NEWCASTLE artist Kira Puru accepted an apology from Spilt Milk organisers after she claimed the music festival was guilty of “racist micro-aggression” for misspelling her name in a promotional video.
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On Monday the Canberra music festival released its line-up which included US rap star Childish Gambino, UK band The Wombats, US producer RL Grime, Peking Duk, Vera Blue, The Jungle Giants and Jack River.
While the inclusion of Puru on the November 17 bill is a major opportunity for the Indigenous artist, she launched into Spilt Milk organisers via social media for incorrectly spelling her surname “Piru.”
“Spelling my name wrong and not caring enough to triple check that s**t in the PROMOTIONAL MATERIAL OF YOUR FESTIVAL is sad, disrespectful and rude....and a little embarrassing. I consider it a racist micro-aggression,” Puru wrote.
It’s the second time in the past month that the Tension and Molotov singer has been subject to festivals misspelling her name. In May Listen Out also called her “Piru”, which later led to an apology.
On Tuesday Puru wrote on Twitter that Spilt Milk had called to apologise following the error and did not request that she remove her earlier statement.
“We had a gr8 convo [sic] about where I stand and why I feel so strongly about it. We're all square & understood & everything is going ahead as planned,” she said.
Meanwhile, Maitland DJ sisters Savannah and Briony Osei, better known as Kinder, have also been included on Spilt Milk’s line-up.
TOP END SHOW
SOUTHERN End’s secret rooftop show last Saturday night proved so popular the Newcastle rock band were forced to turn away some of their close friends.
The gig, which launched their single I Said (Ooh Yeah), was held at a private property near the corner of Hunter and Union Streets in Newcastle and attracted more than 100 people.
Southern End drummer Duncan Brown said the show’s success has given the band confidence to continue promoting DIY concerts.
“For us, it just started as an idea to get people there and it sold out in two weeks,” Brown said. “It was a big milestone for our organisation.”
MAGICAL RETURN?
FEELERS have been sent out about bringing the freshly-reformed Magic Dirt to Newcastle.
Anyone who loves late ’90s and early 2000s Australian alternative rock would have let out a collective grasp of excitement this week with news that Adalita and the boys were reforming for their first shows in eight years.
The Dirty Jeans and Plastic Loveless Letter hit-makers will play the travelling festival Hotter Than Hell in regional Queensland next summer alongside Spiderbait, Shihad and Jebediah.
We’re hearing Spiderbait will headline a revamped Live At The Foreshore festival in Newcastle come November. Previously the festival focused on the over-50s market, but the show is expected to predominantly book bands from the ’90s to attract punters in their 30s and 40s. Magic Dirt would be a perfect fit.
INDIE DOUBLE BILL
TWO of Australia’s most popular indie bands, Ball Park Music and San Cisco, have announced a joint national tour and Newcastle is on the itinerary.
The two bands, along with support Ruby Fields, will play Wests NEX on September 15.
It’ll be Ball Park Music’s first Newcastle show since This That 2016, but the Brisbane band did close the tent stage at Maitland’s Groovin The Moo in April. Fremantle’s San Cisco sold out the Cambridge Hotel two weeks in advance before their last show in June last year.
HEAVY METAL
HOLD onto your ear drums because Michigan metal veterans The Black Dahlia Murder are headed to Newcastle to perform tracks from their latest album Nightbringers. The band, who describe themselves as “melodic death metal”, will play the Cambridge Hotel on September 25.
TURNING 360
HIP-HOP star 360 has added a Newcastle date to his second spin around the country to support his ARIA Australian No.1 album Vintage Modern.
The record is 360’s first since he opened up about his codeine addiction and depression, which threatened to derail the two-time ARIA winner’s career.
The Cambridge Hotel hosts 360 on September 1 with support from fellow Aussie hip-hop artist Pez.
MOUNTAIN HIGH
COUNTRY music fans remember where they were in 1997 when they heard the news that John Denver had died in a plane crash aged 53.
More than two decades later songs like Rocky Mountain High and Thank God I’m A Country Boy have endured. On December 18 the John Denver Celebration Concert will perform at the Civic Theatre to revive the music and memory of the renown environmentalist.
The show will feature a large video projection of Denver performing, accompanied by a live band and string section.
