New Order and Julia Jacklin make last minute cancellations ahead of public gatherings ban

After promoters Frontier Touring and Chugg Entertainment last night (March 13) said they would go ahead, shows by New Order and Julia Jacklin have been cancelled. The news comes ahead of the proposed public gatherings ban which goes into effect Monday (March 16)

New Order were set to play two sold-out Melbourne shows: one at the outdoor Sidney Myer Music Bowl on Saturday, March 14 and the other at The Forum, an indoor venue, on Sunday, March 15. The latter date has now been cancelled.

In a statement released late last night, New Order said they would still proceed with tonight’s outdoor show, with concertgoers “encouraged to take responsibility for their own health and wellbeing”.

“We do not cancel shows but these are exceptional times. We apologise wholeheartedly to all our loyal fans who rushed out to buy tickets for The Forum show,” they wrote.

Julia Jacklin postponed her sold-out March 14 show at The Gov in Adelaide this morning (March 14), following “some deep mental diving”. In a video posted to her social media, Jacklin sung a kareoke version of Celine Dion’s ‘My Heart Will Go On’ and apologised for the late notice.

“Just want to err on the side of caution for everyone’s safety and just come back later in the year when things have hopefully calmed down. Love you all and SO SORRY I’ll be back soon!!!!” she wrote.

Jacklin said a full refund would be available from the point of purchase, but a new date would be announced as soon as possible.

At the time of writing, Gengahr’s Melbourne show at Howler tonight (March 14) was set to go ahead. They played Sydney’s Lansdowne Hotel last night. A slew of other concerts from the promoters from Monday, March 16 onwards will be put on hold. These include gigs by Jimmy Eat World, Marc Rebillet, Kip Moore, Miranda Lambert and Seaforth, as well as the touring series Introducing Nashville.

• READ MORE: Coronavirus outbreak – which Australia festivals and concerts have been affected?

See the full list of affected dates and the full statement by Frontier Touring and Chugg Entertainment below.

Frontier Touring and Chugg Entertainment are “presently working with all artist teams to determine if dates can be rescheduled to late 2020 or early 2021”, the companies announced.

“For ticketholders, tickets will remain valid for rescheduled dates and they will be notified directly as soon as details of new dates are confirmed. Where concerts cannot be rescheduled a full refund will be available for all tickets purchased through official ticketing agencies.”

Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced on March 13 that public gatherings of more than 500 people should be cancelled to curb coronavirus spread. The emergency measure takes effect on Monday, March 16.

Live Performance Australia has called for “urgent clarification” on Morrison’s announcement, particularly as to whether it constituted “advice” or a “government directive”.