Power 50 - #25: Ben Turnbull

As Director of Staple Group, Ben Turnbull oversees a group of businesses including Destroy All Lines (Touring and Events), which is one of this country’s biggest champions of heavy music. Getting its start hosting hugely popular punk and emo nights in Melbourne (Bang, Next and Plastic), Sydney (Hot Damn) and Perth (Last Night), Destroy All Lines then took the next logical step and began touring artists before partnering with Chugg Entertainment three years ago, dramatically increasing their international clout. Destroy All Lines’ impressive list of hard won 2017 tours included heavyweights such as The Dillinger Escape Plan (final ever Australian tour), Pennywise (with special guests The Bronx), AFI and world-beating newcomers Polaris.

Also under the Staple company umbrella is Artist First who specialise in selling band merch online to consumers in Australia and New Zealand, and now represent over 200 local and overseas artists such as Beastie Boys, At The Drive-In, New Found Glory and The Smith Street Band. And then there’s Uncommon creative agency which had a busy 2017, with big time clients including both Sydney and Laneway festivals, Live Nation, TEG Dainty, The Iconic, V Energy, Bluesfest and Asos.

In August 2016, Ash Hull and Josh Merriel launched independent record label Greyscale Records to develop Australian artists as part of the Staple Group. The label has since signed eight artists and achieved ARIA chart success with releases from Justice For The Damned and Alpha Wolf.

Venues under the Staple banner now include three Brisbane locations: The Brightside (BIGSOUND’s outdoor stage is in this venue’s car park), Blackbear Lodge and recently acquired cocktail bar Barbara. Lucky Egg restaurant, also in Fortitude Valley, is set to open in March. Turnbull tells us there are two more new venues under construction that are scheduled to open soon. Stay tuned.