morrissey and australia
- Thread starter kate
- Start date
The Goat
Banned
I expect it has more to do with geography than anything else.
Basically if a band plays 'Down Under', there are only 5 places to play at - Sydney, Perth, Melbourne, Adelaide and Brisbane. Even the capital Canberra is not that big.
Not only do the band and gear / roadies etc have to fly halfway round the world just to get there, they then face large travel costs simply travelling from one gig to another, unlike a tour of the UK / Europe where each gig is a couple of hours (if that) away on a tour bus.
Can the economics of an OZ / NZ tour financially support this great cost?
How many other bands from the UK regularily play down under? You may attract the stadium bands that can fill 40,000 + venues, as that is financially viable, but not the 'lesser' sized bands / artists in smaller venues.
The Goat
Basically if a band plays 'Down Under', there are only 5 places to play at - Sydney, Perth, Melbourne, Adelaide and Brisbane. Even the capital Canberra is not that big.
Not only do the band and gear / roadies etc have to fly halfway round the world just to get there, they then face large travel costs simply travelling from one gig to another, unlike a tour of the UK / Europe where each gig is a couple of hours (if that) away on a tour bus.
Can the economics of an OZ / NZ tour financially support this great cost?
How many other bands from the UK regularily play down under? You may attract the stadium bands that can fill 40,000 + venues, as that is financially viable, but not the 'lesser' sized bands / artists in smaller venues.
The Goat
Pokey
Member
Moz could easily sell out "The Forum" sized venues here, he was amazing when he played there in 2002. We get the big U2 sized bands and the small ones like the go! team that only played the corner hotel, but never the medium size like Mozza. It's a shame really because regardless of CD sales here he would definetly sell out those medium size (and I mean 1500 people or so) easily. Hell he could play a couple of nights in a row here in Melbourne and I'm sure people would go twice because we are so moz-starved.
I'm happy I got to see him in Dublin on easter sunday though when travelling .. but it's not the same when he's talking to the crowd like they're all from Dublin, I felt like screaming "hey there are Aussie's here too!" we need him back on our turf, we'll treat him real well and I'll shout him a drink! Now if that isn't incentive to come back then I don't know what it
I'm happy I got to see him in Dublin on easter sunday though when travelling .. but it's not the same when he's talking to the crowd like they're all from Dublin, I felt like screaming "hey there are Aussie's here too!" we need him back on our turf, we'll treat him real well and I'll shout him a drink! Now if that isn't incentive to come back then I don't know what it
Midnight
A Hostage To Kindness
This entire nation is Moz-starved, which explains why the same people went to all the shows on the last tour... making up for lost time. Everyone with superior musical taste seems to congregate in Melbourne, which seems to explain why so many Morrissey fans appear to be there (unlike my city
). I definitely agree that he would have no trouble selling out multiple shows in Melbourne, and Sydney as well for that matter.Reading those letters Moz wrote to his penpal back in his younger years he wasn't too fond of Australia at all, and seemed to dislike it here to a fairly large degree. I suppose touring here in 1991 was excellent for promotional purposes - obviously only he knows whether he had wanted to come here on his own accord. I hope that on both occasions he enjoyed his time here (particularly in 2002, since it was fairly recent) and wants to return at some stage.
I agree that from an economic perspective it probably isn't worth Moz's trouble to come here, which would explain why he hasn't toured here anywhere near as extensively as other continents. Despite having a fan base which from all accounts is still very much alive and well (we're proof of that), record sales are never strong here, which never helps. The fact that he has only toured twice in 18 years is entirely depressing, so there isn't very much hope at all that he will return in the near future, unless he decides to tour Japan at which point we may have a chance.
Pokey
Member
well he only really toured here once because the 91 shows were all cancelled besides Brisbane. Not that it would have mattered to me cos I was only 6yrs old but still.
I don't think you can really say that he hates Australia based on a line to a pen pal in letters he wrote before he'd even become famous.
So I'm leaving it down to economic reasons, which really sucks because it'd be awesome for another tour, even if it was with another festival .. can't see him at the BDO out.
It's either economic or embarrassment with the "Bush Muncher" incident
I don't think you can really say that he hates Australia based on a line to a pen pal in letters he wrote before he'd even become famous.
So I'm leaving it down to economic reasons, which really sucks because it'd be awesome for another tour, even if it was with another festival .. can't see him at the BDO out.
It's either economic or embarrassment with the "Bush Muncher" incident
JeanneDarc
Senior Member
I certainly hope so since I'm backpacking my way Down under next year. Fingers crossed.
Midnight
A Hostage To Kindness
well he only really toured here once because the 91 shows were all cancelled besides Brisbane. Not that it would have mattered to me cos I was only 6yrs old but still.
I don't think you can really say that he hates Australia based on a line to a pen pal in letters he wrote before he'd even become famous.
So I'm leaving it down to economic reasons, which really sucks because it'd be awesome for another tour, even if it was with another festival .. can't see him at the BDO out.
It's either economic or embarrassment with the "Bush Muncher" incident
Same here - I was five at the time, and oblivious to Morrissey.
I don't mean that he hated (past tense) Australia, but he did say that he was sorry his penpal's friend was travelling to Australia becase 'no one with any sense' comes here, so I'd assume that from that comment he probably didn't like it, or at the very least wasn't interested in ever coming. I'm not sure if he still felt that way when he came in 1991 (his views might have changed significantly), as I said before too. I remember him saying in an interview recently (it might have been the Inrocks one he did in Rome in January) that when he was in his younger years he didn't really care for anywhere outside England, and that he regretted being that way now he was older. That might explain how he felt when he was quite young. I'm completely sure he feels different now.
I heard some rumours that he might tour for next year's BDO but I don't hold out much hope of that happening. I'll still be watching the announcements closely on Wednesday though, just in case the unbelievable should happen.
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Danny
Senior Member
When British people say stuff like that they don't normally mean it. It's a way of having a laugh by slagging off your friends and you pick on everything about them. Their dress, their music taste and where they're going on holiday. That's just how we make friends, by being horrible to each other.
Midnight
A Hostage To Kindness
Yes, you are all very horrible to eachother, my British friends are fairly expert at showing that to me.
I guess I've always thought there's got to be some other explanation for coming only twice, or at least for staying away for eleven years after coming in 1991 (has he ever said why that was?). He certainly would have been worth it for him following Your Arsenal, or at least the release of Vauxhall and I, but I suppose it was more economically viable to tour elsewhere.
I guess I've always thought there's got to be some other explanation for coming only twice, or at least for staying away for eleven years after coming in 1991 (has he ever said why that was?). He certainly would have been worth it for him following Your Arsenal, or at least the release of Vauxhall and I, but I suppose it was more economically viable to tour elsewhere.
imogen11
Junior Member
Hey, I'm another Morrissey/Smiths fan in Melbourne. So that's..what, 6 or 7 of us now? ;-) Puhleeeease tour here, Morrissey!
I certainly think it's an issue of the tour being financially viable due to how blo*ody far away we are from the rest of the world. And, definately also due to Morrissey's fear of flying, which has been pretty vocal about.
I agree, Pokey - he would sell out the Forum, several times over, easily!
A Big Day Out rumour!? God, that's made my day! I'll be keeping my fingers crossed for Wednesday's announcement. Thanks for he heads up! (hey, even if it is JUST a rumour, least it gives me some hope for 48 hours) ;-)
I certainly think it's an issue of the tour being financially viable due to how blo*ody far away we are from the rest of the world. And, definately also due to Morrissey's fear of flying, which has been pretty vocal about.
I agree, Pokey - he would sell out the Forum, several times over, easily!
A Big Day Out rumour!? God, that's made my day! I'll be keeping my fingers crossed for Wednesday's announcement. Thanks for he heads up! (hey, even if it is JUST a rumour, least it gives me some hope for 48 hours) ;-)
Midnight
A Hostage To Kindness
It's been bandied around here and there, but I'm convinced there's nothing in it. I'd absolutely love to be proved wrong though!
Is there anyone on the forum from further north than Melbourne? I have a feeling I'm all by myself...
M-in-Oz
Active Member
He did want to do the BDO but the organisers refused his show of interest as they said he would be too "miserable". I have the interview somewhere, I think it was during the Southpaw/Maladjusted wilderness years.
Now, I think he has shown that he could do a daytime/evening show & cross sections of the audience would be interested.
If he came again, he would probably play the same sized places as '02, to maybe the same audiences...so for the distance/cost...it might not be worth it. He gets hardly any airplay (even on JJJ), hardly any publciity (who reviewed ROTT? I work on Uni newspaper & we didn't get any review copies of ROTT, unlike Quarry) so I don't think he would build a new audience if he came. Easier to tour closer to home I guess.
Although in the documentary he did seem impresessed with the Harbour and I know he liked a vegetarian restaurant in Melbourne.
Now, I think he has shown that he could do a daytime/evening show & cross sections of the audience would be interested.
If he came again, he would probably play the same sized places as '02, to maybe the same audiences...so for the distance/cost...it might not be worth it. He gets hardly any airplay (even on JJJ), hardly any publciity (who reviewed ROTT? I work on Uni newspaper & we didn't get any review copies of ROTT, unlike Quarry) so I don't think he would build a new audience if he came. Easier to tour closer to home I guess.
Although in the documentary he did seem impresessed with the Harbour and I know he liked a vegetarian restaurant in Melbourne.
What about the Falls Festival, 30th December - 1st January?
"The Falls Festival line-up includes so far: Modest Mouse (USA); Michael Franti and Spearhead (USA); Wolfmother; The Bees (UK); The John Butler Trio; Hilltop Hoods, Eskimo Joe, Scribe (NZ), Saul Williams (USA); The Sleepy Jackson, The Mountain Goats (USA), You Am I; The Black Seeds (NZ); Little Birdy, Matt Costa (USA); The Audreys; Youth Group; Jamie Lidell (UK), Josh Pyke; Blue King Brown, The Exploders, Jen Cloher And The Endless Sea and Dan Sultan who make up nearly half of the final line-up with so many more still to be announced."
http://www.fallsfestival.com/
imogen11
Junior Member
Hey, could be a possibility! After all he just headlined for the V festival in the UK..
Am I clutching at straws?
