San Cisco Call For Compensation From Qld State Govt Following Abrupt Venue Closure

San Cisco is calling for compensation from the Queensland State Government following the abrupt closure of the Sunshine Coast venue they were due to perform at this past weekend. 

The popular venue NightQuarter was issued with a closure notice at 8.30pm on Friday night by Queensland Health compliance officers and police following alleged COVID-19 safety breaches during concert events the weekend prior. 

San Cisco, their management, and booking agent Select Music are now "requesting compensation from the Queensland Government for losses incurred due to the closure being enforced less than 24 hours prior to their concert date". 

In a statement released today, it's been revealed that the sold out concert was expected to gross $60,000 in revenue for the region, with San Cisco saying that they "could have rearranged their shows for other venues, saved on transport and accommodation costs as well as wage costs for touring personnel if more notice had been given". 

The band are said to be requesting compensation for "direct losses as well as potential losses due to the concert not being able to go ahead, and no known date yet being made available for a replacement concert".

"As an independent band, like many others, San Cisco rely on live music as their primary source of income," said manager Philip Stevens. 

"Not only did San Cisco miss out, but so did Brisbane artist Jaguar Jonze, who is supporting all shows on this tour. The loss of the NightQuarter show will mean the band will lose money on this tour. The tour, in support of their album release for Between You & Me, has already been moved many times."

"The behaviour of patrons at the NightQuarter is no different to that experienced at sporting events around the state in the very same week," he continued. 

"As of this point in time no cases of COVID have been attributed to gatherings of people at music concerts throughout Australia. So why are venues and concerts still being targeted by State governments as dangerous activities in comparison to major sporting events that are occurring every week? The Arts industry is suffering, especially the hundreds of musicians who have no clear pathway forwards for their careers."

"As the agent for San Cisco I will be supporting the band and fighting to get a resolution to the overreaction from Queensland Health in enforcing a shut down within 24 hours at NightQuarter on the weekend," said Select Music's Stephen Wade. 

"The live music industry has endured more than most during this pandemic and is still not back to 100% 16 months after COVID closed our industry down. The weekend's actions have to stop and the over policing of live music events needs to be addressed immediately. 

"We are still yet to see any documentation from Qld Health or any health department in Australia giving us an explanation as to why our events are deemed so dangerous to the health of the general public, and all we are asking for is a fair go, bearing in mind that there has still not been a single transmission of COVID-19 at a ticketed live music event in Australia EVER."

"It was really disappointing to hear last minute that our concert at the NightQuarter was to be cancelled," added San Cisco's Jordi Davieson. 

"We knew that our fans from the Sunshine Coast had made this our biggest show of the tour. We had already had to cancel once already, so it was upsetting to have to let our fans down again. We look forward to coming back as soon as possible. In the meantime, we will try and busy ourselves on yet another enforced day off!”

"As an artist based in Queensland I am already at an inconvenience trying to fund touring activities in other states," shared Jaguar Jonze. 

"The fact that we are struggling to play our contracted shows even in our home state shows how little support we are shown as active employers and participants in the economy. 

"The arts industries have been decimated and it’s amazing that we continue to try to push through. QLD should be proud of the work we continually put in to bring live music to all parts of this state and we expect the Queensland government to make fairer assessments of the risks associated with live events and offer the same consideration to music events as they have shown to other industries."

San Cisco recently stopped by The Green Room podcast to chat about the tour and their most recent album. Check it out here. 

Their tour continues around the country; head to theGuide for all the info.