Venues: Seven New Music Spaces, Geelong Stadium, Closures & Techno World Record

The appetite for live music entertainment continues. We look at seven new additions as well as plans for concerts by a Geelong stadium, and the latest on entertainment precincts in Sydney, Perth and Townsville.

MORE CONCERTS FOR GEELONG STADIUM?

Moves are afoot for GMHBA Stadium in Geelong, Victoria, to host more major concerts and compete with Melbourne’s Marvel Stadium and Rod Laver Arena.

The stadium’s operator, Kardinia Park Stadium Trust, is looking at the possibility of increasing the venue’s sporting capacity from 40,000 to between 45,000 and 48,000 for concerts to attract the superstars.

GMHBA Stadium was formerly known as Kardinia Park and is home to the Geelong Cats football team.

The stadium received global attention in March 2022 when Foo Fighters played a one-off show there as part of a Frontier Touring / Victorian state government Always Live initiative to 33,000 fans.

The three-hour marathon show sold out in under 25 minutes and injected a record $1.3 million into the local dining and entertainment sectors.

Even then, the Trust was talking about wanting more concerts there, and more so now, as part of a plan to use the grounds 365 days a year.

There were rumblings that Pearl Jam were wanting to twang away there, but changed their minds at the last moment.

SEVEN MORE NEW SPACES OPEN DOORS

Countdown To Bella Live Opening

Sydney’s Hills District is getting pumped up with the opening this weekend of the converted 1,029 square metre warehouse venue Bella Live with Will Sparks.

Momento Hospitality, which spent $2.5 million on an outfit – including a 17.5-metre bar, a huge 10 x 8-metre stage, VIP booths, fully-appointed green rooms, a custom audio system, projection-style immersive lighting, a $1 million AV system integrated throughout and LED stage lighting – says the idea is to finally attract big music names to the Northwest.

With a capacity of 1,500, it will also serve as a place for comedy, business meetings, conferences, launches, product displays and sports events.

Darwin’s Fort Hill Parklands Christened

Darwin’s picturesque Fort Hill Parklands is officially christened this weekend as a festival location with Guy Sebastian and L.A.B. playing there as part of the Darwin Festival.

With stunning views of the waterfront, the parklands are dog-friendly and offer seating with waterfront views.

“Bringing artists like Guy and L.A.B to a venue as special as Fort Hill Parklands, alongside top Territory talent, is what makes Darwin Festival so unique,” said Artistic Director Kate Fell.

Darwin Festival is using a record-breaking 50 Darwin venues. Last year alone, it contributed $33.1 million in total expenditure. Of the 175,000 attendees, 26 per cent were from interstate.

Broadway-Style Theatre For Inner West

Opening this month is a 300-seat venue at the Italian Forum in Leichhardt, in Sydney’s Inner West.

Called Teatro (Italian for theatre), it will showcase productions that played on Broadway and London’s West End, and support new generations of musical theatre stars.

Alligator Takes A Bite

Launched this week in Brisbane’s Fortitude Valley (Warner Lane) is the New Orleans-inspired basement bolthole Alligator Bar that showcases music seven days a week and stays open until 3 am.

It is owned by Glenn Hosking and Shaman Lee, and managed by entertainment vet Justinn De Beer. He told the Brisbane Times he’d just made the decision to step out of bars for a while, but changed his mind when the owners called him for a meeting and unveiled their ideas.

Hunter Gets Country Music Stop

NSW’s Hunter Valley has a new honky tonk country music venue called Full Throttle Ranch. It is the brainchild of Mick Tyrrell and Sara Berg, who spent five years transforming the old Buttai Barn site at 160 Lings Road, Buttai.

The ranch-style space is all southern American, including US beer and BBQ offerings, and music covering country, blues and rock.

New Hang-Out Bar At Cbus Super Stadium

The Cbus Super Stadium in Robina, Qld, introduced the Ultra Escape Bar in the north-east concourse where patrons can hang out before, during and after the main events.

The sit-down general admission space was set up in partnership with XXXX Ultra.

Waywards Ballroom Brings More Music To Newtown

Waywards Ballroom relaunched late last month at the Bank Hotel in Newtown (324 King St) with a brand new entertainment spread covering live music, cabaret, comedy and community events.

Operators explain, “From punk gigs to poetry slams, drag discos to indie pop nights, it’s a space built on openness, energy and expression. With a constantly evolving event offering, there really is something for everyone.”

Live music is showcased on Fridays and Saturday nights, with retro-themed indie dance night Glitch on Saturdays, comedy on Tuesdays, long-running queer dance party Birdcage on Wednesdays, and community and emerging acts given their spot on Thursdays.

DUST TEMPLE TO KEEP LIVE MUSIC?

The whisper is that Gold Coast cafe-cum-gallery-cum music-venue Dust Temple has found a buyer for a $5.2 million tag. More importantly, they are willing to keep the music going.

Under current owners John and Isla Wilson, who are retiring after setting it up in 2013, the pad in Currumbin Waters offers everything from intimate unplugged sets to big-scale concerts with Saturday morning reserved as a free showcase for local acts.

TIKTOK RECORD FOR TOMORROWLAND

While Belgium’s Tomorrowland just confirmed it will bring its CORE stage to Australia next year, TikTok drew a record 74 million viewers to its livestream over the two weekends.

According to TikTok, this marks a 362.5 per cent increase from the 16 million who dialled in in 2023.

The most watched this year were Charlotte de Witte, who did two sets on the main stage on the same day, Martin Garrix, who closed both weekends, and Alan Walker.

This year, content tagged with #Tomorrowland over the fortnight accumulated 2.4 billion views.

OWNING UP

The Queenscliff Brewhouse shifted deeds for about $6 million, with lessee Australian Venue Co. planning a spring relaunch under its new name, The Bellarine Hotel.

The Duke of Dural in Sydney’s northwest went for $25 million, picked up by hospitality group Good Beer Company.

Popular late-night spot Picked Possum in Sydney’s Neutral Bay, set up in the 1980s and going through a number of owners, is set for another change. Expressions of Interest close Thursday, August 7.

Publican Mark Barry has put the Firehouse Hotel in North Sydney up for sale after 25 years. With the real estate boom in the area, the experts are suggesting he could get $30 million for it.

SEARCH TO START FOR GOLD COAST ARENA

Invest Gold Coast and the Gold Coast City Council will, in late August, start seeking expressions of interest from prospective investors who will deliver and operate the 12,000-seat concert and sports Gold Coast Arena in Carey Park.

Interest has also come from the big money folks from Southeast Asia, the Middle East and the US, eager to get into the buoyant Asia Pacific. Submissions close in November.

According to GC Mayor Tom Tate, investors will be expected to start building in 2027 and the $350 million arena is expected to open in 2030.

Once it serves its purpose at the Olympics and Paralympics, it will host 100 events a year. It is forecast to generate $2 billion in economic output, create 6,500 jobs and inject $700m into the regional economy.

Invest Gold Coast chair, Will Hodgman, said, “The demand for a venue like the Gold Coast Arena has never been higher with the city’s youth under-20 population forecast to grow 38 per cent by 2041.” 

The Gold Coast injects close to $1 billion into the music economy, according to Live Performance Australia.

VENUE BLUES FOR ABBA-TAR SHOW

Plans by promoter TEG Dainty to stage the 3D virtual ABBA Voyage concert in Melbourne seem to have its Waterloo, the Herald Sun reported. 

The venture would have cost $100 million, including the building of a purpose-built 3,000-seat high-tech venue, which would feature three 65-million-pixel LED TV screens. The Victorian Government was supposed to stump up one-third but declined.

ABBA’s reps had visited Melbourne to check out various sites. In the UK, Abba Voyage turned over £103.67 million ($212.9 million).

BUTTERFLY FLIES OFF

Melbourne cabaret and theatre venue Butterfly Club closed its doors last month. The end came suddenly – “due to sudden and unforeseen operational complications”, according to an email to artists – leaving artists to scramble around trying to find alternate venues.

NINE GET GREEN AWARD

Nine NSW live music venues were bestowed with Green Venue Certifications by Green Music Australia for their environmental sustainability initiatives.

They were Anita’s Theatre, Bondi Pavilion, Brunswick Picture House, Club 77, ICC Sydney, King St Bandroom, La La La’s, The Lansdowne Hotel, and the Metro Theatre.

Green Music Australia released The NSW Venue Sustainability Health Check Report at the Regional and Remote Music Summit in Byron Bay, Bundjalung Nation, showing how venues could reduce costs by $1.53 million and emissions of more than 70,000 tonnes.

See the report here.

LIVE MUSIC PLAYS A ROLE IN FLOATING PRECINCT

Live music will play a major role in Townsville, Qld’s $30 million first floating restaurant and bar precinct within a 1895 building. There will be a rooftop bar called Docks, which will feature bands on a regular basis. The 1,000-capacity precinct is part of an ambitious plan to revamp Townsville’s waterfront.

PROTEST OVER SUNSHINE COAST FESTIVAL SITE

Queensland’s hospitality company, The Comiskey Group, has a plan for a $35 million 150-hectare music festival site for 35,000 people, but it continues to run into roadblocks.

The company, which runs music hosting venues such as the Sandstone Point Hotel, Eatons Hill Hotel and The Doonan, put the application in three years ago. The idea is that the site, Coochin Fields, would hold up to six festivals a year.

It is about a 10-minute drive off the Bruce Highway, south of Caloundra on the Sunshine Coast. Director Rob Comiskey said, “Some of the biggest promoters in the world have been to this site, and they love this site.”

However, the area is a greenbelt, home to wildlife and at least 60 fish species. Five local community groups have, in the past weeks, begun a petition arguing that loud, amplified events are not appropriate.

Sunshine Coast Council had also dragged its feet over approval, citing concerns about bushfire risks, traffic problems and impact on the environment by a large-scale event. But the State Government has stepped in and made it clear that it will make the final decision.

Comiskey insists the site is not an environmental problem, and says that it will boost tourism to the area, generate $60 million for the region, and create "about 672 full-time equivalent jobs".

DUTCH TECHNO BRAND BREAKS GUINNESS WORLD RECORD

Dutch hard techno brand Verknipt broke the Guinness World Record for the world’s largest laser show. It marked its final edition at the Johan Cruijff Arena with a 10-minute laser display featuring 1,100 individual beams before 40,000 raveheads.

The night included a 360-degree stage, rotating DJ booth and immersive lighting.

The previous record was set by Dubai Racing Club in 2021, which used 824 lasers during the Dubai World Cup closing ceremony.

EXPANDING

New Investor For Australian Venue Co.

The Australian Venue Co, whose sizeable 243-venue portfolio includes music showcasers, is planning to grow by bringing in a new major investor. CVC Capital Partners Asia VI, a private equity fund managed by Luxembourg-based CVC Capital Partners.

It has acquired a reported 45 per cent stake in AVC from majority owner PAG, which is based in Hong Kong.

Good Intent Programming Two More

Eora/Sydney-based music agency Good Intent extended its live programming in recent times to two more rooms.

They are Bootleggers, a 200-cap band room upstairs at Kelly's on King in Newtown, and the 140-cap Trocadero Room on Enmore Road in Enmore. Good Intent also books The Lansdowne.

Perth Entertainment / Sports Precinct Chooses Team

The WA Government has assigned the planning contract for its Perth Entertainment and Sporting Precinct in Burswood to an alliance comprising Seymour Whyte, Civmec and Aurecon. The precinct is expected to be open by 2027 and includes an outdoor amphitheatre with a 15,000-20,000-capacity.

PLANS TO DROP ID SCANNERS

The Queensland Government has signalled it wants to drop ID scanners for small bars and speakeasies. But they will stay for nightclubs.

They were introduced in the state in 2017 as a way to cut down on alcohol-fuelled violence, by allowing late-night venues to cross-check details of would-be patrons to see if they were on the database of known troublemakers.

But venue owners have railed against them, saying they caused queues and the regulations were not consistent.

MORE PRECINCTS FOR SYDNEY

The NSW Government continued its push to spark late-night activity with the declaration of special entertainment precincts.

From July 18, six new ones were opened in the Sydney Inner West, allowing bars, clubs, and restaurants to trade until 2:00 am on Fridays, Saturdays, and before public holidays, host live music gigs without needing a development application, and keep outdoor dining open until 11 pm.

The new Precincts are located in:

• Darling Street, Balmain and Rozelle

• Marrickville Road and New Canterbury Road, Dulwich Hill

• Marrickville Road and Illawarra Road, Marrickville

• Industrial area along Victoria Road and Addison Road, Marrickville

• Norton Street and Parramatta Road, Leichhardt

Burwood and Fairfield are both also set to receive their precincts this year, while areas in the surfside Manly and Cronulla are in the testing stages.

VENUES BENEFIT FROM ADELAIDE FRINGE

The Adelaide Fringe’s policy of sharing ticket revenue with artists and venues has been a great pay-off. New figures show that $26.7 million went to them after 1,066,515 tickets were sold. 575 venues hosted 1,532 Fringe shows.

OOPS!

The Daily Telegraph reported that Son of Eve Bar in Sydney CBD was raided by police for allegedly continuing to serve booze days after its liquor licence was suspended for not paying the renewal fees.

Former co-owner of Brisbane nightclub X Cargo, Angus Robert Michael Cattanach, 44, pleaded guilty to supplying cocaine.

Irritated by light rail extensions disrupting businesses in his area, Jack Connors of Rosella’s in Burleigh Heads posted a video of himself outside the joint, sipping a beer with a background of torn-up footpaths and chuckling, “Oh, bloody lovely, isn’t it?”

But not finding train development funny were the owners of Roxy Theatre in Sydney’s Parramatta, who are suing the NSW Government for “substantial loss and damage”.