PEDESTRIAN.TV has teamed up with Nando’s to celebrate the Aussie music scene.
One of Australia’s most important cultural events was supposed to take place last weekend. Back in March, music festival Splendour In The Grass was suddenly cancelled just weeks after its 2024 lineup was announced.
The festival’s managing director, Mitch Wilson, cited a lack of ticket sales as the reason for pulling the plug, but it brought the terrible state of the Australian festival scene sharply into focus.
Splendour hasn’t been the only festival casualty over the past few years. Beloved rural event Groovin The Moo also called its 2024 season off back in February, while Falls Festival cancelled its 2023 iteration to “rest, recover and recalibrate” after struggling to recover from the impacts of Covid-19 lockdowns.
From the effects of climate change (remember 2022’s Splendour In The Mud?) to the cost of living crisis and perhaps even the death of monocultures, Australia’s live music scene is in free fall.
It’s not just festivals feeling the pinch either. A 2023 report found that 1,300 small and mid-sized music venues had closed since the beginning of the pandemic. This has huge ramifications for up-and-coming artists who aren’t at stadium-level ticket sales yet, as well as the fans who have less opportunities to witness live music and culture.
In response, Nando’s has stepped up to invest in Australia’s music scene with its Chicken Shop Sessions.
Over the winter weekend usually reserved for Splendour, Nando’s condensed a three-day festival into three hours at its Fitzroy store in Melbourne. Yup, you heard that right, a festival in a chicken restaurant.
The lineup included iconic Aussie DJ Nina Las Vegas, 20-year-old Melburnian pop-folk singer Ishan, Persian-Australian artist CHAII and surf rockers COTERIE.
The (free!) food and drink was flowing in the Fitzroy store as punters enjoyed a hyper-local lineup and the buzz of a music festival.
“From Ed Sheeran to Post Malone and everyone in-between, Nando’s has a long history of supporting artists across the music industry,” Tom Blackburn, Nando’s head of brand & marketing ANZ, said of the event.
“The Chicken Shop Sessions are all about giving emerging artists the opportunity to take centre stage in the wake of major festival cancellations and the mass closure of live music venues. It’s also about giving young people the opportunity to experience live music that they’re increasingly priced out of.”
If you missed out this time round, don’t sweat. Nando’s hope to continue bringing free chicken, chippies and amazing up-and-coming artists to your city, so keep your eyes peeled on Nando’s socials.
While we wait for the big names to bring back the multi-day festivals we love, hopefully events like Nando’s Chicken Shop Sessions can help to fill the gap and support the music scene. We love to see it.
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