POWER 50 2025: Ben Turnbull & Chris O'Brien (Destroy All Lines)

BACKGROUND CHECK:

Ben Turnbull is the owner of Destroy All Lines and the Director of its parent company, Staple Group. He entered the music industry by promoting popular club nights like Bang and Next to fund his science degree, which eventually led him to co-found Staple Group in 2005. As Director, Turnbull oversees a multi-faceted business that includes Destroy All Lines as its touring and events arm, as well as Artist First for merchandising and the Greyscale Records label. He was also a key figure behind the successful launch of the Good Things festival, which has become a staple of the Australian alternative music scene.

Chris O'Brien serves as the General Manager of Touring for Destroy All Lines and is also the General Manager for the Good Things festival. He joined the company in January 2016, bringing with him decades of industry experience, working with Turnbull to turbocharge what is now Australia’s largest locally owned concert promoter. Most notably, O'Brien was the long-time General Manager for the seminal Soundwave festival, which he was with from its start in 2007. His extensive background, which also includes running record labels and booking agencies, has been instrumental in solidifying Destroy All Lines' position as one of Australia's leading promoters for heavy and alternative music.

THE YEAR IN AUSTRALIAN MUSIC: 

Destroy All Lines have had a huge year of expansion, building out from their familiar heavy rock territory after key hires in 2024. With Good Things Festival, Turnbull and O’Brien have created one of the most enduring and successful festival brands in the country, with slots for Australian artists including Make Them Suffer, Tonight Alive, Civic, Inertia, Yours Truly, and Windwaker to showcase them alongside international talent.

They have also announced Polaris’ curated Life’s A Beach festival for February and promoted headline tours for Playlunch, The Vanns, Ocean Grove, and Melrose Avenue. Their agency is a clear leader for heavy acts and has even diversified into cruises with the Hellbound tour taking over a dozen Aussie metal bands to the high seas. 

THE MUSIC SPEAKS: 

Helping to keep the big guys on their toes, Destroy All Lines are a nimble operation who know their market and are not afraid to give it to the big three multinationals. It’s pretty hard to argue that they don’t own the heavy music space at this point in time, with their fingers in the pie of the genre at almost every stage of a band’s career.

Importantly, Turnbull and O’Brien were some of the larger promoters to nail their colours to the mast to support the launch of Michael’s Rule, noting on its launch last year that Destroy All Lines (at the time) had 97% of shows with Aussie supports. Long may it continue.