This fortnight’s Venues Roundup looks at how some of the 33 venues who shared in a $3.8 million boost from the NSW Government.
But there are more deep dives that are eyebrow raising. Why did a WA city pull the plug on honouring AC/DC’s Bon Scott? Did President Trump interfere in Live Nation’s case? Are large-scale ticket resellers and online ticketing platforms adding $11 billion worth of costs to fans?
We look at which music showcasing pubs are changing hands, which one could be changing its name, which one has started crowd funding to tighten its future, and look at the end of an era for an Adelaide venue.
Tamworth faces a new era in night time fun. We farewell a pioneer who set up Australia’s first rock nightclub. A judge decrees if a real star is liable when an imposter rips off their fans.
NSW Venues Announce Plans After $3.8m Boost
Some of the 33 metro and regional venues who shared in the NSW Government’s $3.8 million worth of Venue Upgrade Grants are announcing what the music will be used for.
Most are upgrading sound, monitor, lighting or video systems. Among them are The Metro ($150,000), Petersham Bowling Club ($42,000), Botany View Hotel ($70,000), Chippo Hotel $150,000), Coffs Harbour’s Hoey Moey ($150,000), Wollongong’s La Las ($46,778), Gasoline Pony ($15,652), and Palomino Lounge ($89,957).
The Press Basement Bar in Tamworth will receive $68,022 for live music programming and equipment upgrades. Its Director, Luke Fielding said: “This funding is more than just financial support; it represents a commitment to enhancing our community’s cultural landscape.
“This upgrade will significantly elevate the sound quality for diverse genres, attracting both local and touring artists. Ultimately, it will boost the demand for live music and enrich the musical scene in Tamworth, creating a vibrant hub for artistic expression and community engagement.”
Cronulla’s Brass Monkey will use its $121,096 for upgrades to its stage, speakers, backline instruments, ventilation and soundproofing.
Owner Jed Nakhle revealed: “After several incredibly challenging years for the live music industry, most of our revenue has simply been about keeping the doors open and surviving, rather than being able to invest in the venue.
“This grant has given us the opportunity to finally make some much-needed improvements to the Brass Monkey, helping us build a stronger future for the venue, our artists and our community.”
Bankstown’s Kilawatt ($121,096) is upgrading acoustic and production in its main room and adding a new performance space.
Dulcie’s Cottage in Merimbula will use $92,736 to upgrade its stage and site.
With a hefty $500,000 funding, Newcastle’s King St Hotel gets a new LED video display, lighting system, and film, and video cameras.
With $89,992 Oxford Art Factory patrons will see extra sound proofing in between performance areas, and more toilets.
Newtown’s Vanguard ($135,500) is eyeing a HVAC system replacement for venue climate controls.
NSW Minister for Arts, Music, and the Night-time Economy John Graham reiterated how recent closures were obvious of financial pressures.
“In the last few months we’ve lost more than five venues in Sydney including Mary’s Underground and Moshpit Bar. These are venues that constantly staged and championed live music, which shows how much pressure our venues are under," he said.
“These venues are treasured by their local communities, by artists and music fans. This is about backing them with vital investments they often need but can’t afford in the current climate.”
Head of Sound NSW Emily Collins said the grants were intended to improve both venue infrastructure and the experience for artists and audiences. “The Venue Upgrade Grants will increase the number of fit-for-purpose live music venues across the state, uplift sector knowledge and expertise and improve audience experience in venues across NSW," she explained.
“For performers and artists, it will expand live music offerings, improve equipment and sound quality and enhance performance capabilities – giving artists more creative freedom.”
Bendi’s New Owners Crowd Funding
The new owners of The Bendi, aka The Bendigo Hotel in Melbourne’s Collingwood, have launched a crowd-funding campaign.
The breakdown includes the purchase price, premise bond, rent, council rates, insurance, legal fees, and existing stock.
There’s $70,000 for renovations. The owners outlined, “Upstairs there are quite a few great rooms currently unused, and we intend to fit those out as a studio, a rehearsal room, an education room, a photography/media room and a co-working office space.”
The hand-over took place last week. The Mill Brewery bowed out, two years after stepping in when the venue looked like closing permanently, The new team is Galaxy Music.
Aside from the new multi-use format, plans are to extend the opening hours and diversify the offering. Aside from hardcore and metal, they are also bringing in new promoters to cover techno, R&B, and disco.
Did Trump Intervene In Live Nation Antitrust Decision?
In an eye-raising claim, The Wall Street Journal published a report that President Trump intervened in the Dept. of Justice (DOJ’s) monopoly lawsuit against Live Nation, which was ultimately dropped.
The WSJ said that Trump had called Live Nation President and CEO Michael Rapino to the Oval Office to talk about getting acts to the Kennedy Center. Booking dropped after he took over the venue and plonked his name on it.
He asked why the LN case was not settled. He then called DOJ officials, and Rapino and other LN executives visited the Oval Office to meet with top Trump aides. The DOJ decision caught the judge and lawyers involved by surprise.
Vale: Nightclub Pioneer Garry Spry
Garry Spry, credited with setting up Australia’s first rock nightclub in 1964 – Pinocchio’s in Toorak in Melbourne – died at 85 after a period of declining health.
“Until then, there were just folk and jazz clubs and a variety of ballrooms,” he once said. “It was very dull, real hicksville.”
Pinocchio’s had queues around the block trying to see acts like Olivia Newton-John and the Bee Gees, and others from all over Australia.
By his reckoning, he went on to run 13 venues, all memorable. These included the Chevron's Distillery, Babes (the first disco and first gay night), Chasers, and Silvers, the superclub Billboard In Concert which had 2,000 punters each night through the week.
Spry, who hosted a party for The Beatles at his Toorak mansion, managed The Twilights, The Groove, Ronnie Burns’ first band The Flies, Marcie Jones, Linda George, Mother Goose, and Stylus.
He also set up Australia’s first booking agency AMBO, hiring Jeff Joseph, Bill Joseph, and teenage newcomers Michael Gudinski and Michael Chugg.
In later years, he was a board member of the charity Support Act, the Marquee Musicians Luncheons, and took to social media with lengthy posts correcting wrong versions of entertainment and clubbing history.
He began work on a book on the Top 50 nightclubs in Australia, and conferred with Gudinski and Ian “Molly” Meldrum on setting up a Hall of Fame in Melbourne.
Musical Chairs
Ticketmaster Australia is strengthening its leadership team. Ben Kerswill and Roxanne Hopkins become General Managers – Partnerships & Client Success from October.
Kerswill, previously with the Brisbane Lions, remains in Brisbane. Hopkins, previously Executive Director – Marketing and Ticketing at Queensland Performing Arts Centre (QPAC), moves to Melbourne.
Mark Heaton fills the newly created role, General Manager – Growth & Business Development.
Simon Jarowyj, publican of Grace Emily Hotel in Adelaide, leaves this week after 16 years, “I’ve had a blast but need more time with my beautiful family,” he posted.
New owners Kyle Landman, Joseph Wilkinson, and Shane Ettridge are building on The Grace Emily’s 28 years as a launching pad for SA musicians including The Angels and Cold Chisel.
Tamworth Launches NSW’s first regional Special Entertainment Precincts
Australia’s country music capital Tamworth has launched NSW’s first regional Special Entertainment Precincts.
Tamworth Regional Council has established two precincts – one in the CBD and the other at the Sports and Entertainment Precinct which hosts major concerts, equine and sporting events. This means longer trading hours and more protection from noise complaints for venues.
This brings the total number of Special Entertainment Precincts in NSW to 11, with over 20 more in various planning stages.
Potter Theatre Reopens With 18,000 Free Tix
Arts Centre Melbourne will celebrate the October reopening of The Ian Potter State Theatre by giving away 18,000 free tickets to a series of shows called Housewarming.
Between the 9th to the 12th, there will be nine shows staged covering music, dance, circus and theatre worlds,
Study Shows Resellers, Online Ticketing, Adds $11B To Prices
A new US study says that large-scale ticket resellers and online ticketing platforms inflate the price of live events by $11 billion annually.
The white paper from the Vanderbilt Policy Accelerator argues that the two have a push-and-pull effect that wildly increases ticket prices.
It estimates that resellers alone add $4.5 billion to the cost of tickets. The unnecessary fees charged by ticketing platforms adds another 20% to the cost.
“The core problem with the modern ticket broker industry is that it inflates the price of live events without providing any value to either customers or event producers,” said the study.
“The brokers contribute nothing to the actual production of live events. And unlike other ‘brokers,’ like a mortgage or real estate broker for example, they do not help consumers navigate and make decisions in a competitive market of providers.
“Their sole economic function is to profit by increasing the price of a good that someone else is already producing, promoting, and selling at retail.”
It goes on to say: “Conversely, the main problem with the online ticketing platforms’ service charges is that they are charged in a monopoly environment, and as a predictable consequence, they are far too high.
“Customers cannot choose between platforms because the venue, not the customer, selects a single platform that is exclusive for practical reasons.
“Regardless of how competitive the primary ticket platform market is across multiple shows, it is usually a monopoly as to a particular show. Therefore, platforms do not face competitive pressure and are able to charge monopoly prices.”
Courthouse Off The Market
The Courthouse Hotel in Tamworth, whose entertainment includes weekly live acts and DJs, has been pulled off the market. Harvest Hospitality Group made the move after failing to find the “right” buyer in an Expression Of Interest campaign earlier in the year.
Black Peach X Behind Centennial Park Concerts
Black Peach X, the events company set up by Jessica Ducrou and Elise Huntley (of Splendour and Falls fame) are behind the new concert series Sydney Summertime staged at Centennial Park in February and March 2027.
More details are due in a few weeks. But it will have Australian and international acts, and celebrate NSW food and drink. Artisan markets will feature leading Sydney restaurants, bars, food trucks, and cellar doors, alongside producers showcasing regional produce.
According to Destination NSW, “The event is expected to generate an estimated $8 million in visitor expenditure, providing a boost to accommodation providers, hospitality businesses, retailers, transport operators and other businesses across Sydney and NSW.”
ANZAC Peace Park Hosting Foreshore Fest
ANZAC Peace Park in Albany is hosting WA’s latest festival, Foreshore Fest. Held on January 23, the line-up has Hoodoo Gurus, Eskimo Joe, Spiderbait, Southern River Band, and Carla Geneve with local acts to be unveiled.
The festival is organised by the new Mustang Entertainments, set up by Santino and Remo Pietropaolo, Sanjay Sanapala, Rob and Dom Forgione, and Aswanth Ancha.
They also do Middies Festival, which made its bow in February this year with a thousand punters as Albany’s first beach festival on Middleton Beach. It returns in 2027.
Adelaide Fringe Calling For “Unconventional” Venues
The Adelaide Fringe is looking for interest from “unconventional” spaces to host events from February 19 to March 21.
Organisers said, “Pubs, rooftops, cafes, galleries, wineries and community halls are among the spaces being encouraged to register, with the festival's open-access model allowing any suitable venue to develop a program tailored to its location, audience or business.”
Response from venues was strong in the 2026 festival, with 562 registering to 8,000 artists.
Post Office Looking For Acts, DJs
The Post Office Club Hotel in St Kilda is looking for bands, DJs, and solo acts. They have a PA system and dedicated live space. Email them for further information.
A Few Things From Overseas
Data company Luminate reported that Dolly Parton’s audio and visual streams shot up by 2,458% in the US on the day her death was announced to 46.3 million. Globally they were up 1,549% to 46.3 million.
Meanwhile, Governor of Tennessee Bill Lee is speaking to the Parton clan about renaming Nashville’s International Airport after the singer after 150,000 fans signed an online petition.
The Weeknd’s seven shows in the UK drew 450,000 fans, with ticket buyers from 150 countries. He did two shows in Manchester and then five nights at London’s Wembley Stadium. It raised more than $350,000 in charitable donations for the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) and Global Citizen.
Auckland’s 50,000-seat Eden Park is about to increase its crowd capacity, with a revamp of its western stand which will allow retractable seats to change configurations for concerts and matches.
ARCA, Adelaide University, To Study Road Load On Roadies
Past studies on road crews have shown it’s such a manic lifestyle that their suicide rates, drug/alcohol intake and marriage collapses are ten times more than the general population.
Now The Australian Road Crew Association (ARCA) is teaming with researchers from Adelaide University to deep dive how serious the problem is, and what solutions there are for those who have retired.
The Adelaide University research is led by Professor Deirdre Tedmanson and Associate Professor Brad West.
ARCA director Rod Louey-Gung says he’s been one of the lucky ones. Going on the road as a teenager with Jo Jo Zep & The Falcons, Midnight Oil, and Sidewinder, he managed to turn his skills to setting up the Northern Territory’s first commercial recording studio in the 1980s.
He specialised in installing audio systems in parliaments and courtrooms. After retiring in 2024, he joined ARCA to help roadies cope financially and emotionally.
ARCA and Crew Care came into being to address high depression and suicides. ARCA published a contact book in 2012 with 250 names to keep in contact and reach out to, regularly hold well-attended reunions.
ARCA secretary Peter Tregilas said: “Anecdotally, we believe the contact book and reunions we organise have led to a significant reduction in suicides.”
ARCA’s 50-strong desk tape series raised money for Support Act’s Roadies Fund. A long term plan is a retirement home for crews to be with their own kind, but which will come with studios and lecture rooms for them to pass their knowledge on to future generations.
Name Change For Cat & Fiddle?
Cat & Fiddle in Sydney’s Balmain, well known for its diverse and buoyant program of live music, is currently closed for renovations.
Mitchell Ward from Griffin Property group, which bought it two years ago, told the Sydney Morning Herald it could return in November with a new name. Cat & Fiddle’s original name was The Star.
Mt Gambier Venue Looking For Joint Venture
The proprietor of the historic Old Caledonian Hall in Mount Gambier in South Australia is scouting for a joint venture partner experienced in venue operations and hospitality to re-establish it as a dynamic live music venue.
The Caledonian Hall on 5 Penola Road was built in 1914, and still has splendid huge rooms and original architecture. Its acoustic ceiling gives it a stand-out sound. The building once hosted the Shadows nightclub. Visit Complete Commercial for more information.
AVC Buys Bank, Clock, Hotels
Australian Venue Co has acquired inner city hubs, The Clock Hotel in Surry Hills and The Bank Hotel in Newtown, for a reported $90 million.
The Clock has live bands every Thursday in its Street Bar, and DJs over two levels every Thursday, Friday and Saturday night.
The Bank has live acts every Friday and Saturday upstairs in the Waywards Ballroom, whose programming includes club nights, comedy, drag and choir.
Six Meltdowns!
In 1996, the NSW Government put 600 platinum memberships at $34,000 each to help fund Sydney’s Accor Stadium. They were to get VIP perks until 2031. But a change of ownership saw these perks withdrawn four years early.
Result: The Sunday Telegraph reported on the weekend that 359 business chiefs, sporting identities and public officials are taking it to the Supreme Court to keep the perks until the original date.
The former business manager and bookkeeper of Melbourne’s Platform One nightclub has received $24,000 compensation after a Fair Work Commission hearing. She was married to the club owner until they got divorced in 2024.
Her employment was terminated after she shared an explicit photo to a group chat and tampered with medical documents, said The Sydney Morning Herald.
But the Commission accepted the photo was accidentally sent while she was driving, and that the company had failed to provide the woman with a safe work environment after she raised allegations.
Cairns Police are claiming they have smashed an alleged ring that supplied drugs to patrons at the city’s nightclubs and bars. Cops seized almost a kilo of cocaine hidden under a bathroom sink during a series of tactical raids, and five people have been charged.
As workers in a major Canberra nightspot continue slow negotiations on pay rises, rubbish has been left uncollected until things are resolved.
Plans by the City of Melville (WA) to honour Bon Scott are put on hold for the time being due to concern over costs. Last year everything was gung-ho, with the landmark tribute to be anything from Bon Scott Boulevard to a mural, with designs contributed from local schools.
But city officers pulled the reins in for the time being, with a feasibility study set to cost $15,000, and consultants costing a further $10,000. The tribute itself, while not decided, could cost anything from $150,000 to $500,000.
An American fan of country star Kenny Chesney paid $300,000 to an imposter online who claimed he needed money to shoot a video, repair instruments, and attend an award ceremony. She tried to claim the real one should be legally liable because he didn’t stop imposters from scamming his fans and was therefore “negligent”. But a Los Angeles judge dismissed the argument.
This piece of content has been assisted by the Australian Government through Music Australia and Creative Australia, its arts funding and advisory body
