Bernard Fanning, Ocean Alley, Matt Corby & More Lead First Major Indoor Arena Event

Bernard Fanning As the country officially celebrates a major decline in cases of COVID for the first time in months, the Australian music industry is celebrating its own milestone, with the first major indoor arena shows since the beginning of the pandemic.

For the first time, TEG and LIVE NATION - two of the biggest promoters in the world - have come together in support of Australian live music.

Thanks to additional support from the New South Wales government, Sydney's iconic Qudos Bank Arena will now officially host 'The Greatest Southern Nights' - two major COVID safe shows taking place over two huge nights this summer for more than 12,000 fans, with live music from Bernard Fanning, Matt Corby, Ocean Alley, Jack River, Merci Mercy, Ruby Fields and Jack Botts.

Ocean Alley will headline this historic return to live music, with special guests Jack River and Ruby Fields, together with Jack Botts.

Australia's beloved psychedelic-surf-rockers Ocean Alley have spent the past decade creating a unique lane for themselves as a proudly independent band, their vision and sound guided solely by their instinct and passion. The band debuted at #3 on the ARIA Album Chart with their ARIA-nominated third album Lonely Diamond (2020), garnering four-star reviews from the likes of NME Australia and Rolling Stone Australia. The album followed the success of 2018's Chiaroscuro which propelled the band into national prominence with the double platinum-selling single 'Confidence' taking out #1 in triple j's Hottest 100 of 2018.

Joining the band for this very special evening will be Jack River.

As a climate ally, and a person of deep compassion for all, rising Australian star Jack River is gearing up to take on the world in 2020 with her new Stranger Heart EP and extensive touring plans. The EP dropped Valentine's Day & follows up her 2018 debut LP Sugar Mountain that features platinum single "Fool's Gold" and earned 3 ARIA Nominations and an APRA Nomination.

Hailing from the suburbs of Sydney's South Coast, Ruby Fields is an Australian singer-songwriter who creates narratives that people feel a close connection to. Her use of simplistic but poignant lyrics in her work has garnered the attention of the international music industry and fans alike. Ruby Fields has sold out multiple national tours, performed to 20,000 people at Splendour In The Grass in 2019, toured the UK, performed a coveted Like A Version for triple j, and has been courted by labels in the
US.

On Saturday December 5th, the live music continues, as Bernard Fanning hits Qudos Bank Arena. Bernard has accumulated one of the most celebrated and distinct songbooks on the Australian rock spectrum. A multi - award winning and platinum selling artist, his solo career now spanning 15 years, Fanning has firmly cemented his position as one of Australia's finest songwriters and lyricists.

From the country folk-tinged charm of his multi-platinum debut solo album Tea and Sympathy to the rock grooves and horn breaks of its follow up Departures and the exquisitely crafted Civil Dusk / Brutal Dawn - a two-part album series released across 2016 and 2017.

Joining him for this very special evening will be Matt Corby.

For a decade, the multi-platinum-selling musician has been pushing his own boundaries, embracing a journey of self-discovery that's seen him wrestle a few pre-conceptions and stare down his share of demons. With two ARIA Song of the Year awards and a #1 debut album behind him, Corby can genuinely lay claim to some hard-earned perspective.

With support from the wonderful Merci, Mercy, an affordable ticket price and a city of five million people eager for the return of live music, this is sure to be a night to remember.

The Greatest Southern Nights event series is a co-promotion between TEG Live and Live Nation Australia, with support from the New South Wales Government, and marks the crescendo of NSW's Great Southern Nights initiative to kick-start the recovery of the live music, hospitality and tourism industries which have been so dramatically impacted by the pandemic.

This concert will be held with a commitment to a COVID Safe environment, with a reduced capacity of just over 5,000 in a venue that can normally hold around 21,000 fans. TEG LIVE and Live Nation will work closely with and comply with all requirements of the public health authorities in respect to these shows. While operating at reduced capacity, this event will mark the largest indoor music event held in Australia since the shutdown of the live entertainment industry in March, due to the pandemic.

Geoff Jones, Chief Executive of Promoter TEG, said these Greatest Southern Nights concerts are part of a crucial push to reignite the live industry.

"These shows are vital for our industry because they will show that we can stage large scale live concerts safely and that Australians have a huge pent-up demand to get out and share great live entertainment experiences with their friends and family," said Jones.

"We have seen the successful and safe return of huge crowds to major live sport and it is time for live music to make a return at scale at a world class venue, Qudos Bank Arena, which we will operate in a reduced, COVID Safe capacity for these shows," Jones added.

Roger Field, President co-promoter Live Nation, said these concerts would not be possible without the support of NSW Government and Destination NSW. "After eight long months of zero arena shows, these concerts will see great musicians bring thousands of fans back together. Not only will these two wonderful nights of entertainment deliver significant employment but they are sure to inject a vital economic boost to our industry and the economy."

NSW Minister for Jobs, Investment, Tourism and Western Sydney Stuart Ayres said Greatest Southern Nights aligned with the NSW Government's ambition to kick start the state's economic recovery, create jobs and drive visitation and spending through major events.

"NSW has led Australia in reigniting the live music industry through Great Southern Nights, and now we are excited to announce these landmark concerts that will be the hottest tickets in the country. The NSW Government is proud to be getting artists, roadies, venues, hospitality staff and tourism businesses back to work and we hope this heralds the safe return of major indoor arena events."

Bernard Fanning said that these gigs were crucial to getting the industry back on its feet and workers back into jobs: "I'm so happy to be part of the reopening of the live music scene in NSW. It's a great opportunity to get people safely together again, but just as importantly, to give the music industry workers whose lives have been so upended by Covid, a chance to get back to doing what they do best.

Ocean Alley added: "We're absolutely stoked to be getting back on stage as part of
Great Southern Nights. We've missed every part of touring - last year we spent every other day in a new city, so it's exciting to see live music making a comeback in NSW. The opportunity to

headline Qudos Bank Arena in our hometown makes this show that extra bit more special for us, and we can't wait to finally play our latest album Lonely Diamond in a live setting."

The Greatest Southern Nights concerts are delivered by the NSW Government's tourism and major events agency Destination NSW and forms the grand finale to its Great Southern Nights partnership with the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA).