2026 has launched with a strong gallop, with music rooms launching or expanding, new partnerships kicking in and fans doling out on live music.
But cost of living remains a problem for the hospitality sector, with half a dozen Melbourne businesses going into administration.
Sydney Launching Rock Bar Dead Set…
Sydney gets a new rock bar, Dead Set, opening January 30th beneath Kinselas at Taylor Square.
Hospitality trade publication The Shout reports it is the latest venture by Redcape Hospitality.
A spokesperson said, “It adds a purpose-built late-night live music room beneath the pub, broadening the building’s appeal and bringing a new audience into the precinct.
"It strengthens Kinselas as a place to stay longer, discover new artists and experience live entertainment in a way that plays a positive role in Sydney’s music scene.”
It hosts rock, alternative and indie local and touring acts, late-night DJs, surprise events, afterparties and industry showcases. Bookings are via Jordan McDonald of Nite-Rite. DOWNGIRL and Liquid Zoo play opening night.
Here’s one for death metal fans. The Shout noted the Kinselas building used to be run by undertakers. Dead Set is located below the funeral chapel and may have been a morgue.
… And Luxury Nightclub DREAM
DJ Havana Brown is soft-launching Sydney’s new multi-million dollar luxury nightclub DREAM in World Square on Saturday January 24.
They're promising state of the art sound, immersive LED walls and the most moving lights in the Southern Hemisphere.
Opulent rooms for groups of up to 30, have premium bottle service, catering and a personal concierge.
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Nine private rooms for up to 50 feature high-definition LED screens, world-class production lighting, a 100-inch TV, and latest Martin club speakers. Guests can stream the live DJ, run karaoke, play curated DJ sets, or display presentations and branding.
Two rooms go further with dedicated in-room DJ booths for a private nightclub experience.
The owners said: “We knew we wanted to build a world-class facility and that’s why we chose World Square. We searched the world for the best nightclub technology and design to create something that rivals the best clubs globally.
“After years of lockout laws and no new venues opening, we decided to do something about it. This is about recapturing that magic and bringing Sydney’s night-life back to where it should be.”
Lady Gaga Grossed $91.98M In Australia
Lady Gaga might have profusely apologised to her Australian Little Monsters at each of her five Australian The Mayhem Ball shows last month. But there was no resentment from them, as they welcomed her back with their wallets.
She went on to gross AU$91.98 million (or US$61.7 million, the currency in which international tours are totalled) and drew 318, 996 fans.
According to Pollstar’s just-released figures, the iconic artist played two shows at Marvel Stadium in Melbourne, moving 125,941 tickets, on December 5th & 6th, for a US$24 million gross.
The one-off Brisbane Suncorp Stadium date (9th) sold 49,196 tickets and revenue of $10.3 million.
The final two shows at Accor Stadium (12th & 13th) in Sydney were to a total of 143,859 and a “whopping” (said Pollstar) $27.4 million.
Also kicking serious dust in the magazine’s figures was Bad Bunny, who’s here soon for two pop-ins at Sydney’s 23,500-seat ENGIE Stadium on Saturday, February 28th and Sunday, March 1st on his DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS World Tour.
The world tour began on November 21st in the Dominican Republic and then to Costa Rica, and 12 shows in Mexico December 10th to 21st. In its first few weeks he’s already racked up $100.7 million from ticket sales of 697,396. In January he began in Chile with three massive shows.
Observatory Precinct Consolidates As Great Melbourne Venue
Live At The Gardens, a collaboration between MG Live and the Royal Botanic Gardens Melbourne, reconfirmed the Observatory precinct as a great outdoor summer venue for the city since the series launched in 2024.
“One of the most beautiful places on earth,” exclaimed Alex Kapranos of Franz Ferdinand.
The venue is spotlighted when Live At The Gardens returns for its fourth season over two weekends.
The lineup is Marlon Williams, Emma Donovan and Kee’Ahn (March 6th), Thelma Plum + Sons Of The East with Gem Cassar-Daley (7th) Leftfield, Paul Mac and Late Nite Tuff Guy (8th), Cut Copy, Todd Terje, CC: Disco!, Crazy P (DJ Set) and Collette (13th) and Bliss N Eso, Drapht and Horrorshow (15th).
Change Of Hands
From July 1, Perth's RAC Arena will be directly managed by its owner VenuesWest when its agreement with Legends Global ends after 13 years. VenuesWest owns 14 of WA’s sport and entertainment venues on behalf of the State Government.
Its Chief Executive David Etherton said of the move, “We can ensure greater alignment with our vision and continue to provide world-class sport and entertainment experiences.” Most of the current team are expected to remain after the transition, but a new catering delivery firm will be chosen.
After ten years, founders Angie Nichols and Emma Davis bow out of bar and events space Society Salamanca in Battery Point, Tasmania to new owners. They’re focussing on their growing families and their other venues Raincheck Lounge and Willing Wine Bar in North Hobart.
Townsville live music and cocktail bar Osk is under a new team, with singing husband and wife team Ashleigh and Ben Bennett taking over from Richard Norris. They’ve turned the North Ward hangout into a seven-day business, with more live music and comedy nights than before.
Adelaide’s HQ Back For A Night
One of Adelaide’s great nightclubs HQ Complex makes a comeback for a night on August 8th at Hindley Street Music Hall. Back in the day, HQ Saturdays programming of top acts put 2,500 punters through each week and landed ten consecutive ITM Best Club Night awards.
Comiskey’s Coochin Creek Gets Green Light
Queensland music venue and festival staging Comiskey Group’s $35 million Coochin Creek project in Caloundra has the green light.
The company is behind high profile music venues as Eatons Hill Hotel and Sandstone Point Hotel.
After a five year planning and assessment process, the State Government ticked off on the 150-site eco-tourism Coochin Creek Holiday Resort segment. It had to wade through 800 community submissions, both for and against.
The company relayed it will have 75 camping and caravan sites, and 75 cabins. Designed to be family-friendly, it has a waterplay park, swim-up bar, jumping pillow, pickleball courts and putt putt golf.
Once operational, it is expected to be a “significant” economic and tourism catalyst, Comiskey expects. This is “including 85,600 visitor nights per year, attracting around 20,000 additional visitors annually and generating an estimated $34 million in visitor expenditure across the Sunshine Coast.”
However, a separate part of the Coochin Creek project – a festival site on the adjacent Coochin Creek to be rented out to promoters – is still awaiting approval.
The company’s head Rob Comiskey previously told The Music it was set to stage major shows by international and local acts. It would be “similar in size to North Byron Parkland”, which is between 35,000 (Falls Festival) and 50,000 (Splendour In The Grass).
The one time strawberry farm is accessed easily by highway, 35 minutes south of Maroochydore and 1 hour 20 minutes north of Brisbane.
Design Unveiled For $40M Upgrade For Sydney’s Leichhardt Oval
The suggested design for the $40 million upgrade For Sydney’s Leichhardt Oval has been unveiled for residents to comment on.
Proposed for the 20,000-capacity sports, concert and community events venue are a new northern grandstand, replacement of the lower seating bowl, new stadium seating for the western grandstand, and facilities for concerts and four female-friendly change rooms.
Funding is $20 million from the Federal Government, $10 million from the NSW Government and $10 million from Inner West Council.
Inner West Council Mayor Darcy Byrne, who once described it as the "eighth wonder of the world”, earlier instigated a trial for major concerts to be held and initiated talks with promoters.
Four More Clubs Around Chapel St. Precinct Go Into Administration
In a blow to those wanting to revive Melbourne’s Chapel Street party strip to its past glory, four late night spots around the area have gone into administration, after two others went the route.
Unsecured creditors are owed more than $4 million, according to the Herald Sun. Staff entitlements, wages and superannuation were met, and the clubs continue to trade.
Following on from The Music reporting on administration moves by Electric Bar in Prahran (debts of $1.25 million) and La La Land CBD ($346,583), the latest are Circus Bar ($1.21 million), Holy Grail ($450,751), La La Land Windsor ($682,172) and Somewhere Bar ($113,302).
The newspaper revealed how tough things are out there: “Victorian business collapses in the accommodation and food service sector have more than tripled in just four years.
“The number of companies entering external administration or having controllers appointed has skyrocketed from 202 in FY22 to a whopping 723 in FY25, according to the latest ASIC data.”
We’re Here For The Beer
The Toyota Tamworth Country Music Festival’s official beer partner Tooheys expected to pour 25,000 litres of beer in its first seven days, said Brand Director Karen Sterling-Levis.
Tooheys expanded its presence with new initiatives this year, including Muster afternoon music sessions in a range of venues including Wests Leagues, Wests Diggers, Post Office Hotel, Tudor Hotel, Joe Maguires, Courthouse Hotel and Tamworth Services Club.
Administrator For The Station
Sunshine Coast venue The Station hosted its last show on January 2th after court action by hire equipment business Flexhire to wind it up.
But the paperwork continues. A court-ordered administrator is to have been appointed to go through the paperwork so creditors can be advised over the next few months.
Co-owner Chris Hignett said they disputed the amount owed to Flexhire “however, they proceeded with the court hearing regardless.”
UK Ticket Scalpers Must Pay £3M Or Face Jail
UK husband and wife ticket scalpers Maria Chenery-Woods and Mark Woods have to pay back almost £3 million (AU$6 million) or face jail, reported the Trading Standards Crime which led the investigation in a statement.
They were found guilty of fraudulently and dishonestly buying and reselling tickets – often over 500% of face value in some cases – for shows by Ed Sheeran, Lady Gaga and Little Mix through their family company TQ Tickets.
Sheeran’s manager Stuart Camp applauded the decision saying he and the star took a stance against online scalping in 2018. “The low point for me had been one of his earlier Teenage Cancer Trust concerts, where tickets were listed on Viagogo for thousands of pounds, but with none of the money going to charity.”
One of the witnesses in the case was Stuart Galbraith, CEO of promoter Kilimanjaro Live, who co-promoted Sheeran’s 2018 UK Tour
He called the verdict “good news for live music fans, who are too often ripped off and exploited by greedy ticket touts. For Ed Sheeran’s 2018 UK Tour we helped thousands of fans at our ‘Victims of Viagogo’ kiosks at the box office, where we reissued 6,300 tickets and helped people get over £600,000 (AU$1.2 million in combined refunds from Viagogo.
“But this only helps victims after the crime, which is why we welcome today’s prosecution and the strong message it sends to greedy ticket touts looking to exploit genuine live music fans.”
Adelaide’s Grove Tavern Expands
To coincide with the warmer weather, the Grove Tavern in Adelaide’s Surrey Downs has been booking more DJs and acoustic acts on the weekends, using both its indoor and outdoor spaces.
The pop up bar in the car park has moved to the beer garden, now with more permanent fixtures and renamed The Deck Bar.
Court Notices
19-year-old Alfie Hegg faces court in mid-May charged with the stabbing murder of 19-year-old Muay Thai martial arts exponent Jojo Punvaree in Melbourne’s King Street nightclub precinct after a bust-up outside a club.
Briant Clark, owner of Darwin bar and comedy venue Last Supper pleaded guilty in the Darwin Local Court for driving with twice the legal limit.
Broadway Hotel Burned For Fourth Time
The Broadway Hotel in Brisbane’s Woolloongabba – which The Music reported was being eyed as a dedicated live music venue four years ago – has been gutted for the fourth time in 16 years.
Built in 1889, various companies have tried to rebuild it for different projects but have been thwarted by the building’s heritage listing.
In the meantime, the Gold Diggers Arms in Geelong, Victoria, escaped serious damage after fire broke out in its shed at the back.
Launceston Expands Music In The Park To Late March
City of Launceston has extended its free Music In The Park 2026 series – held at City Park Rotunda – initially to run over January and February, to the end of March.
Now in its 18th year, it’s held on Sundays 12.30 to 2.30 pm, with the new dates to include The Chromosomes (March 1st), Amy Pegg (8th), TBC (15th), The Stovies (22nd) and Flower Extract (29th).
New Partnering Deal For Optus Stadium
Perth’s Optus Stadium has struck a new partnership, this time with WA-based Revo Fitness as its first Official Fitness Partner.
Its General Manager – Commercial, Greg Sleigh noted that the partnership “brings fitness-led activations to the Stadium and Stadium Park, creating fun opportunities for people of all ages and abilities to get active, connect and enjoy the precinct beyond major event days.”
Founded in 2012, Revo Fitness has over 2 million visits to its gyms each month. It has 70 clubs nationally, opening 20 locations in 2025. It has close ties with sports and active communities. Since 2019, it has held the naming rights for Perth’s Claremont Oval – now officially known as Revo Fitness Stadium.
Victoria Park Hosting Mardi Gras Fair
Victoria Park on Parramatta Road in Broadway is again hosting the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras Fair Day on Sunday, February 15th. This year’s theme is ECSTATICA.
The music segment includes Miami house music icon Janice Robinson of Livin’ Joy making her Mardi Gras debut, with Blusher, Go-Jo, Zoe Badwi, DJ James Alexander & Nada Leigh, Kath Ebbs and queer country tunes, and IVANA.
Beyond the Main Stage, Mila Jam (Los Angeles) and Arisce (New York) join Felicia Foxx, Aunty Tamara, Atomic Kiss, Jackel Doll, Tiddalicious and DJ Nate on stages across the park.
The park is turned into “a vibrant playground of culture, creativity and connection”, say organisers, including opener the First Nations Circle (with a Smoking Ceremony and performances by the Buuja Buuja Butterfly Dancers), canine pageant Doggywood, trans-run community zone Trans Camp, Disco and Divas, Drag King Games and Queer Fashion Runway.
Albany Ups Live @ The Town Hall Shows
The City of Albany in WA is expanding its four-year old Live @ The Town Hall gig series this year to five shows from 2025’s three.
This is courtesy $150,000 from the Federal Government’s Revive Live funding program, increasing the profile of the Albany Town Hall was an important regional music venue.
A spokesperson for the City said there’d be “more opportunities for emerging WA artists, the chance to host higher-profile touring acts, stronger pathways for regional musicians, and the same inclusive, community-minded atmosphere that makes Live @ the Town Hall such a great night out.”
The 2026 shows are on February 21st, March 21st, June 13th, August 22nd and November 21st. Original acts can submit their expressions of interest here.
Decision For Riverside Theatres Redevelopment
The Riverside Theatres redevelopment to make it “Western Sydney’s New Centre Of The Arts” made another move on the chessboard with City of Parramatta approving plans to enter a Pre-Construction Services Agreement with the preferred contractor identified through the tender process.
The design, led by COX Architecture with 3XN Architects, Aileen Sage, Turf Design Studio and Bangawarra, will more than double capacity and bring in 400,000 visitors a year.
It includes a 1,500-seat Broadway-style lyric theatre, a revamped 700-seat Riverside Playhouse theatre, a new 325-seat black-box drama theatre, a state-of-the-art 110-seat digital studio and cinema with greater public spaces.
However the predicament is that the 2023 budget of $188 million has bolted to $276 million. The Council and NSW Government ($40 million) are already committed with the moolah, but the hope is that the $93 million gap might be filled by the Federal Government.
So far the Feds have turned down a plea for $50 million. But the City will re-apply in the next few weeks via another program. It’s also pow-wowing with the new constructor on where things can be slashed.
This piece of content has been assisted by the Australian Government through Music Australia and Creative Australia, its arts funding and advisory body
