Latest news with #SplendourInTheGrass
ABC News
16-05-2025
- Entertainment
- ABC News
Sam Fender is returning down under for a run of big outdoor shows
Get ready people watchers, Sam Fender is returning to us for his largest outdoor headline shows to date later this year. He's wowed us with his third album (and second Feature Album), People Watching , smashed back to back weekends at Coachella, knocked out a bunch of arena shows across the UK, Ireland, Europe and North America. Now he's ready to make his return down under. This tour will be the first time Sam Fender has graced us with his presence since 2023 and his unreal set at Splendour In The Grass. He'll also be coming in hot after a run of sold-out stadiums in the UK, so you just know he'll be in fine form for us. Sam won't be alone, either. The stunning Holly Humberstone will be joining him for each date on this late-spring whip. He'll be kicking things off in Naarm/Melbourne on November 14, before heading up the coast and snaking his way westward to wrap it all up in Boorloo/Perth on November 28. End of spring on outdoor stages with Sam Fender? Can't think of anything better to give us the big ramp into summer. Tickets for Sam Fender's Australian tour are on sale from 12pm local time on Wednesday 21 May, with a cheeky couple of presales beforehand. Check out the tour's website for more information. All the dates and details are below so you can lock it in well ahead of time. Sam Fender People Watching Australia tour
The Guardian
14-05-2025
- The Guardian
NSW police argument that unlawful strip-search was necessary is ‘outrageous', class action lawyer says
New South Wales police made an 'outrageous' argument that it was 'objectively necessary' to search a woman's genital area during a strip-search at a music festival, despite admitting the search was unlawful, a court has heard. The police force admitted in court documents that its July 2018 strip-search of Raya Meredith at Splendour in the Grass – which discovered nothing illegal – was unlawful and unjustified. Meredith is the lead plaintiff of a group of 3,000 people subjected to potentially unlawful strip-searches at music festivals by NSW police officers between 2016 and 2022. They are part of a class action, brought by Slater and Gordon lawyers and the Redfern Legal Centre, against the state of NSW over allegedly unlawful strip-searches – including of children – by police. The affected cohort could be more than twice that size. Last week, the court heard from Meredith, who gave emotional testimony about her strip-search by police in a makeshift tarpaulin tent at the 2018 Splendour in the Grass after a drug dog sniffed in her direction but then walked on. During the search, Meredith – who was 27 at the time and postpartum – was asked to remove her tampon Acting for the plaintiffs, Kylie Nomchong SC, told the court in her closing argument that NSW police should pay aggravated damages due to their conduct during the class action. She said on Wednesday that the police, who are yet to give their closing argument, had argued in a submission that aspects of Meredith's search were 'objectively reasonably necessary' despite admitting the search was unlawful. 'We get to the quite outrageous submissions ... where the defendant is asking your honour to infer that it was objectively necessary to search the plaintiff's breasts and genital area,' Nomchong told the court. 'It is unbelievably offensive to assert, without any evidence whatsoever, that there was some objectively reasonable basis on the part of the searching officer to inspect the plaintiff's vagina, to ask her to pull out her tampon, to ask her to bear her buttocks and anal area and to bend over and drop her breasts. It's just offensive.' Justice Dina Yehia responded by stating she would also question the police's legal team. 'I'm not quite sure I understand those submissions, given the way this matter has proceeded,' the judge said. Nomchong also raised the decision by NSW police not to call any witnesses. In the days before the hearing began, the state of NSW withdrew 22 witnesses, mostly police officers, who were due to contest Meredith's version of events. That change saw the case reduced from a scheduled 2o days to three days. Sign up to Morning Mail Our Australian morning briefing breaks down the key stories of the day, telling you what's happening and why it matters after newsletter promotion The female police officer who conducted the strip search was one of the witnesses the police force withdrew. 'All we know about her is that there's nothing in her notebook and she has no recollection of it whatsoever,' Nomchong told the court. 'The only available inference is that any evidence from those police officers would not have assisted the defendant.' Nomchong told the court that because no officers were called, it was difficult to know whether it was 'deliberate or not' that a male officer who came into the tent while Meredith was undressed. 'On the plaintiff's unchallenged evidence, he came in and he observed her in that position, there is no basis on which to say he wasn't a participant in the search,' Nomchong told the court. 'He didn't stand outside the tent and say: 'knock, knock, can I come in? Is it all right?' He burst in unannounced.' Closing arguments before Yehia were expected to end on Wednesday.
ABC News
05-05-2025
- ABC News
Young woman's strip search akin to 'sexual assault', court told
The young woman leading a class action over strip searches was subjected to a "degrading and humiliating" experience "akin to a sexual assault" by NSW Police at a music festival in 2018, a court has heard. WARNING: This article contains graphic content. Last month, the state of NSW made a dramatic backflip in the case, admitting police acted unlawfully when they searched Raya Meredith at the Splendour In The Grass music festival, ordering her to bend over while naked and remove a tampon. Her barrister Kylie Nomchong SC on Monday told the hearing her client would be making an additional claim for aggravated damages due to feelings of "hurt and distress" caused by police previously denying her account for more than two years. Kylie Nomchong SC said Raya Meredith was searched based on a drug dog sniffing in her direction. ( AAP: Regi Varghese ) Ms Nomchong told the court her client was subjected to "assault, battery and false imprisonment" during the search, and the only basis for it had been a drug dog "sniffing in [Ms Meredith's] direction". She said police did not follow the statutory safeguards that NSW parliament had put in place around strip searches. "She was not asked for her consent, she was questioned during the search, the search was not done in private," Ms Nomchong said. "She was asked to strip, expose all parts of her body, drop her breasts, bend over and expose her anus and vagina. "We say these things are akin to things that would happen during a sexual assault." 'Not an isolated' incident Ms Nomchong said that when Ms Meredith was following commands to bend over, "a male police officer walked into the cubicle unannounced and observed the plaintiff in this position". No drugs were found during the search and Ms Nomchong said Ms Meredith was left traumatised. She outlined the broader ramifications of the class action, which is believed to be one of the biggest ever brought against NSW Police. "This is an extraordinary story, but it is not an isolated one," she said. "There were many thousands of persons strip searched at festivals in the claim period," she said. Photo shows A photo of a man with a beard. New data obtained by the ABC has found First Nations and diverse communities were disproportionately represented in New South Wales police searches between 2020 and 2023. Ms Nomchong said the state of NSW had failed to adequately train officers on strict rules that surround strip searches, and then deployed large numbers of police to music festivals between 2016 and 2022 knowing and expecting a large number of searches would be conducted. She said the parliament had made it clear strip searches were only supposed to be used "in the most extreme of circumstances" but that was not the way they were being executed by NSW Police. "We say there was a pattern of conduct of NSW Police carrying out strip searches at music festivals as a matter of routine," she said.
Time Out
02-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Time Out
Five beloved music festivals in NSW are scoring a huge $2.25 million in funding
Splendour In The Grass? Cancelled. Falls Festival? Did not happen. Groovin the Moo? RIP. Music lovers across NSW mourned the day the music died for these fab festivals – but if you've packed away your gumboots and glitter, there's good news. The NSW Government has just stepped in to help five music festivals avoid the fate suffered by many others forced to fold in recent years – and the revival of Spilt Milk is proof that things are on the up. The first round of the Contemporary Music Festival Viability Fund, established in September 2024, has allocated a combined $2.25 million of emergency funding to five music fests. The lucky winners are Bluesfest in Byron Bay, Lost Paradise on the Central Coast, Yours and Owls in Wollongong, plus Listen Out and Field Day (both held in Sydney). Missed out on scoring funding for your favourite fest? Applications for the next round of funding open from May 1. Even before the pandemic, music festivals have felt the impact of rising costs, inflation, insurance nightmares, and changes in ticket buying, so this financial support has hit the right note in helping festivals manage costs while keeping the vibe alive. After all, music festivals aren't just fun – they're big business, too. NSW's festival scene supports over 14,000 jobs and pumps big bucks into local economies. Bluesfest, which was supposed to be in its final year this Easter long weekend, is proof of how ticket sales and financial help make such a big difference. Music lovers bought tickets thinking it would be their last chance to attend Bluesfest; this resulted in over 109,000 attendees – the third largest crowd in the event's 35-year history. For the promoters, it was proof enough that people want music festivals – and contrary to their 'last ever Bluesfest' marketing strategy for 2025, they're already planning for 2026. The Minister for Music and the Night-time Economy, John Graham who attended Bluesfest, explained: 'The post-Covid era has been a financial nightmare for music festivals in NSW… the feedback is that this fund has helped some of these festivals survive. People of all ages love the outdoor music festival experience and the artists they discover. The festival circuit is a vital part of the live music industry which employs almost 15,000 people. It's too important to lose, that's why we're backing festivals with emergency funding and reforms that bring down their costs.'
7NEWS
25-04-2025
- Entertainment
- 7NEWS
Government steps in to save music festivals with second stage of multimillion-dollar lifeline
With some of Australia's most-loved festivals collapsing amid rising artist fees and production costs — and a cost-of-living crisis curbing fans' spending — it's little wonder government has stepped in to help save the live music industry. Applications will open from Thursday for the second round of the NSW government's Contemporary Music Festival Viability Fund, a critical intervention after the cancellation of events including Splendour In The Grass, Falls Festival, Spilt Milk and Groovin The Moo. Established in September 2024, the $2.25 million fund has already contributed to the return of Bluesfest in Byron Bay, Lost Paradise on the Central Coast, Yours And Owls in Wollongong, and Listen Out and Field Day in Sydney. Listen Out and Field Day organiser Fuzzy Operations managing director Adelle Robinson said the funding had been a 'lifeline' for both festivals. 'We were seriously considering not moving forward with Field Day, as the market was so precarious at the end of last year,' Robinson said. 'A reset with our programming and the Contemporary Music Festival Viability Fund were the two reasons the show went ahead.' The fund allocates up to $500,000 per festival to offset pressures including sluggish ticket sales, inflation, insurance, freight and currency exchange. There are caveats and contingencies to protect taxpayers too. Funds are released in two stages. Half the grant is paid within 30 days of executing the funding agreement and meeting preconditions. The second half is only paid if the festival needs it to break even after ticket sales and other income are counted. This milestone approach ensures taxpayer money goes only to festivals facing real financial shortfalls — reducing the risk of overpayment. Bluesfest Byron Bay, which drew 109,000 punters over the Easter long weekend, has announced it will return in 2026 thanks to strong attendance — despite the 2025 run being billed as its final hurrah. Festival director Peter Noble told music industry outlet The Music Network the solid return followed a disappointing 2024 when just 65,000 attended. After investing time and tens of thousands of dollars into a Destination NSW-led review that yielded no support, Noble said he felt burnt out and ready to walk away. 'We were just deflated over that,' he said. 'It was like, 'Was that a fishing exercise to get a whole lot of numbers about how festivals are doing?' I said the next one would be the last festival. I didn't want to do it anymore.' Bluesfest was among five recipients in the first round of funding, receiving $500,000 to help secure a lineup that included Crowded House, Chaka Khan, Toto and Hilltop Hoods. The 109,000 punters marked the highest attendance of any Australian festival since pre-COVID and the third-biggest Bluesfest in the history of the festival. NSW Music and the Night-time Economy Minister John Graham said the post-COVID era had been a financial nightmare for the state's music festivals. 'People of all ages love the outdoor music festival experience and the artists they discover,' Graham said. 'We can't afford to lose that cultural experience because the festivals can't afford to pay their rising bills. 'The festival circuit is a vital part of the live music industry, which employs almost 15,000 people. It's too important to lose. 'That's why we're backing festivals with emergency funding and reforms that bring down their costs.' Applications for the next round open on May 1 for existing large-scale contemporary music festivals in NSW with a capacity of 15,000 or more. Applicants must demonstrate a track record of delivering significant outcomes for contemporary music, outline how their festival supports the NSW music ecosystem and contributes to diversity in the sector, and prove the funding is necessary to address financial challenges threatening their viability. The next funding round will be even more than the budgeted $2.25 million for this year's initial round, understands. Government department Sound NSW head Emily Collins said the funding was critical. 'It's supporting iconic festivals, easing the burden of a rapidly changing landscape and helping businesses adapt,' Collins said.
