EXCLUSIVE: Daft Punk Helmets Won't Be Handed Out At Wee Waa

UPDATED: Replica Daft Punk helmets will not be handed out at the French electro duo's Wee Waa album launch for Random Access Memories, despite Narrabi Mayor Conrad Bolton telling theMusic.com.au they would be.

Shortly after this article was circulated on mass via theMusic.com.au's Your Daily SPA newsletter a representative from the band's record label Sony contacted theMusic to deny that helmets would be handed out to ticket holders.

Inflaming the 'helmet-war' contradiction of information, they said that the cardboard make-it-yourself helmets had been circulated to radio and media as a marketing tool for the album's releases.

Mayor Bolton did confirm, however, that the duo won't be travelling to Australia, as has been largely known since the initial announcement – despite rumours.

Speaking to theMusic the Mayor – whose New South Wales district includes Wee Waa – had said, “The event from a local perspective is all about our annual show and the addition of the album release has added an exciting additional feature. Even though the band will not be turning up the delivery of the album will be world class and characterise the uniqueness of Daft Punk. Replica helmets are and will be handed out to ticket holders.”

This is not the first time there has been a muddle of information surrounding the event –the unofficial after party changed names from Daft Vines to Weekend Vines before being cancelled.

Mayor Bolton has assured theMusic that with 2,000 tickets offered to 'out-of-towners', the town has the capacity to support the event.

“Assessments were made through our Local Emergency Management Committee to establish what extra capacity the facility could safely handle and from that tickets for non-locals were limited to two thousand,” he said.

“Obviously we have engaged with the police from the start and considering the extra people anticipated this will be very well catered for, supplemented by additional security personnel.”

He added, “As a Community we have not taken anything lightly. There has been an extraordinary amount of planning using the very best people from our own staff that are experienced in regard to major events, advice from top national event planners, state level police planners, and the very best from within the music industry. Risk assessments have been done and planning has focused on the safety and enjoyment of our community and our visitors.”

As far as accommodation is concerned, the Mayor reckons people will use the traditional B&S balls as inspiration.

“Although the high level accommodation in Wee Waa is limited there will be bus services to and from Narrabri which has quite reasonable capacity. In addition to this, which is quite common at our regional Bachelor and Spinsters Balls, country folk have no trouble camping in their swags and to cater for this there will be various 'primitive camping' sites available at some very hospitable local venues.”

In a recent interview with Fairfax the Daft Punk themselves explained the reason for launching the album in the fashion they will. Thomas Bangalter said, “It felt for us that this record has a certain aspect of random quality, and the idea of breaking the barriers between cities and the countryside, or between the musical genres or any sort of classification. So we thought this was a poetic idea.

“This album was made on the grounds of doing things in music that are triggering imagination, and this can be a certain arrangement in a song triggering imagination or, in the same way, the idea of launching music in a small town in Australia is by itself part of the fictional narrative that feels like it's a scene of the film.”