIA are thrilled to be welcoming another Australian album to the top of the charts.”
Jesus At The Gay Bar shimmies past Hope (Capitol/Universal), the fifth studio album from Michigan-born, singer, songwriter and producer NF. It’s new at No. 2. That’s a career best for NF (real name: Nathan John Feuerstein), bettering the No. 3 peak for The Search in 2019, and the No. 5 for his mixtape Clouds in 2021.
Further down the tally, the Linkin Park’s sophomore album Meteora (Warner) impacts the top 10, at No. 8, thanks to a 20th anniversary reissue, which features previously-unreleased works including vocals from the late frontman Chester Bennington. Meteora originally peaked at No. 2 in 2003 and has been certified four-times platinum, ARIA reports.
Finally, Aussie punk rock outfit Frenzal Rhomb just miss out on a top 10 berth with The Cup Of Pestilence (Virgin/Universal), their 10th studio effort. It’s new at No. 1 on the all-genres albums chart, and it’s the best-seller on wax this cycle.
Colin Hay, the singer, songwriter and frontman of beloved Australian rock group Men At Work, and the late trailblazing tour promoter Colleen Ironside are this year’s recipients of the Ted Albert Award for Outstanding Services to Australian Music.
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The prestigious honor will be presented at the 2023 APRA Music Awards, to be held April 27 at ICC Sydney, on Gadigal land.
Hay will be on hand to receive his circular trophy, recognition for a stellar career that launched in the early ‘80s with Men At Work’s hit debut album Business As Usual, and its standout single “Down Under.”
It was a dream breakthrough, the type few acts have done before or since, as the single and its parent topped simultaneously topped the charts on both sides of the Atlantic, and the group went on to win the Grammy Award for best new artist.
“Who Can It Be Now” logged a single week at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1982, and “Down Under” would climb the summit later that year, holding top spot for four weeks. Today, the latter song has passed more than one billion streams across all platforms, and is treasured as Australia’s unofficial anthem.
“Overkill” and “It’s a Mistake” both hit the top 10 on the Hot 100, “Dr. Heckyll & Mr. Jive” cracked the top 40 (at No. 28). Followup LP Cargo peaked at No. 3 on the Billboard 200. The band called it quits in 1985, but the music lives on. Career record sales top 30 million, according to APRA.
This award is “for outstanding services to Australian Music,” notes Hay in a statement. “I think services is the key word here. It’s important to realise at some point in your life that it is a valuable thing to be of service. To be of some use.”
Hay’s music would be introduced to new generations through Scrubs and Garden State, and he continues to tour, both as a solo artist and as a guitarist in Ringo Starr’s All-Star Band. “Down Under” has been revisited in recent years with a hit drum ‘n’ bass cut by DJ Luude, and by award-winning Yolŋu surf rockers King Stingray.
Speaking to Billboard over Zoom from Sacramento, CA, Hay admits “Down Under” is “very dear to me. When I wrote the song, I had a lot of fear and trepidation about Australia becoming overdeveloped, like you know, Florida or something,” the Scottish-born artist notes, “and on the other side of the coin, there was this beautiful uniqueness and incredible — a kind of awesomeness — of the country which I thought, ‘we don’t want to lose that’. We have to nurture, it’s a precious thing we have.”
Also at the APRAs, Ironside will be posthumously saluted for a career during which she set the groundwork for a pan-Asian touring network and producing scores of tours in the region.
Ironside, who died in 2022, is equally remembered for her force-of-nature personality.
The concerts giant cut her teeth as a booking agent for the Harbour Premier Agency in Sydney, Australia. She went out on her own, establishing and running APA Booking Agency, which booked INXS, Ratcat, James Reyne, Jenny Morris, Wendy Matthews and Def FX for Australia, New Zealand and Asia.
In 1994, Frontier Touring recruited Ironside as head of its Asia division, where she managed tours by Pearl Jam, R.E.M., Tom Jones and others. In 1999, she established Live Limited and toured the Rolling Stones, Elton John, David Bowie, Sting and other titans of rock and pop music.
Later, in 2005, she began a five-year stint with Live Nation as senior VP of bookings in Pan-Asia, before reviving Live Limited, through which she promoted Janet Jackson in Hong Kong, Bruno Mars in Malaysia and Bob Dylan in Hong Kong and Vietnam.
“Colleen championed Australian songwriters and artists and created live music pathways into Asia with a business acumen that was years ahead of her peers,” comments Dean Ormston, CEO, APRA AMCOS.
And Hay “is a songwriter of the highest level and with the biggest heart, whose songs continue to connect and hit No. 1 on the charts. We look forward to honoring them with the Ted Albert Award at this year’s APRA Music Awards”.
The Ted Albert Award is one of the Australian music industry’s highest accolades, and is decided by the APRA board of writer and publisher directors.
Previous recipients include Paul Kelly, the late Mushroom Group founder Michael Gudinski, Slim Dusty, The Seekers and last year’s recipient The Wiggles.
In other APRA Music Awards news, the most performed international work has been awarded to global smash “As It Was” by Harry Styles, with co-writers Thomas Hull and Tyler Johnson). Universal Music Publishing and Concord Music Publishing are publishers.
As previously reported, Grammy Award winners Flume and Rufus Du Sol are among the artists and songwriters scoring multiple nominations for this year’s ceremony.
Established in 1982, the Australasian Performing Right Association’s annual songwriters’ ceremony is one of the Australian music industry’s favorite events, a worthy counterpart to Britain’s Ivor Novello Awards.
The special moments in the APRAs program includes the performance of those song of the year nominees, often completely reimagined by another star from Australia’s music scene.
For more information visit the APRA website.
U.K.-based, Sydney-formed Aussie rock act Gang Of Youths, and singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Tash Sultana were among the big winners Tuesday night (April 4) at the 2023 Shure Rolling Stone Australia Awards.
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Sultana was on hand to the receive the Rolling Stone Global Award at Sydney’s The Argyle. “I’ll keep it short and sweet, just like me,” they quipped.
The “Jungle” singer enters the next phase of their career with a fresh indie-pop single “James Dean,” the first through a new deal with Kobalt. Sultana already owns an ARIA Award for 2018’s Flow State (for best blues & roots album), an LP that peaked at No. 2 in Australia, and No. 51 on the Billboard 200.
Gang Of Youths scooped best record, for the band’s Angel in Realtime, which blasted to No. 1 on the ARIA Albums Chart in March 2022, their second leader.
Frontman Dave Le’aupepe delivered a pre-recorded thank-you to the packed house. “Most of all I want to thank youse back in Australia for caring about a record that was made entirely to serve the memory of my father. This is for my dad as well, who taught me how to live,” he explained.
Sydney indie act Lime Cordiale won the Rolling Stone Readers’ Choice Award, with frontman Oli Leimbach collecting the spoils. “Thanks everyone, I thought we were up for ‘Most Popular’ award, but that’s okay,” he quipped. “This is crazy, we’re really stoked, thanks everyone for everything.”
Also on the night, Perth indie-rockers Spacey Jane nabbed the best single honor for “Hardlight,” lifted from the band’s ARIA No. 1 studio album Here Comes Everybody, and the No. 3 ranked song in triple j’s Hottest 100 countdown of 2022.
Golden-voiced singer Budjerah took home best new artist, adding to a collection that includes an APRA Music Award and the coveted Michael Gudinski Breakthrough Artist ARIA Award.
The evening, however, belonged to Tina Arena, the living legend who was named as the inaugural recipient of the Rolling Stone Icon Award.
Introducing Arena to the stage, the Brag Media’s editor-in-chief Poppy Reid remarked: “Tina Arena is one of Australia’s highest-selling artists, she’s a once-in-a-generation talent, but more than that, she is an icon for young people everywhere.”
She added, “Her work comes from a place of love, it comes from obsession, and it shows in everything she does. From her music, to her activism, her feminism, her allyship and the way she fights the sickness in our society around ageism, to her using her platform to lift others up. She’s an inspiration to me and everyone I know.”
Arena’s rousing speech was both hilarious and biting, as she took time to thank those who deserved a shout out, and shouted out those ageists and misogynists who continue to hold-back female artists.
“I’ve never been one to conform to stereotypes, or expectations. I’m not interested in being cool,” she said. “I won’t toe the line. I tell it like it is. I’m true to my internal compass, because authenticity is an absolute must for me. I sing from the heart, and I write from the depths of my soul. It resonates with some people, because some people are craving what is ultimately real. They’re craving truth in a world filled with absolute bullshit.”
She continued, “As artists, we have a huge responsibility to do our job with integrity. We must not confirm. We must not allow the powers that be to manipulate and use the arts to push their own agendas. An artist’s job, in my own humble opinion, is to lift people up, to inspire change and empathy. It’s not to be the mouthpiece for different social and political propaganda.”
Arena’s Icon status is well-deserved. Her 12-strong catalogue of studio album (including three recorded in the French language) have sold 10 million combined copies, and yielded seven ARIA Awards including the album of the year honor for her 1995 hit Don’t Ask, a category no other solo female artist had won at the time.
Don’t Ask was the highest-selling album of 1995 in Australia and, with more than 1 million domestic sales, and to this day is one of the biggest-selling albums by an Australian female singer.
She’s venerated in her adopted homeland, France, where she was awarded one of country’s highest civil decorations, the Ordre national du Mérite (French Order of Merit), for her contribution to the arts, and was inducted into the ARIA Hall of Fame in 2015.
Arena delivered the highlight of the RS Awards with Budjerah for a surprise duet to “Chains,” a hit from Don’t Ask.
2023 Shure Rolling Stone Australia Awards Winners:
Rolling Stone Icon Award
Winner: Tina Arena
Best Single
Winner: Spacey Jane – “Hardlight”
Amy Shark – “Only Wanna Be With You”
Budjerah – “Ready for the Sky”
Courtney Barnett – “Rae Street”
Keith Urban – “Brown Eyes Baby”
Ruel – “Growing up is ___”
The Kid LAROI – “Thousand Miles”
Vance Joy – “Clarity”
Best New Artist
Winner: Budjerah
Blake Rose
Eliza & The Delusionals
Forest Claudette
James Johnston
Lara D
Merci, Mercy
Teen Jesus and the Jean Teasers
Best Record
Winner: Gang of Youths – angel in realtime
5 Seconds of Summer – 5SOS5
Julia Jacklin – Pre Pleasure
Parkway Drive – Darker Still
Spacey Jane – Here Comes Everybody
The Wiggles – ReWiggled
Thelma Plum – Meanjin
Vance Joy – In Our Own Sweet Time
Rolling Stone Global Award
Winner: Tash Sultana
Alison Wonderland
Gang Of Youths
Iggy Azalea
Keith Urban
Kylie Minogue
Rüfüs Du Sol
The Wiggles
Tones And I
Troye Sivan
Vance Joy
Rolling Stone Readers’ Choice Award
Winner: Lime Cordiale
Boy & Bear
CXLOE
Daniel Johns
Ruby Fields
San Cisco
Teenage Dads
The Chats
The Wiggles
Tones And I
Lana Del Rey drives straight to No. 1 on the Australian chart with Did You Know That There’s A Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd (via Interscope/Universal), her ninth studio album.
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With its fast start, Ocean Blvd becomes the U.S. alternative pop singer’s eighth top 10 LP in these parts, and fifth leader following Born To Die (from 2012), Ultraviolence (2014), Honeymoon (2015) and Lust For Life (2017).
It’s one of four new releases impacting the top 10 on the latest ARIA Albums Chart, published Friday, March 31.
Coming in at No. 2 is Luke Combs’ Gettin’ Old (Columbia/Sony). It’s the U.S. country star’s fourth album and fourth top 10 in Australia, following This One’s For You (No. 7 peak in 2017), What You See Is What You Get (No. 1 in 2019) and Growin’ Up (No. 2 in 2022).
Further down the list, Fall Out Boy’s So Much (For) Stardust (Atlantic/Warner) starts at No. 4, for the reunited U.S. alt-rock veterans’ sixth top 10 effort in Australia. The band’s peak performance to date came a decade ago, when 2013’s Save Rock and Roll hit No. 2.
Also, Australian singer-songwriter Matt Corby blasts into the top 10 with Everything’s Fine (Island/Universal), his third album. It’s new at No. 8. Everything’s Fine is the followup to Corby’s 2018’s LP Rainbow Valley (which peaked at No. 4), and his chart-leading debut from 2016, Telluric.
As it celebrates its 50th anniversary with a reissue project, Pink Floyd’s Dark Side of the Moon (Columbia/Sony) roars back into the chart. The 14-times platinum album vaults 220-12, to notch its 103rd week on the chart.
Over on the ARIA Singles Chart, Miley Cyrus’ “Flowers” (Columbia/Sony) flourishes for an 11th consecutive week at No. 1, while Ed Sheeran returns to the top tier with “Eyes Closed” (Atlantic/Warner), new at No. 6. Produced with Max Martin and Shellback, and lifted from his forthcoming album Subtract, “Eyes Closed” is Sheeran’s 28th top 10 appearance in Australia, a feat that includes two tracks as a featured artist, ARIA reports.
MELBOURNE, Australia — Mushroom Group, the mighty, Melbourne based-independent music company, sends-out the invitations to its 50th birthday party, an occasion that will include a “once-in-a-lifetime” all-star concert.
A raft of releases, both musical, visual and branded merchandise, will drop in the lead-up to the major live event, set for November.
The action starts from today (March 23) with the release of The Temper Trap’s interpretation of The Church’s Billboard Hot 100 hit “Under The Milky Way,” the first in a collection of starry covers of classic Mushroom songs.
In the weeks ahead Missy Higgins, Bliss n Eso, Paul Kelly and others will share their contributions, which, ultimately, will form a Mushroom 50 compilation album.
Founded in 1972 by a then 21-year-old Michael Gudinski, the Mushroom brand has shaped Australia’s music culture ever since.
Today, the group is a two-dozen-strong collection of affiliates active in every conceivable area of the music and entertainment industries, from touring to booking agencies, publishing, merch and marketing services, venues, exhibition and events production, neighboring rights, branding, labels, talent management and more.
Matt Gudinski is now at the helm of the group, as CEO, following the passing of his father Michael in 2021.
The Mushroom 50 concert, says Matt Gudinski “will feature a huge line-up of sensational artists, celebrating some of Australia’s most iconic songs – this will be a once in a lifetime event.”
He continues, “We’ve teamed up with some of the best artists in the world to deliver these reimagined Mushroom hits. Each artist is bringing their own distinct sound and vision to their cover. I’m sure you’ll love them.”
A snapshot of the Mushroom Group story is told in a 90-second promo, which carries the strapline “50 Years of Making Noise.” Keep an eye out for cameos from the likes of Missy Higgins, Jimmy Barnes and Ed Sheeran, whose most recent tour of Australia, produced by Mushroom Group’s Frontier Touring company, was a record-smasher.
The celebration continues with the release later this year of a feature documentary on Michael Gudinski, a legendary character whose death was mourned by many of the giants he worked with, from Paul McCartney to Bruce Springsteen, Dave Grohl and his bestie, Ed Sheeran. The film project, which traces MG’s remarkable life and career, was green-lit last year and will premiere in cinemas across the country.
Also, a limited-edition range of Mushroom 50 merch is now available on mushroom50.com.
“This news is just the beginning,” reads a statement, “expect more exciting announcements to come in the months ahead.” The line-up, venue and ticket details for the anniversary concert will be revealed in due course.
Tame Impala got an unexpected shout-out when senator David Pocock wore a branded band tee for an impromptu interview in Parliament House.
Pocock, a former captain of the Wallabies, Australia’s national men’s rugby union team, spoke to media in Canberra’s halls of power, fronting the scrum in a black, Tame Impala number.
Politics is no ordinary contact sport. When footage went wide of the independent senator rocking the Western Australian psychedelic-pop act, criticism rained down from the right-wing Sky News, the domestic affiliate of Fox News, which blasted Pocock for not wearing a “collared shirt.”
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“I’d come straight from an early morning game of tennis to celebrate 100 years of Tennis ACT and agreed to do a door stop (not a prearranged interview) in the hallway on the way out of the Press Gallery after a morning radio interview,” was Pocock’s response. “Great to see the big issues being reported,” he fired back.
What do you think? Play on? 😂I’d come straight from an early morning game of tennis to celebrate 100 years of Tennis ACT and agreed to do a door stop (not a prearranged interview) in the hallway on the way out of the Press Gallery after a morning radio interview. Great to… pic.twitter.com/GNzXkg1i4c— David Pocock (@DavidPocock) March 22, 2023
Pocock is something of a renaissance man. Born in Zimbabwe, he represented Australia at the highest level of rugby, with 83 Tests to his name, and is a three-time nominee for world player of the year. He holds a Master of Sustainable Agriculture from Charles Sturt University, and campaigned for conservationism and social justice when he chose to retire from professional sports. He went on to run a successful campaign in 2022 for one of the Australian Capital Territory’s two Senate seats, and is now considered one of the most powerful people of Australia’s federal parliament.
Tame Impala frontman Kevin Parker got a feel for life as an elite rugby player when, in recent weeks, he fractured his hip. To correct the injury, the production whizz underwent surgery to have screws and rods inserted into his femur, the strongest bone in the body.
In better news for Parker, his band Tame Impala released “Wings of Time,” on March 10, a soundtrack to Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves, and he collaborated with Gorillaz on “New Gold,” which appears on Cracker Island, a recent No. 1 on the Official U.K. Albums Chart.
MELBOURNE, Australia — Live Nation Australia has secured a multi-year lease to operate Festival Hall, the iconic Melbourne live music and sports venue.
Through the arrangement, confirmed late Friday (March 17), LN is expected to invest in several upgrades on the versatile space, which was built during WW1 and currently boasts a capacity of 5,405.
Festival Hall slots into the concerts giant’s existing portfolio of venues, which includes The Palais Theatre in Melbourne, the Fortitude Music Hall in Brisbane, the Hindley Street Music Hall in Adelaide, and Anita’s Theatre, a historic venue in Thirroul, a northern seaside suburb of Wollongong, which last year became LN’s first push into regional Australia.
“We are extremely excited to be delivering the next chapter of Festival Hall’s life,” comments Roger Field, president LN APAC, “not only because it will help support the growing demand of shows that are coming down the pipeline across the industry, but also to put the iconic venue firmly back on the global live entertainment map.”
LN’s vision for Festival Hall, Field continues, is to ensure that the venue “remains a cornerstone of the State’s live music scene for artists, industry, and fans alike.”
The launch of this new project will support 200 full-time equivalent jobs on event days, sources say.
Festival Hall has a storied history. The multi-purpose space at 300 Dudley Street, in West Melbourne, was originally built back in 1915 by John Wren, chairman of Stadiums Pty Ltd. Fire ripped through the room in 1955, but a rebuild was completed in time for the 1956 Olympics Games, where hosted gymnastics and wrestling.
Over time, the likes of the Beatles, Bill Haley, Johnny Cash, Frank Sinatra, Liberace, Shirley Bassey, Foo Fighters, Ed Sheeran and Lorde have played to packed houses at Festival Hall.
In October 2020, the venue was purchased by Hillsong Church with the intention to create a community hub to support live music, entertainment, and other events. At the time Hillsong stated, “it’s a way to give back to Melbourne and continue the venue’s legacy.”
It’s understood the church will continue to use the venue for weekend services and other events.
Miley Cyrus is now head of the Cyrus clan.
The U.S. pop star’s “Flowers” (via Columbia/Sony) logs an eighth consecutive week at No. 1 on Australia’s chart, beating the old Cyrus mark set by Billy Ray back in 1992 with “Achy Breaky Heart,” which ruled the ARIA survey for seven weeks.
Don’t expect “Flowers” to wither anytime soon; Cyrus’ eighth studio album, Endless Summer Vacation, which features the two-times platinum single, dropped Friday (March 10).
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Meanwhile, PinkPantheress’ “Boy’s A Liar” (Parlophone/Warner) is “very close behind” at No. 2, ARIA reports, with the Weeknd’s “Die For You” (Universal), which features a fresh assist from Ariana Grande, completing an unchanged podium.
Over on the ARIA Albums Chart, Harry Styles nabs a 10th non-consecutive week at No. 1 with Harry’s House (Columbia/Sony), his third solo album. The former One Direction star recently wrapped a lap of stadiums in these parts, for the domestic leg of his Love On Tour, produced by Live Nation.
The afterglow of those seven trans-Tasman dates can be seen up and down the charts. His sophomore longplay Fine Line dips 5-6, and his debut self-titled holds at No. 12 on the albums survey, while “As It Was,” IFPI’s top global single for 2022, holds at No. 5 on the singles tally; it’s one of the English singer’s 14 tracks currently impacting the top 100.
Harry’s House holds-off two debut releases on the latest ARIA Chart. Coming in at No. 2 on the latest survey, published March 10, is One Day At A Time (Mercury/Universal), the third studio effort by U.S. country star Morgan Wallen.
The sprawling, 36-track album is the followup to 2021’s The Double Album, which has spent more than two years on the ARIA Chart and is currently at No. 31.
The third spot belongs to Ruel, with his first full-length album 4th Wall (RCA/Sony). The 20-year-old Sydney singer won the ARIA Award for breakthrough artist (now the Michael Gudinski breakthrough artist award) in 2018, and bagged a No. 3 on the national survey with his 2019 EP, Free Time.
Finally, Korean boy band NCT 127 enjoys a top 20 debut with Ay-Yo – The 4th Album Repackage (Virgin Music Australia/Universal), at No. 13; Mornington Peninsula-based four-piece indie act Teenage Dads start at No. 28 with the Midnight Driving EP (via MGM); and Melbourne singer-songwriter Jen Cloher bows at No. 30 with I Am The River, The River Is Me (Inertia), her fifth studio album.
Republic Records: Kids & Family announced on Monday the signing of ARIA Hall of Fame inductee, singer, songwriter, actor and performer Sam Moran. His first single is to be released later this month.
“There is no other team that I would rather be working with than Republic Kids. The energy and creativity they are bringing to my debut project is exactly what I was looking for when venturing out on my own,” says Moran. “We have so many surprises in store that I know my fans are going to love so, get ready!”
Moran is an Australian-born performer best known for his work on the Wiggles television show, both as recurring characters and as Yellow Wiggle from 2006 to 2012.
“When launching Republic Kids I knew I had to sign Sam as an artist,” says Bree Bowles, vp of marketing and strategy. “He is the perfect complement to our mission of producing world-class music that can be enjoyed by both kids and their parents. Sam’s musical talents are beloved by so many and these new efforts will help to redefine the future of ‘kids’ music.”
Jonathan Shank from Terrapin Station Entertainment will manage Moran, telling Billboard: “We are so excited to be working alongside Sam and Republic for this release and know it’s the start of magical things to come.”
Moran said some of his material is meant to inspire kids who had a hard time emerging from the pandemic and that “there’s no better way to help them rediscover themselves than through music. I want to give them a voice that reflects how they see the world — with, of course, a bunch of fun along the way!”
BRISBANE, Australia — A brouhaha between Bluesfest and a touring party that includes the Soul Rebels and Big Freedia is entering legal territory after the groups — which also includes Talib Kweli and GZA — has jointly claimed they were canceled by the Australian event “in bad faith and in breach of contract.”
All of those acts were initially slated to perform at the festival this Easter in Byron Bay, in addition to several theater shows on Australia’s east coast promoted by Bluesfest Touring.
And then, they weren’t.
When the second artist announcement for Bluesfest dropped in October 2022, the growing lineup included The Soul Rebels & Friends with special guests Talib Kweli, GZA and Big Freedia.
The bill as it stands for Bluesfest 2023 no longer features the four acts.
A strongly worded statement from the tour’s reps, seen by Billboard, lays all the blame at Bluesfest and its director Peter Noble.
“The artists had fully executed signed contracts with Peter Noble and had already booked travel to Australia and were looking forward to returning to the country to perform for their fans,” the statement reads.
“Peter Noble removed the artists and the tour without further communication or reason from Bluesfest other than him stating his decision to not want to pay the artists.”
Furthermore, it continues, “these are all black artists, and Big Freedia is an LGBTQ icon.”
Bluesfest
Courtesy Bluesfest
The statement then points to the controversial Australian rock group Sticky Fingers, which, after a weeks-long backlash, has been removed from the lineup.
“It appears the tour may have been replaced by other artists including Sticky Fingers,” reads the statement, which was originally distributed to a handful of media outlets in late February, including the Australian Broadcasting Corporation’s Double J network. “We are uncertain about who else on Bluesfest may have also been cancelled.”
Noble’s “cancellation of the tour of the aforementioned artists and on Bluesfest has resulted in significant financial loss to the artist,” the statement continues. “Peter’s egregious treatment and disregard of his contractual and moral obligations and disrespect can be completely supported by his actions and written communications.”
Speaking with Billboard on Friday (March 3), Noble read from a prepared statement from Bluesfest’s lawyers.
“The termination of the Soul Rebels contract by Bluesfest has nothing to do with the announcement of Sticky Fingers playing at Bluesfest 2023,” the statement reads. “The Soul Rebels contract was terminated because they did not comply with the contractual terms. By that, we mean, Soul Rebels, Big Freedia, GZA and Talib Kweli.”
Noble declined to go off script.
The impresario and his long-running festival have rolled with many punches these past few years, from the pandemic to floods, to the border closures and public health orders which saw the 2021 edition nixed just hours before showtime.
In the new year, a new problem.
King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard and Sampa The Great recently bailed from the bill, a boycott to the booking of Sticky Fingers, whose frontman has a well-publicized and controversial past.
On Thursday of this week, after a weeks-long backlash on social media, Noble and Bluesfest announced that Sticky Fingers “is to step off the Bluesfest 2023 line-up.”
The 2023 edition of Bluesfest is set for April 6-10 at Byron Events Farm, with headliners including Gang of Youths, Paolo Nutini, Tash Sultana, Bonnie Raitt, the Doobie Brothers and more. Last year’s event reported more than 100,000 attendees.