Liverpool confirms Australia tour, will play Adelaide United and Brisbane Roar

Premier League giant Liverpool has confirmed it will play A-League clubs Adelaide United and the Brisbane Roar in July as part of its preseason tour.

The Reds will kick off their Australian tour against the Roar at Lang Park on July 17, before facing Adelaide United in Adelaide on July 20.

It follows Liverpool's hugely successful tour Down Under in 2013, where it played against Melbourne Victory at a packed-out MCG.

"We visited Australia for the first time two years ago and the support we received from our Australian fans was incredible," Liverpool chief executive Ian Ayre said in a club statement.

"Liverpool FC have more than 600,000 supporters in Australia and we look forward to meeting as many of them as possible while we are in the country."

Liverpool's arrival will add to an already packed July of football for Australian audiences, with Manchester City playing Real Madrid and AS Roma in the friendly International Champions Cup tournament in Melbourne.

However, Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard will not be part of the trip as he leaves for MLS team LA Galaxy at the end of the season.

Brisbane Roar managing director Sean Dobson said it would be a proud moment for the club to host Liverpool.

"To be on the same field with Liverpool FC, one of the true giants of world football, reinforces Brisbane Roar’s standing as Australia’s premier football club," he said in a statement.

"It will be a special night for all our members and fans as they cheer on the Roar against such legendary opponents playing on our home ground."

South Australia's acting tourism minister Tom Koutsantonis says hosting Liverpool at Adelaide Oval is a coup for the state.

"A stadium packed with Reds fans from throughout Australia and the world will be a magnificent showcase for the Adelaide Oval and South Australia," he said in a statement.

"Such world-class sporting events are huge draw cards, and we also anticipate a global TV audience for the game, so it is the perfect platform to showcase Adelaide to the rest of the world."

Show is gold for Ipswich ABBA fans

SWEDISH SENSATION: The Ultimate ABBA Show will hit Ipswich Civic Centre on March 6.

MAMMA Mia - ABBA is back.

Fans of the 70s Swedish pop sensation will be given the opportunity to brush the dust off of those platform shoes, short skirts and ridiculously tight white flares when GOLD: The Ultimate ABBA Show hits Ipswich on March 6.

Kathleen Malony, who performs as blonde bombshell Agnetha Fältskog, said The New Arrival Tour would celebrate the 40th anniversary of the release of the 1975 album, ABBA.

"It's as close as you can get to how ABBA performed in the 70s," she said.

"After the show last year we had people telling us that they felt just like they did when they saw the real band live, which is very flattering.

"There are a lot of die-hard ABBA fans out there and we want to make sure they get the real experience."

The show will feature internationally recognised ABBA performers who have rehearsed singing, talking, dressing and performing exactly like the band for months.

"I've really done my research," Ms Malony said.

"We've watched old videos and have been rehearsing for months.

"People can expect amazing musicians, intricate costumes, live singing and even Swedish accents."

Ms Malony said that the group always made a point of getting out into the audience and chatting to the crowd after each and every show.

"We're always trying to improve and get as close to the original as we can," she said.

"I've been doing this for three years now and this year we will be really taking it to the next level.

"We're excited, I just can't wait to take this on the road."

To book tickets for the show or for more information visit ipswichciviccentre.com.au or phone 3810 6100.

Source: http://www.qt.com.au/news/show-is-gold-for-ipswich-abba-fans/2535163/


Metro Hotel Ipswich International is located next to the Civic Theatre and offers excellent value accommodation - to book visit: www.metrohotels.com.au/hotels/queensland/metro-hotel-ipswich-international

Billy Idol with Cheap Trick | Australia 2015

Billy Idol with Cheap Trick | Australia 2015

Rock icon BILLY IDOL is returning to Australia and New Zealand for his first concert tour of Australia since 2002.

Billy Idol’s tour announcement coincides with a flurry of new Idol projects that have fans around the globe in a heightened state of excitement!

Idol’s long-awaited and riveting self-written autobiography Dancing With Myself was released worldwide on October 7 via Touchstone/Simon and Schuster and his first album of new material since 2005, Kings & Queens of the Underground, is out on October 17 on BFI Records/Kobalt Label Services.

Written by Idol himself, in his inimitable, searingly honest voice, Dancing With Myself offers an all-access pass to Billy Idol’s journey to fame.

His tale is an extraordinary one, from a transient childhood divided between the United States and England, to Idol’s time as a seminal member of the 1970s London punk scene fronting the band Generation X, to his meteoric rise to stardom, propelled by a distinctive sound combining punk’s energy and ethos with a danceable, driving beat.

Beyond adding his uniquely qualified perspective to the story of the evolution of rock, Idol is a brash, lively chronicler of his own career. Delivered with the same in-your-face attitude and fire his fans have embraced for decades, Dancing With Myself offers eye-opening anecdotes full of drugs, sex, and rock ‘n’ roll that only Billy Idol can tell.

Idol’s new album Kings & Queens Of The Underground was primarily produced by Trevor Horn, with Greg Kurstin also contributing as producer to two songs, including the anthemic lead single, ‘Can’t Break Me Down’.

Special guests are Cheap Trick.

Tour Dates

MARCH 14 (SAT)	PERTH, WA	AN EVENING ON THE GREEN KINGS PARK & BOTANIC GARDENS
MARCH 18 (WED)	WOLLONGONG, NSW	WIN ENTERTAINMENT CENTRE
MARCH 19 (THU)	SYDNEY, NSW	QANTAS CREDIT UNION ARENA
MARCH 21 (SAT)	YARRA VALLEY, VIC	A DAY ON THE GREEN ROCHFORD WINES
MARCH 22 (SUN)	FLEURIEU PENINSULA, SA	A DAY ON THE GREEN LECONFIELD WINES
MARCH 24 (TUE)	MELBOURNE, VIC	MARGARET COURT ARENA
MARCH 28 (SAT)	HUNTER VALLEY, NSW	A DAY ON THE GREEN BIMBADGEN WINERY
MARCH 29 (SUN)	MT COTTON, QLD	A DAY ON THE GREEN SIRROMET WINES

Ipswich Needs a Beating Cultural Heart

Ipswich needs a beating cultural heart

A NEW $90 million Ipswich Performing Arts Centre (IPAC) seating up to 1500 people in the main theatre has been identified as a key driver in revitalising the city in both a cultural and economic way.

The Ipswich Regional Centre Strategy of 2008 identified the IPAC as "a catalytic project to stimulate revitalisation" of the region.

The strategy outlined the need to "develop a multi-purpose performing arts complex incorporating a public square to celebrate significant occasions with usages including conventions, exhibitions and multicultural events".

A subsequent 2011 needs analysis and feasibility study of the IPAC determined the required building size, usage, concept designs and possible sites for the centre.

Ipswich Mayor Paul Pisasale said council had identified three sites in Ellenborough St, South St and at the Ipswich Railway Workshops as possible locations for the IPAC.

"The key is the positioning of it - to make a strong CBD," he said.

"My preferred location is in Ellenborough St where the old rail yard is because it is close to the CBD.

"Where we are standing (in the council offices in South St) is another preference because we can take the whole of council to the Icon 2 building and the library to the CBD.

"We achieve that and we will have one hell of a vibrant CBD.

"CBDs are all about performing arts and having an entertainment base. Culture is at the heart of a thriving city."

Council is seeking $300,000 from the State Government to fund a feasibility study.

The facility would include multi-purpose performing spaces that are flexible enough to meet a vast array of needs with a main theatre seating 1200 to 1500, a secondary theatre with a capacity of 400 to 600 and a function space to seat 600 diners.

Cr Pisasale has identified Port Macquarie's performance and exhibition arts facility known as The Glasshouse as an example of what he hopes to replicate in Ipswich as it boasts a theatre, performance studio, an international-standard regional gallery, conference facilities, heritage displays and a Tourism Information Centre.

The council's project brochure highlights how the current Ipswich Civic Centre "does not meet the functionality requirements and does not have sufficient capacity to meet current or future demand".

Since the civic centre was built, the population of Ipswich has doubled and is expected to more than double again by 2031.

The civic centre's dated appearance, design limitations and inadequate capacity mean a new facility to cater for the Ipswich region's needs is long overdue.

Cr Pisasale said acts and functions were currently being held in Brisbane and other centres and Ipswich people were missing out on entertainment options.

Incubus Australia Tour With Special Guests Antemasque & Le Butcherettes

Iconic rock gods, Incubus are unparalleled in their ability to shift moods and textures at the drop of a dime, proving that they have become a rare thing: a modern rock band that actually grows and improves with each album.

Through their double decade-long rise to the top, Incubus have notched up over 13 million album sales and have amassed an arsenal of sing-a-long hits including Drive, Nice To Know You, Wish You Were Here, Are You In?, Pardon Me, Megalomaniac, A Certain Shade Of Green... come on, you know you're guilty of belting out any one of these tunes on a drunken Karaoke night!.

The musical genius of Omar Rodriguez-Lopez and Cedric Bixler-Zavala formerly of At The Drive In and The Mars Volta, needs no introduction! During the 90's, as members of At The Drive In, the pair raised the bar on the post hardcore genre with the release of their third (and final) album Relationship of Command to critical acclaim; an album now regarded as one of the most influential rock albums of the 90's.

In 2001 they teamed up again and the Prog-rock experimentation of The Mars Volta was unleashed! The band went on to release 6 studio albums with the single Wax Simulacra earning the band a Grammy Award for Best Hard Rock Performance.

Fast forward to 2014 and the creative collaboration appears in its newest incarnation, ANTEMASQUE. With the release of their debut self-titled album mid 2014, ANTEMASQUE again proved themselves as the masters of musical diversity. The band spent the latter half of the year touring the US and Europe, bringing their unmistakable live intensity and a vibe that's virtually unmatchable!

"the performance thrived with punk energy like a bull in a china shop playing 70s prog." - consequenceofsound
"Like true rock stars, ANTEMASQUE left the stage with fans wanting more." - examiner.com

Mexican garage-punk trio Le Butcherettes are like the brilliant offspring of surrealist Luis Bunuel and intrepid rock icon PJ Harvey with the band's songs and wildly cathartic live shows often drawing comparisons to Karen-O, Patti Smith and Bikini Kill.

Renowned for their electrifying and anything goes live performances; they have toured the US with The Flaming Lips, Omar Rodriguez Lopez and Jane's Addiction and performed at countless festivals including Lollapalooza, Coachella, Fun Fun Fun Fest and many more.

"Le Butcherettes are never to be missed and are heretofore not to be ignored. Utterly stunning." - sfweekly

Incubus Events:

28 Feb-01 March Soundwave Brisbane

28 Feb-01 March Soundwave Sydney

27 Feb The Enmore Theatre Sydney

25 Feb  Forum Melbourne Melbourne

21-22 Feb  Soundwave Adelaide 2015 Adelaide

21-22 Feb  Soundwave Melbourne 2015 Melbourne

BESydney Scores $50 Million Nu Skin Mega Incentive

BESydney Scores $50 Million Nu Skin Mega Incentive

Direct selling company, Nu Skin, has confirmed that its 2016 incentive trip will be to Sydney.

The announcement was made at a recent Nu Skin Academy event in Macau.

This is one of the largest incentive wins in BESydney’s 44-year history and one of the largest incentive groups Australia has ever hosted.

Business Events Sydney (BESydney) CEO Lyn Lewis-Smith said, “It’s a milestone in the making. Sydney shines as a strategically-important destination for Asian corporates looking to reward, motivate and inspire their top sales people. The city is a firm favourite for Asian companies, and this win is testament to this.”

The incentive will see Nu Skin’s qualifying sales people travel to Sydney for a five-day program in April 2016. Delegates will travel from China, Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau.

Nu Skin Greater China Regional President Andrew Fan said, “Sydney has exceeded every expectation. Throughout this journey its stakeholders have united for a cohesive, whole-of-city approach which we have not witnessed before. I am confident that Sydney will deliver an outstanding incentive program. Our sales people will feel motivated and inspired by Sydney as the 2016 host destination and this is sure to drive sales performances.”

The winning bid was the result of collaboration between BESydney, Destination NSW, Tourism Australia, Sydney Harbour Foreshore Authority and Sydney Airport Corporation Limited.

In addition to the 2016 Nu Skin event, BESydney has secured $278 million worth of confirmed business for the future.

Wicked | Crown Theatre Perth

Wicked | Crown Theatre Perth

The most awarded new musical and Broadway’s number one show will thrill Perth at the Crown Theatre from May 2015. Awe-inspiring and spectacular, WICKED is the untold story of the witches of Oz.

Long before Dorothy dropped in, two other girls meet in the land of Oz. One, born with emerald-green skin, is smart, fiery and misunderstood.

The other is beautiful, ambitious and very popular. WICKED tells the enthralling story of two unlikely friends and how they became the wicked witch of the west and Glinda the Good. Experience it now.

“The Defining Musical of the Decade” - The New York Times

Location: Crown Theatre Perth

Date: From 3 May 2015

Tickets: From $69.90

Plus a one-off service/delivery fee from $8.45 per transaction and a credit/debit card processing fee from 1.95% applying.