New Boutique Booking Agency Bush League Taps Wider Opportunities

Bush League is a new independent boutique booking agency which set out to fill in both metro and regional spaces.

“I try to look at the country as a whole, and where stylistically there might be opportunities to play shows outside the norm” explains founder Luke Morton.

“I’ve always thought too many acts just do the typical Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane ‘national tour’ and don’t put enough imagination into it. 

“That might be the right strategy for some acts but there are often ample opportunities & possibilities left on the table. It’s a big country out there.”

Bush League has delivered headline shows and festival slots for comedian Aaron Gocs, ’90s alterna-pop band Frente!, and a regional East Coast run for internationally acclaimed blues artist Frank Sultana.

It’s also upped the ante with The Beards, who return after a decade. 

Earlier the South Australian comedy/folk rock band, all sporting facial splendour, found a global following with toe-tapping ditties as No Beard No Good, Got Me A Beard, You Should Consider Having Sex With A Bearded Man, and If Your Dad Doesn’t Have A Beard, You’ve Got Two Mums.

Fresh off a triumphant return at the 2025 Byron Bay Bluesfest, the tour sold-out shows in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Adelaide, adding second shows in most capital cities and a WA leg in October to meet demand.

Morton relates: “I didn’t really have to do any selling of The Beards, The Beards sell themselves. 

“They’ve got oodles of goodwill and a loyal, dedicated fanbase built from years of hard touring that eventually built into a global cult following. 

“After a nine year break from shows, the demand for tickets actually took the band by surprise and we had to add extra shows in most territories. 

“So loyal is their fanbase that they now have ‘Next Gen’ fans – kids whose parents are fans and these kids come to the shows knowing every word. 

“It reminds me of the Kiss Army and their merch still ships to all corners of the world. To this day they’re the only band I’ve ever represented that have had interest from Russian tour promoters.”

Mushroom

Morton spent 15 years at the Mushroom Group, representing The Whitlams, The Screaming Jets, Kisschasy, The Beards, The Peep Tempel, The Angels, Chad Morgan, Kim Churchill, Jon Cleary, Frente!, Thundamentals, The Snowdroppers, Lanie Lane, Davey Lane, Jordie Lane and The Delta Riggs among others.

“I mapped the country a few times over, coordinating tours for acts eager to explore the wide-ranging opportunities the country can provide,” he explains. 

“Developing touring routes through regional & remote areas brought about opportunities to help support and nurture grassroots venues that were off the beaten path. 

“It was deeply rewarding to contribute to real, tangible growth within the local music industry.”

During this time, he’d mooted setting up his own company, to give him the freedom to use his booking skills and at the pace of his choosing.

“There have been a number of formerly independent Australian music companies that in the last decade have become overseas owned,” he adds. “With my previous touring experience and niche understanding of regional touring, it’s nice to be waving the flag as an independent.”

He’d been tossing around the idea of Bush League for a few years. But it suddenly got accelerated when illness struck.

Explains Morton: “Just over 18 months ago I suffered a sudden, violent seizure in my sleep. It left me with a broken arm, a dislocated shoulder, needing surgery, an epilepsy diagnosis, a year off work recovering and an uncertain future. 

“My neurologist made it clear that I needed to ensure I had income streams that weren’t reliant on physical work. So focusing on the Bush League idea was a no brainer.”

After finishing at Mushroom, he returned to his other love, performing, which expanded his booking prowess.

“I fitted out a transit van, booked some shows and headed off into the outback. Starting in Adelaide, I headed straight up the guts towards Darwin and performed all over the country for the next two years, including 135 shows in 2019 alone.

“Travelling and performing myself in these regional & remote areas gave me a real 360 perspective and my understanding of what touring Australia can really be,” he says.

“I also finally met in person many of the publicans and promoters that I'd been working with for years. I now feel more equipped to help artists tour than ever before.”

Promoters are divided as to which is the most important part of a tour – announcing it, two weeks after that, or when the act actually starts playing the dates.

For Morton, it’s “probably the planning phase, with some venues you could be easily getting dates on hold for acts 6 – 12 months or more in advance of the announce date to ensure availability of the best rooms and the best routing possible.”

As for what he expects from the acts, “it’s that they’re focused and having a real crack. As I’ve gotten older though, I've found more and more that interpersonal relationships are key.

“By that I mean people you enjoy working with and trust. It might be the manager rather than the act that you have the relationship with but from my experience there needs to be some kind of connection.”

The name Bush League came from different sources.

“‘Bush’ to reflect my point of difference with regional touring,” he explains. “‘League’ because it sounds way cooler than agency and I love the footy. 

“I received a Gold record for working closely with Lanie Lane and her record label Ivy League, so it’s kind of nod to them.

“The irony of ‘Bush League’ generally meaning sub-par is just a reminder to myself to enjoy the ride and not take things too seriously.”