Spin Off festival organiser throws local events ‘under the bus’ amid funding struggles

The SA live music scene is struggling to stay afloat amid funding fears and a cost of living-related ebb in punter participation, but it seems the situation is serious enough to incite a “punch down attitude”.

Mid-Coast locals had plenty to say when one of the state’s major music promotors made public comments that appeared to insinuate Spin Off Festival was more deserving of state funding than their beloved footy club festival.

Five Four Entertainment director Craig Lock was detailing the uncertain fate of Spin Off due to economic struggles, having missed out on grant funding that went to a council-run event, when he made the clanger of a comment.

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“It’s completely demoralising to people like me and businesses that are actually doing the work at a grassroots level to grow an industry and put back into an industry,” Lock told InDaily last week.

“We applied for funding for our festival, Spin Off, which is a very large festival. It contributed $8 million to the economy in South Australia. We applied for $100,000 from a federal government grant. We received zero.

“The Port Noarlunga Football Club received $100,000 to run a music event. Does that make sense to anyone here? Because it doesn’t make any sense to me.”

While the Port Noarlunga Football Club event was not the only event that Lock named as less deserving of funding — additionally calling out WOMAD and LIV Golf — supporters of Nice Day To Go To The Club were quick to kick off.

“In my opinion, the festival at Port Noarlunga is a great example of grant money finally being shared around the community properly after close to a decade of the opposite,” one netizen commented on Facebook.

“The punch down attitude Five Four chose to go with here is pretty poor form.”

“What a ridiculous comment about the Port Noarlunga festival. You’d think in a climate such as this you’d be happy to see wins within your state, especially a homegrown, legitimately grassroots-run festival,” another said.

“That statement re: ‘Port Noarlunga footy getting the grant money’ goes to show zero understanding of how grassroots Nice Day To Go To The Club is. This bloke should try to get in touch with the common man before throwing them under the bus,” another said.

‘In the same boat’

Nice Day To Go To The Club was the brainchild of AFL star, radio personality and Porties local Ryan Fitzgerald — the vision for his former stomping ground brought to life by local independent record label Daybed Records.

The event has brought an intergenerational audience smashing together in the mosh pit, as early career artists shared the stage with punk and metal veterans such as The Mark of Cain and Cosmic Psychos.

Daybed Records co-founder Jack Stokes told 7NEWS.com.au: “Maybe Five Four aren’t aware of the music scene down south.

“We’re in the same boat, we’re both trying to do the same thing — trying to create environments for people to connect with music and each other.

“It’s about working together (rather) than against each other. There’s no real competition, it’s all about being able to create places where people can go and connect to live music and art in general.”

Cosmic Psychos play at Nice Day To Go To The Club at Port Noarlunga Football Club in 2023. Credit: Daybed Records

Within a week of the Malinauskas government’s September’s launch of the $10 million See it LIVE package, there were already 55 applications for event grants ranging from $5000 to $50,000.

Stokes said Daybed Records also missed out on state funding for the third instalment of Nice Day To Go To The Club, but has high hopes for a community-funded 2025 event.

“Next year we’re planning to run the festival with just the support of the community, without grant money,” he said.

“We’re (the music industry) in a bit of a lull, with the cost of living and how much extra kitty people have to spend on going out and supporting the arts.

“That’s more of a reason why everyone who is organising (events) should work together to bring (the industry) back.

“We also think it’s important to develop a model that doesn’t rely on grant money, because you can’t always rely on (it).”

Daybed Records will reveal more details soon about the 2025 return of Nice Day To Go To The Club.